oxygen (e.d.)

short chapter 2: first apartment together

<ethan>

i wipe the sweat off my forehead and reach for the bottle of water riley got for me.

"heavy box?" she asks breathlessly and puts down one as well.

"yes," i laugh, "very."

"coming through!" sloane yells and barges through the door with refreshments.

"yes!" riley yells with glee and rushes over to get a cold drink.

her parents are coming soon to help set everything up for the new apartment, which will be really helpful.

sloane and wyatt claimed the room with the best natural lighting, but that means riley and i get the biggest closet.

"do you work tomorrow?" wyatt asks me.

"yes sir," i smile with a nod and take a sip of the drink riley brought to me.

"when he's a financial analyst ~ h e a r t e y e s~" riley snickers.

"honestly i still don't know what i'm even doing in that office half the time."

"ohh same," sloane nods vigorously, "finances scare me."

"you studied it for four years," riley deadpans.

"girl, trust me, i know," sloane laughs.

pretty soon riley's parents arrive and help with setting up everything to our standards.

we argue about who's things go on what side of the sink, who gets what side of the bed, how may decorative pillows riley is allowed to set out, and pretty much anything else super small like that. we always just end up laughing at the end, not being able to take our bickering seriously.

{riley}

"this is a big step," my mom breathes and places a hand on my shoulder.

"mhm and why's that?" i ask, shoveling stale cereal into my mouth.

"moving in with your boyfriend?"

"oh," i laugh, "don't worry about it. sloane and i have lived together before, ethan practically lived with me anyway, and i've dealt with wyatt for 21 years. i'll be fine."

"what if you guys break up again?"

"the thought never even crossed my mind."

"riley!" ethan yells from the other room, averting my attention from my mom.

"yeah?"

"come look."

i smile wide and excitedly scramble for our room.

my dad and ethan set up all the furniture and i promised i would decorate it.

"okay," he says gently, placing his hands over my eyes, "to new beginnings."

"to new beginnings." i repeat back.

i hear the door open and he unveils the room.

i can't help but feel emotional as i think how this is a step into our future together.

"this bed," i say and touch the frame, "is amazing."

"the mattress is even better." he grins and collapses on it.

i laugh and he motions to him. i climb on the bed and curl between his arms.

"i think," i sigh, closing my eyes contently, "this is going to be great."