A Reunion of Lips

XXVIII

Wow. He should spend more time out here.

Scott sucked in a lungful of fresh air as he leaned against the railing of his balcony. He blinked in the morning sunlight, peering out between the dark clouds rolling in across the city. He could smell the sweet combination of the flowers in the garden down below him and the oncoming rain slowly inching closer.

He smiled at the sound of the breeze rustling the curtains behind him on the door and his loose, almost see-through shirt. Mitch hadn't actually said anything about wearing it today, but his eyes had lingered on it while he had been digging through their closet this morning, and then immediately cut over to Scott's chest. He had waited until after Mitch left to get dressed, and was possibly hoping that Mitch wouldn't be too tired when he got back and saw the shirt.

Scott felt a raindrop hit his face and slid back inside, leaving the doors open to listen to the patter of the gentle drizzle mixed with the soft piano music.

"He's gonna throw a fit if his clothes get soaked."

He snorted and glanced over to Kirstie, still holding the pedal down on the piano to let the sound linger in the room as her hands lifted off the keys.

"I was gonna say there's no way he could possibly have much more," Scott waved to his open closet door, where he'd watched Mitch spend the last few days sorting through and trying to make more space in, "but it's Mitch and I know better than that."

Kirstie nodded. "Why do you think he brought Ryan and Matt to help him carry the last of his stuff here?"

Scott's eyes flicked over to the pile of boxes still sitting against the wall. "Well, he can have as many other rooms as he wants. There's plenty of other closets he can fill up so we don't end up suffocating in here."

Kirstie laughed. "Most of his other stuff is just storage stuff, I think. The only times he really went to the apartment were when he needed to find his old clothes or find other sewing supplies. His room has pretty much turned into a guest room at this point."

Ben had moved in with Kirstie while Mitch had been missing, so Scott wasn't surprised that Mitch was moving the rest of his stuff out now. Mitch had claimed that he really only kept his stuff there anyways—he hadn't lived there since a few months before Scott had proposed.

"Cool."

Kirstie rolled her eyes and turned back to the piano to cover the keys. "I don't even know why I bother."

"I literally don't know what you're talking about."

Kirstie stood up and grabbed her jacket. "Have fun running the country. Don't forget to take some breaks or about lunch tomorrow, or I will shave off your non-existent eyebrows while you sleep."

Scott laughed and plopped himself down on his couch, reaching for the folder of Senate records from the last two years and his computer. "I won't, I promise! See you tomorrow, Kirstie."

"See ya, Scooter." The door clicked shut behind her.

Alright, time to focus.

Scott let the sound of the tapping rain on the balcony fill up the room along with his muttering as he shuffled through papers.

While the Senate was temporarily shut down, Scott had the full authority to do whatever he wanted. Meaning, he was taking this opportunity to fix everything that his parents had fucked up on both him and the country. Lindsey and Lauren had both come to help him manage all of his work, which he was endlessly grateful for. They were splitting his normal, day to day tasks while he worked to sort through the dozens and dozens of things the Senate had changed and put together orders to reverse them.