Becoming First Lead

v moving out

"You can always stay here," I pout.

"Alex, it's fine . Seriously. You two need your privacy and I'm really getting better. Besides, I won't be that far away and you guys can always visit," she says as she begins to place more of her things in a box.

"Nikki, I like having you around . I'll miss you," I say to her .

"You'll miss my cooking. Besides , you can always order take out. The only thing changing is where I sleep . Also, even though we're at opposite ends, I can still hear you both," she says to me , grinning.

"Was this always your plan?"

"To leave? Yes. For you to finally move on and fall in love with someone else? HELL YES," this woman I mutter internally.

"First off, we're taking it slow. I'm not in love with her, we just have a good time, that's all," I tell her in a convincing tone .

She throws her hands up in the air and in air quotes , "good time, is that a euphemism for sex?"

I cough at her bluntness, "Shut it."

"I told you, I can hear you two."

"What if we were a little more quiet?" I ask her , hoping she'd change her mind about moving. Even though it was an adjustment in the beginning when she first moved in, I got used to her rather quickly. Her leaving feels like a punch in my gut.

"Even if, I need my own place . For my own fresh start . I appreciate everything all of you have done for me, but I feel ready to finally put one foot out in front of the other," she explains.

I can't argue with her. She's right, she's not going far but I will miss having her around. It's not the same as when it's just Stephanie and I,  there's just something that's much more comforting when she's here . Even Stephanie has tried to convince her to stay, but that's mostly because she enjoys the food . And if I'm being honest, she might enjoy her company a little bit more than my company.

She had been living with me for the last 6 months. So of course her moving isn't an easy thing for me. She seriously become someone extremely important to me . Even more so than my own girlfriend, which she doesn't mind. She knows and if she's being honest , she feels the same way about Nikki. Even though Nikki came into our lives during a volatile time for herself , she became this strong source of stability for us. Her strength gave us encouragement and that fact that she's continually pushing forward made us feel like we were indestructible just like her.

"Are you listening to me?" She says trying to bring me out of my own thoughts.

"What?"

"I'm having a housewarming this weekend. I'd like you both to come. I'm having some people from work over," she says to me.

"Send me the time . Do you need help setting up?" I asked.

"You can come anytime , I suppose. Bring booze," she winks.

That's the first time she's requested alcohol . So I look over to her with a confused look, "alcohol? Since when do you drink?"

"Since now. I think I can let loose a little,  especially at my own place, right?" I couldn't disagree.

•••

The night of her house warming came. Stephanie told me she'd meet me there after work and grab some bottles of liquor on her way. I won't deny that my place has felt empty without her but she was right. The privacy Stephanie and I got did help us little bit. We were able to explore different territories of my place without having to worry about the noise level.