"Come on, I know it's in here."

I said to myself as I dug through my Dad's dresser drawers looking for the drugs that I knew he hid there. Maya would be here soon and I wanted to get rid of it before she could find it herself.

Under a stack of boxer briefs, laid several little bags of white powder. For a regular drug user, you would think he would know not to hide his drugs in his underwear drawer. I flushed the bags of drugs down the toilet where they belong.

Grabbing an empty cardboard box, I began emptying his drawers putting aside things I could make money off of; his watches would be worth the most. I can't believe he didn't want to take any of this stuff. But I don't know why I'm surprised, he'll buy new stuff when he gets to Italy if he hasn't already. Hell, he might even have a jeweler and personal shopper waiting for him at the airport. It sounds like something he would do.

I stripped off my sweatshirt as I began to grow hot from all the moving and packing. I wiped the sweat from my forehead. I didn't realize he had so much shit. I stashed some stuff away from myself. I wondered how far away Maya was; knowing how Charlie is he wouldn't go in his carrier willingly.

Sam and Marcus volunteered to help with the moving process, as well. They were just as shocked as I was when they heard about my dad's sudden decision to move.

"He's doing what?" Sam asked slamming his locker shut. A confused wrinkle forming in between his bushy eyebrows.

"He's moving to Italy." I put my hand over my ear to try and stop the ringing. "Florence, to be exact." From what Martha told me his flight left this morning. I hate that we had to let her go, but with me selling the house, there wouldn't be much use for her. And I don't think Maya would like having housekeeper very much.

"Is he coming back for graduation?" Marcus asked. "Or Christmas, is he coming back then?" He ran his hand through his hair, he'd cut it recently and he wasn't quite used to it yet.

"Nope," I kept my voice neutral, but it still stung a little. "According to him, he's not coming back at all."

Sam's jaw dropped astonished."Dude, where are you going to go?"

"Maya and I are moving in together, or I'm moving in with her."

Sam and Marcus have both had a look of confusion on their faces since I broke the news about my dad to them, but it was nothing compared to the shock that appeared when I told them about me moving in with Maya.

"She likes you that much," Sam asked astonished.

"She loves me," I replied glaring at him.

"I think what he's trying to say is," Marcus started, cutting a glance at Sam. "that we didn't know you and Maya were that serious."

"Yeah--yeah I didn't mean anything by it," Sam rushed to add. "But I'm happy for you. Both of you."

"Thank you. It wasn't something we planned to do, it just made sense now that my dad's moving and I'm always there anyway." I'm sure it would have happened eventually. "We're excited about it."

Sam put his hand up in front of him like a shield of protection. "Serious question, does she know that you snore?"

"Hold him," I said to Marcus. Quickly Marcus grabbed Sam before he could escape down the hall. I landed quick but light blows to his abdomen, as not to cause him any actual harm. He tried to escape Marcus' grasp but he held tight onto him.

I had emptied all the drawers and moved some of his furniture to make way for more boxes when I heard the doorbell ring.

And then it rang again and again and again.

I jogged downstairs as fast as I could, as I ran Maya kept ringing the doorbell. Jesus, she's so impatient.

"I'm sorry," I apologized holding the door open for Maya and Charlie to come in. Charlie's little white and orange paws poked out of the gate that kept him in his cat carrier.

"It's fine," Maya exhaled, her breath coming out in a cloud outside. Moving past me and into the house, she unleashed Charlie from his cage. "Charlie was getting antsy." Charlie skidded, clumsily, across the floor unable to find his footing on the marble floor. I didn't mean to laugh at him, but I couldn't help it he looked so confused.

"He has no idea where he is," I chuckled, as Maya and I watched him trot around. He sniffed at the floors and roamed around trying to figure out where he was.

"He's not used to being in such a big place." I guess she's right. Curious, Charlie pawed at the legs of furniture before wandering further into the living room.

I pulled my girl close pressing a kiss to her soft lips, she was being so helpful to me. I had no idea where to start with moving. Obviously, she's done it before, but never on such a grand scale.

"You're so warm," she said laying her head against my chest.

"I've been moving things I started to break a sweat." Her cool hands did feel good against my back as she held me. I squeezed her so she could get all the warmth she needed.

"What have you done so far?"

"I just started in my dad's room. I'm still not finished yet. I was going to work in my room next, but I didn't realize he had so much shit." I didn't think he would keep so much here when he was only here a few days out of the month.

"Find anything good?" she asked, looking up at me.

"I found some jewelry and some drugs. We can only sell one of those things, but I'm sure there's more. I haven't sorted through half of it yet."

"Did he leave everything behind?"

"Seems like it. His closet is still full, the dresser was too. Everything is exactly where it always is." He didn't even take an extra suitcase.

Excited, she said, "Show me. I'm ready to sort through everything."

I rested my forehead against hers, her forehead was almost as cold as her hands. "I have a cardboard box with your name on it, beautiful."

"That's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me," she smiled.

"Oh, sweetheart, do I have some things to tell you."

"Alright lover boy save your sweet nothings for later we have things to pack."

"Ah, you never let me have any fun," I grinned at her.

She held onto my chin kissing me quickly. "I let you have too much fun."

I don't think so.

Before going upstairs, we had to rescue Charlie from where he'd gotten stuck underneath the couch. We turn our backs for a few minutes and he finds himself in all sorts of trouble.

"Silly boy," Maya cooed cuddling him to her chest. It's so funny how mushy he makes her. Maya is not the baby voice type, but Charlie brings it out of her. He tucked his head under her chin reveling in it.

I led the way to what was once Dad's room. It was kind of a mess, with full and empty boxes littering the floor and furniture out of place.

"Excuse the mess," I said kicking a box aside.

"Nick, you're moving there's going to be a mess. Do you remember how horrible my apartment looked before it was completed?"

"I wouldn't call it a mess." Maya's version of a mess is having a few things on the floor and her bed being unmade. This room was an actual mess.

"A disaster, then?"

She let Charlie down. "Don't get stuck under anything," she told him sternly. Maya began to survey the room, opening drawers, going into the bathroom, and checking the closet.

"This is unbelievable," she breathed looking in the full closet. My thoughts, exactly. I heard her curse my father before reappearing in the doorway. "Nick, hand me a box. We're getting rid of this stuff."

"Yes, Ma'am."

****

"I told you this was going to happen."

I stood over Maya as she cleaned up Charlie's accident. I warned her but she didn't want to listen.

"Yeah, yeah, you told me," Maya frowned, throwing the soiled paper towels away. She went to wash her hands in the bathroom sink. "What do you expect from him? He's in a place he doesn't know, he's probably anxious, and he's still just a kitten. He doesn't know any better."

I hummed, scratching the back of my head. I don't know about the not knowing better part. He's great about going to the bathroom at the apartment. I wasn't sure where he was right now, and it was starting to make me nervous. No one wants to buy a house that smells like cat pee.

Maya pushed up the sleeves of her sweater. "We should take some of this to Maggie, she would love sorting through it," she suggested.

"Okay, I'll drop some boxes off after school." I would be happy to just get rid of all of it. Maya and I had spent hours going through all his things dividing them into two piles, keep or donate, and most of his things ended up in the donate pile. Except for the two watches I wanted, everything else was boxed and ready to go to Goodwill, and I guess, now to Maggie.

"Have you decided which car you're going to keep?" Maya asked beginning to go through bathroom drawers. She tossed tubes of toothpaste and unopened toothbrushes into a box.

Sitting up on the bathroom counter, I sighed, "No." In the midst of everything I had to do for this move this was what I was dreading the most. My cars are my kids, I can't just pick one; I want to keep them all.

But that's unrealistic.

"Nick, you have to pick," Maya reminded me. "There's no space for them, and even if there was it wouldn't make sense to have so many."

"I know. I know. But how am I supposed to choose? They're my babies."

"Pick your favorite."

I gasped, shocked that she would believe that I didn't love them all equally. "I can't do that."

"Why not parents do it all the time?"

"I would never do that." I'll love all my children the same if I'm lucky enough to have them. "If we had two cats you wouldn't be able to pick which one was your favorite."

"But Charlie is actually my child," she smirked emptying a container of q-tips in the trash. "And Charlie has a heartbeat, and so would the other cat. It would be different."

"You know what I mean," I sighed.

"Yes, I do know what you mean." She put her hand on my arm. "If we had space I would let you keep every single one, even if I think its too many, but we don't."

She brushed some lint off my shoulders, saying, "You know if moving in with me isn't something you want to do you can tell me. I won't be upset with you. I'll understand."

I felt horrible for complaining, and even putting a seed of doubt in her head that I didn't want to live with her. And I felt like a brat for complaining about something as trivial about not being about to keep my ten cars, half of which I don't even use anymore.

"No, baby. Of course, I want to live with you. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way."

"Are you sure? I don't want to force you."

"Nobody has to force me because I want to do it." I pulled her into me, so she stood between my legs. I tilted her head towards me giving her a reassuring kiss. I wanted to assure her that I'm all in, this is what I want. She is what I want.

"My apartment is going to be a giant downgrade for you," she stressed. "You're whole life is in this house, all your cars. I don't want you to have to give that up."

"Maya..."

"And what if you stop liking me once we live together. I can be really annoying."

"Maya, I love you," I said looking down at her. The thought of her thinking I would stop loving or liking her was killing me. "And you're not that annoying." I don't find her annoying at all, actually. If anything, I'm the annoying one in this relationship, I should be worried about her ditching me.

"Yeah, but things could change. One day you could not feel that way."

"Then we will deal with it then. And it could go both ways, one day you might not like me. You might get tired of my snoring."

"It's not that bad," she admitted. "You sound like a cute little lawn mower."

My eyebrows shot up. "A lawn mower," I scoffed. "You think I sound like a lawn mower?"

"A cute one," she reiterated.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, that sure does make me feel better. As far as my life here goes, these are just things. I can buy new cars, and if things don't work out or we need more space, I can get a new house." Not as big as this house but bigger than her apartment for sure. "Wherever I go I hope you would go with me."

"And Charlie too."

I smiled, "And Charlie too." I brushed my nose against hers. "I love you, Maya Scott."

"I love you too, Nick Ainsworth."

Our child, Charlie Nubs, jumped on the bathroom counter. Nosey as ever, he began trying to wiggle his way between us, just wanting to get in the mix.

I scooped him up. Looking in his yellow-green eyes, I asked, "Did you pee anywhere else? You better not have or else."

"Or else what?" Maya asked calling my bluff.

"Or else, he won't get any treats."

She went to go get her phone that rung in the other room. "Yeah, right," she called back to me.

"I don't appreciate you undermining my authority like this!" Charlie rubbed his head against my hand encouraging me to pet him. I scratched behind his ears. "I mean it, I'll cut you off."

If he could roll his eyes he would have, he and I both know I'm just as bad about spoiling him as Maya.