"Baby, you deserve the better things."

• • •

"No, no, no, no, no! Why would you volunteer me for something like that?" I say turning back around and following my mom outside. I don't know if she can hear the panic in my voice but I'm trying to mask it as best as I can.

"Honey, it's not that serious. He doesn't even live that far from here." She says looking back at me annoyed and slightly confused. I know I've kept her out of the loop so I can't really be that mad at her for this but, shouldn't she have mom senses or some shit like that.

"Mom, you don't understand!"

"What don't I understand?" She completely stops this time and looks me right in my eyes, clearly getting irritated with me.

You'd probably think I was super open with my mom but, we both probably have things we keep to ourselves. Not anything crazy, I just also like to have things I keep to myself. This is one of those things I'll be keeping to myself. I decide not to push my luck and just stop while I'm ahead. I would have to see Jacob at some point anyways, even if this is sooner than I'd like it to. On the bright side if Jacob is living on his own I won't have to see him here anymore.

"Nothing." While walking back towards the house I see Jacob carrying a box and walking towards his car. I take a deep breathe and walk past him into the house setting all the papers from orientation in my mom's work bag. I sit on the couch and text Avery about all this shit since she's the only one I've kept up to date. But she's really no help in that department, in her mind Jacob and I should be married by now.

"We can leave in 10 minutes." Jacob walks right past me and up the staircase without even looking at me.

When he returns back downstairs he has another box and keys on top of it. Without him saying anything I follow behind him. The movers left about 5 minutes ago so they'll be there before us. I get into the passenger seat and put my seatbelt on, especially since I already know how reckless of a driver Jacob is. He gets in the front seat and pulls out of the large driveway.

We sit in silence for what feels like hours, the only sound is the radio which is incredibly low. I just switch between playing on my phone and looking out the window at the other large houses on the street. I can't take this anymore.

"So how much longer until we're there?" I ask so quietly that if the radio was louder you probably wouldn't be able to hear me.

"Not long."

"So what kind of investigation did they finish?" I ask and mentally slap myself, he's not gonna like that.

"Are you Nancy fucking Drew, why does everything always lead this line of questioning? You don't wanna know how my day was?" His tone is more playful than I expected it to be, maybe he's in a good mood.

"Sorry." I continue looking out of the window and he turns the radio up. "About the other day...."

"We're here." He pulls up to the gate scans some card which allows us into a parking lot. There are 5 tall identical buildings lined up next to each other, expensive for sure, mostly made of glass. Although I can't really see it there's more buildings and land behind the apartments. He parks directly in front of the first one and tells me to wait in the car.

He walks out, leaving the car on and the radio going as I watch him walk up to the movers truck parked a few spots down. They're talking but I can't hear them, Jacob points to the third building then to the first and walks towards it. He comes back not long after with papers and a key, directing the movers to follow him into the third building. Finally after I've been in the car for 15 minutes, I see him walking back outside and towards the car.

"There's a box in the trunk with M written on it, can you grab it?" Jacob presses a button on the drivers side door which opens the trunk then proceeds to open the back door and pull out two boxes.

I grab the box labeled M and walk through the propped open glass door, there is an incredibly clean white marbled floor and an elevator to my right. A black door to my left with maintenance engraved into a silver plaque on it, there's another black door straight ahead of me with a stairs symbol on it. There is only one way to go which is up, but I don't know what floor. I look outside but Jacob seems busy so I decide I'll just press buttons until I see the moving crew. I randomly press two and the elevator takes me up, when it opens there's the movers putting things away.

What kind of apartment is this? I walk into the large loft style apartment and look around in disbelief. I didn't even know apartments could be this big. It's nearly as big as my house, why not just buy a house? I walk around the movers and sit the box down where I see other boxes. Jacob comes up not long after me and puts down what he was carrying.

"You can just sit.....,"he looks around the chaotic apartment then points at a lonely grey chair in what I assume to be the dining room, "there."

"You sure you don't want me to get anything else?"

"Not yet, they can finish then we'll bring the rest in." He walks away to help the movers put everything away. I take in the ivory white walls and grey marble floor. What is up with this place and marble floors? There's an upstairs but I can't really see up there from where I'm sitting. I wanna ask how much this place costs but, would he even know? I doubt he's paying for this place. I pull out my phone and start watching YouTube videos, I can tell I'm gonna be here a while.

• • •

Hours pass and the sun is starting to set. is the time on my phone. The movers are finally leaving and I'm just waiting on Jacob to come back up so he can take me home. When I hear the elevator open I walk in I stand up expecting to finally leave.

"I know you're ready to go, but I just need to put a few more things up. I'd like to come home and actually lay down so." He says and walks over to his room which is up the black stairs. His apartment looks just like I'd expect a 20 something man's place to look, dark and boring. I mutter an ok and follow him into his room, standing in the door frame.

"Bet you're happy to finally be back at your apartment own place." I say so there won't be an awkward silence.

"Yeah, I couldn't take it any longer." He says distracted by putting together the finishing touches of his dark brown king size bed frame.

"Are you gonna have some sort of welcoming party."

"Why did you wanna come?" He laughs, "Uh I kind of will I guess, on Friday." What does he mean kind of. A hush follows over us for a second but then I remember a few weeks ago when I was talking to Mable and she said something about Jacobs birthday coming up.

"Oh shit, is it your birthday party?" I ask after realizing that's what he means by kind of. "Mable told me your birthday was soon."

"Yup, what else did Mable tell you about me." He says half laughing half serious. Mable talks a lot, but at the same time never says much. All she does is really create more questions that I didn't have.

"Not much, you know how she is." It goes quiet, again.

"Did you really wanna talk about what happened the other day?" He puts down the tools in his hands and turns around to look at me. Still in a crouched position, at least I'm towering over him this time, it's less intimidating.

"Yes. It's just.... it kind of confused me. Not in a bad way! But I just don't...... get it, I guess." I can't even look him in the eyes.

"If I misread the situation, I'm sorry. It felt like maybe you wanted to do the same, but I knew you wouldn't and I don't handle that kind of tension very well." He seems genuine, kind of how he was at the casino. It's oddly calming.

"No, no you didn't misread anything.... like I wasn't.... I didn't hate it. Kind of the opposite. You're right I'm no good at this." I face palm internally for being so open with him.

He stands up and walks towards me. He's close but not too close. "I don't wanna make you uncomfortable." He's looking down on me like he did when he kissed me, part of me wants it to happen again but I also don't. "I'm gonna take you home." What the fuck was that?!

"I didn't say I wanted to leave!"

"I know but it's getting late, I can sleep on the couch." He walks away while I stand there confused more now than ever. Nonetheless I follow him to the elevator.

"You should come to my party." He says once we're in the elevator, still looking ahead.

"Uh, ok."

"I'll pick you up, it's gonna be after the birthday thing my dads throwing me anyways." I can feel him looking at me this time but now I'm looking ahead, if I could jump out of this elevator I would.

"We haven't been invited to that?"

"I'm sure you will be. But before my party I have to warn you; when I say party, I mean party." We're finally off of the elevator and heading towards his car.

• • •