Finally, the two boys had gone back to New Jersey. Back to where their old, empty lives lied. They packed, and packed for days, coffee and minimal hours of sleep the only things on their to-do lists.

But every morning, at exactly the same time, Red would call his mother, and update her on their status. And she would smile whenever Red would accidentally ramble on about Beverly.

By the time they finished packing, and began making their way back to New York, Red couldn't stop smiling.

He couldn't wait to see Caroline, just as she was getting ready to practically pop. And he couldn't wait to see Beth, Jesse—Rue's father, and Rue. Who was fascinated by the fact that Red was apparently abnormally tall.

Red hooked an arm around Beverly's neck, as he drove, his other hand doing the steering. Beverly chuckled, being taken off guard. Although, he snuggled into Red's side either way.

"You seem a bit excited, can I ask why?" Beverly smiled shyly, into the crook of Red's forearm.

Red shook his head, trying to shake the overwhelmed grin from bordering his lips. "Not to sound cliche, or anything, but this is like, a new fucking chapter in our lives. The beginning of our lives. Well, that is if you aren't planning on skipping out on me?"

Beverly leaned upwards, his lips finding Red's. "Of course not. You?"

Red bit Beverly's cheek at the question, his lips kissing the wound vastly afterward. "Don't be stupid."

Once the two pulled into that familiar driveway, Beverly's mind drifted off to when he and Red weren't doing so good, and he had been thinking of getting his own place whenever they returned back to New Jersey.

He laughed under his breath at such an idea. As though he could live without Red now.

Red came up to Beverly from behind, planting both hands at his hips, as he gripped swiftly. "I say we take one bag of clothes into house, and leave the rest of this unnecessary shit in the truck, until we find our place. How does that sound?"

Beverly nodded, kicking the door shut, after retrieving the bag filled with his favorite clothes. "Sounds good. But hopefully nobody breaks in, and like, steals shit."

Red laughed at Beverly's panicky tone, holding the front door to Gina's home open, "don't worry about that, our stuff'll be fine."

The next morning, Red sat at the kitchen table, a cup of plain, black coffee before him, a creamy bagel beside it. He had settled Gina's laptop on the spot right beside the bagel, him scrolling through different apartment for rent near his mother's home.

He'd seen a few that were within price range, within miles of Gina's house, and seemed big enough that both he and Beverly wouldn't get sick of each other so soon.

Moments later, a cheery Cole marched down the steps, an irritated Nick trailing behind him.

Both sat beside Red at the table, nosily watching as he scrolled. "Is there anything I can help you guys with?"

Cole chuckled under his breath at the sight of Red's plain coffee, turning to Nick, who laughed along. "Since when did you start drinking coffee?—black coffee at that."

"Since I went out into the real world, went to prison, and got a job. Tell me, Cole—do you have experience in any of those departments?" Red watched Cole scoff with a cocky expression.

"If you must know, I work at the fucking ice cream parlor, and I love it there—"

Red shook his head, "Yeah fucking right, I heard you complain over the phone to Beth."

"I'm allowed to complain, dude. What do you want me to do? Swallow my pain? I'm not an animal." Both Nick and Red shook their heads, not bothering to communicate further.

Finally, Red looked over at Nick, who had been awfully quiet about his personal life ever since Red had returned. Unlike Cole, who had already gone through two conquests throughout the last four days in a half.

Not including when Red and Beverly were packing up their things in New Jersey.

"So, Nick," Red started, "anything going on with you?"

Cole jumped at the opportunity. "Oh, yeah! He met this girl from like, Brazil or something, and they hung out for a while. This loser here got super fucking attached, and next thing you know her visa expires, and she just like—disappears."

Nick's jaw began to tick, his eyes glaring holes into the side of Cole's head. "Eva was from Columbia, you asshat. And she did not disappear, she went back home. Now, please butt the fuck out of my business for five seconds."

Red watched with a confused expression as Nick stomped over to the key holder, and jacket rack, plucking his keys, and slipping on his jacket.

Then, the door was being slammed, and Gina was shouting from her bedroom upstairs. "Do not slam doors in this house, boys!"

Both Cole and Red shouted in unison. "Sorry, ma!"