Fell In Love With My Roomy Chapter 144

I wake up in the middle of a large bed with Kent beside me. We were completely tangled in bedsheets, just beside each other in a beautiful room. I sigh, feeling my body ache and my head pound, but it's bearable. I shuffle over slightly, laying my head on his chest and snuggling back into his side.

That seems to get his attention. He moves under me and groans slightly, eyelids fluttering. I feel his lips press a simple kiss to my temple, and I smile.

"Hey, Juls," he mumbles.

"Hi," I whisper back, watching his eyes open slowly. He grins at me easily, running a hand through my hair.

"How do you feel?" he asks, and I shrug.

"I have a headache and I'm tired, but I'm okay," I sigh, tracing my fingertips down the center of his chest. "I had a lot of fun last night."

"Good," he whispers, putting his hand over mine on his chest. "I know how hard you've been working and all the crap we've been dealing with." His voice is thick with sleep, deep and raspy.

"It was nice to have a day that was all fun," I admit. "You really surprised me."

"Tough to do, you're always so on top of your stuff," he laughs, and I smile too, wrapping my arms tighter and bringing him closer. "Happy birthday, Juls," he adds, giving me a squeeze, and I smile.

"Thanks."

"I can't believe you're older than me," he mumbles. "Feels unfair."

"When's your birthday again?"

"May fourteenth," he sighs. "Not for a while."

"Good, I'll have lots of time to plan," I tease, leaning down close and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "It'll be hard, but I plan to top mine."

"Big talk," he mumbles, pressing his lips quietly to my temple, and I grin. "That'll be right around six months for you and me," he says quietly, and I blink, realizing he's right.

"Yeah," I nod, reaching my hand out to lace our fingers together. "How does that make you feel?" I ask, genuinely wanting to know, and he nods, suppressing a smile.

"Good," he answers. "I want that for us, you know? It feels a little scary and everything, it's a big deal, but... I don't want anything else." I smile, feeling touched, and he sighs. "Sometimes I get freaked out when I look down the tunnel, A... I've never wanted to admit that because I feel like it makes me sound like I don't believe in us... but that's not it, it's just me."

There he went, calling me "A" again. It did remind me of Pretty Little Liars, but he didn't even know what that show was. He was giving my nickname, a nickname.

I snap out of that thought train, knowing it's not important at all. Listening to what he's telling me is important right now because the last thing I want is for him to run for the hills.

"Look, I know this is scary," I whisper, giving his hand a squeeze. "And I understand why you feel like it's hard; it makes a lot of sense. But... I want you to understand that there's nothing to be afraid of. We've been through the worst of it already. I love you, and I always will."

"Even if I mess up?" he asks quietly, and I nod.

"Even then," I whisper. "Especially then," I chuckle, and he gives me a weak smile. "I want you to trust yourself and trust me. We've made it work this entire month, and everything's been perfect. I know it's hard to imagine our relationship a long time from now."

"No, that's not what I'm nervous about," he says quickly. "It's the opposite, Juls, I do see us together for a long time. I see it all the time, it's..."

"You're worried we can't get there," I finish, and he nods. "Why?"

"Because I always make a mess with you. I don't want to make one I can't clean up," he mumbles, and I snort.

"What mess could be bigger than the ones we've already made?" I laugh, and he blinks, like my mood was way too upbeat for this conversation. "Kent, you need to understand that what you think a relationship is... that barfy rainbow happy-all-the-time stuff, isn't real. We're not a movie, we're people. And people make mistakes all the time."

"Yeah, I guess," he nods, and I laugh.

"It's not a mistake that matters; it's how you fix it," I whisper, running my other hand through his hair. "And I'll always be here; we've already started to really figure it out. Nowhere to go but up."

"I love you," he says quietly, cupping the side of my face with his hand. "I want to see where the future goes."

"Good," I whisper. "Because I'm not going anywhere, so quit thinking I will."

"I know," he sighs, pulling my hip over his lap, and I shuffle over, sitting up in his lap. "Sometimes I just have to say what's on my mind though, does that make sense?" he asks, hands moving to hold my waist.

"Of course it does," I whisper. "I'd rather you tell me, even if you think it doesn't make sense. We can always talk about things," I remind him, putting my hands on his chest, and he gives me a smile. "I love you."

"You know I love you," he whispers, hands traveling up my ribcage, and I sigh when they cup my breasts. "I want to make you happy."

"You do," I sigh, enjoying his hands there. "Kent, you make me happy."

"Mmm," he chuckles. "You make me happy too," he insists, pulling me down and giving me a kiss. "We don't have to check out for another hour," he mumbles, and I chuckle.

"Then let's make the most of it," I tease, making him laugh.

I almost couldn't believe it when Kent asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday. As if yesterday hadn't been insane enough. I told him I wanted to lay in bed for the afternoon and rest, that I was tired after last night, and he nodded with a chuckle.

Waking up around dinner time felt like a fever dream. I was sweating and confused about how dark it was outside. I only meant to nap for about an hour, and I'd accidentally fallen asleep a lot later.

I pry myself to sit up, knowing I need to shower and reset my week. I haven't touched my laundry or tidied up yet, and the mess was stressing me out.

I reach over to check my phone, checking the time and my messages. The first place I go is always my student email, waiting for any sort of confirmation about a Master's program from Brown.

Nothing yet.

I toss it back on the nightstand, and I hear a knock on the door. "Come in!" I call, and Kent swings my door open, leaning on the edge of the doorframe.

"Hey, you're finally up," he laughs, and I sigh with a vague smile. "I wear you out too much at that hotel?"

"No, well.....maybe," I sigh, running a hand through my gross hair. "My point is, it's not all your fault."

"I'll take credit for some of it," he chuckles, and I smirk. "How's your twenty-second birthday?"

"Unproductive," I sigh. "I've done nothing today."

"Everyone deserves a day off," he reminds me, and I sigh. "I checked on you a couple of times; you were out cold."

"And you didn't come in and lay with me?" I ask, pretending to cross my arms.

"I had to go to the gym and do some homework, I wanted to, believe me," he says with a kind smile.

"Well....would you now?" I ask, and he chuckles, stepping into my room and coming to sit down beside me. He shuffles more into the middle, and I lay my head on his chest. "You know earlier when you asked me what I wanted to do today?"

"Yeah?"

"This is it," I whisper, and he chuckles.

"I was coming to see if I could bring you out to dinner," he admits quietly, running his hand over my hair. "I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

"I'd love that," I nod quietly. "I just....I have to at least put in a load of laundry before we go; I'm behind on everything. Could it be a late dinner? Or even just a dessert somewhere? I need to get ready too and."

"How about you get ready, and I'll do your laundry?" he suggests, and I pull back off his chest, raising my eyebrows.

"What?" I laugh, and he shrugs. "You want to do my laundry?"

"Want is probably the wrong word, but... it is your birthday and everything, so... I'll do it anyway," he sighs, and I raise my eyebrows. "Oh, don't look at me like that's insane."

"It kind of is," I tease, and he chuckles, shoving my shoulder. "W- would you really do that for me?"

"It's laundry, not a kidney. Of course I'll do it for you," he laughs. "Well... I'd give you a kidney too if you really needed it, I guess," he shrugs, and it's my turn to laugh.

"I hear that's a key thing to look for in a partner," I snort. "If you'd do that, you'd be doing me a huge favor; it would really help me out."

"Then I'll do it," he shrugs. "It's that easy; then I'll bring you to dinner."

"I love you," I whisper, and he rolls his eyes. "Don't put the water on hot; it shrinks everything, and my jeans don't fit right after that. Please put a dryer sheet in the dryer with my stuff, and make sure you don't put my wire bras in to dry; hang them over the shelf."

"Okay, maybe the kidney's easier," he mumbles, and I laugh. "Are you being serious about all of this?"

"Yes," I nod. My clothes were fairly straightforward, but when I bought dryer sheets in September, all three of my roommates were convinced they were a scam. I wasn't letting him not use one.

"Alright, make me a list so I don't forget any of this," he sighs, and I chuckle, grabbing a sticky note and a pen out of the drawer on my nightstand.

I pass him my completed list, and he reads it over carefully, sighing, and I smile, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you," I whisper, and he grins as I stand up out of bed and wave as I walk down the hall. "All of my stuff's right there," I tell him, pointing at my basket on the way out.

The shower's long, but it's needed. It feels like a reset to wash my hair and really get off the last of my makeup. I get out and blow-dry my hair with a round brush to dry it and style it together. Then I brush my teeth and do my skincare before heading back to get dressed and put on some makeup.

I pass Kent's room, and his door is closed, which I only assume means he's getting ready too. I put on a pair of black slacks and a long-sleeve, white square-neck top because I don't know where we're headed. Afterwards, I choose some jewelry and apply a bit of concealer and mascara.

Once I'm ready, I head across the hall to knock on his door. "Come in!" I hear him call, and I open his door, and what I find makes my heart explode. He's got all of my stuff clean and dry on his bed, and most of it's folded.

"Hey, I can't figure out how you get your shirts folded in that fancy way in your drawers," he mumbles, holding up one of my T-shirts. "But I folded everything else, except for what you told me not to put in the dryer; it's still damp." My lips part, and his face visibly changes. "Did I forget something?"

"No," I nearly whisper, feeling a huge smile spread over my lips. I run over and wrap my arms around him, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Oh my god, you're the best."

"The best, huh?" He chuckles, wrapping me in a hug.

"Thank you," I whisper. "You have no idea how helpful that was, or what it means for you to do things like that for me."

"Hey, no worries," he smiles. "I'm happy to help."

"This is pretty romantic," I tease. "You've never been hotter than you are right now."

"Should've known all it took to turn you on was housework," he laughs. "Let me finish this and we can go."

"No, that's alright. I'll bring it to my room, and we can leave; you've done loads," I whisper quietly, and he sets me down. He helps me load it all, folded, into my basket so I can bring it back across the hall, and I smile.

He's so thoughtful sometimes.

He's in a pair of slacks and a dress shirt, so I'm not that far off with how I'm dressed. He seems to wear nice stuff like that more and more; I guess we go out on dates a lot now too.

We walk down the hall to get our coats and shoes, to find Kyle and Mark on the couch, watching the game.

"You two going out?" Kyle asks, and I nod.

"Yep, birthday dinner," I smile, pulling on my leather boots.

"Hey, Juls, do you know if you need somewhere to stay next year?" Mark asks, turning down the TV. That was a very complicated question for me right now.

"I-um.....I guess? I don't know, I don't have any concrete plans or anything, I don't even know if I'm staying here," I sigh. "But....I mean, yeah, I guess if I stay at Brown I will. Why?"

"Some girls I know are looking to move into a new house on the other side of campus; they're all on the Brown cheer team," he answers. "We're all on five-year contracts and stuff, so they're our age. They need a fourth girl if you're interested."

"I don't know what my plan is, when do they need an answer?" I ask. This might be my best solution; it's still near campus. Maybe I should reach out just to chat. "Could you send me some info about it?"

"Sure, I think they need to know soon though," he admits, and I sigh with a nod.

"Okay, thanks," I mumble, looking back at Kent, who looks... almost nervous. That's weird. "Ready?"

"Yeah," he says quietly, and I nod.

"Have fun!" Kyle calls, and I wave, heading out the door.

We walk to the car, and I slide into the seat, feeling chilled. "Where did you want to go to dinner?" Kent asks, and I turn to face him, sensing his mood. He's not angry, and he's not mad at me, certainly not visibly... but I know when something's off.

"I was thinking sushi," I shrug, reaching over for his hand. "What's the matter?"

"I'm fine," he says, shaking his head. "It's your birthday; let's just go out."

"Kent," I sigh. "Come on, that's not true. You can talk to me."

He's quiet for a second and then he clears his throat. "Don't freak out," he mumbles, chewing the inside of his cheek and getting his phone out of his jacket. Never good when people start with that. "I- um....I've been looking around for something."

"Something?" I repeat, and he nods, opening his phone and going through the tabs in his pictures. "What kind of something?" "Like.......something for you and me," he mumbles, and I watch him open up a picture of an apartment. My eyes widen, and I keep my thoughts in, instead of immediately asking him too many questions. "It's not official or anything; I just thought.....we'd both need roommates next year if we stay." He whispers, passing me the phone, and I blink. "I wanted to ask you about it, I did, I just....wanted to wait until you knew about Brown."

The pictures were pretty modest. I was expecting Kent in some penthouse, or some brand new building with perfect finishings. Instead, it's an older place, moldings around the doors and windows, high ceilings, and a fireplace in the living room. It's simple, smaller than I would have pictured he'd want, but it has hardwood floors and an updated kitchen. It isn't in a basement either, which is an upgrade.

"I like it," I admit. "I like the moldings."

"I thought you would," he whispers. "It's a two-bedroom in the top apartment of a three-unit. It's like this place, a house split up. Just.....it would only be you and me."

"You want me to have my own room?" I tease, and he chuckles.

"No, I....I saw the big window in the second room, and I thought it would make a really nice office," he admits. "Thought you could do your work in there." I feel a smile push its way onto my face.

"It's great," I smile quietly. "I didn't picture this as the sort of place you'd want to live."



"It's not," he laughs. "It's small and old, but.... the rent's really cheap. I knew you'd want to pay your half, and.....if we live there, we have a lot more money to do fun stuff just you and me."

It was hard not to get excited. I loved it and I wanted this so much, but.... of course there was still a massive variable.

"I haven't signed anything; it's a private pass that I'm doing. The landlord is a friend of someone my parents know; they're keeping it off the market until they know whether we're in or out," he explains, and my eyes widen. "I.....I'm looking at a different one in Illinois, in case you end up at Northwestern too. It's not as character-filled, and it's smaller, but..... it's a backup."

"You were going to ask me to move in with you?" I whisper, and he nods.

"By the time we moved in next year.... we'd have been living together for a year. It felt like a no-brainer."

"I was.....thinking the same thing. I guess I was kind of...."

"Nervous about asking?" He chuckles, and I nod. "I definitely get that. Why do you think I asked you not to freak out?"

"You've been looking at this stuff?" I ask in disbelief, and he nods. "Oh baby, this is..... this is amazing," I mumble, passing the phone back to him.

"I like the idea of just you and me," he admits. "I like the idea of living together; there's no one to bother us and.....I'd get to see you all the time. It would be like it is now, but better," he insists, and I nod, knowing it was true.

"You sure you're ready to say goodbye to the guys?" I ask. "Mark's staying next year; you don't want to move in with him?" I worried that Kent gave up too much time with his friends as it was, I didn't want him to feel like he was missing out.

"Me and the guys have had a good run," he shrugs. "We've lived together for three years, but..... they understand that things are changing. I'm ready to do something new."

"Then I'm there," I whisper, putting my hand in his. "I'll tell Mark I've found somewhere new to live."

"Good, then let's go to dinner," he whispers, picking up my hand and kissing the back of it.

I can't seem to keep my grin back; I just feel way too happy. Everything feels like it's fitting into place really easily, and it was all centered around this amazing relationship and a guy I loved.

When we park and get out, he takes my hand again. But when we get closer to the restaurant, he sighs. "There's one more thing."

"What?" I ask with a chuckle.

"Your birthday present isn't here yet," he mumbles, shaking his head. "I'm sorry; I thought it would be here on time-"

"Birthday present?" I gape, and he nods. "You got me something?"

"Yeah, but it's still on the way," he admits, scratching the back of his neck. "Call it an I-owe-you?"

"Don't worry about it," I whisper, giving his hand a squeeze. "You've done so much already; this is the best birthday I've ever had."

"Wow," he laughs. "I should do your laundry more often."

"Mercury must be going into retrograde at the offer from you to do my laundry regularly," I snort. "You hate laundry."

"You're right," he sighs, looping his arm around my shoulders. "But I love you, so I could handle doing it more often to make you happy."

"I'm pretty good at getting it done on my own; this weekend was just so busy," I mumble. "That's not all it takes to make me happy."

"No, but tidiness and order seem to make you pretty damn happy," he mumbles, making me laugh.

"You know me," I admit, leaning into his chest a bit more. "Now let's go eat our body weight in sushi."

"Whatever you want, sweetheart," he answers, and I lean up to kiss his cheek, feeling a happy pull in my chest. He'd done a lot today to make me feel more relaxed about life. Kent always had an attitude that it didn't matter if something didn't work out because he'd find a way to make it work anyway. And that's what today had been.

Him and I finding ways to make everything work.