REM // Van McCann

60. I Think You're Onto Something

For some reason, telling her via text message didn't feel right so I asked her to meet me so we could talk about it. She suggested a café not too far from us but I thought it'd be easier if we met in my flat. That way, she could see my flat and figure out our living situation for the next month or so. I was wary that this could take longer than a month but I hoped not. It's not that she can't find a place. There are plenty of places to stay. It's more of a question of what she can afford.

There was a knock on my door so I opened it. She stood there with an expression I couldn't read. The both of us didn't know what to expect. This conversation could either go well or end terribly. She didn't want to get her hopes up only to have it crushed.

"Hello, come on in," I said, gesturing for her to come in. "Would you like something to drink?" Florence shook her head. "You can take a seat at the kitchen table."

Florence removed her purse and set it on the table. She then took her coat off and hung it on the back of her seat before sitting down. We were still in the middle of winter but winters here are mild. It wasn't cold enough for snow just yet but it was cold and miserable outside. Despite her saying she didn't want anything, I filled a glass of water for the both of us and set it on the table. She thanked me for the water. Now that I was sat across from her, I could see how tired she was. The stress had taken a toll on her the past few weeks.

"How are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm fine but busy. I'm moving out at the end of this week so I started getting boxes and packing. I'm seeing another place this afternoon with roommates so I'll see how that goes," she said, sighing. "How are you?"

"I've been good. Just figuring some stuff out," I told her, not wanting to go into detail just yet. "I just wanna say that I'm open to the idea of you staying with me but I'd like to work out the details before committing." Florence's eyes widened.

"Are you being serious?" she asked and I nodded my head.

"I've only got one bed at the moment so that's gonna be a problem. I was thinking of getting a sofa bed. I've actually been thinking of getting one for ages in case my parents or friends ever visit so I guess it's time to get one then."

"I can help pay for the sofa bed," Florence offered. "I'll even sleep on it too. I'm not too fussed about it."

"I dunno. They're quite expensive so we'll see. I'll check IKEA to see what they have. Another issue we'll run into is space. The good thing is that my flat is already furnished so we don't need too many things. You can probably put most of your stuff in storage. I think I'm more concerned about the logistics around your stay. Like how long you plan on staying, paying bills and rent, parking if you have a car, and so on."

"Well my plan is to only stay for a month. My hope is that I'll find a place by then and move out so you don't have to deal with me anymore. I'll pay my share of the rent and any other bills you have like water, internet, electricity, and so on. I'll even chip in for the sofa bed! I don't have a car so that's not an issue." Florence looked around my flat. "Yeah, it seems like you've got the necessities so most of my stuff will go to storage. I'll bring the minimum with me as I don't want to take up too much of your space. Is there anything else you're concerned about? I promise to be on my best behavior. I'll be clean and do my fair share of the cleaning. I'm not allowed to go clubbing anymore. I need to save money! And I won't have any friends over or parties."

"Good because I'm not exactly on my neighbor's good side," I joked and she laughed.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" she asked.

"I feel like Bondy and Larry will eventually find out but can you keep this between the both of us? I mean...if they find out, they find out. There's no use stopping it but I'd like to avoid it if possible. They're gonna give me so much shit."