REM // Van McCann

88. What Can You Do?

The trip went by in a blur and I found it hard to believe we were in Portugal for two weeks. The cold and rain greeted us when we landed and Florence zipped up her coat, shivering. We miss the warm weather but were relieved to be home. After some time away, you miss being comfortable in your own home and sleeping in your own bed.

We took an Uber home and I helped carry Florence's suitcase up. My flat was cold when I opened the door and you could smell the age of the building. I walked over to crack open the window and increased the temperature on the thermostat. The thermostat clicked and warm air began blowing in to Florence's relief. Her teeth were chattering and she kept her coat on.

We spent the rest of the day unpacking, feeling like zombies from being awake more than 24 hours. We stayed up until exhaustion won.

.

.

The next day.

I woke up with a start when I heard banging in the kitchen. It sounded like something dropped so I sat up. My mind was still groggy from sleep but I forced myself to get out of bed and put some clothes on. Florence was in the kitchen and she immediately looked at me when I came out.

"I woke you up, didn't I?" she asked, looking guilty. "I'm sorry. I forgot to use oven mitts and dropped the pot in the sink. I forgot how hot the handle gets!"

"I don't mind," I told her. "It's actually a good thing you woke me up because it's almost noon."

I hadn't realized how much I slept. I didn't set an alarm because I wanted my body to wake up naturally but I felt slow from sleeping too much. Even Florence woke up early and prepared breakfast for the both of us. She boiled some eggs and made a fry up. All while I was asleep! She must've gone to the store to get some things because our fridge was empty. Feeling terrible, I went to put the kettle on and helped set the table. I caught a glimpse of Florence and could see the bags under her eyes. She looked tired but carried on regardless.

"Did you not sleep well?" I questioned. Florence shook her head.

"No, I'm still jet lagged. I woke up at 5 AM and couldn't go back to sleep. It was too early to go to the grocery store so I took care of other stuff instead. By the way, I've settled on an apartment and am going to meet with them today." I stopped what I was doing and looked at her wondering if I heard her correctly.

"You've settled on a place?" I repeated.

"Yeah, it's in Fremont so a longer commute but there's a bus line that runs regularly to downtown and it's in a nice neighborhood. It's an older unit and on the small side but definitely affordable."

She seemed excited about this new place and I tried to be happy for her but couldn't. All I could think about was how she was going to move out. I've gotten used to having her around and didn't want her to leave. But I understand where she's coming from. We initially agreed she'd stay for a month while she looked for a place and that extended to two months. She doesn't want to overstay her welcome so she's been actively looking for a place and found one, just like we agreed. However, I've changed my mind and want her to stay.

"Oh," was all I managed. I brought the tea over to the table and joined her, taking a seat. If I don't stop her, she'll leave. Unfortunately, my brain wasn't working from sleeping too much. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"What is it?" She looked at me and all the confidence I had escaped me.

"I—I thought I had more time," I said, tripping over my own words. She waited for me to continue as I wasn't making any sense and I blushed. I had it all planned out. I was going to take her out on a proper date and ask her to be my girlfriend. But all of that went out the door when she told me she found a place.