UNEDITED
Kaleb Jones is living the dream. He's playing hockey with Shea Smith again, dating the woman of his dreams, and has a promising future ahead.
Ella Taylor's life feels perfect until she discovers her boyfriend has been cheating on her with...
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Ella
"That's the last of the boxes," Shea says. "Brenna's right behind me with the pizza."
Through the door comes a breeze that cools my sweaty skin. For the past three hours, we've been unpacking boxes and hauling my furniture down to the basement suite. Walking up and down the stairs leading to the basement suite has been a workout. We need some drinks and pizza because we're sweaty and tired.
Shea sets the boxes on the white marble countertop. For a brief second, he rests his hand on the boxes, making sure they're steady. When they continue to wobble, Shea sighs and removes the top box, placing is beside the bottom one.
We exchange an amused glance. Saying today's been smooth would be a lie. Boxes have toppled. People have tripped on the stairs and scuffed up their elbows. And the four of us got stuck in the entryway, trying to fit the couch through. Some moments were frustrating, but the smiles never faded. I'm glad everyone can relax and make jokes. Had Ryland been part of this move, he would've thrown his hands up and lost his mind. He hates it when things don't run according to plan and without conflict.
I shake my head, telling myself to stop. Comparing my friends to Ryland isn't a pleasant route to take. It's a path that will lead me to destruction. Tonight is about hanging with my friends and feeding them pizza and beer as a thanks. They offered to help before I could ask, but that doesn't mean I don't owe them. Kaleb and Shea have identical schedules, meaning they don't get a lot of time off. They don't understand how much I appreciate them setting time aside for me.
Pizza and beer are the least I can do.
Leaving the boxes behind, Shea heads over to the sitting area. He flops down on the small grey couch. The springs creak beneath his weight as he stretches out his sinew body.
Brenna follows in soon after, closing the door behind her. Balanced in her arms are three large pizza boxes. The smell of tomato sauce and melted cheese fills the kitchen area, making my stomach grumble. Hauling boxes, while it works up an appetite, also fuels you with adrenaline. None of us were aware of how hungry we were until we took a break.
Making room for the pizza, I move the boxes Shea hauled in. Both are full of my limited collection of books. Being an avid reader makes me susceptible to purchasing more books, despite not reading all the unread books collecting dust on my shelves. However, despite my inability to not buy books, keeping them in my apartment was a problem. Lots ended up in boxes in my closet, and the ones I managed to read were sold or donated unless they were definite rereads.
While money is tight, investing in a bookshelf is something I needed to do. I'd be a fool to not use this space. After we got the box down here, Kaleb offered to set it up. We argued for several minutes. I told him I could handle installing a bookshelf. He said he wanted to do it.
Really, he wanted to stop walking up and down the stairs.
Down the hallway, I hear the buzzing of a drill. Kaleb's setting up my bookshelf in the office. Which makes me pause in disbelief for a moment, staring at the box of books before me.
