SomeWhere On... (BXB)

...Monroe Avenue - April

Murph tapes up the last of the boxes we can fit in the car. Popping open the marker, he scribbles KITCHEN across the side. Which just makes me roll my eyes because there's, like, two forks, a bowl, and some mugs that his aunt didn't want in there. Everything from our registry we got's already there.

Meanwhile, I'm in my underwear sitting on the floor of the closet fanning myself. Because it's so unbelievably hot today that I can't fucking stand it. "Why're you writing anything on it?"

"Organization," he hums. "Starting things off right."

"Pup, there's like, three cups in there. It won't be hard to figure out."

"Organization," he stresses, turning to stare at me. His glasses go crooked.

I snort. "I'm just sayin' – "

"Tom Isaac Maguire, I'm gonna organize this shit and you won't convince me not to do it," Murph hisses, swinging the box into his arms. It almost falls to the side, but he catches it, slips on his flip-flops, and walks out. "Fight me, bruh," he calls back and he heads down the stairs.

Murph's aunt immediately scolds him for swearing.

I'm confused. And aroused. So I go unsticking myself from the floor to put on clothes because I figured now's the time to probably help with shit.

Murph comes back upstairs to see me putting on shorts. "Now I know something's wrong because you're wearing shorts."

"It's too hot," I moan.

"Welcome to Connecticut. It's worse in the Midwest."

I grab his shoulder. "We are never moving there."

"I-I know!" he says, shying away from me. Inhaling, his blue eyes move to the bed. "Help me with the mattress."

"We're not taking it."

"Tommy – "

"Gavin sent me pictures of my mattress, and I can find it online."

Murph purses his lips. "...your bed was really comfy."

I nod. "We'll get some nice shit for the apartment."

"It's a loft, plebian," he says, a smile breaking out.

I glare. "You wanna do that, luv?" I step towards him. "Wanna do that?"

Murph's backing into the corner, but he's laughing. Dimples. "Ohmigod, Tommy, we don't have – "

I bear hug him, swinging him from side to side before exhaling. "Ooooooooh, so cuddly."

"You ggggross husband."

"You cute husband."

We grin.

And then Murph kinda glares at me. Like he isn't sure what to say next. "I can't believe we're married." He isn't happy about it. Murph says it more with a mix of confused and amazed. Like he forgot we actually got married.

I kiss him on his sweaty-ass forehead. "C'mon. Lets finish this shit so we can break in our loft." I step back to go get my shoes.

Murph looks at me, confused. "You don't...wait, you don't 'break in' a loft, though."

I glance at him, grinning.

He turns red.

It's just too easy to do now. "You've been planning on moving out since we started dating. Basically. Let's get out now while we can."

Murph bounces on his heels and waves his hands at his sides. "It's finally happening!" he kinda sings, and then stops to grab the lamp on the desk. "We're taking this." And then walks out.

I sit down on the bed, tying up the laces before looking around the room. Besides the flat with Steve, this's really been the only place I've stayed that I've liked. I mean, it might've just been because of Murph, but I don't really wanna use that as the reason. Like, his room's awesome. It's bigger than any other room I've ever had. How many kids can say they've had three big windows in their room?

As Murph put it, this is a "melancholic moment".

I go downstairs. Brooke's standing by the door watching Murph try to shove the lamp into the back of the rented car. I lean up against the doorframe and ask, "Enjoying yourself?"

She looks at me and nods. "Oh yeah." Brooke points to an empty space behind the center console. "Take off the shade and you can throw it there. I'm just waiting for him to notice it."

It takes two minutes for him to notice.

"I'll miss you, Brooke."

We fist-bump. "No one's as good at cheating as you."

I grin. "You'll learn." I begin heading out the door before adding, "Don't do it in school."

Brooke fucking pfts me. "Yeah, okay," she says, and goes back inside.

I'm so goddamn proud of her.

Murph slams the car door shut and then turns to me. "Did you enjoy watching me struggle?" He asks it with a smirk.

"Always," I say without skipping a beat.

He snickers. THE DIMPLES'RE SO CUTE TODAY. "I'm going to go say bye to Brooke. We'll head off then, okay?"

I nod, and he goes inside. He hugs his aunt as she comes out with a bag. "We're ready to head off."

His aunt smiles and hands us a bag. "Some sandwiches for the trip."

I take it and toss it through the open window into the passenger seat. "Thank you."

She puts her hand on my shoulder, and the full-on hugs me. When she pulls back, his aunt smiles and says, "Yer a good man, Toumas."

That sends a shiver up my spine, but I try not to let it show. "Thanks, ma'am."

"Aunt Caitlin. I'm your aunt, too, now."

I just...can't.

She shakes her head and says, "So formal."

"'Rigid''s the better word, ma'am."

She snorts. "Ah love that about you, sweetheart." And then kisses me on the cheek. "Drive safe, okai?"

I nod.

His aunt goes back to the front door to catch Murph in another hug. He hugs her for longer before taking a step back, sighing. She kisses him on the forehead and whispers something to him.

Murph hops down the steps and nods for me to get in the car.

I do. "You okay?"

He puts on his seatbelt and nods. Murph's hands twist on the steering wheel. "Kind of."

I kinda know that nothing I'll do will calm him. Or comfort him. So I lean over the gearstick and say, "I can't wait for you to teach me to drive."

Murph smirks and pushes me back into my seat. "I'd be a mess of a teacher with you," he says, starting the car and rolling it back down the driveway. He stops just before the sidewalk to look at it. Inhaling, he turns to me and asks, "Wouldn't this be better if Elizabeth was – "

"Never."

He blinks and shifts the car into park. "Give me a minute."

"...we'll just be 2 hours away, luv."

"It's...not the same, Tommy," he whispers.

I know. I give him his moment before I hear the car shift again. "Ready?"

He looks at me with this hesitant/excited look in his blue eyes. "Yeah. You?"

I nod, grinning. "I can't wait to break in – "

"Shut up," he laughs, the car rolling into the street.

We drive off.