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“We’re going to get banned from this merry-go-round,” Sammi said, after the third round of yeehaws.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I said.

“And it won’t be the last,” Emma finished.

Four

So far, being marriedto Emma was pretty much exactly like not being married, except for every now and then it would hit me when I looked at her that she was legally my wife. There was a strange security in that kind of thing. Not ownership, because neither of us owned the other, more of a connection that made me feel safe. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I loved it, but I hadn’t voiced it to Emma. I didn’t know what she would think.

I had the interview at the co-working space, and I thought it went really well. The manager was non-binary, so we ended up talking about how important queer issues were to us, so that was a nice little connection.

The job sounded great and paid well, and I didn’t think I’d have to deal with half the bullshit from the hotel. I left the interview feeling confident and the first person I messaged about it was Emma. She didn’t get back to me right away, so I spent the entire ride on the T back to my apartment staring at my phone and waiting for her.

I’d taken the day off for my interview, and also to catch up on some things at home while my roommates were at their respective jobs. The place was a complete fucking disaster since I hadn’t been around much.

First was the trash, then I tackled the dishes. My phone dinged with a new message and I quickly wiped my hands on a dishtowel before I picked it up. I was greeted with a picture of Emma smiling and giving me a thumbs up for nailing my interview. That was followed by a second pic with her sending me a kissy face.

Something in my stomach fluttered, and I couldn’t help but smile. I sent her a kissy face in return and went back to the dishes.

A few hours later, the house was more livable and I had my second load of laundry in the dryer. I ordered sushi from my favorite place and hopped into bed with my freshly washed sheets to watch a Jane Austen movie for the thousandth time.

Of course I heard stomping feet on the stairs and braced myself for the noise. Moments later, there was a knock at my door.

“Yeah?” I said, and the door opened to reveal Eddie with a grim look on her face.

“Landlord is selling the house, so we have to be out in 30 days. Sorry.” She turned around and shut the door to her room, leaving me sitting there in a state of shock. The fuck? I hopped out of bed and knocked on her door.

“What?” she said, whipping the door open and looking at me in irritation.

“Is that it? How do you know he’s selling the place?” She rolled her eyes and sighed so long I thought it would never end before handing me a piece of paper. I scanned it and she was right. Our landlord was selling, and we had 30 days to be out, even though our lease wasn’t up.

“Fuck,” I said under my breath.

“Is that it?” Eddie asked, tapping her foot and crossing her arms.

“Yeah, I guess,” I said, handing the paper back. I went back to my room in a daze. Our lease didn’t end for several months, so I hadn’t thought I would need to look for a new place this soon. I was completely fucked now. Thirty days wasn’t a lot of time to find a new place. I wanted to cry.