Page 15 of Love.V2 (Occupational Hazards #2)

Eight Years Ago

Dylan

“No, I told you to go left, so you need to cut right!” Tess dragged frustrated hands through her ponytail.

This morning, when we’d loaded everything into the U-Haul for the hours-long trek to our new Nashville apartment, I’d thought she looked gorgeous.

Cut-off jeans and a tank top, perfect for moving day—the day after graduation, when every possibility seemed like it could be ours.

Now, though…

“Use the right terminology, otherwise this will never work,” I hollered, so frustrated there was probably steam coming out of my ears, adding to the blistering heat in the truck.

She threw her hands in the air. “It’s never going to work because we’ve somehow gotten ourselves squeezed into an impossible spot and if you move three inches to the left, you’re going to hit that dumpster, and any further to the right, you’re going to take out that car.”

“Funny how we’ve gotten into an impossible spot when you were the one in charge of directing me.”

Half an hour ago, it had seemed easy to back this truck into the gated parking lot of our apartment building.

The good news, our truck was at least inside the fence.

The bad news, something had gone horribly wrong.

The back door was too close to a wall, so we couldn’t unload and, for some inexplicable reason, the damn truck was incapable of moving more than two inches in either direction without hitting something.

“Hey, this is a team sport, dude! You’re not listening. I told you backing it up more was a bad idea,” she shot back.

“You’re right,” I called, jerking the key out of the ignition and tossing it out the open window at her feet. “If you’re so fucking smart, why don’t you figure it out?”

Her shoulders rose and fell sharply before she picked up the keys. “Fine. I fucking will.”

“Great!” My eyes narrowed as she turned on her heel to walk away, toward the security gate.

“The truck is over here!”

“Yeah, and you’re in the truck, and I don’t want to look at your face for at least five minutes,” she yelled without looking back.

I gaped as she walked away, so pissed off I was shaking. “Theresa!”

“Do not follow me!” she yelled over her shoulder, every muscle rigid.

“You’re in an unfamiliar neighborhood. You can’t just leave by yourself!

” I fumbled my seatbelt, reaching for the door only to realize I would never in a million years open it wide enough to get out.

I rolled the window down more. Maybe if I jumped on top of the truck next to me, I could get to her before she—

The gate slammed shut behind her, clanging like my nerves. I was still halfway out the window with no hope of wiggling free.

“Goddammit,” I muttered, grabbing my phone from the seat and stabbing at the screen to call her. The familiar, bouncy ringtone sounded beside me. I glanced down to see her purse on the floorboard. “Fuck.”

By the time I’d escaped out the other door and run to the gate, she was nowhere to be seen. No phone, no money.

“ Fuck .”

I spent a moment glaring out at the street as if she’d magically reappear before I looked back at the truck. It was unlocked, but it wasn’t like anyone could have gotten to our stuff, anyway. We certainly couldn’t.

I finally turned, punching in the code the front-desk woman had given us earlier. I had hoped the first time we walked into our new apartment would be together , but I’d had to take a piss for the last hour, and I couldn’t hunt Tess down if my bladder was about to explode.

Outside our scuffed front door, the parquet flooring felt sticky under my tennis shoes. As it opened, squeaking hinges revealed a unit that looked nothing like the photos online. I should have known something was wrong when I’d seen the barbed wire topping the fence around the parking lot.

As I passed through the space to the single bathroom, it didn’t get any better.

The floors were warped, making me feel like I was listing from side to side.

There was a long crack in the bathroom mirror, matching the chipped shower tiles, and an orange-ish ring circled the inside of the toilet bowl.

I stomped through the apartment again, bee-lining to the kitchen sink.

It sputtered when I turned it on. That and the musty smell of the unit made me question just how long this place had gone un-occupied.

I cupped my hands to take a drink. I was sweaty and tired and thirsty and I hadn’t even started the hardest part of the move yet because our shit was still trapped in the truck.

I cast my gaze around the place again. The windows were tall, which should have been a good thing, but it just shed more light on the apartment’s imperfections.

Tess had wanted to come see it in person, but we’d been too busy cramming for finals and trying to get her interviews.

My job in the sales department of an advertising agency started Monday, but she was still having some trouble getting her portfolio in front of the right people.

I’d told her not to worry about it. We’d specifically gotten a place I could afford on my own. She’d find work, and we’d move as soon as we had enough saved.

I’d hunted for a place while she’d focused on perfecting her cover letter and finishing classes. And this was what I’d come up with.

I pictured the little velvet box buried deep in one of my suitcases in the U-Haul. I couldn’t ask her to start a life with me here . She deserved better. I could do better.

I whirled at the shriek of the door opening. I’d need to oil those hinges. Tess stepped in, laden with a massive, grease-stained paper bag and a box of hard lemonades.

I froze, unable to form words as I watched her mouth pop open. While she looked around, the silence stretched. When her eyes filled with tears, I broke.

“I know it’s not like the photos they had on the website—”

“It’s better,” she whispered, gliding across the tilted floors to set her load on the kitchen counter. “Dylan, look at those windows! ”

Years of ingrained habit compelled me to put my arms around her when she hugged me, even as my brain struggled to keep up. She liked this pit?

“They are”—I cleared my throat—“good windows.” What else could I do but agree? What else could I do but let her drag me across the floor as she rushed over to them?

“We have a little fire escape! Do you think we could see the stars at night?”

I blinked at the ferocity of her grin, craning my head to look up. “We are on the top floor. Maybe?”

She gathered me up again, squeezing. “Let’s go out there with a blanket tonight and see!”

“You’re…okay with this place?” My fingers rubbed the bare skin between her shoulder blades.

“Okay?” She pulled back to smile, her eyes still wet. “It’s perfect! It’s ours. ”

A knock on the door broke us apart. Tess sprinted to open it and didn’t even seem to notice the hellish screaming of the hinges. A tall man carrying two familiar boxes stood on the other side.

“Ezra. Look at my windows!” Tess gushed, stepping back to let him in.

“Niiice,” he agreed, setting the boxes down and holding out his hand to me. “Ezra. Nice digs, congrats on the move, man.”

“Um, Dylan. Hi.” I blinked, nonplussed. A long whistle at the door made me turn to see another man walk in, single-handedly carrying my box spring.

“Damn, look at those windows! ”

“I know.” Tess grinned at this guy, too, like he was supposed to be here, carrying our stuff.

“This is Nelly. He and Ezra own a moving business,” Tess explained, correctly reading the confusion on my face.

“Your girl came up to us bold as brass at the gas station around the block and asked if we knew how to maneuver your truck. Got it out far enough to unload, by the way. Should be able to move it nice and easy tonight,” Ezra called on his way out the door, presumably to go get more of our stuff.

“Tess, we can’t pay them,” I muttered, gripping her elbow, still trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Where had she been and how had she found these guys so quickly?

“Don’t worry about that, bro! We were about to grab tacos for our lunch break. Y’all don’t have much in there. It’ll take us twenty minutes, tops.”

“I told them I’d buy lunch if they could move the truck, but they insisted on helping unload.”

“You sprang for the drinks, too! Only fair.” Nelly patted the box of hard lemonade on his way out the door.

“I’m sorry I left. I was frustrated and needed a minute,” Tess said, pulling me into her arms again. She hadn’t grown up in a stable home. I hated when we fought, because we were usually so in sync, but also because I knew how much it ate her up, spiking her anxiety.

“I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have yelled,” I admitted while she melted against me. My fingers massaged the back of her neck. “I was mostly worried about you being in a strange city without your phone or your wallet. ”

She shrugged. “I only went down the street. And I had some cash in my pocket. Besides, I checked off items number two and seven on the Nashville list.”

“Two and seven?” I didn’t like how flippantly she approached running off in a new city, but we could talk about it later.

I sometimes forgot about my girlfriend’s secret spine of steel.

She was so soft and gentle, most people underestimated her.

I tried to remember often why I’d fallen in love with the Beer Angel.

“Make friends in the neighborhood and find the best place to eat within walking distance of the apartment.”

“Fuck yeah! The Quick-n-Stop has the best tacos in the city. You won’t be disappointed. Your girl got enough to feed the whole building.” Ezra was back with more boxes.

I lowered my head as he disappeared down the hallway to drop them in the bedroom. “I fucking love you.” My lips met hers for a kiss that was too short before I pulled away to help the guys unload.