Stranger with the Stars

Moving In PT2

The trip to the store required both of us to have a cart, and then we had to have two tech people to bring up the TV we picked. Archie chipped in half for the total, and I was super grateful for it. We had enough dry food for months if we never visited the store. The fridge was stuffed, along with the freezer. We picked up some dishes, silverware, pots, pans, cooking ware, you name it. Luckily, the total only reached the thousands due to the TV and vacuum. 

My poor truck was bursting at the seams with all the s**t we got. Archie made a triumphant ‘hpmh’ when heading into the house. It took about an hour to get everything in and packed away. This was Archie’s first time in the house and he was delighted. He ran to every room like it was a new adventure. His favorite spot, of course, was his bedroom. 

“Oh my god, I’m royalty!” He screamed from upstairs. I was still working on rinsing off the newly found dishes. 

“Do you like it?” I shouted back.

“b***h, I love you!” I could hear him coming down the stairs. He burst into the kitchen out of breath. 

“It’s amazing. I do get why you picked the other room though. It does have a bigger closet, and the bathroom is brighter.” He chirped.

“Can’t believe it hasn’t even been a week and you’ve judged my bedroom.” I gasped playfully.

“I told you it was a job of mine. I had to see what kind of kinky s**t you brought with you. I love the bed set though. I’m gonna guess it’s all new, including the living room. Right?” He raised his brows at me.

“I’m not a sugar mama, but the dead person did leave me a good amount of money to start my life. Let’s just say that.” I said matter-of-fact.

“I’m never ever going to see or use you like that. I was just curious. I honestly just have my bed, bed frame, a dresser, and all my personal s**t. I dropped the news on them, and they can’t wait for me to get out.” He said sadly.

“Then move in sooner. I’m not gonna stop you. My last night with my parents was last night. I’m officially up here for good.” I tossed a rag at him. If he was going to talk, he was gonna help wipe down the new stuff. 

“Deal. But I need a break before we do that.” He threw the rag back at me.

We spent the rest of the afternoon organizing everything and setting up the TV. Archie brought over his bags of things first. When we went to go get his bed, we were surprised to see his parents tossing it on the front yard. Along with anything else he had left on the first trip. His father drove off without a goodbye. I told Archie it was okay, that he’d get better with time. Archie nodded and we got his things up to his room. I let him put everything together on his own while I hung up, and put my clothes away. 

“What’s your class schedule?” Archie popped into the closet to talk.

I was sitting on the floor, organizing the shoes along the wall. Most of the clothes were hung up except a few things I forgot to toss back at home.

“Uh, I think I left it on the bed. Go take a peep with your peepers.” I shooed him off. 

“Found it! We share one class in the lecture hall, you’re only like a week behind so it’s not much. I’ll give you my notes. I don’t know about your other classes. I’d just stop after your first class and get filled in. I’m going for a Theater major.”

“And I am going for something to do with forestry.” I called out. 

“That’s pretty. I don’t know if you’ll find a gig out here with it, but the classes seem nice.” He was reviewing the entire list of classes required for the degree itself. I didn’t plan on leaving the medical clinic for a while. I wanted the degree so I could learn something I loved. 

“Don’t worry about me, I already have a job at the medical plaza my Uncle runs. I’m his personal secretary most days. He pays me very well, and I have a good schedule.” I made my way out of the closet to find Archie laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

“Lucky. The hardware store just tells me to suck it up.”

“You don’t have to work there forever.” I reminded him.

“I know, but I don’t know. It’s easy for now. I’ll figure it out when I finish the degree. Who knows, maybe I’ll stay here forever. Maybe I’ll do what all the gays are doing, and go to live in LA.” He sighed.

“That’s up to you. I’ll support you no matter what you decide. Just make sure it’s your choice and not someone else's. I’d hate to have you disappear into the sea of gay.” I pouted.

“I’d never leave you. You’d be stuffed into my suitcase.” He pointed at me, then pointed to the empty bags sitting in his room across the hall. We both had our double doors open. 

“Oooo, how kinky.” I cooed.

“Oh I almost forgot. Remember that Trevor guy? Yeah, he’s in the class too.” He hummed.

I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to get feelings for him due to what Archie said, but I could help but have him float in my mind when I wasn’t paying attention. 

“Oh, is he now? Isn’t that nice.” I shakily replied.

“We both know you wanna jump his bones. It’s okay to admit.” He sat up to face me.

“Yeah, but so does half the student body from what you’re saying. I’m not gonna be another one on his very seductive list.” I placed my hands on my hips showing that I wasn’t wavering.

“I think you’d made a cute couple. I’m not pressing, just saying. I’ve never seen him look at someone like how he looked at you in the store. Who knows, maybe you’re soul mates!” He flopped back down, humming to his own thoughts.

“Soul mates'' is a nice thought, but I guess we’ll just have to see. Anywho, shoes are up for you to raid. Be nice, the black scuffed up boots are my cleaning ones. Those are the only ones not up for grabs.” I patted his tummy to get him up.

“You clean in heels?” He sat up, shuffling to go to the closet.

“I do lots of things in heels, but only at home. Fun fact, I can also sprint in them. I was raised to be confident with them. You won’t find a pair in there that’s less than four and half inches.” I crossed my legs.

“That’s f*****g wild. You’re my stripper house wife and I didn’t get to know until today. I’m remembering that, I might need you for projects for class.” He had made his way in the closet, I could see him clinking some of them together.

“Just be careful if you wear them. I’ll have to help you walk for the first while. Say goodbye to whatever relationship you originally had with your ankles. They are gonna learn today!” I plopped my back down on the bed. Assuming the same position Archie had originally been in. 

“This is so exciting. You’re welcome to whatever I have, but it would make you look more butch. So that's your choice.” 

“I’m good for now, but I’ll call you if I do. You down for chinese tonight?” I asked.

“Oh, you f*****g know it. Let me pay though. We can talk about bills and rent and stuff in a bit. It’s only fair.”

After Archie raided the closet, he attempted to walk in some of the smaller heels. Sadly, he was no more graceful than a newborn horse. He tossed the clear pair of platforms onto his better. Telling me that they would be safe, just to let him take some time to learn in a dance class so that he could use the wall bar. I told him it was fine, causing him to ask me what I wanted to borrow from him. I asked if I could borrow one of his baseball hats, so that it would make it easier to keep the sun off of my face if I took a morning walk. I really never took those unless I was unable to sleep, but I didn’t want him to feel guilty for an uneven trade. 

We spent the rest of the night chowing down on chinese. He had it delivered, surprisingly the delivery person was one of Archie’s friends named Sunni. She was polite, but wasn’t warmed up to me yet. It wasn’t a big surprise. Archie said that most of the people around here had grown up together. The only new people were the college kids, or someone like me. They were cautious with newcomers, but he assured me it wouldn’t be long until I was one of them. He told me it would be much faster if I got a service job, so that they could create more interactions with everyone. I politely declined for now. 

We discussed rent and bills. I was open with Archie, letting him know that I paid it up for the year. He promised me that he would cover a majority of the bills then, but that we would always split on groceries if we went together. I know he was trying to pull more weight due to the situation he was in. I couldn’t force his parents to understand him, but I could offer him a family that he never knew. One with full acceptance, one without judgement, and one where he’d never have to worry about being thrown out for who he was. 

We made a few agreements over the evening.

 Number one, if a boy came over, the other party would block out whatever noise came from the primary parties room.

Number two, cleaning was a must. No one was going to be a maid. If you wanted to clean, it was more than welcome. But neither party was to expect the other to carry the full burden.

Number three, always let the other party know what you’ve borrowed. It’s just polite.

Number four, check in with one another. Whether that be emotionally, or giving them a call when you’re on your way to the house or out if they were not within physical talking range.

Number five, be honest. It’s a given.

We also promised to put up a white board with one another's schedule. That way we could keep track of who was working, at school, or just chilling. I didn’t want the rules to be demanding, but I also wanted to make sure we were on the same page. I didn’t want the home to turn into a minefield of what was right and wrong. Open communication was the goal, and we pinky promised we’d keep to it.