The studio apartment had one window facing a brick wall and a kitchen barely large enough for a person and a refrigerator.
I signed the lease anyway.
The landlord, Mr. Keller, gave me two keys and a copy of the agreement. My name appeared beside the apartment number. I read it twice in the parking lot, then put the papers in my bag.
I moved in over three weekends. Tessa carried the bookshelf up the stairs. Marcus brought a set of plates he'd been storing in his garage. Dana found a lamp at a yard sale and insisted I take it. No one asked me to explain the breakup while they hauled furniture.
I bought a small secondhand table and a mattress. I didn't buy a couch. The living room remained empty except for the bookshelf and a pair of floor cushions. I liked the space better than I expecte
