Emily delivers

James

Wednesday and Thursday went by in a breeze. I was slowly engaging in polite, but really surface level conversations with my new coworkers and Amber kept it cool for now. Judging by Donna's knowledge of the 'Big Dick Incident' from college, she and Amber are really close already, so I didn't really want to be left out of the happy workplace environment. After Thursday's work came to a close and my article was finished, Amber and I drove home on a train, these were going to be fun 45 minutes.

"You know, I never asked what you do or like beyond our jobs", I say to start the conversation. "I watched a lot of TV when I grew up, so that, I guess? I've been trying to find some hobby but with my apartment, money is tight, so I can't spend a lot."

TV, huh? When she grew up? Was she a lonely child? I guess I'll ask her that once we're home. "I have a couple of video games you can try out at my home. Consoles and games aren't that cheap but I could let you borrow mine for a while if you end up liking it." "That would be awesome!" We talked about video games for a bit, but her comparisons to movies were not very helpful for me.

"If things go well in your future, what do you want to do in life? Any place you'd like to visit? Anything crazy you'd like to do? Something you want to achieve?" "Not right now, really. I never liked to travel a long distance to be honest. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing, but flights and packing are so stressful. And worst of all, you still have appointments! The breakfast buffet isn't open all day long! Nah, I kinda always dreamed of a nice, spacious home and being able to not leave the house for a day if I ever feel down."

I guess the app was right about the depression, at least the last bit makes it seem likely. But a spacious home is one that I have...

As we approach my home, Emily's here in her van. "Glad you could make it, Em. Still working this late in the evening?"

"Yeah well, it's a family business. Working hours are as long as they need to be to earn enough."

"I'm glad I can be somewhat helpful." I hand her a bit of cash. "That's the first rate and a bit of a tip for the delivery, thank you."

"Thanks, see you next time, James."

After unloading the pieces, she drives off in her van. "Who was that?", Amber asks. "Emily, a former classmate of mine. Her father sells good and sturdy furniture like the dresser we're gonna assemble today." "That's great, but isn't that very expensive?" "I mean yeah, but the cheap stuff is made out of plywood and won't last that long. I need furniture that I can move elsewhere if I need to move again for a new job."

As we enter, Amber truly realized what I meant when I told her how I live. "This is... Everything is a tripping hazard in here." "Yeah that's what I bought the dresser for, I need the room in my apartment again."

I begin to prepare the food after turning on the TV and picking some games for Amber to play. "I wanted to ask you this on the train, but it felt maybe too personal to discuss in public. What about your family?"

"U-Uh... I'd prefer not to talk about them, honestly. But for you... My parents are quite old. They had my brother as a happy young couple but then they grew apart. Before my mom couldn't get any children anymore, they tried for a Hail Mary and got me to save their relationship. It worked too well, it reignited their love, but they never really tried to raise me. My brother did more parenting than them and he was already an adult with a job at that point."

"That's really sad, Amber. Did you have at least some friends growing up?" "Kinda. I mean, I had people to play with in pre-school and stuff, but the later in life it got, the less people cared about me. My parents were still pretty rich, so I used a bit of that to get some friends. It wasn't great but it was better than being alone."

"Amber..." I briefly went away from the stove and hugged on her couch. "I hope I can make you feel loved and appreciated like you deserve to." She hugged back immediately, without even pausing the game, and started tearing up a bit. Wait, was that the trait or a genuine reaction? I stopped hugging her rather quickly, as I remembered the stove and continued cooking.

Amber

I don't think I've felt this **** around James before. It was a weird feeling, to have him know this about me. In some sense, it was nice that he finally cared and that I could be open with this about someone. Honestly, if I didn't trust him this much, I don't think I would have told him. But it's okay. We're gonna spend more time together in the next three months and maybe he'll find another job here in the city and we'll actually stay in touch this time.

When he was done with the food, I was admittedly curious. I never thought about it before, but he was right yesterday about how we never ate each other's food. It was decent. It feels rude to say, but I'm a better cook. He's not bad by any means, but I think I can do better. He even had a lovely kitchen too, way bigger and more modern. I'd love to try it out one day. Hmm, maybe I'll wake up earlier tomorrow? But no, I made him breakfast already, I'll let him if he wants to.

After the dinner, he began assembling the dresser. "You know, I hate to admit it, but ordering it pre-assembled would have cost too much. So thank you for helping me, Amber." "How much does this house cost in rent anyway?", I asked.

"Oh, it's not that much actually, it's about half of what you pay for your tiny apartment. I need money saved up for the job hunt, not right now. But I also need furniture. This house is quite big, but you can't really see it when my stuff is everywhere. Soon, they'll open a new train line and my commute should only be 30 minutes in total, too."

"That's awesome!", if this house was any closer to the city I'd rent it immediately, to be honest. "But wait, what about rent? Surely it's not gonna stay this cheap when the train line opens?"

"Eh, rent can't be raised for the first two years I live here. And it's a new line, not the first one, so it's probably not gonna be raised that much. Plus my father owns this house. I doubt he's that heartless." We had already finished the assembly and James lifted the TV on it. "Wanna help me grab everything I want to put in there?"

So I followed him around the house and it was really big. Multiple bathrooms and guest or work rooms, it was almost a mansion. As we were finished, James asks me an important question.