Hard Choices

The first flat is the one near Jasper's. It's closer so I'd lined that one up first... Plus I want to build up to the other one... There may be some bias. It probably would've been slightly quicker to take the bus but, honestly, I kinda wanted to walk, it gives Elise and I time to ourselves, it feels like we spend every waking minute together and yet it never feels like enough. The linear concept of time is bullshit, I need time travellers to cause a paradox so every moment with her can last forever.

"Wait, so your boss knows about Ashley?" Elise attempts to confirm as we approach the first location. I'd just about had time to catch her up on my day, even if I left out the parts that made me look like an idiot.

"Yep, and she's plotting to get rid of him, for which I'm very grateful. It means I don't have to bother." I respond, only half joking. I wasn't exactly obsessing over how to be rid of him, but it was definitely at the back of my mind. Our discussion comes to an abrupt end as we reach the front door and meet the estate agent, who is possibly the most non-descript human being I've ever seen, brown hair, brown eyes, brown suit, he's dreary to even look at...

He turns to us with a half-hearted smile, his eyes make him look only half awake. "Hi there, number 12, right?" He asks. Most people would start with their names, but hey, why not, let's be efficient. we follow him inside and climb the stairs until we reach the door to the apartment itself. What follows is one of the most boring twenty minutes I've ever experienced. The place is... Fine. It's okay. It's a solid six out of ten. Nothing really wrong with it... It just feels dead. Empty, even with the tenant's furniture there.

It feels appropriate that the world's least interesting person is showing us the world's dullest dwelling. By the time we leave I feel thirty years older. we politely say goodbye to the estate agent and wait until we're out of earshot to discuss our opinions.

"That place is going to appear in a documentary about serial killers." Elise states succinctly. Yeah, I think that's the perfect way to describe it. It's like the mind of a sociopath, just devoid of human feeling, some decorate cushions away from being a padded cell. "Hopefully the second one's better." She thinks aloud.

We hop on the bus and begin our journey to the second location, this is the one I'm looking forward to, it called out to me, something inside me knows that it's going to be perfect for us. I try to contain my giddiness as the bus drives to the area, as we exit, and as we arrive to meet the estate agent. This is it, this is gonna be our home. We open the door and gaze into the future and see...

A wreck.

Holes in walls, grime, what looks like the remnants of a fire pit, it looks like a post-apocalyptic survivalist camp. Turns out the place had some squatters which is why it was available for so long. You'd need to spend twice as much on fixing the place as you would on everything else combined.

So... That's it. We're zero for two. I know there's not a lot to choose from for flats in our town, but is this really the best we've got?

I need a drink.

*

"Another, please Jessie." I request. We'd retreated to the Free Ride to drown our sorrows. I've heard that the cure to a hangover is more drinking, seems like a good enough day to test that theory.

The bartender quickly pours us a couple more glasses of wine. "You two seem... Well, depressed. What happened this time? Jasper stub his toe?" She jokes, placing the glasses in front of us.

"Nah, it's..." I begin, before remembering we haven't told everyone we're moving in together yet... Specifically Mum, and after this morning I'm wary about telling people before I talk to her about it. Not that I think she'd ever talk to Jessie, but it's-

"We're looking for a place to live and our options suck ass." Elise blurts out. Okay, or that. Eh, I'll talk to Mum later on anyway. "We've got the choice between the greyest place ever and a bomb site. It's so hard to choose!" She continues, the frustration clear in her voice. She's not wrong though, it's looking like we might have to look further away, which is gonna make commuting a pain, might have to invest in learning to drive, which is another expense which would push it back... Moving out's a hassle.

Jessie cleans a glass with a look of deep thought on her face. "You guys are looking for a place?" She asks, before thinking for another moment. "I think I might know a place, it's not ideal, a lot of noise pollution so the landlord's had trouble finding people to live there."

I look to Elise. Noise pollution? What do we care about that? I sleep soundly through my sister orgasming in the next room, a bit of noise is nothing. Plus, there's no way it could be louder than when Elise snores, and I thoroughly enjoy how adorable it is whenever that happens, so it really doesn't seem like a downside.

"Doesn't matter to us, we're pretty resilient... Well, when it doesn't include the building falling apart." I answer, the memory of my crushed hopes for the second place still raw. "Where is it?"

Jessie snorts, before tapping twice on the bar. "Here." She replies. Is she kidding? Is she saying we're her too often or something? "Well, upstairs anyway, the lodgers moved out a couple of months back, got sick of the place. You can go and have a look if you want?" She reveals.

Live... At the bar? I mean, it seems ideal but also terrifying, could it really be that simple? I look to Elise, whose face has lit up after it's period of gloomy frowning. Suddenly my anxiety fades away... Look how happy she is at the thought of us living here. Our home away from home becoming our home... Yeah... I think I could manage that.

"Can't hurt to take a look." I smile.

My girlfriend smiles back at me, taking my hand and leading me to the back, up the stairs, towards our second chance at a new home.