Chapter 25
Juliana
Our party planning is quickly finalized and the party will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday in two weeks. I hope it wasn’t too late of notice but both Kurt and I agree that the sooner we have the party, the better. It still gives us enough time to settle into a working system for living together.
I offer to go door to door with Kurt to deliver each invitation to his neighbors but instead, Kurt said his doorman to hand out when he sees his neighbors or he will leave them in their mailboxes.
So, after sending out the invitations we just wait for the day to arrive. Over the next few days, we get a couple of notes left at the door accepting the invitations and we each are stopped by neighbors who accept the invitation in person. It is great for me because Kurt’s neighbors stop me to introduce themselves and accept. It helps me get to know some of them before the party.
One of his neighbors, a nice woman named Evelyn, invites me over for tea. When she hears of my love for dogs, she is even more excited and tells me to come over whenever I want to see them.
While we wait for the day to arrive, it is easier and easier to live together. Over the week, it grows natural. By the second week, we have found a routine and I quite like having him as my roommate. I miss Tatyana of course but living with Kurt is a little different. Well, quite different actually.
With my job, I tend to be home before Kurt and I’m getting in the habit of making dinner for us each night. If Kurt finds he’s getting off early, he calls me midday and to see if I want to eat out for dinner. I always take him up on the offer. I do enjoy cooking but it’s always nice going out to eat. We explore different restaurants each time we go out. Some places give me new ideas for dinners, especially when I notice meals that Kurt really liked.
One night we have leftovers after dinner so Kurt and I went down the hall to visit Evelyn and her dogs. Evelyn is so grateful. She shoos Kurt out of the apartment to take her dogs for a short walk because she wants to spend some time talking to me. She asks questions about Kurt and myself so I’m able to put our story to the test again. She seems thrilled by the story and I highly enjoy telling her. The story feels more and more real these days. I do feel like Kurt and I are getting a closer and stronger friendship. But I have to keep myself from feeling more than that.
When Kurt came back from walking the dogs, Evelyn and I were giggling uncontrollably and Kurt walked in with a smile. The two big golden retrievers ran over to Evelyn and me. I happily received kisses from them then stood up to go.
“Thank you so much for bringing this over,” Evelyn gestures to the containers of food sitting on the counter.
“Not a problem, Evelyn. I hope you like it.” I smile and walk over to Kurt. He slides his arm around my waist and I lean against his side.
“It was delicious, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.” Kurt smiles down at me then smiles at Evelyn as well.
“I’m sure I will. Thank you for walking my boys, Kurt, and thank you for bringing Juliana to our community.” I blush and give another smile. Evelyn winks at me. “She’s much better than that last girl you had over.”
“Evelyn!” I scold her in a teasing manner, then let out a laugh. Kurt looks embarrassed. I put my hand on his chest and give him a pat. I look up at him “Not that I disagree with you. Though it seems our boy’s taste has gotten much better.”
“Thanks for that, you two.” Kurt rolls his eyes then starts to make his way towards the door. “And on that note, it’s getting late so we should head back down the hall.”
“Alright. So nice seeing you, Evelyn.” I reach out and hug her. She gives me a tight squeeze before stepping back and hugging Kurt as well.
“I’ll bring back the tupperware when I’m finished.” Evelyn waves us off and shuts her apartment door behind us.
We walk back to the apartment with Kurt’s arm still around my waist. We awkwardly bump hips as we walk and end up tripping over one another right as we reach the door. Our laughs echo down the hallway and we quickly shut the door behind us so we don’t bother anyone with the noise.