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“This is the last of your belongings?” Carol asked as she taped up a cardboard box. Today was the day. Therese was moving out of the place she’d been renting and into Carol’s spacious apartment on Madison Street.
She was finally going to start living a life she had once only dreamed about.
It had been cathartic for Therese, packing everything away in boxes. Everything sorted, grouped, boxed, and sealed. Cameras and photographs. A detailed planner with ‘Moving Day’ written for 2pm on the current date. A modest number of clothes. Her entire life.
When she was a child, Therese had always been so stressed while moving. Nervous that something would go wrong.
If there was any time to be nervous, it was now.
She was moving in with her rather unconventional lover, after all, and if anybody knew, it would not be good news for the couple. It had already caused both of them so much pain with Carol’s custody dispute. And yet, Therese was not nervous at all. Today she was calm. When she was with Carol, everything was right and for once in her life Therese was confident everything would go well. There was really only one emotion she was currently feeling: happy.
“That’s everything,” Therese confirmed with a confident nod.
She led the way out, holding the door open for Carol to carry the final box to the moving truck. Glancing back at the desolate inside of the apartment one last time, Therese didn’t hesitate to shut the door with a satisfying click, and lock it — leaving that period of her life behind her without so much as a second thought, ready to embrace the future. She dropped the keys into the mailbox as the landlord had asked of her, and then followed Carol to the moving van.
Once Carol had put the box into the van, securing it up against the rest of Therese’s belongings, she lit up a cigarette and shut the vehicle’s back. As she inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with smoke, she must have noticed that Therese was staring, because she turned to face Therese and smiled, bright and cheerful, a gleam in her eyes. It was infectious, and Therese couldn’t help but return the expression.
A sort of nervousness sparked in Therese’s abdomen, as Carol eyed her up and down. She still wasn’t nervous because of the move though — it was because of Carol. Even after all this time, Carol still had this effect on her. Having Carol’s full attention made Therese feel like the most important person in the world, and being the most important person to someone so regal and incredible was a lot of pressure.
“Miss Belivet,” Carol spoke as sauntered up to where Therese stood by the van, a certain melody to her voice, almost savouring the sound of her name. “Let me help you.”
The cabin of the van was quite high up compared to the vehicles Therese was used to. Carol opened the passenger-side door and reached out her hand, an innocent gesture to the outside world, but the two women knew it was far from innocent. A subtle intimate expression of romance, especially as Carol’s hand gently squeezed Therese’s. She almost didn’t want to let go as she successfully sat in the passenger seat.
“Are you ready to go?” Carol asked.
Therese nodded. “I’d be happy to go anywhere, as long as I’m with you.”
“Let’s start with my apartment,” Carol said with an amused hum. “We only have the truck for another two hours.”
“Right, yes, of course,” Therese stammered. “I just meant—“
“Though you’re right, I think at some point another road trip is in order,” Carol mused. “The first was one of the best times of my life, though it did end less than successfully. A do-over with all the best parts and no abhorrent private investigators would be wonderful.”
“It would,” Therese agreed. “I would like that.”
Therese’s cheeks flushed warm as Carol gave her hand another squeeze. But as Carol went to pull her hand away to shut the van’s door, Therese found herself interlocking their fingers instead, holding on tighter.
They’d have plenty of time to hold hands once the move was done. They’d have plenty of time to do far more than that. They both knew it. And yet Therese still couldn’t bring herself to let go, even as Carol gradually began to withdraw her hand. Therese found herself extending her arm to follow it until she physically couldn’t any more and there was no choice but for their hands to finally break apart. With a quirk of her eyebrows with an amused smirk, Carol finally shut the van’s passenger-side door and made her way over to the driver’s seat, throwing her cigarette onto the ground and stomping it out before getting into the vehicle.
Therese didn’t even look back as Carol turned the car on and began the drive. It was just the two of them in the small cabin, the scent of ash and Carol’s new perfume filling the space. Historically she’d worn the fragrance Harge had chosen for her — but once the divorce was long finalised and old news, Carol had decided that it was time for a new perfume. She and Therese had gone shopping, to the old department store where they’d first met, and picked out a new scent together. It was lovely. It smelled like home.
“What are you thinking?” Carol asked after a few minutes of Therese watching the trees and houses they were driving by zip past. “Even after all this time you make me ask that.”
“I’m thinking…” Therese paused. “That I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Me too,” Carol confirmed. “I think you’ll love our apartment.”
Therese’s heart fluttered. Carol had said ‘our apartment’. Not ‘my’, but ‘our’. It was theirs, to finally start their lives together.
“Did I tell you about the piano I bought?” Carol asked. “It’s beautiful. I’d love to hear you play once you’ve settled in.”
But before Therese could reply, confirm that that sounded wonderful, Carol was pulling the van over and parking it in front of a sizable apartment. They were here. Home.
It was made of red clay bricks, with long spacious windows to let natural light in — though the curtains were currently closed to give them privacy. The door had been painted a jet-black colour, with intricate stained glass panelling.
While Therese was admiring the front of the abode, Carol had gotten out of the van, and opened the passenger door of the van for Therese. This time, once Carol had helped Therese down from the cabin, they remained hand-in-hand. Carol led Therese to the front door, unlocking it and letting it swing open, the warm inviting inside beckoning for her to enter.
There was still so much to do. To unload all of her things. To return the van. To unpack and find a new place for all her belongings. To fall into bed with Carol, exhausted from the move.
But Therese was ready for everything that was to come. This was it. After everything they’d been through, they were here, together, their own space away from the worries of the world. So with her head held high and Carol by her side, Therese crossed over the boundary, the start of their new life together finally beginning.