CHAPTER 3

"Why are the two of you late?!" Nia places a hand on her hip, looking at the disheveled couple. "You both look exhausted!"

Khaleesi and Felix's eyes were almost glued shut. They managed to take another shower in the morning and got dressed to meet up with Keanu and Nia at Felix's apartment complex, but they were so drained they could barely function.

Keanu cackles, already knowing what the two young adults were doing last night. "The sweet spot kept hitting, huh?" He teases.

Khaleesi laughs timidly, holding Felix's hand. "Sorry we're late, guys…"

Nia sucks her teeth. "Felix, what did you do to her?"

Slyly he replies, "Nothing that you and Keanu haven't already been doing."

Nia pops Felix on the forehead before getting behind the wheel.

"Hey!" He cries.

"Just get in. We're already late to our reservation!"

Arriving at the restaurant, Keanu hurries inside to make sure their reservation was still intact. Thankfully, the usher was nice enough to give them extra time so that they had leeway to make it.

Soon Nia, and the others came inside. Keanu was relieved that everyone was now present.

"Welcome everyone. Please, follow me." The usher escorts the couples to their booth, each sitting across from their lover.

They search through their menus, placing their orders once the waitress comes around.

"So, how was your first night in New York?" Nia grins at Khaleesi.

Khaleesi begins to blush profusely, making accidental eye contact with Felix. "I-It was great! I definitely enjoyed myself." She smiles timidly.

Felix agrees, adding, "It was heavenly."

Keanu and Nia took a sip of their waters. "How many times did you guys do it?"

Khaleesi snorts her water, choking. Nia pats her back extra hard to help her regain composure.

"How many times did we do it?" Khaleesi repeats hysterically.

"Yep, that's what we're curious about." Nia assures.

Her tongue tied, Khaleesi looks at Felix who's sitting nonchalantly. "Listen, my girlfriend just came to New York. Can we have a bit of privacy for once? Gosh."

Keanu chuckles. "We're only teasing you guys. Felix here has been crying about you ever since we left South Carolina. I told him he should have stayed back a little longer to consider if he was truly ready to move."

Nia then adds, "And here poor Khaleesi was, by herself at home while her man was out and about taking care of his own affairs."

Felix remains eerily silent.

Khaleesi notices, wondering if there was something they don't know.

"Anyways," Seeing that their food had finally arrived, changed the topic. "Our food is here. Let's eat."

They begin indulging, enjoying their meals in silence.

"This is pretty good." Keanu mumbles under his bite.

Khaleesi's taste buds burst with energy. She held her cheek briefly to deal with her abrupt pain.

"Are you okay?" Felix asks.

Nodding, the redhead expresses, "I hate when this happens, but if I haven't eaten for a long time in the morning, when I finally taste something, it's like the sides of my mouth starts to burn."

"Oh, that's kind of common."

"You think so?"

"Yeah."

Keanu and Nia glance at each other.

"Khaleesi," Keanu rests his cheek in the palm of his hand. "I've been meaning to ask, do you plan to stay with Felix?"

"You mean like, living with him permanently?"

"Yeah."

"Actually," Looking at Felix, Khaleesi smiles sheepishly. "I've been meaning to tell you."

Curious, the blonde raises an eyebrow.

"While at home, I've been signing up for housing lotteries and two of them contacted me. I plan to check them later today."

"Wait, really?" Nia gapes.

"Why? Is something the matter?"

No, no!" Nia takes her best friend's hand, gently squeezing it. "I'm happy for you. I am a bit curious though as to why you don't want to live with Felix?"

"Yeah, Khaleesi." Felix frowns. "I thought that you'd want to stay with me?"

"I do," Khaleesi reassures. "However, I've never experienced living on my own. I'd like to have a taste of that before I just lump myself on your couch like a potato."

Felix seems to be saddened by Khaleesi's decision.

"B-But I'll visit you as much as possible, of course! I have a job interview in a few days also." Khaleesi checks her phone's calendar just to be sure. "It's on the 11th."

"Well, good for you." Keanu lifts his cup. "To Khaleesi gaining her independence."

"Not so fast, babe." Nia interjects. "Let's not celebrate too early."

Khaleesi was visibly struck by Nia's comment. "W-Why?!"

"Let's celebrate a milestone at a time." Raising her cup, Nia continues. "To Khaleesi making the first big step in her adulthood in moving to New York!"

Raising their glasses, they shout in unison, "En garde!"

Picking at her plate, Nia asks, "So what's the apartment like?"

The redhead was too excited to share her findings. She opens her app that shows a preview of the apartment's features.

Taking a glimpse at the photos, Nia was in awe. "Wow. This actually looks really nice!"

"Let me see." Felix takes Khaleesi's phone as Keanu leans in to see the photos. They too were impressed by its beauty.

Impressed, Keanu nods his head. "How much is this—if you don't mind me asking?"

"You're fine. They offered this two-bedroom apartment for $1,000 a month. But they said I only need to pay $500."

"Wow, that's lucky!"

"And you can afford to pay for that?" Felix questions worriedly.

"Well, I saved up a lot of money from my job at home, so I have enough to cover me for a few months."

"And what about your income? Don't you need a present source of income to qualify for renting?" Nia queries.

"I guess not, because over the phone they told me that as long as I have history or a present W-2 Form along with excellent credit—which I do—I can rent out. I just need to be sure that I get a job before my savings run out."

Nia hugs Khaleesi and squeals. "My girl is an adult!"

"Good for you, Khaleesi." Keanu winks at her.

"Yeah, good job…" Felix mutters.

"Thanks guys." Taking Felix's hand, Khaleesi smiles. "Don't take this the wrong way, babe. I promise I will still make time for you. I just want to get my life together."

"And there's nothing wrong with that!" Nia exclaims. Felix ought to understand because the little man also made a big decision to leave not only home but you behind to pursue his dreams. Life is all about making decisions, so let's just help each other see them through."

Keanu nods, raising his cup before he takes a sip. "Agreed."

After their early brunch, Nia drops Keanu at Felix's place. "I'll be taking your girlfriend to her new apartment to check it out. So you boys behave while we're gone, okay?"

"Will do, babe." Keanu waves. "Drive safe."