2. Chapter 2

"It's definitely an up and coming neighborhood. If you buy now, your property would probably double in the next three years. You'd be able make a ton of profit if you wanted to sell down the road for something bigger."

Erin listened to the real estate agent prattle on about the fourth property that he'd shown them today. Jay and the agent were ahead of her by half flight of stairs as they hiked up to the fourth floor. She wasn't sure she was buying into the bright, profitable future that this guy saw in this place. Erin thought the neighborhood was a dump. She knew that Jay wasn't too discerning about that kind of stuff. She hoped that the apartment was at least halfway decent.

The agent already had the door open by the time she rounded the corner on the fourth floor. Jay looked at her expectantly.

"Fourth floor. No elevator." Erin said dryly.

Jay smirked, "Daily cardio workout." He gestured for her to precede him into the apartment.

There was a dark hallway that opened up into a small sized room that was half living room half kitchen. She saw a door off to the side that she assumed was the bedroom. She thought if she stretched out on the floor (not that she'd be willing to lay down on that carpet), she'd be able to touch both sides of the room.

"It's an open floor plan, which is great for entertaining. When you are cooking, you can still converse with your guests," the agent droned on.

Erin raised her eyebrows at Jay. Guests? Entertaining? You could maybe fit four people in the room before it'd feel claustrophobic. Even with the three of them and no furniture, it felt cramped. Erin walked over to the window and looked out at the view…of an alley…where she swore she saw a drug deal going down.

Jay stepped up and glanced over her shoulder, noticing the possible crime occurring, too.

Erin whispered, "You might end up having to arrest a few of your neighbors."

Jay just chuckled. He spun around and looked at the real estate agent, "Let's see the bedroom?"

They followed him to the closed door. He opened it and the trio stepped through. Erin was pleasantly surprised. It was a large room with tons of space. She nodded appreciatively at the walk in closest the agent was raving about. Jay and the guy were discussing the bathroom furnishings, so Erin walked over to the window. She pulled back the drapes and was rewarded with a view of a brick wall. Nice.

Letting out a dejected sigh, she wandered back out to the living room and leaned against the entry way hall. Even with the large bedroom, there wasn't enough here to capture Erin's interest. It was another 'No' in Erin's book. Then again, they'd all been in that category for her. Erin stuck her hands into her jacket pockets and felt for the small metal object she had hidden in the right pocket. She fingered the object nervously, not pulling it out. Last night, after Jay had shown her several more dismal apartments and condos online, Erin had come to a decision. She wanted Jay to move in with her. The thought had been in the back of her mind for a while. They practically lived together anyways. Every night was usually spent at one or the others place. More often than not, her place since it was bigger.

Erin reluctantly admitted to herself that one of the reasons why she had shot down all of the places Jay looked at was because she didn't really want him living in any of them. She wanted him living with her. She couldn't envision him in any of these places because her condo was the only place she could imagine him living.

Erin let out a shaky breath. She never thought she would ask a guy to move in with her. She'd never lived with anyone before, and it made her nervous. Just thinking about having someone there, in her space, all day, every day. Having no escape when things got uncomfortable. It stressed Erin out just thinking about it. Then she imagined Jay. Waking up with him every morning, cooking brunch, lounging on the couch watching Netflix, decompressing together after work. She couldn't help but smile. It was scary, but in a 'butterflies in the stomach' kind of scary.

Jay walked out of the bedroom and his eyes lit up seeing her smile. In a low voice he said, "You like this one?" He gave a quick look around. "I do think it has possibilities."

The smile dropped from Erin's face, "Really? Are you serious?"

Jay looked back at her confused. "You don't like it? I was thinking this might be the one."

Erin sighed, she rubbed her fingers against the key in her pocket. She didn't want to do this in front of the real estate agent, but if Jay committed to this place, she was going to have to step in. "Maybe sleep on it?" she countered. She looked up at him hopefully. Maybe tonight, she could bring up the subject of them moving in together.

Jay nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah." He looked back at the agent. "This might be the one, but I am not 100% sold yet."

The agent nodded agreeably. "You know… I have a client that just put their place on the market this weekend. I've got to meet another client in a bit, but I can give you the code so you can check it out." He gave Jay a knowing look. "I think it might fit you better."

Jay smiled brightly, "That sounds great. Why don't you text me the address and code." Jay was suddenly in a hurry. He quickly said good bye and ushered Erin out the door and down the stairs.

Erin raised her brow at him as they made their way to the car. "What's with the rush all the sudden?"

Jay gave her a nervous smile. "I'm just wanting to see this next place. He said it might be perfect for me." He walked around to the passenger side and looked expectantly at Erin over the hood of the car.

Erin unlocked the doors and settled into the driver's seat, "I'm not sure I trust your agent." She started the car. "Maybe we should just skip this place. I don't think he is very in tune to what you need."

Jay just laughed lightly and gave Erin the address of the next place. Erin paused a bit at the street name Jay gave her. It was in a very different neighborhood than they had been looking at all day. It really was in an up and coming neighborhood.

"Isn't that over by Giuseppe's?" she questioned. It was one of their favorite Italian restaurants. She loved the area. It was full of nice little restaurants, coffee houses, and vintage shops. They hung out there all the time.

"Hmmm, yeah, I think so." Jay looked out at the window, as Erin drove. He had suddenly got really quiet. She saw him drumming his fingers on his thigh again. She could tell he was nervous about something. Erin was confused. She wasn't sure why this apartment might cause him to have anxiety. It was causing her to feel anxious, too. Actually, Erin realized, since the agent wasn't going to accompany them to the next spot, it might be the perfect time to ask Jay to move in with her. If the place resembled any of the other ones that they'd looked at, Erin was just going to put it out there. Erin could feel the key weighing down her jacket like a lead ball.

After about ten minutes, she pulled up across from the address Jay had given her. It was a town home, attached on both side to similar homes. They were red bricked with white trim. There was about 8 houses in a row that seemed to be part of the community. Potted plants sat on door steps and windows had flower boxes hanging from them. A few girls played hopscotch on the corner, and a young couple were walking a dog on the sidewalk.

"Seriously, Jay?" Erin looked at him in surprise. There was no way Jay could afford to live in this neighborhood.

Jay was already out of the car and headed purposefully across the street. He was up the entry way stairs before Erin had even shut the car door. By the time she reached the door, he had it unlocked and was holding it open for her.

Erin walked through and let out a gasp of appreciation. It was small and narrow but had major character. Whoever had lived here before had clearly taken care with the details. Crown molding, wood flooring, and tasteful window coverings were the first things Erin noticed. This place actually did have an open floor plan. A gas fireplace was the centerpiece of the living room. The kitchen and dining room were in the back. A little breakfast bar with enough space for a small table, too. Erin walked over to the kitchen and noted the newish matching appliances and stylish backsplash. She ran her hands over gray granite countertops, off set beautifully by the dark wood kitchen counters.

Jay stood in the middle of the living room with a huge grin on his face, "Do like it?"

Erin looked around again, "Well, yeah, but-"

Jay cut her off, "Let's look upstairs." He grabbed her hand and dragged her up the narrow stairs. There were three doors on the second floor. One led to a tasteful bathroom, and another to a small simple bedroom. Finally, Jay opened the door to the master bedroom. It was spacious with a slightly vaulted ceiling. His and her closets were on one side of the wall. Another wall had huge windows. Erin pulled aside the coverings to look down upon the tree lined street below. This was a beautiful place. Small, but cozy. It was perfect.

Jay came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his head on her shoulder as she gazed out the window. "It's nice, isn't it?" Jay quietly spoke, his eyes watching the girls on the street. The had stopped to crowd around the dog, and were petting it enthusiastically.

Erin smiled at the view. She softly responded, "Yeah, it's beautiful." Her brow furrowed a bit. She didn't want to burst his bubble, "This place has to be way out of your budget." She laughed slightly, "Unless you have some sort of inheritance or secret job that I am not aware of."

Jay laughed, "No." He pressed a lingering kiss against her cheek. His breath was warm against her ear and gave her goosebumps. "You're right. I can't afford it." He paused briefly, running his hands along her arms and shoulders gently. He leaned back in, his voice soft by her ear. "But maybe we can."

Erin froze at his words, her heart beating wildly. His hands resting along her shoulders, he slowly turned her until they were facing each other, eye to eye. She looked up at him with eyes wide. Jay grinned at her response. Then slowly, he sank to one knee in front of her. One hand disappeared into his jacket pocket, and then reappeared holding a small black velvet box. Opening it to reveal a beautiful, delicate diamond ring. Jay looked up at her, eyes shining with love and hope, "Erin Lindsay, will you marry me?"