-Avery-

I'd been completely focused on work the first three days, but tonight, I had to devote my attention to something else. As soon as we were home, I sat down on the couch with my laptop and opened up a list of nearby apartment buildings. I hoped I'd be able to find something in my price range that wasn't too far from Devin's condo or from work.

It hadn't been more than ten minutes before I was interrupted by Devin.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking at apartments."

Devin sat down next to me. "Why? Just move in with me. You're already here."

As tempting as it was, I shook my head. "No, I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"We've only been in a relationship for about two weeks. That's way too soon."

"Not when you factor in my time at camp. Besides, we practically lived together then."

"That's different."

"How? We were sleeping together and working together, which is the same thing we're doing here."

"But that's kind of the point. I don't want us to spend too much time together and get sick of each other."

Devin grinned. "You really think I'd get sick of you?"

I leaned my head back against the couch and sighed. "Dev, don't take this the wrong way, but you've never been in a relationship before. You didn't even want a relationship, or want to sleep with the same guy more than a couple times. This is going to be a big change for you and I think the smart thing to do would be to make sure we have some time apart once in a while."

The smile faded from Devin's face, and I instantly felt bad. "Do you think you'll get sick of me?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"No, I meant exactly what I said. Sure, maybe I'll want to do things on my own once in a while, but I'm more concerned about how you're going to feel. I'm not projecting my feelings onto you, I promise."

"Okay," Devin said. "I hear you. But you just got here, and I want you around a lot. All the time, if I'm being honest. Can't we compromise by you waiting a month to get an apartment?"

I already knew that wouldn't work. It would be strange going from living with Devin to not living with him. It was the reverse of how things were normally done.

Devin scooted closer. "Think about it. You have a lot to focus on with starting a new job, and you don't have a car yet. This will take some of the pressure off and allow you to settle in before trying to find a place to live. And it'll let me be around you all the time, at least for a while."

"Even if I agreed to that, I probably can't afford the rent."

"The rent?" Devin asked, squinting at me.

"My half of the rent for your condo."

"I'm not going to ask you to pay rent."

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "I let you get away with buying me clothes, but I'm not going to live here for free."

"Well, I don't pay rent. I have a mortgage."

"I know. How much is half of that?"

Devin stared at me. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? It's your mortgage."

He shrugged. "My dad pays it."

Now it was my turn to stare. "What do you mean your dad pays it? I thought this condo was yours."

"It is. But he pays for it."

I was confused. "But you're an actual employee at the firm, and you get a paycheck, right?"

"Yeah, but I get to spend that on whatever I want. My dad pays for my expenses. Like bills and stuff."

I hadn't known this. I knew Devin grew up wealthy and I knew he was lucky to work for his dad, but after being given so much in life, I had never imagined he wasn't even paying for his own condo.

"But why don't you pay for it? Your dad has helped you out so much already."

"I dunno. He's just always done it. He wants me to be happy."

I tried to keep the judgement out of my voice, but I was really struggling with this information. I didn't think it was possible for someone to be so spoiled. "He gave you a job and you're allowed to spend however much you want on whatever you want, but you don't think you should pay for your own condo?"

Devin's brow furrowed and he started to look angry. "Why does it matter?"

"Because you're so lucky. Most people would kill to have the opportunities you've had. You have everything and you're more capable than most when it comes to being able to buy a home, but you're letting your dad pay for it all. Don't you want to be self-sufficient?"

"You know what, it's none of your damn business," Devin snapped. "It's my life and I can live it how I want. And he's my dad and I should be able to accept his help without judgement from you, Saint Avery. I'm tired of your sanctimonious attitude. I don't need to be attacked by my boyfriend in my own home." 

Before I could say anything else, Devin got up and stormed out of the condo, slamming the door behind him.

I sighed and buried my face in my hands. I hadn't even been here a week and we'd already had an argument. This was exactly why I thought we shouldn't spend so much time together, and this conversation was also justifying my fear about the differences in our lifestyles. I didn't know if I could ever be part of Devin's world. And if I was being completely honest, knowing this made me doubt whether I wanted to be with him at all. It was a huge turn-off that Devin was handed everything and didn't see the need to pay for the things he had. He didn't know what it was like to work for something and be proud of having earned it.

I stared at the ceiling for a long time as I thought it through. My thoughts turned to how Devin might see the situation. To be fair, I'd come into his home and questioned and judged him and that probably didn't feel good. I was supposed to be his partner and be on his team, not be against him. He'd been sweet to me from the moment I got here - affectionate, attentive, and generous. It shouldn't matter the reason why he was able to be generous. He wanted me to be happy, and that should be enough. I could have been gentler with him. 

Even though I still didn't like that he didn't pay for anything, I owed him an apology.

-Devin-

I left the building and set off in the direction of the park, anger in every step. Who the hell did Avery think he was to criticize me? Here I was, buying him clothes and offering to let him stay with me for free, and he had the nerve to pick apart my life and my decisions. He could be so irritating sometimes with the way he thought he was better than everyone else.

I fumed as I made a few laps around the park, wishing I were dressed for running. That would blow off more steam than stalking angrily around the park. I finally sat under a tree, picking up sticks and snapping them in half. I was starting to calm down but I was still agitated. Something else was bothering me, and it was the way Avery had looked at me when I told him my dad paid my mortgage. He looked at me like he was embarrassed, as if he were ashamed of me. I didn't like that. I wanted Avery to be proud that I was his boyfriend.

I rested my head against the tree, staring up at the leaves and thinking about what I knew. I knew Avery and his family didn't have a lot of money and that he couldn't afford to finish college. I knew he didn't have a car and that he bought most of his clothes second-hand. I didn't know what any of that was like, but I imagined it probably didn't feel good to see me have all of those things without working for them. And that was another thing I didn't know - what it was like to work for something. The only time I had ever worked for anything was when I rebuilt Avery's project and tried to earn back his trust. That had been difficult and exhausting, and it had only been one brief moment in my life. I couldn't imagine how I'd feel if I had to work that hard all the time.

There really was no reason why my dad should be paying for my condo. I was a grown man with a good job and I should be self-sufficient. I'd been given all the tools in the world to make something of myself, and I hadn't done it. Was my dad ashamed of me too? I knew I embarrassed him by getting into trouble, but maybe I embarrassed him by also being useless. Maybe Avery was completely justified in his judgment of me.

My heart ached at the thought of Avery. I didn't want to be upset with him. I didn't want to be upset at all, and even though he'd wounded me, I knew he was the only thing that would make me feel better.

When I stepped back into the condo, I smelled something cooking, and it smelled amazing. I turned the corner to see Avery stirring something on the stove. As I approached, he turned around and gave me a tentative smile.

I wrapped my arms around him and held him close, breathing deeply as I buried my face in his hair. "I'm sorry," I murmured. "I shouldn't have flipped out like that."

"No, I'm sorry," Avery said. "I shouldn't have judged you. You've done a lot for me since I got here, and I was ungrateful."

"You're not ungrateful. If anyone is, it's me. You were right to question why I let my dad pay for everything."

Avery lifted his head and looked straight into my eyes. "I don't want to fight. I really don't like it, and I don't like when anyone is mad at me either."

"I figured. I love a good fight, but I'll have to remember you don't."

"I'd rather talk things out. It made me worry when you got angry and left."

I wrapped my arms all the way around him, squeezing him against my chest. "I didn't mean to make you worry. I might need space sometimes when I get mad, but if I walk out I promise I'll come back when I've cooled off."

"That's fine. As long as we talk eventually."

The food on the stove began to sizzle more loudly, so I let Avery go. "You should check on that. What is it?"

"I felt bad about upsetting you, so I'm making dinner as an apology. Rice and veggies are in the pan, and chicken thighs are in the oven."

I grinned. "If this is how you apologize, I'm going to make sure we fight more often."

Avery shook his head, but he was smiling too. When he turned back to stir the rice, I put my arms around his waist and rested my chin on his shoulder. "This is the first meal you cooked for the group after I came to the camp."

"I know, and that's why I decided on this. You loved it, and I thought it'd be good to remind ourselves of a happier time."

"You're sweet," I murmured, kissing him on the ear.

Avery squirmed. "And you're going to distract me. Go away."

I laughed and took a seat on one of the bar stools at my counter. "Will it be too distracting if we talk? You know, about what happened?"

"We can talk."

"I was thinking about it, and there's no reason why my dad should be paying for my condo. After my mom died, he went kind of overboard giving me everything I wanted. I think he wanted to make my life as easy as possible after I had to watch my mom battle cancer and then grow up without a mom. But that was a long time ago, and obviously it didn't make me a better person to get everything handed to me like that."

Avery turned around, a sad smile on his face. "I never thought about it from that perspective. I don't blame your dad for wanting you to be happy. It makes sense why he's done so much for you. He just wanted to take care of you and make sure you didn't have to face any more hardship."

"My mom dying has been the only hardship in my life, so I guess he succeeded. But it's time for me to take my job seriously and take care of myself. I'm going to tell him that I'll be taking over the payments for my condo. And my cell phone bill. And all my utilities."

Avery turned off the stove and came around to hug me. "That's great, Devin. I'm really proud of you."

I couldn't help but smile and melt into Avery's arms. This was exactly what I wanted - for Avery to be proud of me.

-

Dinner was incredible. I definitely ate too much and was now laying on the couch, unable to move.

"I'm going to get fat if you keep cooking for me," I told Avery.

"Hey, my cooking is healthy!" he protested, a grin on his face.

"It is, but not if I eat enough food for five people."

Avery sat down on the couch, running his hand through my hair. "I can teach you how to cook. You can be my assistant."

"I like the sound of that. So, does this mean you'll move in with me?" I asked.

For a minute, Avery was silent. He sighed before speaking. "It's not that I don't want to live with you. But it's a lot of pressure to put on a brand new relationship. And I'm not saying this to be negative or anything, but what if it doesn't work out?"

I didn't even want to think about the possibility of it not working out with Avery. I couldn't imagine life without him. "If that happens, I'm not going to kick you out without anywhere to go. Honestly, my dad is so happy that I met you that he'd probably let you live with him. He's really impressed with you. Actually, he'd probably kick me out of my own condo and give it to you instead."

Avery laughed. "I doubt that."

"Well, he paid for it," I joked, trying to keep the mood light. I twisted on the couch so I was looking up at Avery. "At least agree to try it out for a month. If you still want your own space after that, then you can get an apartment."

Avery laid down next to me on the couch, nudging me towards the back so we could both fit. "I mean, looking past the reasons why it's not a great idea, of course I want to live with my hot boyfriend," he said. "We can try it for a month."

"I knew it! You're only with me for my money and my abs." I pulled my shirt off, knowing how much he liked to run his hands all over me.

Avery smiled and poked my stomach. "Right now, I see no abs."

"Mean!" I exclaimed. "I just ate like twelve chicken thighs."

"You're hot no matter what," he said, tracing one of my pecs.

I pulled him closer and kissed him. Living with my boyfriend was going to be the best thing ever.