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MAX COSTELLO

PRESENT
JANUARY 2022

"I can't believe we're doing this," Oliver's voice wobbles. He helps me pack away my clothes into a suitcase and shoving my toiletries and shoes into a duffle bag.

I study him for a few moments, he didn't necessarily look scared but I guess he was concerned. Moving to a new city is a scary experience, we don't know what to expect. But as his brows pull down in a small frown and his lips part, I realise that this is a bigger deal to him than we both realise.

My fingers drop the t-shirt I was currently folding into the suitcase and I loop my bed, grabbing Oliver's hand for his attention. His green eyes flick up to me and he adjusts his septum piercing.

"We don't have to do this if you're not ready."

Oliver shakes his head, swallowing harshly. "I am ready, I am so ready but I'm just a little worried about everything."

"If you need more time to think about this Oliver, we can." I offer him a supportive smile.

"No," he stands his ground. "We have to go. We've already put the deposit down for a flat, we'll lose that money if we don't go and we're not exactly strapped for cash right now."

"Money means nothing to me Oliver, it's about your happiness, it's about what you want. So what if we lose £800? It's just money, we can work it out." My head leans in to press a kiss to his forehead.

Oliver clears his throat but doesn't say anything immediately. He pulls back and I wish I knew what he was thinking. Instead of speaking he continues packing away my clothes and I smile, following his lead.

"All your t-shirts are black," he comments.

I stifle a laugh. "And all your shirts are checkered."

"Touche."

Oliver smiles back at me and I know that this is the right decision. I could be anywhere in the world but as long as I'm beside Oliver, nothing could stop me from being happy. Even if we had no money, we lived on the streets. I'd still be happy.

We had already been to Jamie's friends and Oliver's old apartment to collect all of his belongings, packing them as tightly into the suitcases and bags we had. We just had to carry all of this to the train station in one sitting. I'm sure we could do it.

Oliver scrolls through his phone and chews on his lip. "There is a train from Euston in an hour or so, do you reckon we could make that one?"

I nod and zip up my suitcase before placing it down on the floor beside me. "Sure, I'll text the landlord and let him know when to meet us with the keys."

"Okay, I'll book the tickets."

We slowly make our way over to the station with all our baggage, Oliver struggles and I attempt to take as much as I can. The train is fairly empty for the middle of the day and I'm pleased considering we have everything and the kitchen sink with us.

I don't know why we chose to live in Leeds but it had fairly cheap flats to rent, a local art University for Oliver to transfer over to. Lots of job opportunities as it's a big and lively city. It might not be our forever home or our forever city but it'll be a new experience.

Once the three hour journey was over, we made our way towards the flat using my GoogleMaps. The streets were littered with people, still busy and alive like London.

I turn back to Oliver and smile. "You okay?"

He hums with a nod. "Yeah."

The flat we decided to rent was just outside the city centre, close enough to walk. By the time we reach the building, we're both exhausted. I could tell that my cheeks are burning red, Oliver takes a moment to catch his breath as he drops the bags to the floor.

"Thank fuck we made it," he puffs out quick breaths.

"Don't think I could have lasted another second." I joke and Oliver nods in agreement.

The landlord meets us at the building and gives us the keys to our new home, he talks through some things with us and to contact him if we need anything.

We walk up to our new flat, number 12.

I place the key in the door and turn, Oliver peering over my shoulder as it swings open. We both step inside, leaving all of our bags outside.

It was small, much smaller than my old apartment or Oliver's but it works. We had seen pictures previously online, we knew what we were getting ourselves in for. But anything would be perfect for us, all we need is each other.

"It's doable," Oliver hums as he walks towards the living area.

There was a black sofa sitting against one wall and a set of chestnut wood chairs around a table. The kitchen was the side of a broom cupboard but as long as we could use the oven and stove, why would we need it to be bigger?

"We can make it feel like home." I comment, walking towards Oliver who next finds the bedroom.

He twists the handle and glances in. A simple bed make of wood, the headboard had gaps between the design and Oliver snots to himself.

"What?" I question.

Oliver leans against the door hinge and glances up at me. "Least you can still tie me to the bed," he says cheekily.

I narrow my eyes at him, not able to remove the smile on my lips. "I love how that's the first thing you thought of."

He shrugs innocently. "Well we've got to get creative now we live together." He says with a wide grin.

We work our way into the bathroom next, simple and clean. Neither of us are materialistic, money and valuables don't bother me.

"I like it," Oliver says confidently. We bring in our belongings and scatter them throughout the flat.

"Really?"

"Yeah," he places his hands on his hips, glancing around once more. "It's ours, of course I'm going to like it."

"Once we make it ours, it's going to feel like a real home," I snake my arms around his waist and pull him into a soft hug.

Oliver collapses into my chest and I close my eyes with satisfaction. "Maybe we could get pieces of our artwork up on the walls, one of your comic strips and something of mine." He suggests.

My heart glows with happiness and I nod, burying my head into the crook of his neck. "Yes," I mumble. "I love that idea."

He gives me a squeeze and I sigh, I couldn't stop smiling.

My stomach growls loudly against his and he peeks up at me. "I think your stomach is about to eat itself." He jokes before prodding my belly.

I swat his hands away and shake my head. "Travelling makes me hungry, you see? I'd love to just sit down and order takeout but we really need to be sensible with our money."

Oliver hums and nods. "Well I saw an Iceland across the street, we could go over and buy some £1 pizzas. I'm sure we could get a decent sized bag of chips for cheap too. Bung those in the oven, hotspot my laptop and we watch Netflix on this sofa."

"Yeah," I agree. "That sounds good."

"Great," he claps his hands together and looks around at the bags. "Maybe we should put some sheets on the bed, get out some clothes and our toiletries and we can head over?"

"Aye aye Captain," I drop him and wink and we get to work with our bags.

We get to work for half an hour before my stomach sounds like a bomb has gone off inside me, Oliver chuckles and we put on our coats and leave. Pizzas take my fancy and we grab some chips from the freezer along with a bottle of barbeque sauce. Everything is better with barbeque sauce.

Oliver sorts out his laptop and his phone with the hotspot as I manage the ovens, figuring out how to set a timer so we don't burn them to shreds. Once the pizzas were cooked to perfection and the chips had begun to crisp, we grab plates and head over to the sofa.

Digging into our disgustingly high in salt, sugar and fat junk food, I couldn't feel happier.

Oliver snuggles into my side as he munches on his pepperoni slice, he had chosen to watch Super Bad and I didn't mind because the movie is good and it makes Oliver smile.

Once our plates are empty and our stomachs are full, Oliver stretches out and cuddles me like no other. He breathes in deeply and exhales loudly, I turn my attention to him wondering if anything was wrong?

He catches my eyes and smiles. "What?"

"That sigh sounded like a troubled one."

His hand pushes himself up, shaking his head. "Not at all," he tells me. "In fact I was just thinking. This might not be what most people would call perfect, but it's perfect for me."

The smile that stretched across his lips made my heart weak, so fucking weak.

"It's perfect for me too, baby," I nod, pressing a kiss to his temple. "All I need is you, some shitty pizzas from the supermarket and an amazing movie to make me happy."

"Life's going to be good here, right?"

There was a flash of uneasiness that fell over his expression, I never wanted him to doubt this decision. I knew that everything would change, our lives, where we work, where we study. Nothing will be the same but our relationship.

I shuffle on the sofa and turn my body to face him. "This life is going to be what we make it," I graze the back of my hand over his cheekbone. "If we take this opportunity with both hands and stay optimistic, do our best, try our hardest. Then life will be good."

Oliver's lips purse and he nods although I know his mind was elsewhere.

"I know you're worried about this," I dip my tone. "But at least we're going to do it together. Right?"

"Right."

"Let's take one day at a time. It's normal to feel nervous when you move to a new place, how did you feel when you first moved to UAL?"

Oliver snorts to himself and looks around at the apartment. "I was a nervous wreck, actually I think I almost shat myself on the way there."

We both laugh in unison and Oliver budges my chin with his forehead in embarrassment. "See? But you adapted. You met some amazing people, you did some amazing things. I'm sure at one point you felt like that place was your home."

"It was," he confirms.

"Well you can do that all again but with me. Because this is our home, we will make this flat a home whether it kills me or not." My mouth stretches into a grin. "I'm nervous too but I'm also excited and I'm focusing on the good emotions, not the bad."

"Okay," he nods. "I'll try and do the same."

I slide my fingers through the back of Oliver's curls and move our faces somewhat closer. "This is right for us, I just know it." I say confidently.

His eyes flick down to my lips and he leans in, pressing a sweet kiss to my mouth. "It does feel right." He nods in agreement, kissing me again.

My back falls to the sofa as Oliver climbs on top of me, not once parting our lips. Our kisses become more desperate, determined and before I know it, all our clothes are on the floor and we are giving the flat a vibrant housewarming gift.

Just hope the neighbours don't mind Oliver's loud moans because I certainly don't.

. . .

AHHH part of me feels like it's being ripped out, I love them so much!

An epilogue and it's the end of the book!

What did you guys think??

I hope you enjoyed Max and Oliver's story, they've been through so much but they cannot deny their love for each other!

See you all on the last chapter, love Savanna x

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