𝐌𝐀𝐌𝐌𝐀 𝐌𝐈𝐀.

juliette doesn't know why she thought this would be easy.

on paper, it all sounded great, moving into a new apartment, a fresh start in monaco, picking out furniture, making the space her own. but now, standing in the middle of her half-empty living room, surrounded by boxes and ikea instruction manuals, she's beginning to think she's made a mistake.

"okay, i swear this is missing a piece," lando says from where he's sitting cross-legged on the floor, frowning at the half-assembled coffee table in front of him. "i've looked everywhere."

juliette glances over, one brow raised. "are you sure you didn't just lose it?"

he gasps, pressing a hand to his chest like she's just mortally wounded him. "excuse me? i'll have you know i'm great at this."

she snorts, stepping over a pile of bubble wrap to crouch beside him. the living room is a mess, boxes everywhere, tools scattered across the floor, plastic wrap and foam padding piled up in a corner. the couch is still just a frame, the shelves are in pieces, and the coffee table lando's been working on for the past twenty minutes is nowhere near finished.

"right," she says, amused. "so great that it's taken you half an hour to put four legs on a table."

he scowls. "you know what? i don't have to be here. i could be doing literally anything else right now."

juliette bites back a smile, nudging his knee with hers. "but you're here anyway."

lando sighs, like he's regretting every life choice that led him to this moment, but there's a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "unfortunately."

she laughs, shaking her head before reaching for the instruction manual. "let me see this."

he watches as she flips through the pages, her brows furrowing. after a few seconds, she groans.

"lando," she says slowly, glancing up at him. "you put the legs on backwards."

his mouth falls open. "no, i didn't."

she points to the diagram. "yes, you did."

he stares at it, then at the table, then back at the manual.

"...i did."

juliette bursts out laughing, and lando groans, falling back onto the floor dramatically. "i give up. i'm not built for this."

"you literally build setups for your sim racing all the time," she teases.

"yeah, but that's important," he argues, eyes closed. "this is just furniture."

she rolls her eyes, nudging his side. "get up. we have, like, a million more things to put together."

he groans again but drags himself upright. "fine. but i'm taking a break after this one."

three hours later, lando is lying on her new, still-wrapped mattress, one arm flung over his face.

"this is torture," he groans.

juliette, sitting cross-legged on the floor beside the newly assembled couch, sips from her water bottle and smirks. "it's furniture, not a death sentence."

"same thing," he mutters.

they've made good progress—somehow, despite lando's questionable building skills, the couch is finally put together, the coffee table is standing (the right way this time), and the bookshelves are securely in place against the wall.

but there's still so much to do. the dining table is in pieces, the bed frame is still in its box, and there are at least six more ikea bags filled with things she hasn't even unpacked yet.

lando peeks at her from under his arm. "you should've just hired someone to do all this."

juliette shrugs. "i wanted to do it myself."

he lets out a dramatic sigh. "you and your independence."

she laughs, tossing a pillow at him. "shut up."

he catches it and sits up, ruffling his already messy hair. "fine. but i'm ordering food first. i need fuel if i'm going to suffer through this any longer."

juliette rolls her eyes, but she's grateful for the break. "okay, fine. pizza?"

"obviously."

while lando orders, juliette moves to unpack some of the smaller things—kitchen utensils, bathroom essentials, random decor items she bought on a whim. by the time the food arrives, the apartment is still a disaster, but it's starting to feel like hers.

they eat sitting on the floor, the pizza box between them, surrounded by an obstacle course of tools and half-unpacked boxes.

"so," lando says around a mouthful of food, glancing around. "monaco, huh?"

she hums, taking a sip of her drink. "yeah."

"you like it?"

she pauses for a moment, looking around. the space still feels new, unfamiliar, but there's something exciting about that. a fresh start, a new chapter.

"i think i will," she says finally, offering him a small smile. "once everything's put together."

he grins, bumping his knee against hers. "well, lucky for you, you've got a furniture-building expert here to help."

she snorts. "right. an expert."

"hey, i've learned from my mistakes," he says, holding up a finger. "no more backwards table legs."

juliette laughs, shaking her head. "we'll see."

they finish eating, and lando stretches with an exaggerated groan. "all right. let's get this bed frame done so you don't have to sleep on the floor."

it takes them longer than it should, mostly because lando keeps getting distracted, but by the time they're done, the apartment is starting to feel less like a construction site and more like a home.

juliette stands in the middle of the room, hands on her hips, surveying their progress. "not bad," she admits.

lando grins. "see? i told you i was useful."

she rolls her eyes. "debatable."

he gasps, clutching his chest. "wow. ungrateful."

she just laughs, nudging him toward the door. "come on, get out of here. you've done enough damage for one day."

"rude," he mutters, but he grabs his keys and heads for the door anyway. before he leaves, he turns back, watching her for a moment.

"seriously, though," he says, softer this time. "it looks good. feels like you."

juliette smiles, warmth blooming in her chest. "thanks, lando."

he winks. "don't mess it up while i'm gone." he walks over to juliette pressing a quick kiss to her lips before leaving.

and with that, he's out the door, leaving juliette standing in her new apartment, surrounded by the proof that she's really here, really starting something new.

𝗺𝗼𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀....
HEY 2 chapters in one night 😁😁😁