We collapse onto the mattress beside each other with our bodies still intertwined. Both our chests raise and fall rapidly, and it takes a few minutes until we get our breaths back.

Zach tugs a loose strand of my slightly damp hair behind my ear and places a gentle kiss on my forehead.

"You wanted to tell me something?"

I smile into his warm eyes and nod.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something," I say. "When I met the girls tonight, Hailey confessed to us, that she invited her new lover Ben to come with us to Vancouver."

Zach raises one eyebrow. "I thought it was supposed to be a girl's trip?"

"It was," I giggle lightly, and then add, "Hailey offered to take back her invitation if I would wish so, but I don't see why he shouldn't come along."

"Okay." Zach shrugs and shakes his head, motioning for me to speak on.

"I thought if Hailey brings her lover, I could as well bring my boyfriend along."

Zach frowns and chuckles deeply.

"You thought, huh?" he states with an amused smirk.

I nod and beam at him, "What do you think?"

Zach sighs and rolls on his back.

"I don't know. A trip with five girls and one guy sounds stressful," he remarks, looking at the ceiling.

"I just thought it would be nice to spend New Year's Eve together. And you wouldn't be alone on your birthday." I watch his face as he turns to me again.

"I don't celebrate my birthday, Liv. I told you before," he opposes.

"I know. We don't have to celebrate if you don't want to," I retort and shoot him an uneasy glance.

Zach's face softens and he smiles warmly.

"Look, thanks for inviting me. I appreciate it a lot. I just have to think about it, okay?"

"Okay," I whisper and snuggle into his warm chest.

To be honest, I would have expected more than that. Part of me had wished Zach would be happy to spend the last day of the year with me. On the other hand, I can understand that a trip with us five girls seems daunting to him.

Zach must sense my disappointment since he pulls away to meet my gaze.

"Hey. I didn't say no, okay?" he says softly.

I give him a weak smile and nod.

"Speaking of spending important days with each other," he then says. "Do you have any plans for Christmas Eve?"

I blink in surprise, and my heart flutters at his question. The last thing I expected was him talking about Christmas Eve.

I shake my head, and Zach places my hand in his and gently plays with my fingers.

"How about we spend it together then?" he asks and searches my face for a reaction.

"Zach, I'd love that," I breathe.

A contagious grin appears on Zach's full lips, and I can't help but smile along.

Zach cups my face in his hands and places a soft kiss on my lips.

"Great!" he states and rests his head on the pillow.

His earlier meeting with Aria returns into my mind.

"How was it at Aria's?" I ask him, trying to keep my tone nonchalantly.

"Pretty well, to be honest. One of her neighbors moves out in a month. The apartment is affordable, the neighborhood is not so bad," he tells me and then adds with a big grin on his face, "And the best thing is, it's just around the corner."

"That sounds great, actually," I half-lie. Of course, I'm happy for him if he finds a nice place, but I don't know what to think about Aria being his neighbor then.

Zach nudges my arm and chuckles deeply.

"Stop worrying about Aria! We're nothing more than old acquaintances."

I bury my face in my hands and laugh shamefacedly.

"How do you know what I'm thinking?" I ask into my hands.

Zach grabs my hands and removes them from my face.

"Because I know you, Olivia," he states with amusement in his voice.

I tilt my head and give him a faint smile, "I guess you do."

Zach smiles and then rolls off the bed.

"I need to shower," he informs me and walks off. From my lying position on the bed, I watch him walking into the bathroom. Zach doesn't close the door, thus I can enjoy the sight of him showering. I can't help gawping at him the entire time and watching him washing his body.

When he steps out of the glassy shower stall, he wraps a towel around his lower body and steps into the bedroom again. Little drops of water drip off his wet hair and his chest is glistening in the dimmed light of my bedside lamp.

"Did you watch me the entire time I was in there?" he asks me with a smug smile.

I flush as I'm obviously caught in the act and give him a crooked smile.

"Maybe?" I counter and hop off the bed.

"I'm going to take another quick shower as well. Be right back!" I walk over to the bathroom and purposely leave the door open, just like Zach did.

I tie my hair into a high bun and walk into the shower stall. My body is still heated from Zach's and my intimacy, so I turn on the cold water and enjoy the refreshing liquid covering my body.

After I finished my shower, I wrap a towel around my body and join Zach in the bedroom. He's lying on the bed, only wearing his boxers, and pretends to not look at me.

I smile mischievously and drop the towel. Even though I'm not looking at him I can feel Zach's eyes on my naked body. I casually walk over to my dresser and pull out fresh panties. Still not paying attention to Zach, I slip into my panties and his t-shirt I was wearing before.

When I kneel down onto the bed Zach tilts his head and shoots me a warning glance.

"Don't play games with me! I know exactly what you're doing," he growls and grabs me by my waist to pull me on top of him.

"What's that?" I ask him with played innocence.

Zach chuckles and plants a sweet kiss on the tip of my nose. I place my intertwined hands on his chest and rest my head on top of it. Zach starts playing with a strand of my hair which came loose out of my bun.

"I'm going to view that apartment tomorrow afternoon. I want you to join me," he tells me absentmindedly.

I raise my eyebrows and give him a surprised look.

"Don't I have a say in this?" I joke. In truth, I love that he wants me there. It shows me that all my jealousy is complete bullshit and unjustifiable.

"No, actually not!" Zach dallies along, but then his face becomes more serious, "It's an important decision for me, and I'd love to have you with me as personal support, you know?"

I smile at his sweet confession. He seems nervous about this and it's adorable, so I won't twit him for that.

"Of course, I'll come," I tell him and spot a hint of relief in his eyes, but he quickly blinks and gives me a broad grin.

"Thank you!" He brings his face closer and rubs his nose against mine. I'm slightly taken aback by this gesture. It somehow carries so much affection and tenderness, which I wasn't expecting considering the goofy mood we just had.

A huge yawn overcomes me, and Zach's grin grows even broader.

"Time for bed, sleepyhead," he states, and I roll over to my side of the bed.

Less than ten minutes later we're both fast asleep, tightly cuddled up.

~

Zach's POV

"This is it," the guy whose apartment we're going to view today tells us and points to one of the three old wooden doors in the spacious corridor.

Olivia and I met the guy whose name is Felix about ten minutes ago, and he showed us the parking area before walking upstairs. Felix is about our age, maybe a few years older, and moves away next month, because his fiancée lives in the States.

The house in which Aria's and Felix' apartment is situated, is an old brick house, but is in good condition. There are four stories and Felix' as well as Aria's home is on the top floor. Good thing is that it comes with a little rooftop terrace, bad thing is that the elevator is broken and according to Felix it won't get fixed anytime soon.

Felix opens the rustic door and steps aside to let us enter. Olivia, whose dainty hand lays in mine, gives me a reassuring smile. Her caramel brown hair is tied back into a high ponytail and as she tilts her head to look up at me, a few lose strands fall into her beautiful face. I return her smile before we step inside.

The hallway has white walls and is quite small, but I spot some wall cabinets which are pretty spacious. Beneath our feet is an old light plank floor which creaks at some spots. It gives the place a homey touch as soon as you step inside. There's only one door in the hallway, and Felix leads the way into the next room.

"As there are only two other apartments on this floor, it's very quiet. You already know Aria, and the other apartment belongs to a middle-aged artist and his boyfriend," Felix tells us and steps further into the room which looks like the living room.

The same wooden floor as in the hallway continues here, and most of the walls are white except for two brick walls. Two big old windows and a glass door which leads out to the rooftop terrace light up the whole, spacious room, and make the apartment seem bright and friendly.

"It's wonderful," Olivia breathes, and steps away from me to one of the black framed windows. "Look at the view, Zach!"

I walk over and look out of the window. The apartment is overlooking a small, peaceful looking park. Since it's winter and everything is covered in snow, the large area looks quite unspectacular, but I can clearly imagine how beautiful it will look in spring when everything starts to blossom.

"Nice view!" I agree and turn around to face Felix again who's standing behind us, patiently waiting until he can show us the rest of the apartment.

"Right here on the left side you find the bedroom. It's not that big actually, but it's enough to sleep and store your clothes away, I guess." He shrugs, pointing at a wooden slide door.

"May I?" I ask, grabbing the doorknob. Felix nods and I slide it open.

Liv steps behind me and we walk into the small but cozy bedroom. On the right side, a double bed is next to the wall just beneath another black framed window, and directly opposite a huge full-length mirror is leaned against the wall. On the left side is a wardrobe made out of black sheet metal which gives the room a rustic and vintage touch.

"The apartment comes fully furnished. The only things you'd have to bring are sheets, towels, and dishes," Felix explains and then points towards the door frame next to the wardrobe. "Here's the only bathroom. The previous tenant had crushed the door, and I didn't need one. So, if you want a new door you'd have to talk to the owner of the place. I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem at all."

I step into the small bathroom and look around. It's, unlike the other rooms, renovated, but the style fits perfectly into the rest of the apartment. White shiny tiles are on the wall, and the floor is covered with dark blue and white patterned tiles. A freestanding bathtub stands next to wall on the left side right next to the dark blue vanity base, and a walk-in shower with a glass wall is in the right corner.

"I like this place," I say to Olivia, who's just slid her hand into mine and looks over my shoulder to get a glimpse of the bathroom.

"It's dreamlike!" she states, and I don't have to look at her face to know she's beaming.

I look around again and smile. She's right. This place is charming.

"Come on, guys. I'll show you the kitchen and the rooftop terrace, and then we're done," Felix calls out to us from the living room.

Liv and I follow him into the kitchen which is located on the right side of the living room. It's quite small, but still big enough to cook, and drink your morning coffee in here. The interior of the room is held in an industrial style. The countertop and the cabinets are made of oak wood, and the anthracite-colored stone floor completes the vintage look. Even a small kitchen island with two bar stools stands in the middle of the room. Another one of the black framed windows is just above the sink and brightens the entire room.

The rooftop is the obvious highlight of the place. It's rather small, but the view over the little park and also parts of the city is stunning. A little round table with three wooden garden stools around it is placed alongside the handrail, and I already can imagine to spend cozy summer evenings out here.

"A hot tub?!" Olivia asks Felix with widened eyes. "Is this yours or does it belong to the owner?"

I turn around and spot the hot tub she just mentioned, which I completely overlooked as we came out here.

Felix is clearly amused by her excitement and utters a throaty laugh.

"It is part of the inventory, actually," he states. "I never used it though, so it might need a little clean up."

I screw up my nose at the thought of the content inside the hot tub.

"What do you say? Do you like it?" Felix asks me with crossed arms since it's damn cold.

"Very much," I reply and look into the distance.

"Great. I suggest you sleep on it and tell me your decision as soon as possible." Felix gives me a toothy grin and pulls a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket. He lights one cigarette and holds out the package to me and Olivia. We both shake our head and decline with thanks.

Liv and I talk to him about the apartment and the surrounding until he finishes smoking, and then Felix walks us to the door.

"I will let you know as soon as I made a decision," I assure Felix before we say our goodbyes and leave his apartment.

"How do you like it?" Liv asks me the same moment the door closes behind us.

"I think it's perfect," I reply, chuckling at her excitement.

"I agree," she tells me with a big smile on her face.

When we exit the building, I turn to her and wrap my arms around her waist.

"Thanks for coming along!" I give her a soft kiss.

Liv beams up at me, and once again I feel like I'm drowning in her bright eyes.

"Thanks for taking me with you," she counters before a shudder goes though her body.

I laugh lightly and pull her closer.

"Let's go. Wanna grab something to eat on our way back?" I ask her and rub her upper arms in an attempt to warm her up.

"Hell, yes! I'm starving." She nods frantically. "I would die for some fries right now!"

I laugh at her enthusiasm and place a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Then we better get you some!" I state and intertwine our fingers. "I know a place which is only ten minutes away. They serve the best fries in town."

"Well, then what are we waiting for?!" Olivia asks cheerily, and as we're starting on our way to get our stomachs filled, I catch myself wondering when I turned into such a softie.

*****

What do we think of the apartment? Should Zach move in? 🤔

Please vote and comment.✨🙏🏽

Katie ❤️