"This actually looks really good, Cody." Maleena grinned, taking a step back to admire their handiwork that took them over four hours. 

       "You say it like you are surprised." Cody chuckled, wiping a hand over his forehead. "Now, we just have to figure out how to get this air conditioning working in here." Cody walked over to the thermostat next to the utility closet, pressing random buttons on it, attempting to cool down the steamy apartment. All three windows were already open, and the main door, opening to the shared hallway, was open, trying to alleviate the heat that had built up within the apartment, due to the several bodies and moving things around. 

        "I am surprised, only because we got a lot done in the time we have been here, and I wasn't expecting it to look this put together." Maleena stood with both of her hands on her hips. "I can't wait until your roommate gets here, though, since he is bringing the furniture. I could really use a break right about now." 

        Just as Maleena said it, there was a knock on the door. "Cody, my man!" A tall man with dark, chocolate colored hair barged into the apartment, arms stretched wide. With a smile on his face, he walked up to Cody, shaking his hand, pulling him into a hug. "It's so nice to finally meet you, man." 

       "You, too." Cody replied, startled by his boisterous roommate. Pulling back form their bro-hug, Cody turned to Maleena. "Maleena, this is my roommate, Keith. Keith, this is my girlfriend, Maleena." 

         "Well well well, Maleena. It is nice to put a face to the name that Cody goes on and on about all the time. You are much prettier than the pictures." He shook Maleena's hand. "That's a compliment, no worries." Keith winked, dropping Maleena's hand. 

        "It's nice to meet you, too, Keith." Maleena grinned. 

       Keith looked around the apartment, dropping his bags that he had on his shoulder. "You brought the couch and chairs, right?" He pointed at Cody. 

        "Umm..." Cody's face sported a worried expression as he looked between Keith and Maleena, then back to Keith.  

          "I'm just messing with you, man. They're in my truck. I apologize for getting here so late. My morning chores took longer than expected, and then my trailer blew a tire on the way here. But, I am here now. I'm sure y'all are exhausted from workin' so much. I can go see if I can find some other strapping men to help me unload the furniture and carry it up here, if you want." Keith remarked. He was built; he looked like he spent at least an hour, or more, at the gym every morning, so Maleena was sure he could probably carry a recliner up the stairs all by himself. 

        "It's alright. I can help you out. I can't get the air conditioner to kick on for some reason. Hopefully it will be cooler outside." Cody wiped a hand over his forehead again, following Keith outside of the apartment, Maleena in tow.

         "Did you flip the switch on the wall next to the thermostat? That's the only way that it will kick on. It's weird, I know." 

          "No, I didn't try that, but I will have to. Thanks, man." 

         "No problem. Alrighty." Keith jogged across the front yard of the college apartments, stopping behind a long livestock trailer that was backed into it's parking spot. Pulling the keys out of his pocket, Keith unlocked the lock on the trailer door, lifting the latch and swinging the door open with a squeak. 

         When the large steel door was wide open, Keith hopped into the fully packed trailer, beginning to pull out the long, tan sofa, stepping to the side to allow Cody to grab the end of it. 

          Not long after Keith arrived, all of the furniture was unpacked and arranged in the apartment. The two men made a great team carrying all the heavy pieces up the stairs, being gentleman and leaving the lighter stuff, such as the chairs and cushions to Maleena. Along the way, two other college men saw Cody and Keith, offering their help. With four men carrying the furniture up the stairs, the workload become less, getting the job done even quicker. 

        Finally, the apartment was completely put together and organized, and the air conditioner, set on 60 degrees, was finally starting to cool down the steamy apartment. With a heavy sigh, Cody flopped down on the couch, Maleena taking a seat next to him. "Man, what a day it has been. I am exhausted." He ran a hand over his forehead as he leaned his head back against the cushions. 

         "Don't forget that your mom is comin' back with some dinner for y'all...hopefully you aren't too sleepy for that." Maleena chuckled, snuggling up next to Cody for what she knew would be the last time for a while. 

        "Oh, I am never too sleepy for food." Cody sat up, wrapping an arm around Maleena's shoulders. 

        "Alright, Keith, major question..." Maleena started, looking across the living room where Keith sat, his right leg crossed at the ankle over his left knee, a cup of cold sweet tea settled in his hand. 

       "Shoot." Keith replied, taking a swig of his tea.

        "Pineapple on pizza?" Maleena tried to hide her smile when she heard Cody groan in discontent. 

          "Absolutely. Hawaiian pizza is one of the best." Keith said, not even hesitating in his answer. 

         Maleena clapped her hands together, a huge smile on her face as she looked at her boyfriend. "Boom." 

         "What? Is this some competition that I don't know about?" Keith chuckled. "Was that a good or bad reaction, Maleena?"

       Cody, with a smirk on his face as he shook his head, explained, "Maleena and I go to this pizza place a lot for our date nights and you can customize your own personal pizza, but our rule is that no matter what the other person gets, we have to try a slice of each other's pizza. And this cute little thing always gets pineapple on her pizza because she knows that I cannot stand it, therefore I won't eat a slice of her pizza, but she always has to eat some of mine. When we first started dating, I would always suck it up and try a piece of hers since that was the rule, but now, it's a definite no-go for me."

        "Cody, I'm sorry, man, but I'm on your girlfriend's side on this. Pizza is pizza, man. There are very few things that can ruin a pizza." Keith chuckled. "What do you have against pineapple?"

        "Well, first off..." 

        "Oh, great, here we go." Maleena chuckled, teasingly rolling her eyes as she waited for the rant that she had heard many times before.

         "I have nothing against pineapple. It's delicious." Cody continued on as if Maleena hadn't made a comment to interrupt him. "But, it's a fruit. Fruit doesn't belong on pizza. And it's a fruit meant to be refrigerated, but when put on pizza, it gets hot and soggy and the juices get all over the pizza and overpower everything else. It's just a no from me." 

        "Those are all valid reasons, and you're entitled to your own opinion, but you're still wrong." Keith said in a teasing voice, chuckling as he said it. 

       "Oh great, I have my girlfriend, and now my roommate, teamed up against me about this. It's fixin' to be a long year." Cody grinned at Maleena, kissing her cheek so she knew he was only playing. 

        Before anyone could reply, the apartment door opened with a squeak, revealing Cody's mom with three pizza boxes in her arms. 

       "Here, ma'am, let me help you with those." Keith shot up, immediately walking to Margaret's side, relieving her of the boxes and bag that she had in her hand. 

       "Keith, I wasn't sure what kind of pizza that you liked, so I just got a pepperoni, a 'works', and a Hawaiian pizza. Oh, and I also got some garlic bread sticks as well." 

        "Thank you, ma'am. I will eat just about anything, especially Hawaiian pizza." He grinned, looking over his shoulder at Cody and Maleena, bringing out a chuckle from Maleena. 

        "No problem. Y'all dig in. I'm sure y'all are starvin'." Margaret set plates and napkins down on the dining room table, stepping back to let the hungry tigers to their meal. 

         "Man, what better way to break in the new apartment than with some delicious, local Hawaiian pizza?" Keith chuckled, taking a large bite out of his slice.

         The group, all circled around the living room coffee table hungrily scarfed down on their pizza, Keith being the clown of the group, making everyone laugh, no matter how exhausted they were. 

         Maleena, feeling her stomach start to turn in knots at the thought of her having to leave in just a few short hours, tried her best to focus on enjoying these last few moments before having to head home. 

        Glancing to her right, seeing Cody genuinely happy and enjoying the day, and the company of his roommate, Maleena smiled, knowing he would be in good hands here. This really was the best place for him to be right now, and that thought made Maleena happier than anything.