THEY SAY CURIOSITY KILLS the cat, and if Colin was one, he'd be long gone by now.

"I think this is it." Sadie stops in front of a red brick building. She looks down at her phone, then back at the structure to double-check.

Colin surveys the apartment. There's some moss growing on some of the terracotta bricks and old watermarks on the wall, left by rain dripping down the building over the years. A small staircase leads up to the main door, which is adorned by a number of potted plants, as well as a small rack which holds a single red umbrella.

Sadie will be moving here by next week. She'll be finalizing the paperwork today after checking out the apartment in person.

She told everyone over dinner the night before. Drew and Perry reacted exactly as one would expect them to (re: totally dramatic and over the top). They did their best to make her reconsider leaving, much to Sadie's amusement. They did not, however, ask about her new apartment as much as Colin hoped they would, leaving him brimming with questions he couldn't bring himself to voice out.

But try as he might, he couldn't just leave the matter alone. He kept to himself for most of the night, restless, and in the darkness of the room, just before they could both fall asleep, he found himself saying, "I'll come with you tomorrow."

"What?"

"I mean, it's not like I have anything better to do."

"You don't have to worry about me, you know," she replies. "I'll be fine."

But that was the thing though. Colin can't bring himself to believe her, and that's how he found himself here: Standing in front of what's likely to be Sadie's new place with none other than Sadie herself.

"Looks cute, right?"

He looks back at the building and shrugs. "I guess."

A woman with thick, brown hair and even thicker framed eyeglasses ushers them in. She introduces herself as Meera.

"Yours will be on the third floor," she tells Sadie, her voice mellow, with an accent he can't quite place. "The elevator works, but I'll be honest, it has its moods sometimes."

"Don't we all?" Sadie responds as the elevator door opens.

"That we do," Meera agrees with a small smile.

They all step in. The light above flickers slightly and the doors have to try twice before shutting close. It does seem to be working fine though, to Colin's surprise.

There are four rooms on the third floor. Meera leads them to Room 304. It's a small, studio space, with a loft bed on one side of the room. A desk sits below the loft, illuminated by the morning light filtering in through the window. It does have its own bathroom and a small kitchenette. There's also a small, circular table opposite the loft, likely the designated dining area.

Meera and Sadie talk over the details of the lease. Colin lets them be, opting instead to look out the street below through the window.

It's not that far from their apartment. A twenty-minute walk maybe? There's the bus too, which would be significantly faster. The place itself is tidy and looks quite cozy, and Meera seems nice enough for a landlady. There's a laundry area on the first floor that was pointed out to them earlier, too.

"So, what do you think?"

He looks over his shoulder to see Sadie walking towards him. Meera seems to have left for a moment, leaving the door open behind her.

"I mean, it's not much," she adds, "but I do think it's a good find, this late into the school year."

"Sure."

She raises an eyebrow. "You don't sound too convinced."

"No, it's fine. It's just..." He stops, mulling over his next words. "Don't you think it's a little bit small?"

"Is it?" She looks around. "I think it looks cute. It gets good sunlight too so I could maybe get some plants."

He can't help but raise his brows. (In a perfect world, he'd only raise one, but the world isn't perfect and he can't move one without the other.) "You? Take care of plants?" She can barely take care of herself, he almost adds.

She gives him a look of mock offense. "What? I'm a good plant mom."

"Are you sure?"

"It's true, okay? Nikki gave me some cuttings a while back. I not only managed to keep them alive, but I also got to propagate more."

Cuttings? Propagate?

There must have been a look of unmistakable doubt on his face because she rushes in to say, "I'm not kidding. I've been a plant mom for the past year now. They're all back at–" She catches herself. Then, more quietly, adds, "--Daniel's place."

His name shuts both of them up. Colin clears his throat awkwardly but fails to say anything. She, on the other hand, looks like she regrets bringing him up.

Thankfully, Meera saves them both by returning, holding a clipboard with a stack of papers clutched against her chest. Colin had forgotten why they were here, but now that he's jolted back to reality, a heavy feeling settles in his gut.

"Sadie?" the older woman calls out.

She starts to turn away. Without thinking, Colin reaches for her wrist, but when she looks back to meet his gaze, the words lodge themselves into his throat.

It takes a lot of willpower to eventually force them out. "Will you be okay?" His voice is quiet, but he keeps their eyes locked. "Here, on your own?"

Her expression falters for a moment. Colin may have imagined it, but he's almost sure he sees a flicker of doubt in her eyes.

"I'm not sure," she replies, "but I promise to try my best."

"Okay," Colin replies and, almost reluctantly, lets go.

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Sadie had insisted on treating him to some late breakfast. Normally, he would have refused, but he was hungry and pancakes just seemed like a really good idea. He orders a hefty stack with lots of maple syrup, and Sadie, of course, gets strawberries and whipped cream with hers.

"Thanks again for coming with me."

"Just wanted to make sure the paperwork would be finalized today so I can kick you out already."

She rolls her eyes. "You say that, but you were the one who invited me in the first place."

"Need I remind you that I invited you to stay the night, not the entire month?"

"Oops?" she replies, smiling cheekily at him.

Ironically, this was exactly where he'd found her all those weeks ago, fresh from a heartbreak and with nowhere else to go. He could still see her tear-streaked face in his memory. He had tried his best (and failed) to avoid her that night, and never would he have expected he'd end up here now, sitting across from her to eat breakfast together in peace.

How had things changed so suddenly?

And how much had changed, really? Weeks ago, she was a crying mess who wouldn't even touch her food. Now she sits across him with whipped cream on the corner of her mouth. Who's to say things won't take a turn for the worse once she starts living alone?

"Sadie."

She stops chewing for a second, looking up to meet his eyes. "Mmm?"

"Have you considered–" He stops short, second-guessing himself. He does not want her to take offense, but it doesn't seem like there's anything else to do but to spit it out. "Have you considered getting help?"

"Oh." Her eyes drop back on the table.

Clearly, she had not expected the question. He waits patiently for a reply, knowing it must be difficult for her to be put on the spot like this. She pushes her food around with the back of her fork, careful not to meet his eyes.

Eventually, she takes a breath. "Honestly, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to afford it."

"But if you could afford it somehow?"

"I don't know. Maybe? I try not to think about it too much. Want a strawberry?" she offers it without looking up.

He bites the inside of his cheeks, wondering if he should press her or drop it. What's too much or too little? The last thing he wants to do is to trigger her somehow, but with her moving out and all, it's going to be so much harder to keep an eye on her and make sure she's all right.

"When you think you're ready," he blurts out, unable to help himself, "let me know. I'll help you book a consultation or whatever."

This seems to have been the last thing she'd expected him to say, if her wide-eyed gaze was any indicator. He fights the urge to blush, suddenly embarrassed by his declaration.

"Okay," she says softly. "When I'm ready."

"When you're ready," he repeats.

They sit in silence for a good while, but it doesn't feel awkward or heavy. He finishes his food first, despite having ordered more pancakes than her. He pulls out his phone from his pocket, but then the light shifts from the window, the morning sun spilling into the cafe.

The light hits Sadie just right, and for a second, Colin can't help but stare. He feels something in his chest stir, and the most ridiculous thought crosses his mind.

She catches him staring. "What?"

He swallows past the lump in his throat, still trying his best to ignore his stupid brain for even thinking it could be that.

"Is there something on my face?"

"Whipped cream," he replies. "Right... um, there." He vaguely points at her lips.

Which he immediately regrets doing, cause now he can't help but notice the shape of her lips. Or that they're tinted red from the strawberries she's been eating.

"Oh." She reaches for a napkin to clean it up. "Is it gone?"

He nods, not trusting himself to speak.

"Thanks."

He nods again.

"You okay?"

"What?"

"You just seem kind of... weird?"

"You're weird."

She rolls her eyes. "Oh, grow up. We're not in middle school anymore. Those were fun times."

He scoffs. "Yeah, for you, maybe."

"What? Didn't you enjoy getting all that attention from me?"

"While it may have been enjoyable for you to watch me find dead bugs that you so kindly put in my bag, it wasn't really an experience a normal person would treasure."

"That happened?"

He can't help but scowl at her. "How could you even forget? You were laughing so hard you almost fell out of your chair."

"Where did I even find dead bugs?"

"How the fuck should I know?"

She opens her mouth to say something, but seems to think better of it, giving him a somewhat apologetic look instead. "I truly am sorry, Colin. It was middle school, and you know how it goes. I guess I just didn't know how to actually get your attention."

"And why on earth would you want my attention in the first place?"

She rolls her eyes. "Come on. You're not seriously asking that, right?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Letting out a groan, she shakes her head and stabs a strawberry with her fork, which she then points at Colin. "You truly are a clueless dork. After all these years, surely it's obvious by now?"

He chafes at the insult, ready to fight, but all he says is "What is it?"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I seriously have no idea what–"

"I had a stupid crush on you, you big idiot. Everyone knew."

He blinks.

Whatever anger he felt rising just mere seconds ago has completely evaporated, and all he can do is blink at her.

Surely he heard it wrong. That's the only explanation that could make this make sense.

She shakes her head, looking almost as flabbergasted as he feels. "Did you actually have no idea? Not even a tiny bit?"

Could this be another of her "harmless" pranks? Like always, all she wants is to get a reaction out of him, and if that reaction happens to be for his heart to start pounding against his ribcage, then he's determined not to let her find out.

"I don't believe you," he says to her, trying to keep his voice steady.

Sadie sighs in frustration, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I can't believe I wasted my formative years liking an idiot."

He stands up, so abruptly it makes other diners look his way. "I'm leaving first."

"What?"

He doesn't turn back as he briskly walks away, trying to outrun his racing heart. Trying to leave the conversation as quickly as possible, as if that would make it seem like it never happened. Trying to forget that little, annoying spark he felt in his chest when the possibility of Sadie ever having feelings for him finally hit him in the face.