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Breaking the Barrier


LimeyBlimey

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I can’t wait for the next part of this story.. sorry I keep leaving comments, I just love it and can’t wait to see what happens to Ethan now. 

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Hey all! Just had a lot of back to back family visits this past month, so I didn't get a chance to write! But my home/hotel is now vacant and things have finally settled down, so hang tight, there will be more! 🤗 

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Next part's here!! (slight emetophobia warning for anyone)

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Matt was able to leave about ten minutes early from work. He stopped at home to pick me up, grab a warmer jacket for himself, and chat with Ethan about our plans. Ethan had gone into his room earlier, and things had been quiet since then, so I assumed he was resting or just didn’t want to talk to anyone.

“Hey, man, it’s me,” Matt called, knocking lightly on Ethan’s door.

“Come in,” Ethan’s voice responded.

Matt looked back at me with a quick encouraging glance and then went into the room, shutting the door behind him. I heard his and Ethan’s muffled voices, but I didn’t want to eavesdrop this time. Instead, I went to get my purse and my leg scooter. Later in the car, Matt filled me in on their conversation, which apparently wasn’t all that long.

“Didn’t you talk about it?”

Matt shrugged. “Ethan didn’t say too much other than the basics. I think he knows you heard what happened and would probably tell me the whole thing.”

“Oh,” I said, cringing. “Yeah…Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Matt said with a half-smile. “I think he seems okay right now. It might take a couple of days or so for him to chill out, but I think Jared and Steve will be able to keep him from getting too out of control tonight. He’s like a time bomb sometimes. You never know when, or even if, he’ll lose his shit.”

Dinner at the Brazilian restaurant was fairly uneventful but fun. There were about a dozen or so people in the big room reserved for our event, and I recognized most of them from the office. I was terrible with names, so I knew Matt would have to reintroduce me. Dave waved briefly at us when Matt and I came in, and I noticed he looked a little tired. Matt helped me get seated at the end of a long table. A waiter came and took our drink orders, and I requested an iced tea for myself and Matt ordered a soda. He went off to talk or bring someone over and introduce me so I didn’t have to get up. I had met most of his coworkers before, and they each showed polite concern about my ankle, which I found nice but also slightly awkward.

“Hey, Peggy,” Dave came and sat down next to me during one of the moments Matt was away. I saw that his eyes looked a little watery and shadowy. He sniffed lightly and then rubbed his face.

“You okay?” I asked.

Dave stifled a small cough. “I think I might be catchin’ that cold you guys had. My throat’s been getting scratchier by the hour.”

“Oh, no,” I said with a chuckle. “Not you too.”

Dave’s face suddenly blanked, and he lifted his shirt collar up to cover the lower half of his face. “HHhhUURSSsshhh!”

“Bless you,” I said.

“Thanks,” Dave said weakly. “Hey, we’re going to go get appetizers from the buffet, Matt’ll bring you a plate.”

“I’d love that, thanks,” I said, and Dave left the table. Another employee and his wife arrived and sat down across from me at our table. Matt came up carrying two plates, setting them down on the table for us as he took the seat next to me.

“Hey, man, how’s it going?” Matt said to the other employee.

“Doing well,” said the man, and signaled to the woman sitting next to him, who smiled. “This is my wife Karen.”

Matt shook her hand, and then motioned to me. “This is my girlfriend, Kaylee. Kay, this is Jake, I don’t think you met him before. He was on paternity leave when you came to my work last time.”

I smiled. “Hi, nice to meet you. Congrats on your baby.”

Jake reached across to shake my hand. “Thank you. She’s gettin’ bigger by the day. It’s nice to meet you, Matt’s talked about you a couple times at the office.”

After appetizers, waiters started to walk around the table with large skewers of different types of meat, which was the norm for this style of restaurant. Matt and I chose a couple pieces, and then another coworker whom I recognized from the office, Oliver, sat with us as well. As we all chatted and ate, Ken, Matt’s manager, walked around to greet everyone.

“Kaylee, right?” Ken reached the end of our table, being careful to step around my knee scooter that was next to my chair.

“Yeah,” I said. “Nice to see you.”

“It’s good to see you again,” Ken said while shaking my hand. “Glad you’re here. How’s your ankle? Matt mentioned your injury earlier today.”

“It’s okay,” I said shyly, and Matt casually put his arm around my shoulders. “Well, actually, it hurts, but it’s not too bad.”

“Yeah, ankle sprains hurt worse than breaks,” Ken said. “I broke my ankle when I was in high school, playin’ football. Didn’t hurt nearly as much as when I sprained the same ankle a few years later.”

“She’s handling things pretty well,” Matt chimed in, and Ken nodded. He turned his attention to Jake and his wife. The rest of the dinner went smoothly enough. Jake, Oliver, and Matt started talking about case matters, and Karen casually started some small talk with me. The conversation morphed to babies and kids once she learned I was a preschool teacher, which wasn’t too bad. Waiters came around taking alcoholic drink orders for those who wanted them. I decided not to have anything since I might need a Vicodin later, but Matt ordered himself a drink. Dave came to sit with us again, this time plopping himself down on an unoccupied chair on the other side of Matt.

“Man, I’m beat,” Dave said, closing his eyes and leaning back on the chair.

“You don’t look so good,” Matt said, and Dave shook his head.

“I decided to get a Smoke and Honey for my throat. Think I drank it too fast.”

Matt chuckled. “Just take it easy. Give it time before you head out so you can still drive, okay?”

Dave nodded silently, then suddenly buried his face into his elbow. “HHhhUURSSttttssshhh! HHhhUURSSsshhhuuu!”

“Bless you,” I said, along with Oliver across from us.

“Sorry,” Dave chuckled, then covered a cough and winced.

Matt’s phone dinged with a text and he pulled it out of his pocket and I watched him with curiosity. He then chuckled and showed me his phone with a conversation happening between him and Jared.

“As I kinda wondered,” Matt said. “Ethan drank too much at the bar and passed out on Jared’s couch.”

“Oh, man,” I said. “Is he gonna be okay?”

Matt’s phone dinged again with a response from Jared. He frowned. “Yeah, he’s sleeping. But Jared’s got a thing tomorrow morning and he wondered if we could pick up Ethan on our way home.”

“Are you okay with that?” I asked.

Matt shrugged. “Yeah. Jared said it’s okay if we can’t do it, but no one will be there in the morning. Ethan let him drive tonight, and Steve’s just left, so we’d have to pick him up anyway. But I’d rather not have him be alone, to be honest.”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

We enjoyed dessert with everyone and as it got later in the evening, we looked up to see Ken trying to get everyone’s attention, probably to say thanks for attending. It was almost closing time for the restaurant, but since Matt was one of the supervisors, he wanted to stay until most of the party had left. Matt checked in with Dave, who was on his way out but seemed okay. We let him know we were picking up Ethan. As Dave walked away, I saw him cover his face with his shirt again and sneeze twice. Despite his cover-up, the sound was loud enough to startle two of Matt’s other coworkers who were walking near each other on their way out of the room.

“Poor Dave’s getting sick now,” I mentioned to Matt once we were in the car and driving to Jared’s place.

Matt smirked. “Yeah, I figured that would happen with all three of us in the apartment. We’re not exactly good at avoiding each other.”

“Is Jared’s place close?” I asked. Matt nodded. “We’ll be there in a few; I know where it is.”

I stayed in the car when we got to Jared’s place, as there was no point in stressing my ankle over the few minutes we’d be there. Plus, the snow was falling and getting heavier. Jared’s house was a cute little place that had belonged to his grandma before she passed. It was all-brick with a covered front porch, a big dormant tree in the yard, and a single-car garage. Jared’s car was parked in the driveway. Matt left the warm car running for me while he went in to get Ethan. I waited, feeling tired from the lateness, and irritated by the soreness in my ankle. I readjusted my walking boot and stretched out my leg as much as I could in Matt’s sedan. I looked up when the front door of the house opened and both Matt and Jared came out supporting Ethan in between them. He was practically incoherent but he seemed to be able to walk.

“Hey, Kaylee,” Jared said as he opened the back door of the car with his free hand. Matt carefully pushed Ethan into the seat behind me. Ethan leaned his head back onto the headrest, mumbled something we didn’t understand, and then immediately started snoring.

“He falls hard, doesn’t he?” I said sympathetically. Jared nodded with a frown, and reached into his pocket. He took Ethan’s phone out of his pants pocket and handed it to Matt.

“Yeah. Here. Steve had to take his phone to keep him from texting or calling her.”

“Thanks for looking after him, man,” Matt said, and Jared waved us off with a tired smile.

Ethan woke up after a few minutes during our slow drive, wondering what was going on. He acknowledged us briefly and closed his eyes again. When we were more than halfway home, he suddenly sat up, reached forward, and gripped the backs of both mine and Matt’s seats.

“Matt, you need to pull over,” he said quickly. I looked back at him since Matt was driving. His face was flushed and he actually had a slightly green tinge under his eyes. That wasn’t good. I nudged Matt and he looked quickly back.

“Hang on, man,” Matt said. Thankfully there weren’t too many cars on the street we were on, which was only a few more minutes from the apartments. Matt was able to slow down and pull over, and Ethan immediately opened the car door and practically fell out of the backseat into the snow. Within a few seconds, we heard the sound of retching. Matt and I cringed toward each other.

“At least it wasn’t in my car,” Matt said politely, watching as Ethan finally climbed back into the car, his pants and hoodie soaked from all the snow. “Thanks for the heads up.”

“No problem,” Ethan said quietly, keeping his eyes closed. His face had a little more color to it, but his lips were dry. He sniffled heavily and wiped his nose on his damp sweatshirt. He suddenly sneezed and then shivered, pulling the hood of his jacket up over his thick hair. He leaned back onto the headrest again. Matt pulled back out onto the road and Ethan cracked open two of the back windows, despite the cold and snow outside. Neither Matt or I said anything, however, knowing he needed the fresh air to avoid getting nauseous again.

“You gonna be okay?” Matt finally asked Ethan, occasionally looking up at him through the review mirror in case he needed to be sick again.

“Yeah. I think so,” Ethan said. “I just need water.”

We made it back to the apartment in one piece. Matt offered to help Ethan walk if he needed, but Ethan politely declined. The snow was coming down furiously now and there were already a few inches settled on the walkway. We made it inside the main building and headed up the stairs.

Hhhhettschuuu! HhhhEEEGGHttschuuu!” Ethan sneezed again, the sound echoing in the stairwell. He sniffled constantly.

“Bless you,” Matt said. “Did you have to go out? I mean, come on, man…”

“I don’t know,” Ethan said in a defeated manner. “I probably shouldn’t have, I’m so fuckin’ sick. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

I wanted to chime in to say something encouraging to Ethan, but I decided against it. Instead I kept my focus on making my way carefully up the stairs in front of Ethan and Matt, who carried my scooter for me. The apartment was mostly dark, but we knew Dave had made it home because one of the kitchen lights was left on and Dave’s bedroom door was closed.

“He must not be feeling well if he didn’t wait up for us,” Matt noticed.

Ethan went immediately into the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge. He chugged one down in just a few seconds, tossed the empty bottle into the sink, and then opened the second. He took a sip and looked towards his own room.

“Thanks for helping me out, guys,” he mumbled. “I’m going to bed.”

“Night,” Matt and I said together.

“I think we’re getting too old for this lifestyle,” Matt chuckled quietly to me after Ethan’s door closed.

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Edited by LimeyBlimey
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I’m so happy you updated this!

And, THANK YOU for the emet warning! 

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  • 1 month later...

Back with just a little bit more and tying up this part of the story! 😊

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Matt and I decided to head to my place the next day since it was Saturday. Emma would be coming home next week and I was going back to work as well since winter break was finishing up. Due to my ankle, I wanted Matt’s help to get some things ready early for Emma’s move. I was a little concerned about us leaving Ethan and Dave alone for the day, but Matt assured me with a laugh that they would both manage fine without us. Dave, who we had heard sneeze loudly several times during the night, was clearly sick now, but Matt was not exactly enthusiastic about the idea of staying. Apparently, Dave could be kind of annoying when he was sick, and I had to admit that his ridiculously loud sneezes were becoming a bit bothersome to my normal human ears. Plus, I had a feeling Matt just wanted us to be alone.

The next morning seemed to come too early after our late night out. By the time Matt and I were ready to go, Ethan and Dave were both already up and in the living room. When I walked out of Matt’s room, I managed to stifle a giggle at the sight of them. Ethan was back on the couch and wrapped up in his comforter like yesterday, but his night of drinking combined with being sick had clearly taken its toll. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his nose was very chapped and pink. A box of tissues lay next to him on the couch, and several used ones sat on the floor nearby. Dave sat on the armchair and had no blanket, but he was wearing a pair of athletic pants and an undershirt and looked rather tired as well. He had shadows under his blue eyes and his dark blonde hair was very disheveled as if he hadn’t slept well. The room was quiet aside from Ethan’s constant sniffling. The tv was still off and they were both engaged with their phones.

“Morning,” I said cheerfully, limping into the kitchen. Dave and Matt both merely grunted, and I chuckled to myself as I got myself a bottle of water. Dave coughed once, and then sniffled, the sound of it almost deliberate.

“Need anything?” I decided to offer to be polite.

“Coffee, please,” Dave immediately said.

I turned to look at the coffee pot, which still sat empty and cold, and I sighed. I suddenly felt a little grateful that we were going to my place today, if this was how things were going to be if I stayed. However, I instantly found myself cursing my empathy as it got the better of me. While a pot of coffee was brewing, I limped back to the living room, where Ethan and Dave both looked up at me in silence. Ethan gave a loud sniffle, and then quickly buried his face in his comforter and stifled two sneezes.

“Bless you,” I said quietly, and reached my hand out to check his forehead. Like yesterday, he didn’t argue and only stared down at his phone. I sighed, and then checked Dave’s forehead as well. Dave made a point to raise his head up slightly for me.

“You both have fevers,” I said quietly. “Though they’re not bad.”

HUUAAHHSCHOOO!” Dave sneezed then, leaning rapidly toward the floor, and I quickly took a step back.

“And bless you,” I said. Dave wearily rubbed his eyes and sank back into the armchair.

“Thanks,” he said with a slight chuckle, sniffling. “I think I got more; they’ve been irritating my nose for hours…Hhhh’ahhAAHSCHUU!

“Fuck!" Ethan said in irritation. "Stop being so loud."

“Hey, I can’t help it,” Dave chuckled, putting his arms up in defense. “It’s your all’s fault I even caught this crap.”

Instead of responding, Ethan only coughed thickly a couple of times, put his blanket fully over his head, and sunk further back into the squishy couch. I bemusedly wondered if the couch was planning to absorb him by the end of the day, being as tall and thin as he was. I went to get another box of tissues from the bathroom and grabbed the rest of the cold medicine that was there as well as a thermometer. I came back out and set the items on the coffee table in front of Ethan and Dave.

“Okay,” I said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Well, the coffee’s brewing. Matt and I are heading out. We’ll be at my place for today and probably some of tomorrow, if you guys need to know.”

Ethan’s face emerged from under the blanket and Dave looked up at me with sudden puppy-dog like eyes. “What? You’re leaving us? Like this?”

Matt emerged from his bedroom carrying my suitcase, and a small duffel bag that looked as if it had been bought for the gym but then never used.

“Yep,” he chimed in. “Kaylee does have a life outside of this apartment, in case you’d forgotten.”

“So, have you guys decided what to do about that?” Dave asked curiously. “You know…after the roommate moves out?”

Matt gave me a sidelong glance and I knew he was wondering the same thing. I hadn’t exactly made a point of bringing the subject up again, but that was only because I hadn’t decided. Did I want Matt to leave his apartment with Ethan and Dave and move in with me? Did we want to find our own place together? Matt had also given me the option of moving in with the three of them if it was easier, but to me that didn’t feel like it counted as much for us ‘living together’ if we weren’t on our own. It wasn’t as if we couldn’t afford a place together, with Matt’s new management salary and my full-time teaching position (as meager as that was). The other night I had even downloaded a couple of apps for housing and apartment searches, and a few places in the nearby suburbs had turned up within our price range. I kind of liked the idea of us getting a house together.

Matt suddenly nudged me out of my thought process. “Kaylee?”

“Huh?” I said, looking at Matt and blushing. “Oh, sorry, I was just thinking. Okay, let’s go.”

Matt and Dave glanced at each other again and Matt gave a quick half-shrug, which I chose to ignore as if I didn’t see.

“Feel better, guys,” Matt said encouragingly to Ethan and Dave. Dave had started to cough, so he held up a hand to wave.

“Starbucks?” Matt suggested outside the apartment as he helped me arrange my knee scooter.

“You read my mind,” I said. Even through the closed front door, I heard the echo of two more of Dave’s sneezes, followed by Ethan’s loud response and then Dave laughing.

“They kinda sound like an old married couple,” Matt chuckled as we walked (I glided) down the hallway. “Dave likes to give Ethan a hard time. It bugs him when people are unhappy or upset.”

“Always trying to lighten the mood,” I said. "That's Dave for sure."

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Thanks to Matt’s and some of my efforts, we were able to get a few things done, such as separating Emma’s things from mine in our shared spaces, but we decided to stay overnight at my place. We would head back to the apartment on Sunday morning. We ordered take-out for ourselves for dinner and watched a movie.

“So, here’s a thought,” Matt said during the movie.

“What’s up?”

“Your lease expires in March, right?” Matt said.

“Yeah, right before St. Patrick’s Day.” I said.

“Okay. What if…” Matt started, “And you can say no to this, too, but…what if I moved some of my stuff in here, helped you pay the rent, and we can try a hybrid living-together thing until March, just to see how we like it? March is still a couple months away, so that gives us all of this month and next to figure things out. Not too bad for a trial basis.”

“True,” I said slowly, taking another bite of food, and Matt continued.

“As for Emma’s room, I’ve got another computer I can’t fit in my bedroom, so maybe we can turn Emma’s room into an office or something, if you don’t have any ideas yet. It would be nice to have in case I’m staying over and I need to work from home. We can set up area in there for you too.”

I swallowed the last bit of noodles I was chewing while he talked, and considered his idea. “What about Dave and Ethan? Are you still going to be living with them, too?”

“Well, yeah, but part-time,” Matt said. “I’ll be here with you most of the time, but I’ll still spend some evenings there. I’m thinking a couple times a week. To be honest, it’s closer to the office, so on the days I need to go in early it would work out well.”

“And then what do we do in March?” I said.

“It can be up to you whether or not we keep your place here, or maybe we can find a house in a decent location for both of our commutes. I’ll be fine with anything, I just love being with you.”

I smiled. Matt was so good to me, and I appreciated his patience. I still wasn’t sure why, but sometimes I had trouble handling major changes, so this actually sounded perfect.

“I feel that way too,” I said, blushing. “And actually…it all sounds really good. I’ll admit I’ve kinda already been looking at a couple of homes between here and your place.”

Matt beamed and kissed me. We finished the rest of the evening together and slept late the next morning. However, I had forgotten to pack my pain medication, and my ankle was definitely hurting more since I’d been using it all day on Saturday. I didn’t say anything to Matt about it, but I had a feeling he already knew while we got ready to go back to the apartment. I also wanted to check on Ethan and Dave, who we hadn’t seen or talked to since yesterday morning. Matt said he would take me back home tonight, since I needed to go to work in the morning and see my doctor after school.

Ethan was still sleeping when we got back, but Dave was awake and definitely looking sicker than he had yesterday. His nose was now the same shade of pink that Ethan’s had been a couple of days ago, and the shadows under his eyes looked a little deeper. He was still wearing the same pants and shirt he’d had on yesterday.

“Hey,” he said quietly when we came in.

“Morning,” Matt said.

“How’re you feeling?” I asked.

“Sick,” Dave responded, and gave an exaggerated sigh before being interrupted by a sudden loud sneeze.

“Bless you,” I said with a smile. “Well, we’re here if you need anything.”

“Now that you mention it…” Dave started.

“Nope,” Matt interjected. “Kaylee, don’t be so soft on him, he’s just milking it. And you need to take it easy on your ankle today. Go sit down, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” I said in defeat, and limped to the armchair. I was grateful to take off my walking boot. I hated the thing. It was working well enough but was aggravating to wear. My hips were also starting to hurt from my lopsided walk.

“How did things go yesterday for you and Ethan?” I asked Dave while massaging my ankle. The swelling had started to go down somewhat, and the bruising all over it was turning a deep blueish purple color. I winced from a twinge of pain that always came when I tried to turn the ankle.

Dave sniffled and shrugged, watching me with mild interest. “Fine. Just had a lazy day, I guess. Wow, I hadn’t even seen your ankle since you’ve been wearing that boot. It looks like shit.”

“Yeah, thanks for noticing,” I said sarcastically. “Maybe you can go get me an ice pack?”

While Dave was in the kitchen, Matt came back from the bathroom and joined me on the armchair. Ethan’s bedroom door opened then. He walked out to the kitchen, running a hand through his messy hair to push it aside.

“Morning,” he said with a yawn, his voice sounding congested but a little better than the last couple of days.

“Hey,” we said.

“Doin’ okay, man?” Matt asked him, and Ethan nodded.

“Not too bad,” he said from the kitchen as he busied himself with the coffee pot. While he poured the water into the pot, he quickly attempted to stifle a small sneeze into his shoulder. “HhhhEEhGGHttschuuu! But this stupid cold is kicking my ass. How did you both get so lucky?”

Matt chuckled and shrugged. “Good immune system. Better than yours, clearly.”

Ethan shook his head in slight irritation. While the coffee was brewing, he popped a few slices of bread into the toaster and came to join us in the living room. He sat on the couch, sniffling heavily, and sneezed yet again.

“Bless you,” Matt said.

“Thanks,” Ethan answered, and picked up a game controller from the coffee table. “Borderlands? Dave and I played yesterday. It’s been awhile.”

“Sure,” Matt answered. He gave me a casual glance, to which I responded with a slight smile, and picked up another controller. We both noticed that Ethan seemed to be a little more cheerful today, which hopefully meant he was getting over the breakup with Alyssa. I had a sudden twinge of sadness when I realized I would miss being here with these guys. At the same time, I was happy that Matt and I were making a new future for ourselves.

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Think that's the end for this part! Let me know if you have any ideas or requests for future stories. I will probably do some down the road, just not sure of a timeline. I've got a new work schedule that pulls me away from my writing time, but I always try to work it in when I can. Thanks so much again for your awesome support and your love for this group of friends! 

😊❤️

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I’d love at some point to have a story focused around Ethan for sure 😁! A timeline obviously after this one, but like maybe a few more months after or even a year after. I just love ALL the characters. I’d love some more of Matt and Kaylee 🥰

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...
  • 5 weeks later...

Happy Valentine's Day! Just here to drop off a little Matt and Kaylee short story. Have a lovely weekend! 💕

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I woke up late on Valentine’s Day morning. It was a weekend day and Matt’s and my first Valentine’s Day together. We had made plans to go ice skating at the outdoor rink and have dinner at the outlet mall. However, when I checked the weather report on my phone, it showed me that conditions were freezing, with possible threat of frostbite due to wind chill exposure.

“Wow, Happy Valentine’s Day to us,” I mumbled, and rolled over to see if Matt was awake yet. He wasn’t in bed, though, and the covers were undone.

I sat up slowly and did some stretches for my ankle, which had just barely recovered from my sprain before New Year’s. The pain was mostly tight, now, and I had an appointment tomorrow with my physical therapist and chiropractor. It hurt a little more today than it had last week, possibly from the cold weather. I walked around a few moving boxes in my bedroom and out to my living room where I found Matt in the kitchen.

“Good morning, sunshine,” he said, giving me that brilliant smile of his.

When I sat down on one of the kitchen barstools, Matt immediately set a mug down in front of me and poured me a cup of fresh coffee.

“Thanks,” I said, and took a sip. “Tastes great.”

Matt merely smiled again, and bent down in front of one of the cabinets. He moved aside an open box of pots and pans and pulled out a small clear vase of pretty-looking flowers and a red gift box tied with a gold bow. He set them down near my coffee cup.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Kaylee,” he said, and kissed me softly.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Matty,” I answered back after he had finally pulled away. “I have a gift for you too, but it’s for later, if that’s okay.”

“Sure,” Matt said. “But you can open that red box now. Where’s the griddle, by the way? I was gonna make some pancakes.”

“Um, in the box by the window, I think.” I happily unwrapped my gift, which I knew by the scent and floral packaging contained Lush Cosmetics products. It held some new bath bombs, bubble bars, and a small bottle of shower gel.

“Aw, you’re the best, Matty,” I said. “Thank you! How did you know?”

“I dunno,” Matt said with a chuckle, pulling a griddle pan out of the box I’d directed him to. “The clerk at Lush said it was one of their best Valentine’s boxed sets.”

“Oooh, this one smells really nice,” I said, holding out a cloth-wrapped bath bomb. “Here.”

Matt leaned in briefly, the griddle still in one hand, and gave it a sniff. “Hhheh’EAHHSSchuu!” he suddenly sneezed.

“Whoa, bless you,” I said with a laugh.

Matt sniffled. “Yikes. That one caught me off guard. Smells good, though.”

He forcefully rubbed his nose with his free hand and returned to the stove. However, he continued to sniffle and rub his nose while he made pancakes for us.

“So what’s on the agenda for today?” I asked after we finished eating, and Matt sniffled again.

Hh’IIH’Schooo!” he suddenly sneezed again. “The weather’s too cold for our original plans.”

“Bless you,” I said. “Are you feeling okay?”

Matt shrugged. “Fine. Think that bath bomb just got in my nose a little.”

“Well, we’ve always got more packing to do if we just want to stay home,” I said with a hint in my voice. “And I can think of a few other things to spice it up a little.”

Matt’s eyebrows raised and he grinned before rubbing his nose again, which was starting to take on a slightly pink shade. He pulled out his phone. “Well, I still plan to take you somewhere nice later for dinner. My buddy at work has a connection for this new restaurant we haven’t tried. I was going to see if I can get some last-minute reservations.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said. “I’m going to have a bath. Might be my last one before I have to move next month.”

“Speaking of that…” Matt said breathily, and quickly covered his lower face again. “Hh’xXxtchuuu! Yikes, sorry. I actually might have found a great place for us if you want to check it out.”

“Really?” I said.

“Yep,” Matt said. “They had an open house today but the landlord cancelled it out of courtesy because of the icy weather. Location is good, right between both of our commutes, less than twenty-five minutes. It’s actually really close to Jared’s place, just on the other side of his neighborhood. Was built in ’97 but it’s been newly updated. Three bedrooms, including the master. Nice yard. Two-car garage. Aaand the master has a five-piece bathroom.”

“Oh, wow,” I said. “How much?”

“Within our range,” Matt said.

“Wait, seriously?” I said. “Send me the link. Can we fill out an application?”

Matt chuckled, and pulled out his cell phone. “Let me make a couple of calls while you’re taking your bath.”

I loved the scent of the satchel-wrapped bath bomb so much that I decided to use it right away. I took my time, grateful that I had a nice oval tub for bathing. I heard Matt’s voice through my bedroom and the living room as he walked between them, chatting animatedly with the people on the other line. He happened to sneeze once during one of the conversations, and apologized for it with a light laugh. I was always impressed by how pleasant he sounded on the phone, both professional and polite.

While still in the bath, I looked over the posting for the house, and saw that it did indeed look promising. It had two stories and was built with a combination of brick and siding. There were three bedrooms as Matt had said, with a large garage, a decent-sized backyard, and a dormant tree in the front yard. The bedrooms were spacious, and I loved the separate large tub and shower in the master bathroom. I was concerned with the possible other offers on such a nice place, but Matt had assured me that people didn’t tend to move during the winter months in our area.

A knock sounded at the bathroom door. It was Matt. “Hey, if you’re up for it, I just got us an appointment to see the house.”

“Awesome!” I called back, and Matt continued.

“The landlord said he doesn’t actually mind the weather and he was willing to work in a quick walkthrough for us since we’re really interested in the home. But we’ve got to leave soon if we want to make it in time.”

“Oh, okay,” I said. Guess that was the end of my bath. I drained the tub, noticing the bath bomb left a lovely floral fragrance all over my body. I toweled off and got dressed in a warm shirt, pants, and my snow boots. I brushed my teeth and hair and put on some quick makeup just so I would be somewhat presentable.

“Here,” Matt said, and handed me my thick down jacket and phone. He kissed me briefly, smelled my hair, and then smiled at me. “You smell nice.”

“Thank you,” I said, and leaned up to kiss Matt’s lips. However, he sniffed heavily, and turned his head away.

“Hhh..hh’IIH’Schooo!”

“Bless you,” I said in surprise, and realized something. “Uh-oh.”

“What’s up?” Matt said, sniffing again. He rubbed fiercely at his nose, which was already beginning to look pink again. His eyes were also slightly watery and red.

“I wonder if you’re allergic to the scent of my bath bomb,” I said.

“Huh,” Matt said breathily, and he sneezed again. “M…maybe. Hhih’AHHSchuuu! Makes sense, this definitely feels like allergies to s…something…hh’eEHh-schhoo! Well, I’m just gonna have to tough it out. We gotta go.”

“Bless you,” I giggled.

Matt’s allergies seemed to worsen during our drive to the house. I looked in my purse for some allergy medicine, but I guessed I had either run out or left it at the condo. Thankfully, I always carried a small pack of tissues with me, which I gave to Matt. We pulled up to the house and saw the landlord wave to us from his gray sedan out in front. Matt blew his nose for the third time and looked at me with a helpless expression, his eyes watery and slightly puffy.

“Come on, this fresh cold air will help,” I said, stepping out of Matt’s car. ‘Cold’ was putting it mildly. Icy air instantly hit my cheeks and nose, and I was grateful that I had dressed warmly. After a moment or two, Matt got out of the car and I noticed he had pulled his winter jacket collar all the way up to cover his face and nose. His beanie was pulled down as far as he could force it without obstructing his vision. In fact, I barely saw more than his eyes, which were still puffy-looking and red.

“Poor baby,” I said sympathetically, and took his gloved hand. Matt turned his head away from me and muffled a sneeze into the crook of his elbow. We waved toward the landlord, who was already at the door waiting for us.

“Nice weather we’re having today, huh?” joked the landlord. “Matt and Kaylee, right?”

We smiled and exchanged greetings. The landlord, whose name was Tom, quickly opened the front door for us so we could get out of the cold weather. Matt and Tom exchanged some basic business information. Apparently, Tom was a contractor as well as the owner of a couple of other properties in the area. Suddenly, Matt practically jumped to the other side of the front room as he worked to cover another sneeze with his elbow.

“Bless you,” Tom said awkwardly. “It’s a little drafty, sorry about that. I finished all the updates just before winter, so no one’s actually lived here for a couple of months. I hate listing during the holidays, you know? So, I only just put this one up a few days ago.”

Matt casually nodded, waving his hand in a no-big-deal motion. However, he still covered half of his face with his arm as if he still needed to sneeze.

“Can we take a look around?” I quickly asked as a distraction. Tom turned his attention towards me instead.

“Sure,” Tom said. “I’ll just be right here if you have any questions. There’s also a small basement downstairs, though it’s not finished.”

To me, the house was simple and adorable, and I loved it. Matt seemed to agree. We walked through the home, admiring the lovely kitchen I had seen in the listing. It had granite countertops, white cabinetry, and a patterned tile backsplash. The vinyl floors on the first floor were rustic and warm, but I also appreciated that the bedrooms were still carpeted. I also knew where my Christmas tree would fit in the living room, and that was always a good sign.

“What do you think, babe?” Matt asked me after we’d seen all of the home except the basement. The basement space was a good place for storage, but was definitely cold. But the three bedrooms, one of which Matt could use as an office and the other as a guest room. Matt pulled a tissue out from the pack I’d given him in the car and wiped his nose. “Hhha’AHhsshchuu! Damn these allergies. What the heck?”

“It was my bath bomb, for sure,” I said. “Sorry baby. I’ll take a shower when we get home.”

“Thagks,” Matt said in a congested voice, and blew his nose. “Ugh. Sorry about all this. I just need some allergy meds. We’ll stop by the pharmacy on our way back to the condo. But what do you think of the house?”

I grinned with excitement. “I love everything about it. I want it.”

Matt smiled back. “Me, too. It’s such a great first house for us. Let’s put in an application.”

Back upstairs, we spoke with the landlord for a while and asked questions about the place, discussed our potential move-in dates, and agreed that we were interested in filling out an application immediately. Tom was equally excited for us and helped us connect to his website to start the application. Matt put his arm around my shoulder and hair as we headed towards the door. However, he quickly covered his face with his gloved free hand and stifled a sneeze into it just as we stepped outside into the frigid air. Poor guy, I thought. I reminded myself to make sure to always have allergy medicine in my purse before we went out.

“Can you drive?” Matt asked me as we were walking out to the car. After having been in close proximity to me again, his eyes were getting waterier and itchier by the second, even in the cold air. I nodded.

“I also talked with my coworker earlier and got us 8pm reservations at the new restaurant,” Matt said when we were in the car. “Should be really good, it’s already got great reviews.”

“I’m just going to take a shower so you can get better enough to taste your food,” I joked. “You sound super congested, baby.”

Matt chuckled, and sniffled several times. “Yeah, Tom probably thought I had the plague or something. Sheesh.”

“Let’s get some Zyrtec in you and go to bed for a little bit,” I suggested. Matt nodded silently, and quickly pulled out another tissue from his coat pocket.

Hhehschhuuu! H…hhih’EASCHUuuuu!

“Bless you baby,” I said worriedly, and Matt fiercely shook his head.

“S..still goin’…Hhhii’hhETCHUU…hh…hIHH’SSCH-hh-hih’tschuu!”

“Bless you again,” I said, trying to keep my eyes on the road and not Matt’s wracking sneezes. The close proximity of the car must have been moving my strong floral bath bomb scent around. It was probably in my hair too, which explained why Matt reacted to just being near me. The sooner we got home the better, and I tried to distract him.

“Bless you. Hey, do you want to take a shower with me?” I offered, allowing a hint in my tone.

“Th…thangks…but...it might not be a good idea…uhhh-h-HI’IITSCHuuuu!” Matt’s breath hitched heavily with that last one, and now I was finding myself genuinely concerned for him.

“Bless you. If it wasn’t currently negative six degrees, I would open the window for you,” I said. “Blow your nose again, baby.”

“There’s nothing more to blow,” Matt said defeatedly in a very nasally voice, leaning back on the headrest. “Kay, I love the way you smell, but it sure as hell hates me.”

“Hey, at least we might have a house,” I said, trying to cheer Matt up. I pulled into a nearby pharmacy and stopped the car. Matt nodded.

“For sure. And dinner tonight. Now can we please get me some allergy medicine and go home?”

.

.

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❤️

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  • 3 weeks later...

I just loooove the story and the whole crew. There was a time where I checked the forum daily just to see if you posted a new part. You write all the characters so detailed and beautifully. I adore Ethan as much as many other people in this comment section and would love to see a story focusing on him in the future. Please never stop writing this like... ever!!! You are amazing 😍 @LimeyBlimey

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  • 3 weeks later...
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