We went inside of the restaurant and got a booth in the back, ordering sodas and looking at the menu. Celia told me about some of her clients and I told her about the better parts of my job, expressing my love of the projects I worked on weekly.
We were laughing and holding hands as we walked down the street to look into the shop windows and drag the evening out. I was having a great time with her and slowed as we passed a real estate office. I walked over, tugging her by the hand as I looked over the flyers in the window. One happened to be a beach house a few streets away from my parents and I read over the specifications slowly, finding it to be perfect. “Look at this, Cel.” I pointed at the window and she moved closer to read it. “It’s perfect. We both have money saved, and it’s close to my family. It’s even a little smaller so we don’t have to worry about massive place.”
“You want to buy a house… with me?” She asked in a shaking voice before she looked at me.
“I want forever with you. I know this might be moving in the wrong order but I’m ready for my own place. If we need something bigger down the line, it’ll sell just fine.” I grinned and looked at her.
“Remy… this is so fast. Are we ready for this?” She asked as she looked at the flyer and back at me.
“I don’t worry about anything ending between us but if it does, we can both agree to be adults about it. We can figure that out.” I pressed her to the window and kissed her hard, feeling her moan against me.
“Let’s look at it,” she whispered as I grinned against her lips. I got the number to the realtor into my phone and snapped a picture of the window. We took a walk on the beach and headed home to look at the laptop at other pictures of the house. It was gorgeous inside and an open floor plan that Celia loved, but I sensed her hesitation.
“Celia? What’s going on?” I asked as I pushed away the computer.
“This just seems fast,” she murmured as she stared at the table.
“We’ve been living here together and there’s so much wasted time with us. Let’s move towards our future.” I said as I grabbed her hands. “Don’t doubt this.”
“I can’t help it, Remy. There was that picture and I am still working through the fact you work with your ex. I know how you used to be.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she stared at the floor.
“Jesus, Celia. I thought you were all in.” I told her, leaning back as I stared at the dark night outside of the window.
“I am but buying a house is such a big thing. I am going to invest a lot of money into this and I’m scared. That money is such a bad reminder for me but it’s my security blanket. I don’t want to do this and lose everything.”
“You are one of my best friends, Celia. You are my best friend and my everything. I want this with you.” I told her as I stared at her. “We can rent something if you want. I can move slow with you.”
“Yeah, maybe we should. We can afford that with our jobs.” I nodded slowly, clicking out of the site, and walking over to get a beer. I knew that something changed with us tonight because of that picture. There was a part of Celia that didn’t trust me.
I loved her for so long and wanted her to be my forever. I drank most of the bottle as she wandered out to the deck, dropping into one of the chairs. I wasn’t sure how to prove my feelings towards her. I deleted all of Amy’s information and I’d push for her to get fired tomorrow. I’d tell Rick everything. I’d quit if Celia wanted me to.
I walked outside with my second beer, dropping beside her. “What can I do to make this better?” I asked as I reached for her hand.
“Let’s slow down. Let me ease into this. I’ve loved you for so long, Remy. I’m scared to lose this after my family.” I could understand that. “Let’s start by looking for an apartment.”
“Fine.” I agreed, holding her hand tightly, trying to convey my feelings.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Celia
I was still awake well into the night after Remy fell asleep. I told him that I wanted to look for an apartment, but I feared even doing that. The picture that Amy sent to him was intimate and told me that they might not be as innocent as he suggested they were. I’d done some stalking online and knew how gorgeous she was. Remy spent every day with her and they were together in the past. There were hard feelings, but he was willing to give her a chance.