the next thing i knew we were unloading the car in front of our new apartment building. M, lisa, my dad and i stood on the sidewalk and looked up at the post-industrial hovel we were going to call home. there were people (including one beautiful black man in dark khaki army pants) climbing up to their apartments via ladders leaning against the outside of the building. for some reason that didn’t disturb me as much as the fact there were no overhangs.
while taking the elevator to the fifth floor, i started to get nervous. when the doors opened, M and lisa exited while i hung back. M turned when he realized i wasn’t behind him. he looked as if he meant to wait for me, so we could cross the threshhold together. the look my father gave him practically shouted “you go on ahead, son. i’m going to have a word with my daughter now.”, so M did, unwilling to incur the wrath of dad so soon after meeting him. as the doors closed, dad hugged me tightly and told me that if i ever needed anything, he was there for me.
we caught up with them just inside the door to our new home. it was beautiful in a terrible, filthy way. a huge loft-like apartment, sparsely furnished with wrecks from 1940’s movie sets. while trying not to think about spiders, i spotted a vicious insect which defied description on the window sill. the major focus of the room was the enormous, sagging bed. it looked like it would swallow us whole. we all started to yawn when we looked at it.
very soon after, dad left with a hug and slipped a small fold of money into my hand. while i looked around, lisa and M got into bed. M muttered something about not wanting pajamas touching him while he slept, so i tried very hard not to touch him while i got into bed. despite the decadent size of the bed, i was squished up beside M and he immediately began taking off my pajamas for me.
have you ever tried to have sex in a bed with a third person who is not participating in the sex? it’s awkward. we tried to be very quiet. we tried not to shake the bed too much. god, i love M’s body. thankfully, lisa sleeps like the dead.
it wasn’t a bad first night living together.