Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
"Punctuality is important." Elias cracks his knuckles in his lap as I fasten my seatbelt.
"Punctuality is necessary when you're an old man like me."
"Stop saying that." Celine rests her hand on Travis's knee and squeezes. "You're not that much older than us."
"It feels like a lot."
"Why?" I ask.
"I don't know. You guys seem way more chilled than I feel. It's like I'm already in the rest of my life, and you guys are still preparing for it."
Elias opens the window and rests his big arm slightly out of it. The wind whips through the car as he stares out. "I'm not chilled."
"Me, either," I say. "Trying to work out what the rest of my life will look like is way more stressful."
"Tell me about it." Celine turns, and her face is grim. "If I ever actually get through this course."
"You'll get through it," Elias says, sounding so confident, it makes me frown.
"Just because you're a friggin' genius doesn't mean I am."
"Wait, who's a friggin' genius?"
Celine nods in Elias's direction. "Him. He's getting top marks, and I'm flunking. It's depressing."
Elias's jaw ticks, but he doesn't say anything.
"He's trying to help me, but everything that comes easy to him feels like I'm dragging myself backward up Everest on my belly."
"You'll get there."
Travis signals to pull over outside an apartment building. It's in a decent-looking area, and the building seems tidy from the outside. A man, who I assume is a realtor, is standing by the front door.
We all assemble on the sidewalk and follow Travis, who shakes hands with the balding man in a suit and shirt stretched a little too tight around his frame.
"Mr. Cross?" His eyes sweep the group.
"Yes. That's me."
"Right, well. Let me take you inside."
It's on the first floor, so we don't need to take the stairs or the elevator. The entrance area is well-kept and smart. The realtor opens the front door and holds it open for us all to enter. He eyes us with interest. I guess that three men and a woman are an odd combination for house hunting.
"So, as you can see, it has a very large open-plan living area."
Celine immediately heads to the window to look at the view. Elias folds his arms over this chest, assessing the layout. I head to the kitchen to check out the appliances and cupboard space. My mom recently renovated our kitchen at home, and she spent ages going over all the things that are important for when I get my own home. "It looks like it's got everything you need. The built-in appliances are all good brands, and the cupboards are relatively new."
"Exactly." The realtor seems pleased with my summary. "The owner has just had all the sockets replaced with new ones, including USB ports."
"That's useful," Celine says. "What about the bedroom?"
Travis rubs his hand over his beard, and when his hand drops, I catch the end of his smile. Celine is the first to follow the realtor through a door into a large bedroom with a huge window, walk-in closet, and bathroom with a double shower and double vanity. Dark hardwood floors stretch through, giving the place a seamless and contemporary look.
"This is nice." Celine opens the closet and steps inside, staring around at all the space. Something about the way she peruses everything feels more considered than I'd expect, bearing in mind that she's not going to be living here herself.
"The current owner is single, so he only has a small bed, but this room could take something much bigger." The realtor looks between us as though he's waiting for us to confess our sins.
Travis's eyes meet mine, and his smile is back. "The place is just for me, but I like to have a lot of space to move around."
"To be honest, this place is the nicest of all the apartments you're currently booked to see."
"Yeah. Well, I like it. What do you think, Dornan?"
Surprised, I step forward and shove my hands into my pockets. "I mean, I've never had to think about getting a place that wasn't at the university, but I think this place is nice. I could live here. It has everything you need."
"I like it." Celine drifts to Travis's side and rests her hand on his shoulder. "And you could grow into it. It would definitely work for a couple…or more."
"There's a couple down the hall with a baby. They've converted the closet into an open-doored nursery and fitted other shelves for their clothes." The realtor shoots Celine a grateful look; she's helping out with her enthusiasm.
"A baby in a closet. That sounds messed up."
"You don't like it, Elias?"
"I think you should look at the others, too."
Travis's shoulders curve a little and I shoot Elias a narrow-eyed look. I swear, sometimes he seems intent on squeezing the joy out of other people. "Yeah. It would be good to get some perspective," I agree, to make it sound less disheartening.