= SARAH POV =

I booked a car on a car hire app and once it arrived, headed back to my old apartment. The professional cleaners I had called were scheduled to arrive soon, but I needed to make sure there weren’t any stray personal items or important documents left behind.

I finished my sweep of the apartment just as the cleaners knocked at the door. Watching them bustle in with their supplies, feeling oddly detached, like I was leaving behind more than just a living space.

 It felt like closing a chapter I wasn’t entirely ready to end. The thought made me uneasy, so I shook it off and decided to find a nearby café to wait out the three-hour cleaning process.

At the café, I stirred my coffee absently and tried to focus on my book, but my mind wouldn’t settle. I kept checking my phone, scrolling through messages I knew weren’t there and resisting the urge to text Chris. 

Feeling restless, I opened my Google Drive and scrolled through my saved files. A spark of determination flared as I saw the folder labeled "Contracts." 

With a few quick edits, I filled in the blanks, tweaking terms and conditions until they felt more... convincing. 

This wasn’t about love, it was about…education.

The last thing I wanted was to sing about commitment to a commitment-adverse friend.

I needed to play things chill, like the chill way Chris leaned against the kitchen counter when she was texting her most recent situationship, or that chill easy smile, that was always ready for the owner of a hand brushing up against her biceps at a party.

Besides, at the heart of it all, I was still looking for my first love, and I knew she was a girl. So why not start practising, so that when I finally met her, I could sweep her off her feet?

The thought of finally reuniting with my dream girl, and having her swoon for me from knowing just how to seduce her with maybe a look…maybe a touch…sent a shiver of delight up and down my spine. It re-enforced me need to coerce Chris into this arrangement, so that I could do this right. 

I turned my attention back to the contract with a little more determination; Chris was going to be the catalyst toward great things, I just knew it.  

Once I got the notification that the cleaning was done, I headed back to the apartment. The agent arrived shortly after for the inspection. She gave me a cursory glance before walking through each room.

"Superficial damages," she said. "Nothing major. You should get about half your deposit back."

I smiled tightly, pretending to be relieved. It was more than the last place had given me, but it still felt like a small loss. 

I handed over the keys, said goodbye to the apartment, and turned my back on it for good.

I picked up my own car from the apartment’s parking lot and drove to my new place, which felt kind of surreal. 

If I hadn’t started this whole charade, right now would be the moment that I call up Chris and tell her how close my new place was from hers; a five minute walk away by foot.

 In fact I had been excited about how much closer we are now… a part of me started to worry, what if it didn’t work out, and she was angry at me. Angry at me for lying, and angry at me for staying at her place, when I had a perfectly good apartment of my own?