Waving me off dismissively, he walked towards one of the desks off towards the side. I chose to stay in place—I can hardly make my own appointments, let alone both people for no purpose. It’s nice to see him so open towards asking questions, often just as introverted as I am. A moment’s passing, their chatting was muffled, sound lost in the empty air—afterwards, he’d turn to me, raise two fingers in the shape of a V. I had been right to begin with, but I can’t blame him for checking, need to be sure all the information you’re playing with is accurate—maybe that’s why he’s in the lab.

I headed towards the elevators, pressing the up arrow before he could reach me. Despite having legs for months, he tends to walk awfully slow—maybe because of being around short people for so long, it wouldn’t surprise me, “Told you it was the second floor—where else would they be taking draws and tests, other stuff like that?”

“Just making sure, I don’t like mistakes,” sheepish. He could use some horns.

“Our entire life has been all about a nice, long, series of mistakes—be willing to fuck up, c’mon,” I nudged. Walking backwards into the empty lift as my voice finished, having opened with a gentle chime—a voice much like the train’s had announced the floor when arriving. I’d slap the “II” button without hesitation, trying to keep a positive attitude in the air.

“Yes, well...those are good mistakes—these are embarrassing mistakes.”

“So sensitive,” I teased, the pull of metal cables dragging us upwards. There was an awful lurch when it first began, though smoothing out quickly after than initial jump. There was a dismissive silence that prompted me to continue prior to getting off, “Can’t blame you though...mistakes can suck, more often than not, they do.”

He’d nod, an “Mhmm,” of affirmation right along with it. The sinus burn of sterilization was nearly overpowering me—though he didn’t seem to mind at all, that Aiden. Maybe it’s just me, can’t even go to gyms without welling up.

“Rozny,” he began in a hushed tone, a few paces from the lift, “Place is nice, isn’t it?”

“Could go easier on the cleaning stuff, but it looks nice—classy carpet.”

“I’m going to check in with the staff real quick to make sure I’m not missing anything in the e-mails, then we can be off. Keep the elevator for me?”

“Alright—I know you don’t like it when I impede on your professional affairs. I’ll hang back,” I chose to comply with his requests. I too, would find it rather embarrassing if my husband were dragging me around by the collar—though that’s not an uncommon sight, these days.

It was just a few minutes of separation. I sat on a cushioned bench near the lift, watching people come and go, most clutching papers, or dragging a child infatuated with cheap stickers. Aiden slipped behind the scenes during that time—I probably wouldn’t have come early to drop by, if I were in his position. However, I understand why he may have thought it necessary—he applied online, interviewed over the phone, didn’t have the opportunity to come in to see the site, meet the people over his head...it’s smart, extremely so, not to mention admirable in the wake of his typical ineptness, socially speaking.

Picking at the skin around my nails, resisting the urge to take little bites from it—I couldn’t help but notice eyes upon me, waiting, watching. Perhaps overthinking, I could hear the looks on their faces whispering about the lack of adornment my figure holds. Though maybe, hopefully, it was just because I’m an unaccompanied stranger lurking near a lift, waiting for nothing. Something was off about it all, disconcerting at the very least—but, that’d all be quelled when my Aiden remerged from areas otherwise untouchable. He shook hands with someone in a white coat—I think he was smiling, everything must have gone over well in that case. There was a moment or so of standing around, presumably proper goodbyes, before heading back over to me. My Aiden, his brow was without creases, the softest of smiles painted upon him—some anxieties about this situation must have been relieved.

“How’s everything?” I stood, brushing off my pants. They crinkled oddly when I sat down, maybe I need to size up the length.

“Great—really. Turns out the sky thing goes right through this floor, should be super easy. The administrator told me I should show up a bit early, when I come in a few days from now. Get familiar, stuff like that,” it was nice to hear him talk in detail. Must have lost some tension about the situation, visiting.

He gestured towards the walk entrance off towards our right. It was cut off by a set of double doors, one of them propped open by an attached stopped. We’d walk off that way, presumably deeper into down, “That’s good to hear, take away some first day worries?”

“Of course, it sure did—I’ve hardly worked, mostly studied. We’re lucky I landed it,” his voice has life, in contrast to the morning, “I know you hate hospitals, sorry you had to come through here.”

“It’s fine—my idea in the first place. You sound especially charming over the phone, that’s how you got the job,” back to teasing, of course.

He laughed in response, lightly so—his actions are more natural, mind clear. I’m glad we went out and did this today—got out of that busy, cardboard and sweat filled house. We walked off into the labyrinth of loosely mapped and labelled corridors floated above the streets—somehow, we made it to a shopping centre of some kind. It wasn’t anything special, we picked up some basic groceries, fruit, junk food—a lot of junk food, admittedly. We grabbed a nice bedspread set as well, practically drained my pocket of on-hand cash, though I try not to use my card, whenever I can. Walking back to the trains were a pain in the ass with all that extra weight, even if the way was short. We took shifts carrying the bagged milk, the heavier things—I’m but a twig, he handled it much better than I. But, once we found our way back, plastic crinkling louder than our steps, everything was alright. You only remember the negatives of something so mundane while you’re in them—and it’s exercise, I’ve no complaints about becoming a bit more lean. Maybe the walk will balance out the toll of a crisp bag.

The house was empty, aside from an endless number of piled boxes. At least those wonderful elk put the furniture in the right rooms, for us to later put where they belong. The refrigerator was large enough to accommodate our foods without making a puzzle out of stacking similarly shaped foodstuffs, the bedspread we purchased complemented the hardwood—though more importantly, it fit our mattress just right, though the fitted sheet was finicky at best.

It just gets sweeter, doesn’t it? Things are looking less like an open floor, and more like a home, a place where people live, and can return to.