A minute later, he returned holding cash.
The exact amount.
“I looked up what they cost after management contacted me.”
I took it.
“You should’ve done this earlier.”
“Yes.”
“But doing it now still matters.”
Sometimes the Problem Is Resolved Without Ending the Relationship
That afternoon, I carried his packages upstairs.
For the first time, I stepped farther into his apartment.
It looked unfinished.
Pictures leaned against walls.
Books remained inside boxes.
There were plants everywhere, but almost nothing personal had been properly arranged.
“You never unpacked.”
Daniel glanced around.
“I kept thinking I’d wait.”
“For?”
“Until things got better.”
He didn’t need to say what things.
His mother.
I looked at the photographs leaning against the wall.
“Put them up.”
He frowned.
“Why?”
“Because waiting for the right moment to start living can become very expensive.”
He stared at me.
I left.
Several days later, I noticed through his
