Chapter Nine
Hannah
Leo has no idea how badly I need someplace else to live.Not only is living with my brother not ideal, it’s also awkward as fuck knowing he and Tessa are obviously having sex while I’m living here.And how the hell am I supposed to hook up with Leo while living with my brother?Dylan will be all over me, wondering what I’m doing, where I’m going, and if I stay overnight, he will grill me with questions.
It’s time to go, even if it has only been a couple of weeks.I wonder how quickly I can find a place, move in and then hook up with Leo?If the way my body is responding to his is any indication, I have about two hours before I self-combust.
I’m still lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, listening to Dylan and Tessa giggling romantically in the kitchen, making me want to puke.They’re so perfect and they’re about to start their own little family being all nauseatingly adorable.And here I am, sleeping in their extra bedroom, dreaming about my boss and wondering if my brother has any of the sex toys he invented laying around.
Ewww, I can’t even believe I just thought about my brother and sex toys in the same thought.I get that he literally invented a sex toy, but still.
I really need to get the hell out of here.
I roll out of bed, throwing on a sweatshirt and a pair of shorts, I plod out to the kitchen, only to find Dylan and Tessa making out against the island.
I clear my throat and while Tessa looks over at me, Dylan doesn’t seem to care, still sucking at Tessa’s neck.
“I’m going apartment hunting today,” I announce, slipping past the love birds to grab a cup of coffee.“And hopefully moving out today too.”
Dylan scoffs, letting out a half laugh, half gasp.“Good luck with that.You could always move back in with Mom and Dad,” he now adds, smirking at me.
“Watch it,” I quip back, pointing a finger at him.“Now you’re just being an ass.You know I can’t move back in with them.Mom will ask me when I’m getting married a million times and Dad will menacingly glare at any guyI do bring home.”
“Is there a guy you are planning to bring home?”Dylan asks, and I swear if Tessa told him I’ve been making out with Leo, I’m going to kill her.
“No.I just got a new job.The last thing I need is the drama of a relationship or dating.It’s just me and my pocket rocket,” I say, knowing it will make Dylan squirm.The one perk about living here is being able to make him equally uncomfortable in his own home.But it’s also to deflect from the idea that he might know about Leo.
“Hannah!”he yells out, covering his ears dramatically.“No one wants to hear their sister talk about sex toys.”
“And no one wants their brother to invent one,” I jab back, cocking my head to the side and narrowing my eyes at him.
“Touché, you two,” Tessa chimes in, holding up a hand to indicate we need to shut up.“How about I join you on your apartment hunt?”And her suggestion couldn’t have come at a more perfect time because I was just about to ask her what she was doing today.
“That sounds perfect.I was thinking we could look in downtown Napa and the smaller areas closer to Somerville’s.Not that the drive from Napa is that far.I scheduled a few showings starting in an hour.”
“I’m going to head into work,” Dylan now says.“You two have fun, and good luck finding that instant apartment.”He’s always giving me shit, but I have to admit, I enjoy our banter.It keeps things between us fun.I don’t know many people who are as close with their siblings as Dylan and I are.“Meet me for dinner at Apple Jacks tonight?”Dylan adds, kissing Tessa on his way out the door.
“You talking to me or Tessa?”I ask, knowing it’s just going to make him roll his eyes.
“Not you.”
An hour later Tessa and I are in my car driving over to an apartment in downtown Napa that is situated above a restaurant, and the second we walk in, it’s a hard pass for me.I can hear every voice, every single pan and dish clanging, and the last thing I want after working in a kitchen all day, is to hear kitchen noises where I live.
I can tell by the look on Tessa’s face that she’s in agreement and we immediately move on.Tessa and I have gotten closer since she and Dylan made it official.It’s been really nice to reconnect with her after losing touch when we graduated from high school.We weren’t super close back then, but we definitely hung out.Now it’s different, with her making me an aunt for the first time and living with them, our friendship has grown.
“Next one?”she says, looking down at her phone at the listing I sent her.“Oh, you’re going to want to skip this next one, too,” she says, woefully, flashing me a picture of the building, and again, it’s above a restaurant.
“Oh my god, are all the apartments in downtown Napa above restaurants.No chef in their right mind would live in one of these,” I wail, like everyone searching for an apartment is a chef.
My place in San Fran was small, but in a gorgeous historic Victorian that was quaint and quiet, and after a hard day of working for that asshole Langston, it was the perfect place to relax.Now I’m not dealing with an asshole boss any longer, but I’d still like a place that I can wind down in.
“Maybe we should head away from Napa and out into the country a little farther,” Tessa suggests.“It will put you a little farther away from Dylan and me, but I think you’re looking for some peace and quiet.”
It’s like she can read my thoughts and I nod in agreement.After working with a bunch of different clients through her job, she makes a few calls and sets us up with some places that sound more my speed.
I think I was just so eager to get out of Dylan’s place that I didn’t think about what I actually wanted.What I don’t want is crowds of people, clanging pots and city living.Leaving San Fran has given me an opportunity to start over and find a place that’s bigger and more secluded.
Tessa gives me directions, telling me when to turn and I can’t help but feel like we’re heading straight to Somerville’s.And when she begins to giggle a little, I know something is up.
