“That’s wonderful,” Dr. Gill replied, still looking me over in disbelief. “Well, last time you came to see me was about…” she paused to check the date on her notes and then her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “According to what I have here, it’s been almost two months?”
I nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right.” My visits had become far less frequent because I’d basically become a brand new person on the inside. Due to the fact that none of the ailments and issues that brought me to her office years ago still plagued me, I’d decided to make this my final appointment.
“Wow…Samantha, I am truly impressed by how quickly you’ve turned things around.”
Giving a nod of appreciation, I thanked Dr. Gill. “That means a lot.”
She gave a smile. “Well…don’t keep me waiting! Tell me what I’ve missed! Last time we spoke, you were getting ready to move. Has that happened already? Did you change your mind.”
“It happened already – I’m all moved in.”
Dr. Gill motioned with her hand for me to elaborate and I chuckled.
“It’s been about five weeks now, so I’m pretty much all settled in.”
“Did moving mean that you had to sacrifice your art studio? I know having that space really meant a lot to you.”
I shook my head and felt a warm, tingly feeling come over me when her question made me think of how thoughtful AJ had been. “No, that was actually one of the first projects AJ took on when we decided to merge.”
She smiled even bigger and set her pen down on her notepad. “Soooo…you’re okay sharing your personal space?” she asked.
I couldn’t help but to laugh, remembering many conversations Dr. Gill and I had in regards to my apprehension concerning Jason and I moving in together. But this was different. Moving in with AJ was one of the easiest decisions I’d ever made; it was like moving in with my best friend. We got tired of packing overnight bags and paying bills at two separate places seeing as how we’d spent every single night together from the moment he came back from D.C. On top of it feeling right, it just made good sense.
The final straw that made us put a plan into action, was one morning a couple months ago. I was rushing to get ready for work while AJ watched from the bed. Somehow I’d forgotten one of my pumps at my apartment that I needed for work. With not even five minutes to spare if I was going to make it home to get the shoe and get to work on time, I stared at AJ lying there naked, covered from the waist down by nothing but a thin sheet that did nothing to conceal what he had going on underneath it. I remember thinking to myself, if I didn’t have to trek all the way across the city for this one, stupid shoe, I could’ve managed to climb back in bed with him for a little while without being late.
The look on AJ’s face when I blurted, “We should move in together,” was priceless. His answer? “You literally just took the words right out of my mouth.”
When I retreated from the memory, Dr. Gill was watching, still with a smile on her face. “Look at you over there!”
I laughed when I realized how hard it was to hide my feelings. “I know…I just…I never thought I’d get here – to this place in my life.”
“Well, honey, if anyone deserves to get everything they always wanted, it’s you,” she replied. “And you’ve got a birthday coming up soon, too, am I right? It seems like I remember it being around Thanksgiving.”
I nodded. “Yup. My twenty-fifth.”
“Got any special plans?”
I gazed out the window beside me. “I do; I’m going home to visit my parents,” I replied. “AJ and I are getting on the road as soon as I’m done with our appointment. He’s actually meeting me here in a few.”
Shock crossed Dr. Gill’s face. “Going home’s a pretty big step for you.”
She was right; it was…especially knowing that Antonio was now back in Fairfax, living under his mother’s roof again; however, knowing that AJ would be with me every step of the way gave me the peace of mind to make the journey.