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THE FLAT JESSE’S FRIEND owned was still available. Ciara got another chance to see it and she fell in love with it. It had the perfect view, and it was the perfect size for her—not too big, nor too small.
There was a spare bedroom. Ciara didn’t need it but didn’t mind having one for special occasions.
Ciara and the flat’s owner agreed on the rent right away. The owner told her to move whenever she wanted to, so she packed everything and moved. It was easy, because she only had one enchanted bag full of her belongings.
But she had to buy furniture, because she didn’t have any. She only bought the essentials at first, such as a mattress, a sofa and so on. She had lived with the bare necessities before, and she liked having space.
***
JESSE’S FRIEND HAD given Ciara the permission to paint the walls or put up paintings. She didn’t like the dark grey wall, so she painted it sage green.
Ciara finished with the wall and was heading to the bathroom, her hair and clothes covered in paint, when the doorbell rang.
It was early, and she wasn’t expecting guests. It could have been anyone. Witch hunters included.
She approached the front door, ready to strike if she had to, and opened it.
Her eyes widened, seeing Liam at her door. “Liam.”
She hadn’t seen him in nearly two weeks. She had been busy at the flat, and it wasn’t her place to intrude.
Henry had told her that Iris had gone back home to her and Liam’s flat. Ciara didn’t want to see Iris, and the feeling was probably mutual.
“Um, hi.” Liam rubbed the back of his neck. “Henry, uh, mentioned your new address, and I—”
Ciara smiled. “Come on in. I’m sorry it smells like paint.”
Liam smiled and stepped inside. “I could tell that you’ve been painting.” He gestured to the paint on Ciara’s clothes and hair.
Ciara chuckled, pushing the flat door closed. “Yeah. I was just about to have a shower.”
“Oh. I can, uh, come back later or—”
“No need,” Ciara assured. “Unless you have a tight schedule or something, make yourself at home. It won’t take me long.”
Liam smiled and nodded. “Alright.”
Ciara grabbed some clothes and rushed to the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Liam looked around the flat. There was tons of room, and lots of light came in through the enormous windows. The colours and tones were warm and earthy, giving the space a cosy feeling.
Ciara showered as quickly as she could. In ten minutes she stepped out of the bathroom—dressed and without paint in her hair.
She joined Liam in the living room, sitting down beside him on the sofa.
He smiled at her. “I like the flat.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Are you going to stick to the minimal furnishings?”
“I already have more stuff than I did in Seattle,” Ciara said. “But I’ll probably get a coffee table.”
“And what about a housewarming party?”
Ciara shrugged. “I haven’t thought about it yet.”
Liam nodded.
“Um, how have you been?” She hated bringing it up, but she had been thinking about it for almost two weeks. She had been thinking about Liam a lot.
His jaw clenched, and his eyes hardened. “Well, Iris came back last Saturday.”
Ciara nodded, urging Liam to continue, even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear more.
“She was basically begging me not to call off the wedding.” He sighed, trying to keep his cool. “She asked for another chance. I agreed for her to stay at our flat.”
Ciara picked at her cuticles absentmindedly and chewed on the inside of her cheek.
Of course, she thought. Iris and Liam were in love and still engaged.
“I took the sofa,” Liam said. “Then this morning she started begging again, asking me to rethink and so on.”
Ciara’s eyes fixed on Liam. “A-and?”
“I ended things with her for good.” His brows furrowed, and he paused. Taking a deep breath, he turned to look at Ciara, and his gaze softened. “Then I came here.”
Ciara’s mouth made the shape of an O. She was the first person he had come to.
“And what about your shared flat?”
“I want to sell it. Iris refuses to. That’s actually why I’m here.” He ran his fingers through his hair.
Ciara raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
Liam nodded. “I was wondering if I could live here. Only temporarily. Henry said you have a guest room, so I thought—”
“Of course.” Ciara didn’t hesitate at all, despite being surprised. “There’s plenty of room.”
Liam smiled. “Would you mind if I brought my chest of drawers and a few other things here? Again, temporarily.”
Ciara smiled back. “Of course not.”
“Are you sure? I can pay half of the rent or more. And I can—”
“Yes, I’m sure. I would have to pay the rent anyway, so don’t worry about that either.”
“Are you sure?”
“For the second time, yes, I’m sure.”
Liam’s face brightened. “Thank you.”
***
LIAM MOVED IN THAT day. Henry and Jenna helped move his stuff, and there was more than just one chest of drawers. All his clothes, linen, a bookshelf, tons of books amongst other things. It all fit in nicely, blending in with Ciara’s furniture.
“I would never have thought you two would live together!” Henry said.
He, Jenna, Liam, and Ciara were having some wine. It was a Friday night, and they had just finished moving everything.
Ciara rolled her eyes at Henry. “I have more extra space than anyone else.”
He gestured to their surroundings. “Because you only have, like, a sofa and a chair.”
Ciara pointed at her television. “I bought that.”
“Fair enough.”
“It’s more than I had in Seattle.”
Henry laughed, leaning back. “Oh, I know.”
“I felt like a hoarder when I was here the first time,” Jenna said, looking around.
“Only Ciara could live with so little stuff,” Henry said.
“It’s all I need,” Ciara said in her defence.
“It’s still insane.”
Jenna grinned. “And when is the housewarming party?”
“I asked her the same thing.” Liam held up his wineglass. “She claims she hasn’t even thought about it.”
Jenna turned to look at Ciara. “You have to have one! You will, won’t you?”
“Eventually, I suppose.”
“Not good enough.” Jenna shook her head. “You should have one in...like, a week!”
Ciara’s eyes widened. “In a week? Who would I even invite?”
“Us.” Jenna gestured to herself, Henry, and Liam. “And Evie with her girlfriend. Mia, of course. Oh, and Jesse. Maybe his friends.”
“Shawn would be happy to see you again,” Liam said.
“You could invite someone from Canada or the States, too,” Henry added.
Ciara shook her head. “I doubt anyone has the time with a week’s warning.”
Jenna grinned. “Fine. If you have it closer to the end of the month, you can have a Halloween theme.”
Ciara raised her eyebrows. “A theme party?”
“It would be fun!”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Henry agreed.
“Liam, please, tell them it’s silly,” Ciara pleaded.
Liam chuckled, amusement reaching his eyes. He shook his head and smiled at Ciara. “Actually, I think it sounds like a plan.”
Ciara looked at Liam first, then at Henry, and last at Jenna. “But—”
“No but.” Jenna grinned and sipped her wine. “Besides, we’ll help set everything up.”
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
Jenna scoffed. “Nonsense. You’re just trying to be a party pooper.”
“It’s set!” Henry declared. “The party will be on the last Saturday of this month.”
“I thought that was my decision to make,” Ciara said.
“Three against one, so you’re outnumbered,” Henry said, smirking at his best friend.
***
EVEN DAYS LATER, CIARA was thinking the Halloween party was a bad idea. She was busy painting walls and decorating the flat to make it look decent.
Luckily, Liam had moved in with his furniture. The flat looked a lot more like home, because it was no longer empty.
Liam had also brought a big painting. He had told Ciara she didn’t have to hang it, but she did, anyway. It fit perfectly on an empty living room wall with its shades of green, gold, and black.
Ciara had bought a few items for the flat, too: a stand mirror near the door, and some pillows and a blanket for the sofa. She had even bought a few plants, but she was unsure how long they would survive in her hands.
She was falling in love with the place. It felt like a home, and no place had felt like a home for her after Theo’s death.
***
CIARA AND LIAM ATE takeaway that Liam had brought on his way home from work.
While eating, his eyes settled on the piece of art Ciara had hung on the wall. “I see you hung the painting.”
Ciara glimpsed at it but then turned back to face Liam. “Oh, yeah! I should have asked you, but—”
Liam turned his gaze on Ciara, smiling at her. “It looks great.”
Ciara’s cheeks warmed, and she smiled. “It does.”
Liam turned to his food briefly, eating a mouthful. “Have you thought about your costume yet?”
Ciara stopped eating and tilted her head to the side. “My costume?”
Amusement glittered in Liam’s eyes. “For the housewarming party.”
“I didn’t realise I needed a costume.” She sighed. “Why did I agree to this?”
Liam smiled. “It’ll be fun.”
Ciara shrugged, poking at her food.
“Did you send the invitations yet?”
“I did. But I wouldn’t have if Jenna hadn’t threatened to send them herself.”
“Would that have been bad?”
“Who knows who she would have invited.” Ciara shook her head. “There could be everyone from school!”
“Like one of those school parties?” Liam grinned, clearly thinking back to his memories.
Ciara grimaced, remembering them too. “I think we had enough of those.”