• Other Side of a Street •

[Deleted]

It was finally moving day. After weeks of searching for the perfect new apartment, she and Romeo had finally found one and signed their names on the lease. It was still modest, but a bit bigger than the Jervis' siblings last home and a mansion compared to her little place. Two bedrooms and plenty of space for them to cuddle in; it had had "them" written all over it. She'd been hesitant about living together before they were officially married, but it made more sense; they'd be legal before the leaves had finished turning. She was happy, to say the least, and very ready to settle down with her wild city boy. The few days alone in Adams had taught her just how much she really needed him, and, with their wedding preparations well under way, she figured she may as well take a leap of faith with their perfect new home.

It wasn't a dream penthouse with walk-in closets and giant balconies, but it was enough for the simple couple. They didn't need much; just enough room for them, Tessie, and Ellie, whenever she chose to come visit from her dorm room. Zoe had had to fight for her little kitten with Romeo's feelings about pets, but she couldn't leave her cat behind; it'd be impossible to give up her first city friend.

From the moment they'd chosen the move-in date, Zoe had been coming up with design plans and ideas. She was hoping to make the place a true home for everyone, guests included, and it was kind of exciting to get to be a real housewife, even if she would still be working full-time. It'd been color schemes and new decorations; anything they could fit into their tight budget. With her crafty nature, she couldn't wait to get her hands on some paint and see what they could do with the place.

Zoe wiped the sweat off her forehead as she climbed the stairs to their new place for the last time that afternoon. They'd been doing this for hours; lifting and heaving boxes up the stairs or in the elevator and stuffing them into the new space. After it all, she wasn't planning on moving again for at least the rest of the night; her body was practically demanding it. They'd been at it the entire day, and the truck was finally empty. She, on the other hand, was exhausted and very ready to settle down on the air mattress still to be set up in the new bedroom.

"Romeo?" she called, bumping open the door with her hips and entering the maze of boxes they'd carefully stacked to be sorted through later. She dropped the box on the floor and collapsed on the couch still wrapped in plastic. "Did ya find the cups? I'm dyin' of thirst," she yelled again, closing her eyes and relaxing into the squeaky fabric of the old couch from her first apartment.

• • •

TAG: Her Romeo! <3
OUTFIT: PRETTY LADY!
LOCATION: Their Place, New York
LYRICS: Drive By by Train
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[romeo jackson jervis]

Moving was such a chore, but it wasn't the first time in his life that Romeo had come to that conclusion. Of course there was the excitement at what the prospect of moving held; a fresh start, a new chapter. Then he saw all the boxes and the portion of this new chapter that would be lifting, hauling and unpacking. That was the part Romeo was really not looking forward to and had complained to Ellie about the night before when he had grabbed dinner with his little sister. It was a weekly routine. While Ellie came over and hung out with both Zoe and Romeo, the siblings set aside one night a week for themselves. It was not intended to be insulting to Zoe; Ellie loved her, but sometimes she just needed her big brother and vice versa. Ellie, being Ellie, had just told Romeo to quit his whining and get over it. He told her that she hadn't seen the amount of boxes he had to trip over just to make a brew in the morning.

It would be great when all was said and done. He was getting ready to spend the rest of his life with the woman he loved; nothing could be better than that. There was just a lot of work to get through before any of that could truly be celebrated. He knew Zoe had already started fussing and planning what their apartment would look like when everything was through, and Romeo had let her get on with it. He only offered his input when she asked, put a straight ban on anything and all things red and told her that all of his Everton stuff would have a home with them. It was his version of her bringing Tessie along, even if he wasn't going to enjoy cat hair being on everything when he was running late.

While Zoe grabbed the last of their things from downstairs, Romeo started searching for the things they would need for at least this first night. The air mattress was just waiting for his attention, but before that he wanted to find everything else they would need for their first night of survival in their new home. There were cups in one of his boxes and he knew exactly where that box was. He might have been a little overprotective of his football memorabilia, but it was a useful trait in a time like this. Plus he had packed it all separately from everything else to make sure that nothing would be damaged during the move. Pulling out his usual coffee mug and a pint glass, he uprighted himself and smiled. “I've found some.” He said, keeping it vague since the other box of cups and plates was lost in the maze that seemed to be taking place in their main room. He made his way out of the corner he was boxed into and showed Zoe exactly what he meant. “Want us t' go an' run you a bath, love?” He asked sweetly, nodding his head in the direction of the towels he had found. Romeo had figured that at the very least they'd want showers and he'd rather have the towels to hand now than have to hunt for them in the morning while he was still half asleep. “I can order in tea while you soak.” He added, remembering that he had grabbed take out menus from the lobby downstairs when they had first arrived that morning.

• • •

TAGGED! Zoe! <3
WORDS! 590!
OUTFIT! City Cutie!
LYRICS! When I Still Have Thee - - - Teenage Fanclub
NOTES!

[Deleted]

The wedding planning was coming along almost as well as the apartment hunting, though the awaited day was still some weeks off. Zoe had managed to rent out her parents' farm for the occasion and, even if hauling all the city folk down south would be a pain, she was happy. An early autumn wedding in the perfect weather of Adams with the beauty of her courtyside around them and the excitement of her city friends filling the seats; she couldn't ask for anything else. Well, other than Romeo waiting at the end of the aisle for her.

Zoe couldn't help rolling her eyes as he appeared around the corner, shaking her head at what he'd found. "You are a nerd," she said with a smile. She knew the rules about his football collection, and she'd already ordered a set of shelves to be dedicated to whatever he chose to place on them. It was like her with the photographs; trinkets and knick knacks that made an empty room feel like a real home.

She grabbed her cup and heaved herself up off the couch again to head into the empty kitchen, another room she was planning on unpacking as soon as possible. This was to be her special project; her love of cooking hadn't died since she was young and, now that she had someone else to cook for, the little mouse was quickly turning into the little housewife, complete with cookbook and extensive kitchen devices. Romeo would never go hungry again with her around and she was a little too excited about getting to spoil him with his favorite cookies or some fancy meal after he'd spent a long day at school.

Zoe filled her cup with water from the sink, gulping down half the glass as she returned to Romeo in the living room. "Nah, I'll be fine," she smiled and plopped back down onto the couch. "I'd much rather cuddle with you than sit all alone in that tub," she said with a smirk as she patted the couch next to her, hoping he'd come sit with her for at least a few minutes. They both deserved a break after the day they'd had. "That take out sounds wonderful, though," she said, sipping on her water again. "We can start a new list of favorite places," she teased as she pulled a small stack of colored menus from beneath a box. She'd seen him stick them there earlier and was glad they were in reach down. "Pizza or Chinese?" she smiled, fanning out the papers between them.

• • •

TAG: Her Romeo! <3
OUTFIT: PRETTY LADY!
LOCATION: Their Place, New York
LYRICS: Drive By by Train
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[romeo jackson jervis]

Romeo had left most of the wedding planning to Zoe. He had suggest blue for their colour scheme and gave his opinion here and there, but for the most part it was down to her and the very reluctant Ember to plan out the details. All of his opinions could have been thrown out of the window already for all he knew since his knowledge and expertise did not lay with flowers or table settings. Plus, his guest list was very short and would already be out done by Zoe's. He often just joked that he'd be fine so long as someone told him where to stand. He knew Zoe was enjoying thr planning though and not feeling burdened by it, so he happily took a backseat while she made the day everything she had ever hoped it would be.

Shaking his head, Romeo only took a second to correct her. “No. We're just fans when it comes t' football.” He might admit he was a nerd in other ways, but football only had fans and he was still determined to convert Zoe to one before their golden years set in and they were turning grey. By marrying him she was already signing up to a lifetime of football weekends and the moods that came with Romeo when the match was on the screen. He figured that eventually she'd have to relent or start spending more time away from their home until all was said and done with the sport.

Romeo set about moving boxes and opening others, pulling out anything he thought they'd need before the morning. He had set out things for coffee, tossed the bedding into the bedroom with that sad looking air mattress and now he was shuffling around the boxes to find the one that held their plates and cutlery. “You'll want us t' 'ave a shower before we do that.” He laughed, already knowing that a shower was high on his lists of needs before they did ultimately crash for the evening. Romeo just felt sticky from all the hard work that he'd done that day. It was nothing a hot shower wouldn't cure and he was just thankful that they had hot water right then. “Chinese. We can order more an' that's lunch taken care of.” He said, figuring that they would probably be too swamped to even think about making anything. At least leftovers could be tossed in a microwave if necessary or eaten cold. The pizza wouldn't last ten minutes with how ravenous he felt right now, but a large Chinese banquet would.

• • •

TAGGED! Zoe! <3
WORDS! 481!
OUTFIT! City Cutie!
LYRICS! When I Still Have Thee - - - Teenage Fanclub
NOTES!

[Deleted]

Other than her wedding, Zoe was very excited for the life spread out ahead of her now. She had ditched the dream of coming home and running her own vet clinic, though the townspeople were a little disappointed. But, as they saw the taste of success and freedom shining in her eyes, they could hardly deny the girl her new dreams and were now happy to say goodbye at the wedding of the decade. Zoe was looking forward to life beyond that, already enjoying the new job that she'd claimed upon returning to the Big Apple. It'd been a position her professor had heard about and, with the country mouse's experience with horses, it'd been a perfect match. She would be the General Vet for the NYPD, working with horses, dogs, and whatever other creatures the officers decided to bring in for her. She'd also be a housewife and a big sister; all of her dreams really were coming together.

Zoe hopped up off the couch, using the coffee table as a temporary dining table. She set up the plates and cutlery Romeo pulled out, laughing at his words. "You go enjoy that shower," she smiled, reaching up and pecking his cheek. "I'll figure out some food for us." She shooed him away, grabbing up those take out menus he'd been smart to snatch earlier.

She dug through her purse for her cell phone, dialling the number for the prettiest menu. Zoe ordered the usual, adding a few extras to help fill the couple's empty stomachs. She knew they'd be eaten either tonight or tomorrow; it may be a bit before they finally got to go grocery shopping like she wanted.

While Romeo was enjoying their new shower, Zoe went about and began tidying up. She checked a few of the boxes and moved them into the kitchen to be put away later; bowls, utensils, and other gadgets sent by her mother to help set up the little housewife in her new cooking space. She laid out a towel for herself for later and dug up her shampoo and soap, setting them aside and returning to the living area. Zoe rummaged through a few more boxes before finding her prize: a radio to help kill the silence in the quiet apartment building. She plugged it in, smiling as it blared the country station she was so familiar with.

Their first night here was going to be fun, after all.

• • •

TAG: Her Romeo! <3
OUTFIT: PRETTY LADY!
LOCATION: Their Place, New York
LYRICS: Drive By by Train
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[romeo jackson jervis]

Everything was changing but in the best possible way. It was going to be weird trying to adjust to Ellie living in the campus dormitories, but Romeo knew the younger girl would always be calling around for something, even if it was just to steal Romeo's discount at Barnes & Noble for the next class textbook she needed. It wouldn't be all that long before Romeo was back in the classroom too, doing the necessary post-graduate studies to make his own humble dream come true. Ever since he was a teenager he had longed to be a high school English teacher. For many it seemed like a strange dream, but for Romeo he longed to inspire the next generation with the literature of the past. There was still quite a way to travel before he could sit back and be truly content with everything in his life, but the feeling that he was heading in the right direction at least was one that had him grinning without realising. Already people at work had been asking him why he was in such a good mood, or what he was finding so funny when in truth Romeo was just excited to be finally making his dreams come true. Making them come true with Zoe at his side was even better.

Romeo waited until their modest bathroom was full of swirling steam before he climbed into the shower. He liked his showers, baths, anything really to be almost scalding hot. He had been that way since he was still living at home with his poor idea of a family. It was often something he had been scolded for but it never really worked to break him out of the habit. The hot water rejuvenated him as well as washing away the sticky feeling that moving had brought. He scrubbed the water through his hair, teasing out the tiny knots as best as he could. Romeo definitely didn't rush the shower, enjoying the much needed wake up that it brought along with the soothing sensation of heat that his muscles really did need after a day of hauling boxes and furniture about. Once he was done he wrapped the towel around his waist and used the tiny hand towel to wipe the water from his face and eyes.

Stepping back out into the living room, Romeo glanced around at the piles of boxes and bags and tried to recall where he had buried their clothes. He knew there were some jackets and bits floating around, but they weren't what he needed right now. “'Ey, Zoe, where are me clothes?” He asked, stepping around a box that was labelled 'Books, 1/5'. This had seemed like structured chaos in the afternoon, but now Romeo felt like he was dripping water all over nothing more than a maze that would drive him mad before the week was over.

• • •

TAGGED! Zoe! <3
WORDS! 483!
OUTFIT! City Cutie!
LYRICS! When I Still Have Thee - - - Teenage Fanclub
NOTES!