It turned out that Mr. Aster took moving very seriously. Before anything was brought over or purchased he needed to scope out the apartment. Luckily, Summer was due to choose her unit and there didn’t seem to be any rules against bringing guests. Just to make sure, Summer checked with Ashton before bringing her parents along. Since the apartments were not part of a closed community it was fine, but they would not be allowed to stay the night.

“If they offer some moldy shack of an apartment I won’t be letting you move in,” her father warned on the drive over.

“There is no way that will happen,” Summer retorted, rolling her eyes, “Gale Research is a proper company.”

“That is what we thought about SI,” Mr. Aster pointed out, “This time I will do what I can to make sure you are safe, even if all I can do is move you to a better apartment.”

“Or set up proper security in the current apartment,” her mother added, “Even if the accommodations are fine, we need to make sure you have some proper locks at least.”

“Mom, not you too,” Summer complained, “I’m sure the locks are fine.”

The Aster family pulled into the mini parking lot for their destination. There looked to be a total of six apartments in the building, five of which had digital padlocks attached to the doors. The door without one opened shortly after they parked and Ashton stepped out. He was still wearing his business clothes, but they were untucked and casual.

“I’m glad you made it alright,” he greeted, “You are the first to arrive to choose an apartment.”

Summer couldn’t help but notice his overly professional attitude. Was it because her parents were there or because of this kiss? She decided to push things a little to see how he would react.

“Is the one next to yours available?” she asked. It would put her in the center ground level apartment, but no matter which one she chose she would be next to someone.

Ashton glanced back at the apartment in question, his response a bit delayed. “If that is the one you would like. Did you want to take a look at it first?”

“What happened between you too?” Summer’s mother whispered as Ashton went to unlock the padlocked door. For a moment she had forgotten that her parents were there too.

“I’m trying my best,” she replied rather than an actual explanation, “But I think it just made things worse.”

Mrs. Aster looked at the two men who had gone into the apartment to inspect things. “On the contrary, I think you succeeded,” she assured, “Watch him closely and you will notice it too. He is more aware of you, but he is nervous.”

Aware Summer could see, but nervous? Summer stared at Ashton’s back as he continued to chat with her father. He didn’t seem nervous at all. She followed her mother into the apartment with them and took a look around. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised to see everything was completely bare.

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The floor, the walls, the tiny counter in the kitchenette. There was a sink, mini stovetop and oven, and a tiny fridge. That was the only furnishings in the whole place. She also noted that everything was tiny. The cupboards, the closet, and even the bathroom. There was no bathtub, only a walk-in shower. That being said, everything seemed to be brand new from top of the line brands.

“It’s so small,” Summer mentioned as she realized she could touch both walls in the bathroom if she stretched her hands out either way.

“Is it?” Ashton asked, a little perplexed.

Was this the kind of place he was used to? In that case she could get used to it too. “It’s the perfect size for me,” she decided, “If I think of it more like my own personal room than a house it is almost big?”

Mr. Aster was trying his hardest, but failing, to contain his laughter. Clearly her attempt to show her acceptance of this apartment had failed miserably. She felt some heat going to her ears, and quickly changed the topic to moving preparations.

That launched the grand measurement party. They spent a couple of hours writing down various measurements and discussing the perfect furniture to fit them. Mr. Aster had pride in his knowledge of furnishings and made sure to recommend the best from his own company. Mrs. Aster also had pride in her knowledge of the competitor’s furniture and insisted that some of their models fit the space and Summer’s vibe better than the Aster Corp version.

It was kind of relaxing, but Ashton had to leave midway to show the other members of their new team to whatever apartment they chose. Since things were running long he would return later to set up her new lock. Summer had to remind herself that he was definitely doing his job not trying to avoid her in any way. Probably. She couldn’t even be confident.

There were some footsteps above her. Looked like they had chosen the center second floor apartment, whoever it was. It was a bit of a relief to have proof that something important was actually happening. Would the footsteps from above sound so loud all the time? No, she wouldn’t let some minor inconvenience change her mind. Everything had already been measured at this point.

Once Ashton returned and set up her new lock, both in key and keypad code, the Aster family went shopping. Furniture, tools, utensils, and cleaning supplies. Everything was carefully chosen to perfectly match both Summer and her new space. To be honest it was both exhausting and a little overwhelming. Was moving always like this?

They didn’t stop until everything was installed in its proper space and Summer flopped down onto her new bed with her suitcase full of things leaning against her still bare bedroom wall. She had planned to visit Ashton once everything was finished but she was exhausted. Maybe she could get away with taking a little nap?

Just a little… nap…

Where was that incessant banging coming from? Summer reached over to grab her alarm clock and nearly fell off her new bed, reality flashing back into her mind along with the gut wrenching falling sensation that made her grip her sheets. What time was it? Was that someone knocking on her door?

To Summer’s relief it was only 7pm. It hadn’t even been an hour but she wouldn’t have been surprised if she had slept a whole day away. “One moment!” she called out to stop whoever was pounding at her door. She threw it open and came face to face with a young woman about her age.

“You’re not Ashton,” the woman said, “Sorry, I must have had the wrong apartment. My name is Kayla. I will be joining the team starting today.”

Summer shook off her grogginess and greeted her back. “I’m Summer,” she told her, “Welcome to the team. I can introduce you to Ashton if you would like.”

“Are you close?” Kayla asked.

For some reason, Summer sensed danger. “Of course,” she replied with confidence, “Ashton is my boyfriend.”