= Sarah POV =
The first of the month arrived, marking a full cycle of staying at Chris' place. I woke up early, nervous and anxious, the weight of an unfinished responsibility pressing on my mind—my overdue storage unit fees. Today, I was finally going to settle it.
The scent of freshly brewed coffee and something buttery filled the air as I padded out of my room. As always on a Sunday morning, Chris was in the kitchen, effortlessly preparing breakfast. She had no shift today, which meant I had a few hours to steady myself—mentally and physically—before bringing up the topic.
After a long, warm shower, I slipped into a soft pink skirt and an oversized cream-colored T-shirt, something cute and comfortable, something that might help soften the conversation I was about to have. Then, I reached for the envelope I had prepared.
The moment my paycheck from the café had hit my account, I'd gone straight to the bank. The teller had counted out the bills, placed them in a discreet envelope, and handed it to me with a small, knowing smile—like she understood what this money meant to me. Now, it sat in my hands, heavier than it should be.
I had no idea how Chris would react. Would she be irritated that it took me this long? Would she dismiss it like it didn't matter? A part of me considered simply leaving it on her bedside table and avoiding the confrontation altogether, but that felt like cowardice.
No—this was something I needed to do properly. To show her, and maybe even myself, that I was serious about turning things around.
Taking a deep breath, I clenched the envelope a little tighter and stepped out of my room, determined to face whatever came next.
I walked into the living room just as Chris was setting the table. Two mugs of steaming brewed coffee and a plate stacked full of croissants sat on the table, waiting for me to come help myself. She smiled as she started untying her apron, looking at me curiously as I lingered at the doorway to my bedroom.
"Is everything ok?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Umm, maybe could you sit down first? I have something I'd like to discuss with you," I replied, feeling my heartbeat quickening.
Chris frowned a little, looking like she wanted to enquire more, however she nodded and went to hang up the apron while I joined her at the table, pulling my bar stool over next to hers.
Chris came and sat down on the bar stool, propped her head up on her hand, and looked at me expectantly.
"Well?" Chris said, her usual casual smirk spreading across her face.
I sighed and thrust the envelope at her " I did it. Two months plus deposit. I'm sorry it took me this long, but I can finally take over the storage unit's payment," I explained, nervously holding out the money for her.
"Oh!" Chris said, sitting up straighter. She accepted the money with both hands and stared at it as if she hadn't expected to receive anything from me.
"If you can help to arrange for the payments to be deducted from my bank account, you no longer have to worry about paying for it for me" I explained, rubbing my arm nervously as Chris' silence made me feel a little on edge.
"Right I'll…get right to it. So," Chris said and looked up at me, her expression unreadable for a moment. Then her posture softened, and a slow smile spread across her face.
"Congratulations, you've made a step in the right direction," she said, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Umm…sorry…should I have just transferred it to you? I got excited, and I withdrew—" I said, but was cut off by a wave of Chris' hand.
"No, no, this is fine, I just need to put this away. I'm just not used to you following through with your promises. This is new and…nice," she said and got up, walking to her room and closing the door behind her.
I sat for a while, wondering what had just transpired. Not only did Chris not look happy to receive the money, but I was also quite sure she was lying about it being nice that I followed through with it as if she had preferred if I couldn't pay her back at all.
I dragged my bar stool back across the table and pulled a coffee mug over to my side. I wanted to believe her, but something felt off. If she was glad that I was going to take over the payments, why did she seem so…disappointed?