Apartment hunt

Found it. A small place in San Giovanni. Two bedrooms, a little balcony, light that comes in from three sides.

It's perfect.

Anneka and I signed the papers today. She was crying. Happy tears. She kept saying, "This is ours. We have a place."

The landlord—an older man with kind eyes—asked how long we'd been together. I said not long. He smiled and said, "It doesn't matter how long. What matters is that you found each other."

I'm moving out of Romano's place at the end of August. He said he was happy for me, and I think he meant it. He's a good man, even if his energy was sometimes... complicated.

Anneka is planning the move like it's a military operation. She has a spreadsheet. She keeps making jokes about how lesbian she's being about it.

I love her. I think I'm actually in love with her. Not the way I thought love would feel when I was younger. It's quieter. Steadier. More real.