A good househusband knows exactly how to get his way, and when to accept otherwise.

"Oh man, she's going to absolutely hate these."

I couldn't help but laugh as I swiped through the photos from this week's apartment listings. Every photo was worse than the one before, and I couldn't wait to show them to Erin. (Maybe I was a bit too excited about it).

You see, four months ago I realised that my girlfriend, Erin Lindsay, wanted us to move in together. I'd had my suspicions from the first time I ever mentioned looking for a new place to live – Erin had gotten this look in her eye, one I hadn't seen before – but it had been when we were lying in bed in her apartment late one night that it had all clicked into place.

I had shown her a listing earlier that day, while we were driving to interview a person of interest for our case. I was swiping through the photos, and I could tell Erin was finding it hard to point out any flaws in the location. The view was stunning, the apartment had this really cool warehouse-look to it that I knew she would think was awesome. not to mention it had a laundry service! I could see her resolve fading fast. (That is, until she asked me about the bedroom …)

When we lay in bed that night, Erin snuggled up against my chest (my favourite part of our nights) and just as she was about to fall asleep, she mumbled into my skin, 'See? How would we be able to do this in your new fancy apartment; probably sleeping on one of those ridiculous, fold-down futon thingies. Ugh. You'd just end up here every night anyways …' the comment made me roll my eyes in amusement, but then she had spoken the words that made my heart warm – so softly I'm not even sure she was awake when she said it, 'not that I'd be opposed to it.'

I had thought Erin's behaviour was just her being picky about where I was going to live, since she would likely be spending a lot of time there (hopefully). I mean, she was always the one to tell me that she didn't care about what her apartment looked like so long as she had four walls and a roof covering her head. But now I knew; that look in her eyes hadn't been because she found the idea of me moving into a new apartment silly, like I had assumed. It was the idea of moving into another apartment that wasn't one we would be sharing together.

My stubborn, walls-up, intelligent, beautiful, strong, partner; wanted to live with me. She wanted to share her space – and in doing so, further share her life – with me. She was willing to let me into a place that would signify a deeper level in our relationship. She was opening herself up to coming home to me every day, to being caught in vulnerable or embarrassing moments that would normally happen in the sanctity and privacy of the apartment she had always lived in alone. She wanted to let me in.

That thought had me falling asleep every night since, with a smile on my face. But, in typical Erin Lindsay fashion, she was too stubborn (or scared) to simply come right out and tell me so. Situations like this were always delicate when it came to Erin. As much as I knew we loved one another and were committed to our relationship; Erin was also very much the 'fight or flight' type of person at the first sign of trouble. I couldn't really fault her for that. I'm usually the same way. So, I would give her the time she needed to feel comfortable and secure in telling me what she wanted the next step in our relationship to be.

Still … that doesn't mean I couldn't try and push the situation.
(A little teasing never hurt anyone, right?)

"Okay, what do you think of this one?"

I tried to pose the question as neutrally as possible, but the look on Erin's face was making it so hard to keep mine composed.

"Are you serious? That looks like the kind of 'apartment' our perps live in."

"It's a two-bedroom in downtown Chicago, Erin."

"It has bars on the windows, Jay." Erin rolls her eyes at me

"The last tenants installed them. The landlord said I could remove them!"

"The fact that the previous tenants felt the need to install bars on their windows should tell you everything you need to know. And I'm no longer entertaining this conversation." she says focusing back on her work.

Al shoots me a look as I walk back to my desk. I think he's figured out that I'm purposely trying to rile Erin up. I can't deny, I'm finding great pleasure in teasing her; she just gets so frustrated so quickly. The way her eyes widen, and she gets this little frown that creases the space between her brows and then huffs at me; It's honestly kind of adorable.

I sat back down at my desk and pulled up the real estate sights I had been looking at. So far, I'd been picking ones in good locations that had obviously flaws – like bar covered windows - in the hopes that Erin would feel a bit more compelled to tell me her true feelings about the situation. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I was slowly losing hope that Erin would say anything. I was beginning to think that I might actually have to start searching for viable, long-term rental options.

I did have a few compiled already. The real estate agent had sent me a few great places. (seriously. really great). But I had tucked them away in my bedside table and refused to look at them – I didn't want to imagine a home that wasn't with Erin. That is not where she is.

I was beginning to doubt the whole 'wait and tease and see approach. It had been two more months of showing her listings, hoping she would make a move. I was nearing the end of my lease. Maybe I seriously needed to start considering other options. Had I been reading the signs wrong? Maybe Erin didn't really want to find a place together; maybe she was just being super picky about the place I was going to be living in because she didn't want her boyfriend living in a dump.

(Although, any place will be an improvement from those mustard yellow walls, really.)

What if I've just spent the last few months trying to get her to make a commitment, she wasn't ready for, and screwed myself in finding a new place in the process?

Shit. Why did relationships have to be so difficult?

…

A few weeks later, I had managed to find a few that I was actually really excited about. I think all the crappy listings were starting to get on Erin's nerves, so I eased up on showing them to her and spent the nights we were apart flipping through the leaflets the real estate agent had sent me for potential apartments.

There was this one building, a couple blocks behind the 'Magnificent Mile' with the most stunning view of the Riverwalk. A one-bedroom apartment with an ensuite and main bathroom, the open-floor plan kitchen flowing into the living room which led to the balcony (one with ample space for the barbecue I always wanted) and the entire space was a mixed design of white and grey shades. The already rent-controlled space came at a lower price thanks to his occupation; the landlord wanted a few military or policemen living in the building to help the other tenants feel at ease. The apartment felt so grown-up compared to his mustard-yellow box. This felt like a space to mature in, and maybe a place that could one day be home to more than just myself.

Walking Erin in was nerve-wracking. I hadn't shown her any of the other listings in person, but then again, I had only been showing her the others with the intention of trying to force her hand. This time, I was serious. And knowing her opinion of the place would ultimately make or break my decision to live here. As much as I had gotten over the idea that whatever apartment I picked would be one for us to move into together, I still wanted her to love the place. I wanted it to feel like it could be home for her.

"Babe, if you squeeze my hand any tighter, I'm not going to be able to use a pen, let alone my gun." I looked down at her hand in mine, fingers bright red from the blood rushing to alleviate pressure from the tight grip I had around them.

"Oh, sorry." I said loosening my hold and bringing her hand up to my lips to kiss "I just … I really want you to like it."

Erin smiled understandingly. Her eyes travelled behind me to look out the balcony and through to the view of the setting sun over the Riverwalk.

"Wow." she whispered awe-struck.

I pulled her out onto the balcony and stood behind her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. Erin leaned back into my chest and held her hands over my forearms tightly (another of my favourite things). We watched the sun slowly dip into the skyline, seemingly covering Chicago in its orange glow.

"I wouldn't mind sitting out here every night with you, watching the sun go down." I speak softly into her ear "Plus, the living room has big enough walls for that 65-inch flat screen I've been eyeing."

Erin's shoulders shake in laughter and then she shuffles her body so she can turn around in my arms and tilts her head up to see me. There's a look in her eyes that I can't quite discern – two weeks ago I would've said she looked disappointed, maybe even sad, but now I'm not so sure in my Erin Lindsay deduction skills.

"You're really serious about this place?"

I nod my head, not trusting my voice to sound convincing. I take a breath, asking the question I'm now scared of.

"Unless there's some reason you don't think I should?"

"no. It's definitely an improvement. And the neighbours seem nice enough. I think you should do it."

I shouldn't be surprised. Yet, the encouragement makes my heart hurt. I really thought she was going to say something. Maybe I was looking at this all wrong. I force a smile onto my face and kiss the top of her head, telling her that I'll speak to the agent tomorrow to put an offer in.

We leave the apartment before it's completely dark. Erin began driving us back to her place, but I told her Will was coming to mine so to drop me off there tonight. She seemed unsure – probably because I put such little effort into the lie – but complied anyways. She had asked me to come over for dinner tomorrow, something about wanting to celebrate the new place since we had the day off tomorrow. I nodded and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, dragging my body out of the car and tiredly up the stairs.

Walking into the apartment felt different now. There was a melancholic atmosphere that loomed; when I had been looking at places to move into with Erin I couldn't wait to get out of here. The ugly yellow shoebox apartment. But as I walked through the apartment, I thought of all the memories Erin and I had made here. The first time we kissed was just past the front doorway. The first time we gave into our feelings for one another was in this bedroom. She sat on my kitchen countertops in those cheeky cut underwear I loved so much and my favourite dark blue Henley, more times than I could count. She had lay on my couch while we watched the Blackhawks game for as long as we'd been partners.

Looking around the place, it hit me just how much my life had already grown since I first moved into this apartment. And now I was starting over in a new space, and even if it wasn't the way I had planned for it to be, it could still be a place to make new memories with the woman I love. And hopefully in the future she'll be ready to take that next step with me. This wasn't the end of the world. They'd get there soon enough. One day.

As much as I was trying to remain positive about the move, it was difficult. The last thing I felt like doing was driving to Erin's to have dinner. I spent majority of the day packing the apartment up and dropping off the things I didn't want to my location donation point. I was tired, and moody, and I knew I wasn't going to be good company tonight. But Erin had been adamant, promising to make it 'worth my while'. And while that was usually a good incentive, the tone of her voice is what had me pushing through my fatigue and making the short trip to her place – something about it just didn't sound right, and it made me worry more than I probably needed to.

The elevator doors opened onto the third floor and I made my way down the hall, turning the doorknob and stopping short at the sight that awaited. Erin had said she was going for a shower and would leave the door unlocked for me. So why the hell were there candles everywhere?

"Er? It's me." I walked slowly into the apartment, unable to hear the shower running.

Her lack of response worried me until I turned the corner and saw her sitting on the floor of the living room. My heart just about stopped at the sight of her.

The couch had been pushed back to make more room on the floor and Erin was waiting in a pale pink, sink camisole and matching shorts. She was sitting atop a blanket – one that I quickly recognised was from the bed we were in just two nights ago – with takeout boxes from the Purple Pig. There were pillows scattered around the blanket and a little box sat in front of her, wrapped in a bow. But what surprised me the most were the bare walls behind her; the frames making up her photo wall stacked against each other on the floor in the corner of the room.

"Babe … You were expecting me, right?"

Erin rolled her eyes as she stood up, walking to me and taking my hands in hers "Can't I be romantic every once in a while?"

"You can. But it makes me suspicious when you are." Jay chuckles "Seriously, what happened to your posters? And what is that?" I try to look over her shoulder at the little box that still sits on the blanket.

"I just … you know I suck at being all lovey-dovey and displaying affection like this. You're always so good at wearing your heart on your sleeve for me, and I just wanted to show you how serious I was about this."

"Erin, you're losing me now." I look around confused, hoping for some kind of hint as to what's going on."

"Look, I've been trying to figure out how to say this for a while now. And then you kept showing me those shitty apartments and I figured 'okay, he's not that serious about it. I've got time to plan this all out perfectly. I can rip these apartments to shreds for as long as I need to'. And then out of nowhere you find the most perfect apartment I've seen, and suddenly it was all really serious – I didn't think you were really going to do it at first because all the 'serious options' you were showing me weren't even that serious. And then that fucking apartment today … I couldn't fault it. And I realised if I didn't make my move now, I wouldn't get the chance to."

"Okay, I still don't understand." I mumble, my brain playing catch up with her words. Of course, I wasn't serious about those apartments. I mean, did she see those pictures? the whole point was to get her to …

Erin has this shy look on her face, and that familiar hopeful feeling begins to stir,

"Erin, what are you trying to say?"

"Ugh, I'm saying!" she stops short, taking a breath and looking up at me sincerely "I'm saying, I don't want you to rent that apartment. I don't want you to rent any other apartment."

My smile grows tenfold "And why is that?"

"Because I want you to move in here. With me. I want us to move in together. And this is my cheesy, incredibly embarrassing, way of asking you. I even made space for that ridiculous-size tv you keep saying you want."
She speaks so softly, nervously; it's like she thinks my saying 'no' is even an option.

We stand in silence. The smile on my face feels everlasting. in this moment, everything feels perfect. Erin's expression grows sad and I realise I've been standing, staring at her for longer than I realised. Enough to make her start to worry.

I lean down and kiss her soundly before her overthinking tendencies have the chance to take back the words she's just said. "You know, the flatscreen would look so much better on that wall."

Erin turns to her left at the wall I nod to, eyes wide "You're not touching my posters, Halstead."

"They'll look just as good on that wall over there." I counter.

"Please, they always sit front and centre in the living room! They're signed by each of– wait, does this mean you're saying yes?"
She smiles hopefully up at me and I can't resist softly kissing her lips and all over her face, making her giggle in that joyful tone that only I get the pleasure of eliciting from her (my favourite sound in this world).

I let her catch her breath as I tell her, "Of course I'm saying yes. There was no chance of me ever saying otherwise."

Erin's smile warms me to my core, and she pulls me down to kiss her again, quickly getting to work on ridding us of our clothes, and the second we join together as one - I know this is where I belong. Here in this is where I want to be, forever. With Erin.

My home.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed 'A for Apartment' ! This story will be a collection of one-shots that are mostly just cute and happy vibes - given that my other stories at the moment are going more of an angsty route, I thought I would inject some happy Linstead into the ff archives lol

Let me know what you think, and if there's anything you'd like to see in the upcoming alphabets; I've got ideas for all of them already but am very much open to suggestions!

Until next time :]