I know a few of you are getting impatient for that special moment between Carlos and Steph, but the time just isn't right yet. I'm not putting it off just for fun. The story has to progress and a few things need to happen before the big event. So just hang in there and enjoy the ride.

The recognisable characters belong to JE.

34. Property and Pay Cheques

Sunday was a lot of fun with the gang. We all got along so well and we laughed so much that my stomach was hurting as we drove to the Manosos' later that afternoon. I kept shifting around in my seat trying to get comfortable. Carlos saw me moving and asked, "What's wrong, Babe? You seem upset."

I laughed and said, "I'm not upset, I'm uncomfortable. My stomach is really sore from laughing so much this weekend that I can't find a position that makes it hurt less."

Carlos laughed for a few minutes and then said, "We're almost there. Once we're out, I'll help you with a few stretches that should ease the pain a little."

I nodded and continued to move around to try to get comfortable. When Carlos parked the car in the drive way, he pulled me out and then wrapped his arms around my shoulders and lifted me backwards in the air, stretching the muscles in my stomach. At first, this was very painful. After I let my weight stretch my muscles instead of fight against it, my stomach seemed to stop seizing and felt a lot better.

Carlos put me down and then showed me how to stretch my stomach a different way by swinging my hips around and stopping at the four corners. We did this on his front lawn for a couple of minutes before we were joined by Isabel and Evie. The girls hugged both Carlos and me and then took our hands and dragged us into the house.

Maria walked over and hugged us both and then asked if everything was OK. I laughed and explained my stomach pains and Maria sympathised and promised to try and minimise the laughter this evening so it didn't make things worse. In reality, we laughed a lot. Carlos showed me a few stretches that turned out to be Yoga poses. These helped and the laughter was welcomed instead of avoided.

Carlos was going to drop me off around 8:30, but Ricardo asked to talk to me first. I followed him into his study and sat across from him. "Stephanie, I take it that you accepted your most recent FBI job."

I nodded and then Ricardo said, "I noticed that the case fee was deposited in our corporate account and I just wanted to double-check that this was not done in error."

I frowned and then said, "I assumed that they'd send a cheque. I never gave them my bank account details."

Ricardo laughed and said, "I'd check your account balance when you get home. I'm sure they don't need your account details. That information would have come up when they ran their security checks on you."

I nodded and said, "I probably should do that because my first payment for the first term next year is due soon."

Ricardo gave me a few more bits of advice on spending the money and then hugged me good night. I hugged the rest of the Manoso family and headed home with Carlos. The journey home was quick because there was little traffic at 9pm on a Sunday night. When Carlos pulled up in front of my apartment building, he kissed me gently and wished me a good night.

I waved and felt sad at having to sleep alone tonight. I was getting more and more comfortable with Carlos sharing my bed, but I was still not ready to take things to that next step. I don't know why I was being so reluctant. It's not like I'd never been with a man before and there was no shortage of physical chemistry. I knew I loved him, but there was still something holding me back. I was glad that Carlos seemed to understand that I wasn't ready and wasn't pressuring me in any way. Maybe I was testing him to see if he wasn't as perfect as I thought he was.

Guilt suddenly bombarded me. Was I really using sex as a way to test whether or not Carlos was the right guy for me? Could I be that manipulative? I hoped not. Perhaps I should share my feelings with Carlos to see whether he feels like he is being tested.

Somehow I got through my usual bedtime routine on autopilot while my mind raced about my relationship with Carlos. I crawled into bed and pulled my laptop towards me. It was bulky and heavy, but then again, it was about 3 years old. I wanted to check my bank balance before I fell asleep. I was curious to see if I could afford to make my first tuition payment.

When I went through the multi-stage security verifications and saw my bank balance, I almost dropped my laptop. Not only could I afford to make my first tuition payment, I could also pay the entire year fees. I don't know why this surprised me. I knew what the FBI offered to pay me per case. I guess that part of me just didn't really believe that they would follow through, even with a contract. I'd had enough bad luck in my life, why would something actually work out for me?

I pulled up a spreadsheet and started plugging in numbers. I had already paid for the apartment and set aside some money for minimal furnishings. The purchase cost and fees and came out of the retainer fee that the FBI paid me. The remaining money from the retainer was invested on the advice of Ricardo's lawyer.

I made a quick list of items that I would need. I added a new sheet and added a list of items that would be nice to have. This list included a car, a new laptop and a few other bits and pieces. The list of must-have items included furniture for my apartment and roommate investigations. If I could have roommates, I'd need to sort that out as soon as possible. At 11:30, I finally put my laptop away and made myself comfortable. Sleep came easy that night and I woke the following morning feeling excited about my day.

The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed and eager to face the day. I got into the office and was well on my way to accomplishing my assignments when I heard Carlos mutter something. I was so absorbed in my work that I hadn't even noticed him walk in.

I could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't in a good mood. I didn't want to make it worse so I looked at him and waited to see if he'd notice that he had my attention. He finally looked up with a scowl on his face. The scowl disappeared as soon as he met my eyes and then he smiled sheepishly.

"What's wrong Carlos?"

Carlos shrugged and said, "Tom is sick and I promised to cover for him the next time he was ill. I have to work tonight in New Brunswick."

I shrugged and asked, "Why is that so upsetting?"

Carlos looked at me with wide eyes and said, "We have plans tonight, Babe. Did you forget?"

My eyes opened wide and I turned very red. "I'm sorry, it did slip my mind. What time do you have to head to New Brunswick?"

"I've called Mama and she is going to drop her car off here and then she and the girls will go home with Papa. I have 2 personal training sessions starting at 6:30 and then a class from 8:30 to 10."

I nodded and said, "If the Molly and Christie are around, how would you feel about some company on the journey?"

Carlos grinned and said, "I'd like that a lot. We could leave early and stop somewhere for dinner if you'd like."

I nodded and pulled out my phone. As luck would have it, Molly and Christie were both free this evening and were really excited about my visit. I was excited too because I was going to ask them about moving in with me. Before I did that though, I needed to check with my handler. I explained my thoughts to Carlos and he agreed that I should double-check with my handler about roommates and guests. I decided to wait until lunch time to make the call and returned my focus to my work.

At 12:30, I finally got through to Agent Stewart. He said that I was allowed to have roommates as long as the office was kept locked and none of them had access to that room at any time. They would install top-of-the line biometric security locks so nobody but me would be able to access that room when it was locked. I was pretty sure that the girls would accept that stipulation. All I had to do now was convince them sight unseen to move in with me.

Around 2:30, Carlos and I took a quick coffee break. I explained my plans to him regarding talking to the girls about moving in with me. He looked at me as he thought and then asked, "Why don't you ask Johnny to see if he can lend you the keys to your apartment? I'm sure it would OK for you to take a look at your place. You can even take some measurements so you can start thinking about furnishings. That is if you can get your hands on a measuring tape. Johnny can probably help with that as well."

I nodded and said, "I'll go home at 4:00 to change and talk to Johnny. I'll be back here and ready to leave by 4:30."

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. I finished one audit and moved on to a second. Ricardo had approved time the following day to dedicate to my FBI case so I didn't need to worry about it today. That was good because my head was currently focused on seeing my apartment again. I really hoped that Johnny had keys and was OK with me taking a look.

At 4:00 Carlos waved goodbye and I rushed back to my apartment. Johnny was standing at his desk and gladly handed me the keys to my apartment. He also dug into a pocket in his tool belt and pulled out what looked like a high tech gadget. "This here is a digital measuring tape. If you have any problems with it, just give me a call. The elevators are working now so you don't have to take the stairs, but I haven't been in yet this week. The builders may have left a bit of a mess and things could be dangerous. Just take care and don't injure yourself."

I thanked Johnny and rushed up to my apartment to change. I made it back to the office with about 6 minutes to spare. Carlos was just starting to pack up when I walked in. He smiled up at me and then stood and placed his hand low on my back and guided me toward the stairs to the parking garage.

The car was there but there was no sign of Maria or the girls. I looked over and saw that Ricardo must have left when they arrived. I don't know why, but this made me smile. The fact that Ricardo was so confident in his company and employees made me happy. The Manosos were good people and they deserved to spend as much time together as possible.

Carlos stopped at a little diner about ½ ways between New Brunswick and Newark. The place didn't look like much from the outside but the smells when you walked through the door conveyed a totally different picture. I was drooling at the wonderful smells, all of which were new to me.

Carlos pulled me into a booth and showed me what was good on the menu. I hadn't heard of any of the food, but that's because it was Indian food and I'd never really had any before. I ordered based on Carlos' recommendations and the food was wonderful. At first, I was a bit sceptical. Most people are when trying something new. It turned out that I was apprehensive for no reason.

The food had so many flavours, a little spice, and a lot of variety. It is hard to describe how a bit of something can taste like tomatoes, cinnamon and curry at the same time. It was an experience that I am definitely going to try again in the future.

Carlos grinned throughout the meal. At one point, he leaned over and said, "I am getting Indian takeaway the next night we're alone together. Listening to you enjoy this food is torture, but the most amazing kind of torture."

I laughed at Carlos' comment and continued to enjoy my food. At 6:15, Carlos paid the bill and ushered me out of the diner. He had to drop me off before the gym and time was running out. I kissed Carlos goodbye and he would call me when he was done. I'd let him know where I was so he could pick me up. I waved as Carlos drove away and then rang the buzzer at Molly's.

I was buzzed up and was so happy to see my friends that it took about 45 minutes before I even had the chance to broach the subject of the apartment. It was actually Christie that pointed out my odd mood.

"Steph, what's wrong? You are acting like you have ants in your pants."

I looked at them and asked, "Would you guys like to go for a short walk? I have something to show you and then something to ask you."

Molly and Christie readily agreed and we headed off in the direction of Douglass campus. Molly looked at me and asked, "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

We kept walking in silence for another 5 minutes. When my building came into view, Molly saw me staring and said, "I have always loved this building. I wonder what it's like inside?"

I smiled and said, "Why don't we go find out?"

Molly laughed thinking that I was joking. She halted when I walked up to the front door and pulled out the keys. "What are you doing Steph? We can't go in there."

I looked at Molly and then at Christie and said, "Of course we can. I have keys and everything."

Christie seemed a little unsure but followed me anyway. Molly on the other hand, refused to come inside. I rolled my eyes at my friend and said, "Do you remember me telling you that I was going to be moving into a new apartment?"

Molly nodded. "Well, it's in this building."

Molly's mouth dropped open and she hurried inside, following me to the elevator. Both Molly's and Christie's face showed additional surprise when I pressed the button for the top floor. I grinned and led them to the door of my apartment. Before I opened the door, I turned to my friends and said, "The apartment is under construction and is probably in a bit of a state. I just wanted to show you where I'll be living next year."

I unlocked the door and walked in. I turned on all the lights and was awed to see the changes that had occurred in just a week. The kitchen cabinets and island were now in. The doors and worktop surfaces would not be installed until I selected a finish. Johnny was going to give me samples later in the week for everything. Tiles for the floors, splash backs in the kitchen, bathroom, etc. It would be overwhelming and I was hoping my friends would help.

The girls walked around and were speechless. Neither said a word for over 10 minutes. Finally, Molly came over and asked, "How are you so lucky? How can you afford a place like this?"

I looked at my friends and said, "I have a secret that I can share with you, but you cannot tell anyone else."

Both Molly and Christie nodded so I continued, "I was hired by the FBI to do what I do at Manoso Finances. I basically just review financial records. They were able to negotiate this apartment as part of the deal because it has the requisite security needed for my job with them. I will be working on a case-by-case basis and it should not interfere with my classes.

"This apartment is great, but it's huge. It has 3 bedrooms and I was hoping that the two of you might consider moving in with me. Rent would be pretty low as the apartment is already paid for. I'm thinking that we should just cover utilities, food and entertainment. What do you say?"

Molly leaned back against the wall and slowly lowered herself to the floor. Christie hugged herself and paced for a few minutes. I watched my friends wrestle with the decision about abandoning their roommates, the idea of living in this apartment, and the idea of the three of us being together. Molly stood and grinned. "Why would you want roommates? It sounds like you don't really need us to pay the rent. Living alone would be so peaceful."

"I think I'd go stir crazy if I lived alone. You two are my closest friends and having you near would be so much fun. There's another thing you need to see. Maybe it will help you make up your mind."

I led them up the spiral staircase that they had not yet noticed. Once upstairs, Christie grinned and said, "This is the turret, isn't it?"

I nodded and then pointed to a door. Molly walked over and looked out across the roof garden. She turned to me and said, "Is that your garden?"

I nodded and said, "It can be our garden if you move in here with me. The bedrooms downstairs are huge. You each will have your own bathroom and you can even help me pick out the finishing touches. I have to look at tile samples, kitchen cabinets, paint chips and bathroom furniture on the weekend. I'd love you two to have a say if you are going to live here."

Molly smiled and said, "What about our current roommates? They're going to be pissed."

I nodded and said, "That might be true. I was worried about my own roommate, but it turns out that she was fine and knew of another person looking for an apartment. Your roommates are friends. Maybe they'll give up one apartment and move in together."

Christie nodded and said, "Would it be OK if we talked to our roommates before making a decision?"

I shook my head and said, "Not at all. I won't hold it against you if you don't want to move in here. You won't be able to move until 1 week before classes start again anyway. That could be problematic if your roommates need to give up one of the apartments."

Molly smiled and said, "That's not a problem. We could stay with my mother if need be. It would only be for a week at most. I'm sure that would be fine."

We spent the next 45 minutes measuring the apartment. I had all the necessary measurements to start planning the furniture. Both Molly and Christie had their own bedroom furniture, but neither had a sofa or dining table. That was fine because I had funds for those things.

We walked back to Molly's talking about what fun we could have living together. Carlos called shortly before 10:00 and the three of us walked down together to meet him. I hugged my friends goodbye and climbed in the car and waved as we drove away.

Carlos smiled at me and asked, "Did you have a nice evening with your friends, Babe?"

I nodded and said, "We went to the apartment. It was just as nice as I remember. I asked Molly and Christie if they wanted to live there and they liked the idea but neither of them want to inconvenience their current roommates so they want to talk to them before they agree to anything."

"That makes sense. At least there's just over a month left for them to find a new roommate. That is plenty of time."

"It is, but my apartment is not going to be ready for almost a month. That could be the biggest problem."

Carlos assured me that everything would be OK and we spent the rest of the trip home talking about his family and work. When we got to my apartment building, I expected Carlos to pull up in front of the building and drop me off. Instead, he pulled into the parking garage and parked the car.

Carlos must have sensed my confusion because he took my hand as we walked to the elevator. "My parents suggested that I stay here tonight since I was going to get back so late."

I smiled and inwardly did a little dance. I slept so much better wrapped in Carlos' arms. We walked into my apartment and hurried through our evening routines. We climbed into bed and I was asleep within moments.

The next chapter will be up soon. Cheers.