Move Chapter 1
Open Chapter 1
The Approach
Maya pressed her face closer to the passenger window, watching house numbers climb as Jake navigated the tree-lined street. "Slow down, it should be right around here," she said, consulting the real estate app on her phone for the third time in two minutes.
"I'm going fifteen in a residential zone," Jake replied, but he eased off the accelerator anyway. "Are you sure this is the right street? These houses look way too nice for what we can afford."
The neighborhood did look expensive. Mature oak trees formed a canopy overhead, their October leaves creating a golden tunnel of light and shadow. Front yards were meticulously maintained, with tasteful Halloween decorations and luxury cars in driveways. Maya felt a familiar knot of anxiety in her stomach as she calculated mortgage payments again in her head.
"The listing says 1247 Maple Street, and look," she pointed ahead, "there's 1243. So it's got to be..." Her voice trailed off as they approached the next house.
1247 Maple Street sat
Chapter 1
6,265 words
Move Chapter 2
Open Chapter 2
Moving Day Morning
Maya's phone buzzed at 6:30 AM, though she'd been awake for the past twenty minutes staring at the ceiling of their cramped studio apartment. Boxes towered around their bed like cardboard skyscrapers, creating narrow pathways through what had once been their living space. The reality of moving day had arrived, and with it, a flutter of nervous energy that made sleep impossible.
"Coffee first, then we tackle the world," Jake mumbled, rolling out of bed and navigating carefully between stacks of boxes labeled in Maya's precise handwriting. "Kitchen Essentials," "Jake's Books #1-7," "Bedroom Linens," each one tagged with color-coded dots indicating which room they belonged in at the new house.
Maya pulled out her phone and opened her moving day checklist, scrolling through the twenty-three items she'd organized by time and priority. "Movers arrive at 8 AM, CrossFit crew at 8:30, pizza ordered for 1 PM delivery to the new address," she recited, checking off "Wake up early" with satisfa
Chapter 2
4,067 words
Move Chapter 3
Open Chapter 3
December Routines
The alarm buzzed at 5:45 AM, and Maya rolled out of bed with the practiced efficiency of someone who'd made morning CrossFit a non-negotiable part of her routine. Jake groaned theatrically but followed suit, and by 6:15 they were walking through the gym doors together, travel mugs of coffee in hand and gym bags slung over their shoulders.
Maya had thrown herself into the workouts with renewed intensity since the move, finding that the physical exertion helped quiet the restless energy that seemed to follow her around the new house. She'd naturally gravitated toward Lisa during partner exercises; they were the same size and their similar strength levels made it easy to use the same weights in buddy exercises. What Jake noticed more than their workout compatibility was the easy way they touched during exercises, how Maya's hand would linger on Lisa's shoulder during breaks, the inside jokes that made them both laugh until they had to wipe tears from their eyes.
"Maya and Lisa are beco
Chapter 3
7,588 words