After Tonight

“Move in with me.” Rob and I were lying on his couch watching Casablanca.
“Huh?” I asked, twisting my head to look at him.
“Move in with me.” His eyes were bright.
“In here?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Things had been really great for the past several months after we’d gotten back from England, but this was a big step.
“Well, we could get a new place I suppose.” he mused. “Maybe somewhere around your place. That’s a nice area, somewhat private. And it’s right by the bakery. We could paint it.”
I hadn’t made my reply and here he was fantasizing about what color we’d paint the living room. Of course I wanted to live with him—that went without question. But that was a huge step. I’d only lived with one other guy, Eric, and things went south after that.
Eric asked me to marry him. I said yes.
We had been engaged for three months until one morning I woke up and thought, "I am not in love with this man anymore." Everything about him suddenly made me cringe; quirks that I used to think were cute only made me turn my head. It just came out of left-field, but I took it as a sign.
I couldn't help but worry that would be Rob’s fate as well.
So instead of living in the past and ruining something great, I said yes. He was just so endearingly sweet about it all that I couldn’t say no. And of course there was no denying that I wanted to do this.
…
We’d found an apartment in no time and all that was left to do was paint. Personally, I loved interior decorating—I was a TLC/HGTV junkie and proud of it. To my utter surprise, Rob liked it too, though it wasn’t something he was keen on flaunting. The hard part was agreeing on paint colors. We’d argue over different shades of blues and greens, or why the living room couldn’t be painted chocolate brown.
After two weeks, the decisions were made and I waited at the hardware store for Rob to help me pick it up. He was supposed to meet me at five. I had the day off; he had a meeting with his agent. My cell phone suddenly sprang to life—speak of the devil.
“I got it!” an excited Robert shouted into the phone. I grinned. He had wanted this role so badly; all he could talk about for the past month was this role.
“Ooh that’s great Rob!” I replied, equally excited.
“I’m walking into the store right now, you’re in the back right? Ok well, I’ll tell you about it later.” I turned and he suddenly came into view, cell phone on his ear.
“Alright, well I just saw my boyfriend I’ll call you back.” A bright smile lit up his face as he hung and closed the space between us.
“I Am the Messenger!” He kissed me as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
About a month ago, Rob auditioned for a role in the film-version of I Am the Messenger. Rob had read the book a few years prior and it became on his favorites. He had been absolutely ecstatic when he'd found out that it would be turned into a film.
“Congratulations Mr. Pattinson.” I beamed at him. He looked like he’d just received the keys to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.
As we picked the paint swatches, Robert filled me in on all of the details. Filming began in a month.
In Australia.
“How long will you be gone?” I asked, my spirits drooping as he continued on.
“Oh, a few months.” He rattled on, not catching my look of despair.
...
We started painting the first room in silence. I stuck the paint stick into the can and stirred the blue goop, thinking of Rob’s eyes. Would I be able to visit him? A “few months” was quite a long time for me to go without seeing those eyes.
“Abbey.” Rob’s soft voice echoed in the quiet room. I looked up at him as he nodded at the wall, a dripping paintbrush in his hand.
I LOVE YOU

“Any number of months isn’t going to change that.” I couldn’t help but smile—the guy could read me like a book.
“I know.” I sighed. “I know.”