Page 5 of Love in Times of Contempt

"I don't know," she continued. "I keep seeing this image in my head… this new vision for myself and for us, of course. I see Ely moving here, you and I having this project here, so much of my life here and, well… You know I still somewhat divide my time between here and Bloomington, but also— I've gone back less and less. Both places feel like home, but living here with you… that's what feels right."

He said nothing, but moved his chair back and pulled at her hand. Understanding his intention, she walked around the table and sat sideways on his lap.

Her arms went around his neck, his around her waist, holding her close.

His eyes sparkled as he gazed at her. "You living with me here feels right. Making it official and all."

She nodded. "Whether you agree to hire Ely or not, this is something I'd like to do. Whether she moves here or not, I want to be here with you."

Liam kissed her. "I love you, Ana. Please move in with me. Permanently."

"So you don't think a year is too little time?" She dropped her forehead to his as she voiced her one doubt.

"Of course not. You know I've been ready for a while."

"Yeah, you're often ready before me in this relationship." She kissed one of his temples, then the other.

He closed his eyes, enjoying her affection. "As long as you catch up, I'll wait for you."

"You're seriously amazing, Liam."

"And you're going to love me even more if we end up hiring Ely, aren't you?"

She laughed. She kissed his lips again. "My love for you isn't conditional on that."

"Good. But we should call her. See if she'd be interested at all."

Ana's smile grew, delighted at the idea of surprising Ely. Ana helped Liam clear the table and got drinks as he loaded the dishwasher, before settling on the sofa to call her.

"How much does she know about the details we’ve planned for Jump Cannon?" Liam asked as Ana unlocked her phone.

"Not much. A while ago, she and I decided I wasn't going to tell her much about Jump Cannon's social aspect, so that you and I could come up with our plan first without pressure from her experience. Her words. This will surprise her."

Ana navigated to her starred contacts and video called Ely, who responded on the third ring.

"Hello? Give me a sec." Ely's hair filled the screen as she finished doing whatever she'd been doing; Ana snuggled close to Liam on the couch. With a quick flick, Ely's face filled the screen. "Hey, what's up?"

"I'm moving in with Liam," Ana replied, jumping into the conversation as usual.

"She is." Liam put his arm around Ana and brought her closer to him.

"Pfffft," Ely scoffed. "Old news. You've been living there for months and visiting your old crew here once in a while, especially the last six months."

"Fair, but that wasn't official." Ana brought her hair forward, freeing it from under Liam's arm. "It's official now. I'm breaking my lease, selling my stuff, bringing whatever's left."

"So you're going to finally leave me?" Ely sighed. "Liam, you know I adore you, but this pisses me off a little."

Ana raised her eyebrows. "I thought we've made it work? We text every day and talk on the phone five times a week."

"Sure, but I also lived with the certainty you'd come by and I'd get to hug you every couple of months. I'm sure moving there means you'll come here less often."

"How old is your resume?" Liam asked. "Send it to me and we can see if there's something here we can offer to you."

"Okay, I forgive you if you apologize by getting me a job there. I'm open to relocating, especially now that Ana is going to be there. My parents will survive it; they did when I moved out."

Ana laughed. "And what can they really do? Your parents and mine— they like to complain about our choices all the time. We're so gringas, you know."

"Exactly," Ely agreed, "but some of these choices you're making are to move your relationship forward. Your parents are going to like that. Me? Moving away from family for work?"