I sat on my new bed, in my new room, in my new house, trying to take it all in.

Mr and Mrs Landon were both here with me. We brought everything I owned from their place to here in one car trip. Actually, it fit in one box and two bags. Mrs Landon had helped me make the bed. Mr Landon put my kitchen utensils in my drawer, my food in my cupboard and on my shelf in the fridge.

Skylar, Jordan, and George were all here but were giving me some time to settle in.

I was excited about this new chapter in my life, but after the incident last week in the coffee shop, I was also a little nervous. It had knocked my confidence down a peg or two, though Patrice reassured me I could use it as a positive experience, to trust my instincts and to learn about my reactions so I could process the steps if and when it were to happen again.

“We can’t take responsibility for other people’s actions,” she’d said. “We can only be responsible for how we react. How we learn, how we process situations and experience moving forward is completely up to us.”

I told her I didn’t think I was ready to move out. She told me I was stronger than I gave myself credit for.

So there I sat, trying to get my bearings in my new life.

Mr Landon put a heavy-looking box on my desk. “A little housewarming gift from me,” he said.

“A gift?” I shook my head. “But you’ve already given me enough. Too much, actually.” I waved my hand at the clothes, the new bedding, the whole room in general. It was all because of them.

He waved his hand like it was nothing. “Ah, don’t mention it. Just a few things you’ll need for school on Monday.”

I opened the box to find a pile of books, papers, pens, and what looked like a few second-hand textbooks. “Oh, wow.” I got choked up. “Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”

He gave me a fatherly smile. “Say you’ll go to every class and do your best.”

“I will. I promise.”

Then it was Mrs Landon’s turn. She handed me a smaller, rectangular box. It looked like it might’ve been a box a business shirt came in. “You might want to open that later,” she said with a wink.

Mr Landon took his cue. “I’ll just be downstairs,” he said, quickly darting out of the room.

Mrs Landon giggled at her husband and nodded toward the box. “It’s nothing too risqué or embarrassing, don’t worry. But I thought you might like to have it.”

I sat on the bed and gently pulled the lid off the box. In there, folded beautifully, was the purple silk gown I’d appreciated when we were going through their bag of clothes for Goodwill. “Oh, Mrs Landon…”

“You don’t have to keep it,” she said quietly. “It’s just that your eyes kept going back to it when we were finding you clothes. I knew you liked it, but you thought it wasn’t…”

“Appropriate to wear in your house,” I finished for her.

She laughed. “Yes. Well, now you’re in your own house, in your own room with a lockable door. You can wear whatever you please.”

My heart was thumping erratically. “I’ve always wanted to own something like this. Something extravagant and… feminine.”

“Well, now you can.” She lifted the fabric out of the box and handed it to me. It felt like cool water as it draped over my hand. “It’s yours.”

“Thank you. For this. For everything. For everything you’ve done. I don’t even want to know where I’d be if it weren’t for you and Mr Landon.”

Mrs Landon looked at me fondly. “You’re more than welcome, Yanni. You’ve been an absolute joy to have around.” She blinked back tears and took my hand. “Come on then, let’s go find Allan.”

Saying goodbye to them was hard, and it seemed like I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Mrs Landon was teary again. “You’ve got our numbers?”

“Yes.”

“And you promise you’ll call if you need anything?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ll still have dinner with us once a week?”

“You can come home with me after class on Wednesdays or something,” Mr Landon added.

“Sure.” I couldn’t help but smile. “I’d really like that.”

“And you’ve got Andrew and Sarah’s numbers. You can call them for anything too. I’ve told them.”

I chuckled, pretending not to be embarrassed. “Yes, thank you.”

“Okay, I think we’ve covered everything,” Mr Landon said with a wink. He tried pulling Mrs Landon toward the door. “Don’t forget. Class starts at nine.”

“I’ll be there.”

Mrs Landon broke free from Mr Landon’s hand and she quickly hugged me again. “You’ll be fine.”

“And so will you,” I said with a laugh.

She was crying now, and Mr Landon came and put his arm around her. “She cries when all the kids leave home.”

And that got me right in the heart. I gave them both another hug, as tight as I dared, and stood at the door as they walked to their car. I turned to face my three new roommates, who were all watching me. I wanted to hide upstairs in my room but figured I needed to be brave, or at least pretend to be.

“Come in and sit down with us,” Skylar said, patting the sofa. “Jeopardy’s about to start.”

So, I sat in the living room with them as they tried to outdo each other with answers. I only answered one or two questions toward the end when I felt more comfortable, but it was a lot of fun. Skylar was the loudest, George was the funniest with his random answers, but Jordan was by far the smartest. She was the quietest too and sat on the single sofa like she was trying to make herself smaller, but she was there being sociable and I was pretty sure she was putting in such an effort on my behalf. Given it was my first day, her effort for me was very touching. I caught her looking at me a few times, and I gave her a smile that hopefully told her I understood.

As afternoon became evening, we moved into the kitchen and each cooked our own dinners. I made a simple pasta with tomatoes, olives, and basil, which Jordan was jealous over. She was having grilled cheese and tomato soup, which looked just fine to me, but I took this opportunity to return the goodwill and I promised to make my pasta dish for her one day. She rewarded me with a smile and a nod, and I knew we’d be okay.

After the kitchen was clean and we’d all done our bit, I was looking forward to spending some time in my room. I needed to let it all sink in, to decompress. I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, taking a moment to just breathe.

I was smiling. I felt good. Positive. I had a real good feeling about being here. I know it was only early and scary as hell, but I started to think that I actually had a future.

I noticed the box on the bed and the purple fabric that spilled over the side. I went to it, running my fingertips over the cool silk just as my phone buzzed in my pocket. I startled like I’d been caught with the gown. Realizing I was still very much alone, I pulled my phone out and grinned when I saw who had messaged me.

Peter.

Settling in okay?

I threw myself on the bed, lay on my back, and replied. Yes, thank you. Watched TV and had dinner with my roommates. Just in my room now.

Sounds good. I’m really happy for you.

Thanks. I feel good about it.

Still up for a visitor tomorrow?

Can you talk?

Yes.

I called his number. “Hello?”

“Yanni, everything okay?” He sounded concerned.

“Yeah, I just wanted to let you know, there are house rules.”

“House rules?” His concern now sounded amused.

“Well, yes. For the safety of everyone.”

“Oh.”

“Visitors are allowed, but only briefly and not overnight.” Then I realized how that sounded. “Ah, not that we’re… not that you’re…”

“I get it, Yanni.”

“It’s just that everyone here has… some issues, and this place is their safe space. If someone was just to turn up and make someone else feel uncomfortable in their safe place, that wouldn’t be right. Know what I mean?”

He was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry if I sounded mocking before. I didn’t mean to sound insensitive.”

“I know. It takes some getting used to. Everyone here is pretty cool, but I don’t want to upset anyone.”

“No, of course not.”

“I still want you to come here though. Just for a quick look, and then maybe we can grab coffee somewhere?”

“Sounds great.”

“I’m sorry I missed our movie date today.”

“Date?”

“Non-date,” I corrected quickly.

Peter chuckled. “There will be other days.”

“So, is eleven o’clock tomorrow okay?”

“Perfect.”

“You remember the address?”

I’m sure he found that amusing. “Yes, of course.”

“See you then.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

He disconnected the call, and I put my phone to my chest and smiled. I was looking forward to it too.

I let my hand fall to the box with the silk gown so my fingers could traipse over it. I allowed myself to pick it up and brought it to my face. It was light and cool and smelled fresh and clean, floral. I didn’t dare try it on, not yet. I would. But not yet. I rolled off the bed and slipped the silk gown into a drawer.

I got myself ready for bed and passed George in the hall. “Goodnight,” he said, as cheerfully as a goth could say.

I smiled nervously. “Night.”

I closed my door behind me, then locked it as quietly as I could. I checked and double-checked that the window was locked. I knew I was safe here. There was a great alarm system on the front and back doors, and I trusted my new roommates. But I pulled my backpack into bed with me, and like always, slept with the light on.