Tackled by You

Chapter 44 – Dream, Out Loud

It had been three days since they'd woken up from their surreal, magical time as twelve-year-olds. Life had returned to its usual rhythm: classes, training, errands, bills. But something in Sheik and Andrea had shifted.

They weren't rushing anymore. They weren't second-guessing. They were sure — about themselves, and about each other.

"So," Andrea said, spinning slowly in the middle of an empty apartment unit, sunlight spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows, "it doesn't smell like mold. That's already a win."

Sheik laughed, holding a small floor plan in his hand. "And it's close enough to both our campuses. Plus, dog-friendly. Mochi will approve."

Andrea crouched down, pretending to measure space for a dog bed. "Important priorities."

It was the fourth apartment they'd seen this week. The others were either too cramped, too dark, or just off. But this one? It felt… possible.

"I can see us here," Sheik said quietly.

Andrea stood up and looked at him. "You really mean it?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I see mornings on the balcony. I see you dancing while brushing your teeth. I see late-night pizza and soccer replays and Mochi chewing the couch."

Andrea smiled, walking over and slipping her arms around his waist. "And maybe someday… more than just us."

Sheik leaned his forehead against hers. "Someday. But right now, I want to build this step by step. Start small. Start real."

They signed the application that afternoon. Nothing flashy — just two names side by side on a lease. But to them, it felt bigger than that. It felt like a promise.

Later that night, sitting on a stack of moving boxes in Andrea's old apartment, they shared instant noodles and played old music from her phone. The glow of their small desk lamp made the room feel softer, warmer.

"I used to think love meant fireworks," Andrea said between bites.

"Now?" Sheik asked.

She looked at him — barefaced, messy-haired, in his threadbare hoodie — and smiled.

"Now I think it means staying. Choosing. Showing up when it's hard. Making space. Signing leases."

Sheik reached for her hand. "And dreaming out loud."

She nodded. "Exactly."

And with boxes still unpacked and no furniture to speak of, Sheik and Andrea sat in their soon-to-be home — not in a perfect moment, but in a real one.

And for them, that was more than enough.