“So, in here is the kitchen. I think it’s probably best to do a quick tour of the entire place, then we can revisit each room once you’ve got the general idea,” he said. “I only asked about the wedding planner because Steph and I are looking for a good one who’s available in a pinch. Well, I’m looking for one. She’s adamant that we can plan the whole thing ourselves, but we’re both so busy with work and I don’t want the planning to delay the event.”
“The general idea of what?” I asked, confused until my gaze came to rest on a wall of shelves sporting more baseball trophies than I could count with one quick look. “I didn’t realize you were engaged. Congratulations, but where exactly are we right now? This isn’t your apartment, is it?”
“Thanks, and no.” He slid his hands into his pockets and turned to face me with a brief look of confusion flashing across his features. “Why would I give you a tour of my apartment? I mean, it’s right across the hall if you want to take a look at it, but this is Tanner’s. Actually, now that you’ve mentioned it, maybe you should take a look at it. Steph and I are thinking about moving after the wedding, but we might as well get it redone once we’re out. I haven’t quite decided what I’m going to do with it, but I might want to rent it out.”
“I’d be happy to have a look, but are you sure it’s okay for us to be here?” Horror twisted in my stomach at the thought of being let into Tanner’s personal living space without his express consent. “This feels like an invasion of privacy.”
“Oh, it’s fine.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Tanner and I practically live in each other’s places and so do our friends. We’re not weird about it with people we know. You wanted to learn about what Tanner likes, right? This has been his home for years. It’s all him. Everything you’re seeing, he chose himself. We bought these places unfurnished and we installed most of these shelves and extra cabinets ourselves.”
That stopped my thoughts dead in their tracks, making my jaw slacken and eyes eat up the space from an entirely different point of view. “You’re serious? He didn’t have anyone helping him with this?”
“Nah, he could probably have afforded an interior designer to come in eventually, but I don’t think even he considered it. This place has just been home.”
Settling down instantly, I took him at his word about it being okay for me to be in here, and then I really started looking around. A lot of what I’d thought I knew about him came crumbling down around me as I took in his tastes, learning more about him from just his TV room than I had in that entire weekend we’d spent together.