"You didn't have to take time off from work..."

The older girl shot Rochelle a brief sideways glance as she put her car in park, index finger lowering her sunglasses. 

"Roca Mocha, you know Mom would have worried if you were schlepping heavy boxes by yourself. After all, can't have the baby breaking her foot if she drops a lamp on it," the elder teased. She removed the keys from the ignition and unclipped her seat belt. 

Rochelle crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. She fiddled with her keys, looking over at the entrance to the apartment complex she would be living in for two years. While she didn't mind Bri helping her move a few things, she had a feeling that Mom probably put her sister up to this, hoping to get a mini report on the building as a safe, clean environment that matched the description online. At this point there was no turning back in Rochelle's mind – the deposit had been put down, paperwork had been signed, and she agreed with the landlord to move in today, about a week and a half before the year started. 

Bri locked her car and prompted Rochelle to open the trunk of her own car. Once the door had lifted, both peered into the back, trying to figure out what they needed to move first. Bri pointed out the bed pieces, still secured in the original box, and Rochelle agreed, tugging the box closer to the entrance to the trunk. 

"Did you want to unload everything then assemble?" Bri asked as the pair balanced the bed frame. 

"Maybe?" Rochelle murmured, one hand digging around in her pockets for the keys to her apartment. "Why don't we set this down where I want it to go, then plan?" Her fingers brushed against the rough edge of the key and she wrapped them around the metal object, fishing it out of the pocket. She inserted it into the keyhole and turned it, then twisted the handle. 

Bri craned her neck as she took a look inside the apartment, whistling when she saw how sparce it was. "Geez, they weren't kidding when they said you gotta furnish it yourself – there's like nothing here!" She hoisted her end of the bed frame up and followed her younger sister into the empty space. They passed the kitchen and living room area, turning the corner to reach the bedroom. 

The pair set the frame down in the center of the bedroom and Rochelle snapped her head toward the door when she heard a knocking sound. A few seconds passed before a male voice called out. 

"Hello? Hey, is someone in here?"

"I guess I parked in his spot," Bri sighed as she dashed toward the entrance, keys in hand. "Did you see a visitor lot?"

Rochelle tried to recall what the website said about visitor parking as she followed her sister to the front door. She heard her sister address the boy, apologizing profusely.

"I'll move it – I'm so sorry."

"Nah, it's okay," the male replied. "I wanted to check that someone was really moving in. So, are you gonna be my new neighbor?"

Bri glanced behind her and grabbed her sister's arm to drag her to the front. Her hands rested on Rochelle's shoulders and she explained that her sister was the one moving in. 

It's like having a mini version of Mom right now, Rochelle thought before taking a better look at her new neighbor. Eyes traveled up the tall, lean form and met warm brown hues. The male extended a large hand and Rochelle took it, giving it a firm shake. 

"I'm Lucas – I'm on the fourth floor, apartment 419," he said. 

"Rochelle," she replied. "What year and major?"

Lucas grinned as he leaned against the door frame, sharing that he was a second year studying Psychology. "But I actually got in here on a soccer scholarship," he added. 

"Sports Medicine wasn't interesting enough?" Rochelle asked with an amused look.

He shook his head and replied, "A lot of athletes do that path, but I'm not into it. Besides, the market post-college is a bit limited, you know? See, I kind of fell into the major after taking the intro class. It's complex but very different." He glanced over at the parking lot and jabbed a thumb at the cars. "You need some help with boxes?"

"Uh thanks bu–"

"That would be fantastic – thank you Lucas!" Bri cut in as she pushed past her sister. "We've got a lot of furniture to set up and she's got a lot of unpacking to do once everything heavy's set up!"

Lucas beamed as Bri showed him which car to go to and he squeezed between the cars to grab boxes. Rochelle threw her sister a look, which was met with confusion.

"Who's moving in?"

"C'mon Roca, don't be rude!" Bri groaned. "He seemed like a nice guy and besides, it's nice to have good neighbors! I didn't have that when I was at college."

"Oh man, don't start with that one story again," Rochelle sighed. "I know your neighbors were , but do you have to go forcing me to make friends on Day 1?"

Bri opened to reply, but quickly closed it when Lucas returned with two boxes stacked on top. 

"Where do these go?" Lucas asked. 

Rochelle checked the writing on the side and pointed to the kitchen. Lucas carried them to the kitchen, carefully setting them on the floor. He unstacked the one on top and placed it on a counter top. 

"Look, I appreciate your help, but if you have somewhere to –"

"Oh no man, I'm free all day! If you guys need more help moving stuff, say no more," he said with a smile. "I know moving takes a lot of time and we'd all rather be doing fun stuff instead of dealing with boxes. It's no trouble really." He excused himself to grab more boxes from the back of the car, while Bri called after him, saying she'd buy him lunch. 

"That's really nice of you – are you sure?" Lucas asked as he hovered his card over the tab. 

Bri gently pushed his hand away and placed her card on top, passing it to the waiter. "You deserve it after helping us haul all those boxes. I think we got everything out of the car faster than it was originally gonna take. Now I can actually have a decent headstart for home!"

Lucas bowed his head as he thanked her again, putting his card away in his wallet. Rochelle echoed a thank you, crumpling her napkin up and placing it on the table. 

"So you got a long drive home?" Lucas asked. 

Bri nodded and sighed as she began plugging in the coordinates on her phone. She waited for her phone to respond, rolling her eyes when the GPS estimated 2.5 hours for the return trip.

Lucas whistled and shook his head with a wince. "You sure you don't want to crash here? I have an extra futon if you want it – Roca can give it back to me tomorrow or whenever it's convenient."

We just met a couple of hours ago and you're already calling me Roca? Rochelle thought as she looked from Bri to Lucas. 

Bri shook her head and slung her purse on her shoulder. She dug her keys out and explained that she had work the next morning. "They let me take today off to help my sister move in," she said. "All right, I'll drop you two off and Roca, try to unpack a box or two. It's tempting to say screw it, but you'll thank me later. A box a day will get you one step closer to making that apartment home."

She took a deep breath as she tore the tape off another box, crumpling it into a ball. She bent back the flaps and reached in, fingers gripping a stack of plates before hoisting them up and out of the box. She stood on tiptoe to put them into a cupboard near the fridge. 

"Hey Roca, you still up?" a familiar voice asked, followed by a knock.

Rochelle sighed as she brushed a strand of hair from her face, as she carefully stepped around the maze of boxes to open the door. 

"Hey, yeah I'm tackling the kitchen now," she greeted Lucas. "Thanks again for all the help. I've got the unpacking – don't worry about me."

Lucas peered into her apartment and persisted, "You sure? I don't wanna offend you, but I know those cabinets are high if you don't have a ladder."

She hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath as she followed his gaze to the piles of boxes littered throughout the kitchen and living room areas. She thought it made sense to tackle the kitchen first, seeing as she'd want to have plates and utencils handy for her meals while she tried to get things together before classes started. While she tried to be reasonable, Mom insisted on being over-cautious and loaded her up with extra everything. 

"Just the kitchen," Rochelle sighed as she stepped to the side to let Lucas in. 

He removed his shoes outside the door and nodded as he stepped inside. He grinned cheekily and teased, "So I can't read your super secret diary in your room while we unpack?"

"Ha, adorable," Rochelle deadpanned. She closed the door and joined him in the kitchen, pointing to the box she had been unpacking. "Everything in there can go in this cabinet by the fridge."

Lucas gave a mock salute and he began unwrapping things from the packing paper and bubble wrap. He arranged things neatly on the shelves, while Rochelle tore off the tape on another box to fill a lower cabinet to the right of the sink. 

"I don't think I asked about your last school," he spoke up. "Where were you before you transfered?"

"Community," she replied. "It was cheaper and I finished the boring classes there. Now I can focus on Graphic Design."

"Did you rent an apartment near there?" 

"No, I commuted from home. It was close and parents didn't charge me rent," she said. "I think they wish I picked a closer school, but this one had a strong Arts Department, especially for Graphic Design."

Lucas retrieved the last item, a stack of cups, and crumpled the packing paper into a ball. He placed the cups toward the front of the cabinet and closed the doors before breaking down the box. He looked around for the next box and Roxanne pointed behind her. He moved around her and began opening the second box. 

"So, your sister seems nice," he commented.

Roxanne dusted her hands off and shrugged as she broke down her box. "I'm not ungrateful for her help today, but sometimes I worry that she's modeling herself off our mom."

Lucas tilted his head as he looked at her. "Seems like she just cares a lot about you. Nothing wrong with that."

"My mom is suffering from empty nest syndrome," Rochelle said. "I'm the last one in the family to go to college. Granted, if she had come to move me in, she would have already considered you a potential son-in-law."

He laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Aww, I'm honored! What? You don't want me for a husband?"

"Too soon," Rochelle shot back with a faint smile. "We're not out of school yet and don't have our dream jobs. Plus we just met."

Lucas sighed as he returned to his task of unloading the box. "Very true Roca, I can't disagree with you there. But we'll get acquainted soon – I mean, you'll probably see me a lot since I gotta pass your place every time I leave and come back."

He paused and looked over at Rochelle, the smile fading from his face. "Wait, I should have asked first – is it cool if I call you Roca?"

Rochelle shrugged and murmured that she didn't care. "Roca, Rochelle, Chelle..." she trailed off, "someone back home called me Rococo, but that's sort of weird, seeing as I'm not very girly, you know?"

"Roca it is," he declared. He flattened the second box and collected it with the previous one and Rochelle's empty one. "I'll carry these to the recycle bin for you – you want me to unpack any more boxes?"

Rochelle checked her phone and noted that it was almost 11 PM. She shook her head and reassured the boy that she could handle the rest. He picked up the boxes and carried them to the door, Rochelle opening it for him. 

He gave her a little salute and smiled. "Well Roca, it's been awesome meeting you, and I know we'll bump into each other again soon. Take it easy tonight, yeah?"