---1 year later---

"Geesh�� Nook complained, �Why is housing so hard to find here?� She scratched her head while browsing through the various links.

She was sitting in her room trying to find housing for the next school year. The university provided dorms for all international students, but Nook wanted a change of atmosphere. She also knew it would be extremely expensive for her seeing as that she was an international student, and out of state tuition would�ve killed her had she not gotten that scholarship from her old law firm she interned for back in college. Which was why she was trying to find the cheapest room for rent. Her American friends forewarned her of the crazy house searches in Berkeley�too expensive for an ugly place, plus the freshmen moving out of the dorms would also be house searching so Nook had to work fast.

"This is such a pain�why can�t I find anything decent?� She mumbled. The last 3 places she looked at were �dumps� really ugly and too high of a rent. Just as she was going to give up, a link caught her eye�

"Whoa! This is too good to be true�� she spoke aloud.

$400! Room available in 6 bedroom student rooming house in South Berkeley. All utilities included in rent, including cable, cable internet, washer/dryer privileges, lighting/gas, water, garbage. Huge lawn. Rooms available for next semesters and sublets. Call now for showings.

"Is this for real?� Nook wondered, �I have never seen anything so cheap�wait�it might be really crappy�ugh�� her spirits were let down again.

"Really cheap rent usually always means crappy rooms�� Nook copied and pasted the ad into her word file as she continued to browse the other ads. After having gone through everything, she decided to set up an appointment to look at the house, it wouldn�t hurt just to check it out. Plus, she had a whole summer of guaranteed housing in the dorms.

"Ahh�� Nook fell back onto her bed. �Well, there�s nothing else I can do�Aum decided to commute from San Francisco��

Aum followed Nook to Berkeley a couple months after Nook had left. Tao also got promoted to work in San Francisco so Aum decided to move in with him after her first year. The pair had gotten pretty serious in only a year�but Nook was happy for them. She visited Aum sometimes�but every time she saw Tao and Aum together, she couldn�t help but think of the past�of Oil.

"No!� Nook shook her head, �Stop thinking about him! It�s been a year now�it �should� be over with�� she rolled over in her bed and hugged her pillow with a big sigh.

"So why can�t I stop thinking about you��

---------------------------

"Wow!� Nook stood in front of the two-story house in awe, �I didn�t know that had beautiful houses like these!� She walked pass the white iron gates into the front lawn and marveled at the beautiful lilies growing around the houses. This sight lighted up her face and she ran over to touch them.

"Beautiful�aren�t they?� a man�s voice spoke.

"Yeah�� Nook was in her own little word, she couldn�t help but think of how cheap the room was going to be�and in a beautiful house too!

"Are you here to see the house?� he asked again.

"Yeah�I saw�� Nook began, but something wasn�t right.

"This voice sounds so familiar�� she thought, �like I know---it can�t be!�

Nook spun around to see him, �how did he ever find me---" she thought.

"Hello�N---"

"Oi---" Nook cut him off.

"Nice to meet you. I�m Mr. Sukol, I�m the landlord here.� He smiled at her as she shook his hand, �Come, I�ll show you the house.� He unlocked the front door and beckoned her to come inside.

Nook smiled half heartedly, for a second there�she thought that maybe�

"Snap out of it Nook!� She scolded herself, �He�s never coming back�� she felt a bit disappointed, but that voice�it was so familiar. She shook her head and followed Mr. Sukol inside.

"Well, this is the living room, kitchen, bathrooms�� Mr. Sukol gave Nook a tour of the lower story and told her what privileges she had, he then showed her the upstairs rooms. All the while, Nook was daydreaming about the house and how lucky she was to find a place like this.

"How do you like it so far?� He asked.

"I love it�� Nook looked around, �Are you sure the rooms are 400 here? It seems like it would be more��

"Yeah, but I�m only the landlord here, I just follow orders,� he shrugged, �Whatever my boss says, I have to follow��

"You mean you don�t own this place?� Nook wondered.

"Oh no! I�m not rich enough to afford a place like this!� He laughed, �Property here is too expensive��

"It sure is!� Nook laughed, �So who is the owner?�

"Um, the house belongs to my boss�s wife, but he�s in charge of the expenses and renting it out.�

"Oh, I see.� Nook answered, �Okay then, I guess there�s no better offer than this, I�ll take this room.�

"Ok, that�s wonderful, I�ll go get the applications okay? Wait right here�� Mr. Sukol hurried downstairs to his car.

Nook wandered around her new room, it was gorgeous. Hardwood floors, bay windows and it�s own little balcony. It didn�t have it�s own bathroom, but since there were so many, Nook figured it was like having her own bathroom. She shivered a bit as breeze swept through the room. The sunlight illuminated the white walls and it looked as if she were in heaven.

"It sure is beautiful�� she spoke.

"You already said that�� the familiar voice spoke.

"I know Mr. Sukol,� Nook laughed a little, �but I can�t help but marvel at it�s beauty�it�s what I�ve always dreamed of having one day�� she turned around and froze�

"I�m Mr. Suthikamol, not Mr. Sukol�� Oil smiled at her.

"Oil�� Nook�s whispered his name.

"This can�t be real!� she thought to herself, �I�m dreaming�no delirious!� She tried to head for the door but Oil took her in his arms and hugged her. Nook felt her body melt into his embrace�as if she was waiting forever for him.

"Don�t leave me again�� Oil whispered into her ear, he then held her in front of him and brushed her hair off her face, �I love you.�

Nook didn�t flinch, small beads of tears formed in the corner of her eyes.

"I love you�and I need you.� Oil spoke and leaned in closer and kissed her forehead.

"How�how did you know where I was?� Nook stuttered, part of her wanted to run away, but part of her wanted to stay. As if she was meant to be here�with him.

"I work in the city now, and I so happened to meet Tao�� Oil grinned.

"Blabbermouths�� Nook was going to get him back for this.

"It�s not his fault,� Oil laughed, �I beat it out of him�� he joked.

"You know that if you move in here, you can never move out right?� Oil said.

"What do you mean?� Nook was confused, �You don�t own the house, how do you know what the application says��

"Oh because, �you� own the house�� He smiled.

"What are you talking about? Mr. Sukol said it belongs to his boss�s wi---" then it hit her, �Mr. Sukol�s boss has to be��

"Me, and you are my wife�so the house belongs to you�forever.�

"And this is supposed to make everything better?� Nook asked.

"No�I�m not hoping to make �everything� better�I�m just hoping to make �something� better.�

"Where�d you put Tanya?� Nook's voice went serious.

"She�s in a mental hospital, she went crazy after trying to shoot me and Tao��

"She tried to shoot you?� Nook was shocked.

"Yeah�but it�s all over now�so I was hoping�� Oil began, �if I could get another chance. Can you forgive me?�

Nook looked into his eyes and saw her answer. She then wrapped her arms around Oil�s neck and whispered, �I believe in you��

END

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