An image flashed through my head of Easton on his knees inside the enormous tub, hands gripping my ass as I stood with my hands against the wall, looking down as his lips stretched around my cock. I felt heat rise in my face at that memory. When I looked at Easton the flush on his cheeks told me he was probably thinking of the exact same thing.

I cleared my throat, definitely not ready to go down memory lane, and started climbing the stairs. When I got up there I instantly noticed the huge bay windows. We were high enough that I could see the Cornell grounds, the top of the famous clock tower in the West part of campus visible right at the center of the window.

Easton came up beside me as I took in the view. “I have the same view at my place.” He shrugged. “Well, mine is slightly higher up.” He waved his arm toward the bathroom. “You want to see?”

I nodded, brushing past him and into the bathroom, still not saying much. It was huge, all done in slate-colored tiles. The tub and shower also done in a dark gray. It was spacious and comfortable and right then it hit me. Being here, looking at this place started to feel monumental.

I could afford this place.

This luxurious apartment, with everything spotless and beautiful, was something I could easily pay for. I made enough money now to rent it and not have to worry about whether I could afford heat or food with my meager grad student stipend. All those years of wondering if I was doing the right thing by trying it in a world where people like me didn’t just have a hard time of it, but were practically nonexistent. Even though I still had tenure to worry about, I felt...proud of myself.

Right there and now for the first time since graduation and the grueling stress of the job market, it finally felt like this was real. I’d done this, I had finished a PhD in Economics from Columbia University. A kid who came as a refugee from Haiti as a six-year-old, had done that. Against all the fucking odds.

I glanced over at Easton, who was looking at me like he realized there was something going on with me. Then a really strange thing happened—I wanted to tell him about it.

I didn’t even know why. With Easton’s background I wasn’t sure if he could get the magnitude of this moment, but I decided not to make assumptions. I wanted to share this with him. Not because he was the only person with me right then, but because I wanted Easton to know how much this mattered.

He stood there patiently waiting for me to speak. “Sorry I’m acting so weird. It just hit me that I can actually afford this place.” I sounded astonished, and the way his eyes softened made me feel seen. Like he got it. “I guess I hadn’t really let it sink yet that I’m not on a graduate student budget anymore.”