One of his friends is doing her master’s abroad. She has an apartment on Válastígur, and she’s offered to rent it out to him. It’s a much better space than the basement apartment, and he’s invited me to move in with him . . . if I promise to stop acting crazy and cutting myself. Now everything will be better. I tossed out the pocketknife. It’s our new beginning.

Household

Household

The new apartment is great! It’s right downtown, and we wake up to the bells of Hallgrímskirkja Church. We’re close to everything. The kitchen is on the large side and it has these gorgeous orange walls. We stock the fridge with vegetables and health food—no Diet Coke, no hot dogs or meat of any kind. I don’t know what’ll become of his roommate; I hope he doesn’t end up snowed in by piles of dust and lint. We’ve never had so much room to breathe and be ourselves; we have a living room just for us, plus the bedroom. You could almost go wild from comfort. The living room leads to a beautiful garden. In summer, we can sit there and drink beer and play games. I haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to pay my portion of the rent with my gig at the café, but I’m sure it’ll turn out okay.

Books

Books

The sheer number of books he has caught me completely off guard. I knew that all the windowsills and empty surfaces in his room were stacked with books, but I had no idea about the rest of them. As we packed everything up, I realized that his closet and all its shelves were full of books instead of clothes. When we ferried over to Válastígur and started to put the books in order, I felt like I was walling myself in. But I’ve promised to stop being crazy, so I don’t breathe a word about the choke of claustrophobia that’s encroaching upon me.

Compromise I

Compromise I

Even though we live together now, I don’t call him my boyfriend. I think that label is too cliché, and it’d be too awkward after all this time. I call him my fake man.

The Natural Habitat of Vegetarians

The Natural Habitat of Vegetarians

It’s great to feel grown up. On Válastígur, we can have everything the way we want it. We recycle, cook vegetarian meals, read as many books as we want, and sometimes we stay awake all night and watch movies. Our home, on our terms.

Childhood

Childhood