Kris heaved the bag onto his back, testing its weight against his shoulders. Bloody hell, it was heavy. He was, of course, going to get Nathan to carry most of it because Nathan could survive six months in the desert with a toothbrush and a pair of socks, but he would still have to take some of it himself. He unpacked some of the more unnecessary items from the bag – well, bag was an understatement, it seemed to be the size of a good-sized family car, but still – and tried it on his shoulders once more. Much better.
He flung it into his wardrobe, wincing at the heavy, dull clunking sound it had made and praying it hadn’t woken anyone in the rest of the flat – he’d promised Zoe he’d stay quiet while he packed, in exchange for her not telling Jess he was leaving. Thankfully, it appeared everyone was still sleeping soundly.
He checked the clock; the fluorescent green numbers read 1:12 AM. Nathan was supposed to arrive at four, which actually meant he would be downstairs at half three, because Nate was always petrified of being even a millisecond late. That gave him just over two hours to sleep. Kris flopped back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling.
He’d finally managed to get to sleep when his phone began to ring. It had a very annoying ringtone that he had no idea how to change – he’d got this one by changing it by accident, and now it sounded something like a cross between birds singing and someone strangling a cat. He didn’t need to look at it to know who it was. Who else would be calling him at ten to three?
“This is bordering on obsessive, Nathan. We don’t have to go for an HOUR.”
“Early bird, bro. We catch worms and stuff. Figuratively, of course.” A strong Irish accent replied. “Now, come on, the taxi guy’s on the clock.”
Kris shook his head. “I’m coming.”
He hung up the phone and shoved it into his pocket. Pulling on a hoodie, he threw a crumpled envelope onto his bed and hauled his bag out of the wardrobe. He let himself out of the flat and locked the door once again. Walked off down the hall. Didn’t look back.