Moving in didn't take long, since I had almost no existing furniture to my name. I only had to pack what remained of my personal stuff—clothes, books, school supplies, and my laptop. The rest of my newly purchased furniture arrived by store delivery a few days later, meaning no work for me. Now there was a mattress set, still wrapped in large plastic bags, which stood against the wall in the bedroom. Strewn across the living room floor were boxes of yet-to-be-assembled furniture.
As I surveyed my upcoming job, my bravado faded a little. I sucked at putting furniture together, especially the trendy Scandinavian kind. That had always been Rick's job, but now...
I sighed, fighting off yet another wave of aching. My stomach growled in response, my hunger adding insult to injury. I hadn't had breakfast yet, but I had nothing in my apartment to eat, or to eat with. In my haste to leave my previous life behind, I had sold or discarded the entire contents of our kitchen.
I figured breakfast at a local café would give me the strength to face this large project. Besides, I was itching to get out and explore my new neighbourhood. The sun shone brightly through the large picture window, and it was already looking like it would be a beautiful day, a last remnant of summer before autumn finally took hold.
Pulling on a light jacket, I locked the door, the bolt falling easily into place with a satisfying clunk, and bounded up the stairs. A new resolve filled me as I felt the sun warming my face. The frustration I had felt in my apartment quickly faded away, replaced by an overwhelming feeling of hope. I had a new place and the chance for a whole new life.
Lost in my own world, I suddenly smacked into something. No, not something, someone. Distracted by the warm sun, I knew I had been the one who hadn't been paying attention, but my mouth still filled with snarling remarks.
"Hey, watch—" I snapped, as I looked up... and then quickly swallowed all my hateful words.
Before me stood a gorgeous man. Not just cute or kind-of hot. He was literally gorgeous, the kind of man who could say he was a model or an actor and no one would doubt him for a second. His black hair was pushed back on his head in a sexy, bedhead sort of way, and the bright sun shone off the slight wave in it, bending around his indigo highlights. His dark, golden skin contrasted beautifully with his amazing eyes. Eyes that were bright green—really green—like fresh, lush grass.
I tried to turn my grimace into an apologetic smile, but I could only seem to achieve a dopey grin.
"Sorry." He returned my smile, though his was much more charming, then quickly wove around me, out onto the sidewalk.
It didn't really dawn on me until he was at least half a block away—as I was watching him like a lobotomized puppy—that he had come from the weird little shop next door. He was not the type I expected to be visiting a silly psychic. I glanced back at it, expecting to see the lights on and the neon sign flashing in the shade. But it was as dark as the night before, and a small sign in the window's bottom corner, leaning against the glass, read "CLOSED".
Why was he there if it wasn't open? Maybe he knew the owner. Or was he just an extremely good-looking delivery man? Maybe I could have him deliver something to my place... Focused on the idea of this stranger and the shop, I almost walked right past the ideal breakfast place: a coffee shop that was not even two blocks from my apartment. It had an all-day breakfast special for three dollars. Exactly what I was looking for.
✦
Having my fill of eggs, hash browns, sausages, and three generously sized cups of coffee, I was finally ready to work. As I passed by the weird shop again on the way home, there was still no light behind the intricate design on the window. My mind lingered on it for another moment, before the speed of caffeine ushered it on to a different topic.
Thanks to gratuitous amounts of coffee, I managed put together all of my furniture in one sitting. It wasn't as hard as I had expected. Rick had always told me that following the instructions would be too hard for me to handle, that it would be best to leave it to him. And, foolishly, I'd believed him, never giving myself the chance. He had been wrong, like he had been about so many other things.
I pushed my now complete furniture—a couch, a coffee table, a bookcase, two bar chairs, and a desk—into a suitable arrangement. My apartment was now officially liveable. I was pretty proud of myself, and the sense of accomplishment was deeper than the fact that I'd put together my oddly named coffee table (something with too many K's) all by myself. I didn't need him anymore. I could survive on my own.
Flopping onto the couch, I took it all in. But my pride began to fade the minute I rested, no longer fuelled by a caffeine binge or distracted by the mountain of instructions. My mind settled on the thought of Rick, our end, and my anger. The ache returned with a vengeance, buzzing along my veins in place of the caffeine. I sighed. Yes, I had rebuilt my life in three weeks, replaced everything—everything, except for him. He was a nagging detail, like a leftover string I was unable to tie up. I wanted to shut him out, and I needed to do something to finally close that chapter of my life.
Suddenly my small apartment felt far too big for just me. There was no one else here, and for the first time in a long time, I was alone.
I wanted to call someone, but there was no one to call. When I'd parted ways with Rick, I also parted ways with most of my friends. They had been our friends, but they had taken his side. When all had been revealed, they defended him, and even tried to convince me that I was overreacting. I couldn't look at them, let alone trust them, now.
I just wanted someone who could tell me what I already knew, just because it helped to hear it from someone else. I needed someone to assure me this was temporary, that I'd bounce back. Someone to tell me that I'd find a guy ten times more loyal and a hundred times hotter than Rick.
Hotter...
The word remained after the others had faded, dragging me away from my self-pity and back to the beautiful stranger I had run into, literally, on the street, only hours ago. My mind lingered on the details of his face. It'd be nice to run into him again, though perhaps not so violently this time. Then we'd get to talking, and... I smiled to myself as I sank into sleep. I curled up on my new couch and dreamt of the stranger.
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