“Wait!” the girl yelled. “Thank you.” She smiled.
“Consider it a gift, and just pay it forward someday.” I smiled as I walked back to my Explorer.
1
One Year Later…
I inserted the key into the lock and unlocked the door. I slowly turned the handle and lightly pushed the door open as I stepped inside my new apartment. I set my suitcases down and took a deep breath. I flipped the light switch on the wall next to the door and looked around. The furniture that I ordered online had arrived, and it was scattered all over the room. I rented this apartment based off the pictures showcased on the internet. I walked around and inspected the place. The light gray walls and white moldings gave the place a classic look. The eggplant color couch and loveseat I bought matched perfectly, as did the glass coffee table and end tables. I walked down the hall and into my bedroom. I flipped the light switch and stared at the empty space. The bedroom set was being delivered tomorrow. It was late, and I was exhausted as I drove fourteen hours straight from Portland to Santa Monica. My Explorer was filled with boxes, but they would have to wait until the morning. At that moment, I just wanted to feel the comfort of my new couch.
I spent the last year in Portland when my car broke down, and it took two weeks to get it repaired. I guess you could say the place grew on me, and I really didn’t have any other place to go. I rented an apartment, took a job as a freelance photographer for the local newspaper, and I was a substitute teacher for a few months at one of the local elementary schools. How did I end up in Santa Monica? The local newspaper shut down, and my gig as a substitute teacher had ended when the regular teacher came back from maternity leave. Giselle called me one day and said that her aunt Chris, the principal of an elementary school in Santa Monica, was looking for a long-term substitute teacher and that I should call her. So, I did, and that’s how I ended up here.
Giselle and Gretchen live in Santa Monica, and I was excited to be living near them again. They’re twins, and we’ve been best friends for as long as I could remember. I met them when I was six years old, when they moved into the house next door. Their father was an investment banker, and their mother was a model in her younger days. Giselle and Gretchen followed in their mother’s footsteps. With their 5’10” height and size 6 bodies, they were made to be models. I was envious of their deep brown eyes and their long, straight brown hair. Our mothers used to call us the three musketeers because we were inseparable. We did everything together, and we were always there when the other one needed us. The twins were my rock, and no matter what exotic place their job took them to, we talked every day.
***
I opened my eyes and was startled by the music I heard, coming through the wall. I grabbed my phone and looked at the time; it was 3:00 a.m. I had been sleeping for about two hours, which had become the norm for me since I caught Hunter and Brynn together in the church. My mind’s on permanent rewind, and every time I closed my eyes, that scene played over and over again. I got up from the couch, grabbed my purse, and walked to the bathroom. I wanted to wash my face, but I forgot that all my towels and washcloths were packed away in one of the boxes that sat in the Explorer. I took the brush out of my purse and ran it through my long, blonde hair. I searched for a rubber band and pulled my hair into a high ponytail. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help but notice the bags underneath my blue-gray eyes. I really needed a shower, so I put on my shoes, grabbed my keys, and headed towards the Explorer. As I stepped out into the hallway of my apartment, I stood there and stared at the door from which the blaring music was coming from. I shook my head, rolled my eyes, and headed to my SUV for the box that was labeled: BATHROOM.
I lifted the box out of the Explorer, and then carried it to the door of the apartment building. I set the box down for a minute while I opened the door with my key. As I was inserting the key, the door opened, and I stumbled back, nearly being knocked down.
“I’m sorry, miss, I didn’t see you there,” he apologized.
He looked at me and then at the box on the ground. “Are you moving in?” he asked as he looked at his watch.
“Yes, I just got here a few hours ago, and I haven’t had a chance to get the boxes from my truck,” I answered.
“It’s nice to meet you; I’m Sam,” he said as he held out his hand.
“Hi, I’m Lily. It’s nice to meet you too.”
“Let me grab that box for you,” he offered as he bent down to pick it up.
“No, that’s alright, I’ve got it,” I said as I put my hand in front of him.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Let me carry the box for you since I almost knocked you on your ass with the door.” He smiled.
It was the middle of the night, and I was arguing with a hot guy over a box. “Fine; my apartment’s right there,” I said as I pointed to my door.
Sam looked at me and smiled. “Well, look at that; looks like we’re neighbors.”
I opened the door for him as he stepped inside my apartment and set the box down on the floor. “So, you’re the one playing the loud music at 3:00 a.m.?” I asked.
“Sorry about that,” he said as shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll tell Lucky to keep it down.”
“I’d appreciate that. Thanks for the help with the box,” I said as I shut the door.
I spent the next hour unpacking the box and putting away the towels. I organized all my bathroom items and then took a hot, relaxing bubble bath. My hands began to wander as it had been a while since my battery operated boyfriend and I had a date. As soon as I was finished, I got out of the tub, wrapped a towel around me, and walked into the living room where my suitcases were. I opened one suitcase and pulled out a pair of jean shorts and a navy blue tank top. I grabbed my phone from the couch and looked at the time; it was 6:00 a.m. Giselle and Gretchen were coming over to help me unpack around 8:00 a.m., and the bedroom set was being delivered between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. I blow-dried my hair then put it back up in a high ponytail. I put on some light makeup and then decided to go for some coffee.
I stepped out of my apartment at the same time Sam did his. We both looked at each other, and he smiled. “Don’t you ever sleep?” he asked.
“I should be asking you the same thing.” I smiled back.
Sam was hot; there was no question about it. He stood around six feet tall with a great muscular body, sandy brown hair, and brown eyes. He definitely fit the Santa Monica image.
“Where are you off to so early in the morning?” he asked.
It really wasn’t any of his business, but he was being nice, so I felt the neighborly thing to do was to be nice in return.
“I’m off to find some much needed caffeine,” I replied as I stepped out of the building door, and he followed behind me.
“Me too,” he said. “I went to make some coffee, but the bag was empty. I hate it when Luke doesn’t tell me we’re out of coffee.”
“Luke?” I asked.
“Yeah, he’s my BF and roommate. Hey, would you like to go get some coffee together?” he asked with a smile.
I studied him. Sam seemed like a really nice guy, and he was gay, so I didn’t have to worry about him hitting on me.
“Sure, I’ll go with you, but we have to make it quick; my girlfriends are coming over to help me unpack.”
I hopped into his truck, and we drove down the road to a coffee house called ‘Brewsters.’ We walked inside, and Sam was instantly greeted by the girl behind the counter.
“Morning, Sam! Who’s your friend?” she asked as she was wiping down the counter.
“Morning, Jamie! This is Lily; she just moved in next door. Lily, this is my cousin, Jamie; she owns this lovely coffee house.”
Jamie wiped her hand dry and held it out to me as I gently shook it.
“It’s nice to meet you, Lily. Are you new in town?”
“Yes, I just moved here from Portland last night,” I replied.
“Great, well welcome to Santa Monica and to Brewsters! What can I get you?” she asked.
“I’ll just have a large black coffee.” I smiled. I looked over at Sam and found him staring at me. “What?” I asked.
“That’s how Luke drinks his coffee. I don’t understand how you can drink it with no sugar or cream. We argue about it all the time.”
“Everyone has different coffee taste, Sam,” Jamie said.
“Let me pay for your coffee,” I said to Sam.
“It’s on the house.” Jamie smiled as she handed us our coffees. “Cheap-ass, Sam, over here never pays. Consider it a ‘welcome to Santa Monica gift.’”
“Thanks, Jamie!” Sam smiled as he grabbed a bag of coffee from the shelf. “I’m taking a bag home; I owe you!”
Jamie rolled her eyes. “He owes me every week.” She laughed.
“Thank you, Jamie. It was nice to meet you.” I smiled as I held up my coffee cup.
“It was to meet you too!”
I walked out of Brewsters and climbed into the truck. “Your cousin is really nice,” I said.
“Yeah, she’s more like my sister. She came to live with me and my family when she was eight years old. Her mom and dad were drug dealers who got caught, and they were sent to prison.”
“Are they still in prison?” I asked.
“Yeah, 20 years later, and they’re still there. She hasn’t seen them in all these years either.”
We arrived back at the apartment building, and I got out of the truck. I walked over to my Explorer and set my coffee cup on the hood. I took the keys from my purse and unlocked it. Sam followed me.
“Let me give you a hand with those boxes,” he offered.
“That’s alright, Sam. Go enjoy your coffee. I can handle this.”
He walked over to the back of the Explorer. “Nah, come on, Lily; just let me help. It’s the neighborly thing to do anyway.”
I sighed and unwillingly opened the hatch. Sam smiled, grabbed a box, and headed towards the apartment building. I stepped ahead of him so that I could hold open the door. Before I got up to the door, it swung open, and a guy stood there, staring at me.
“Luke, you’re just in time; hold this box,” Sam said as he handed it to him.
“What are you doing?” Luke asked. “I woke up, and you were gone. By the way, there’s no coffee left.”
“Yeah, I know; I just picked some up at Brewsters. I have the bag in my truck. By the way, this is Lily; she’s our new next-door neighbor.”
Luke looked at me. “Hey,” he said as he quickly looked away.
“Hey,” I replied back.
I couldn’t help but stare at him. He stood in the doorway—all six feet of him—in ripped jeans and a gray muscle shirt. He was barefoot, and his short, brown hair was messy. He was definitely one of the hottest men that I’d ever seen. You could tell he worked out by the muscle and definition in his arms and shoulders. He had a Celtic cross tattooed on his left bicep, with wings behind it. Thank God he was gay. I felt rather uncomfortable because Luke didn’t seem as friendly as Sam did.