AllFreeNovel
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Ilean back, resting my head on the seat in my car as I stare out toward my apartment building. I dropped Ellis off near the thrift store to pick up her vehicle. When I look at the clockon my dashboard and readone a.m.,I start to think that maybe she’s gone home.
Did she get home safely?
I should have gotten her number or at least given her mine.
Pulling out my phone, I glance at my text messages and see a thread from Noah.
Noah:I need an update.
Noah:How was Angie’s wedding?
Noah:You still with her?
I stare at the screen, my eyes heavy as I think up a response.
Me:Got chased out of the wedding. It was fun. She’s supposed to meet me at my place soon.
I wince, reading the message over again and realizing what Noah might infer. I quickly type out clarification to keep him from drawing conclusions.
Me:Not what you think.
I watch the typing bubble appear, and moments later, a giant eggplant emoji shows up on my screen.
I roll my eyes and shove my phone back in my pocket, looking up just in time to see the headlights shine into my windows, a car driving slowly around the parking lot.
In the dark, I can’t see what the car looks like, so pull the door handle and crawl out of the Jeep. If it’s not Ellis, then I tell myself I should give up–go inside and move on.
Luckily, I watch as the car pulls around and parks a few spaces down. Ellis sits in the driver's seat and puts the car in park. She cuts the engine and climbs out with the corduroy button down over her ripped and muddied dress.
She smiles, pulling a backpack over her shoulder before meeting me on the sidewalk in front of my place.
“Hey.” My hands are in my pockets, the icy wind kissing my cheeks as the dark sky stretches overhead. Half of her face is shadowed, the streetlight illuminating the other half.
“Hey.” Ellis wraps her arms around herself to fight off the cold. “Ready to write the next pop hit?”
I chuckle, my breath billowing out in front of my face. The December air swirls around us and I nod toward the steps. “Third floor,” I say, “And absolutely.”
We climb the steps in silence, and I can almost hear my heart pounding in my chest. It’s hard to know how to behave around her. On one hand, we are complete strangers, but on the other, we just spent the last four hours pretending to be a married couple at a wedding we weren’t even invited to. Now that we’re alone, there’s more distance between us.
“This is it.” I fish my apartment key out of my pocket and unlock the door to invite her in.
Ellis steps in behind me and immediately looks around the dark before carefully closing the door. I can’t see her expression until I walk through the living room to flick on the lamp. The light shines over the breakfast nook, the galley kitchen, and the living space in one go.
“It’s not a very big apartment,” I admit, suddenly aware of how bare my walls are and the plate and cup still sitting on the black coffee table. I quickly pick them up and deposit them into the sink.
“It’s nice,” she says, “but I don’t see a piano.”
“It’s a keyboard, technically, and it’s in the closet.”
Her eyes widen, and I notice the way she cracks her knuckles, wondering how nervous she must be showing up here–thankful that she did.
“The apartments here are small, but they have decent sized walk-in closets as part of the master bedroom.” I clear my throat, suddenly aware of how that sounds. “It’s where I keep all mymusic stuff. I won’t bore you with the details, but it’s less work to treat the room when it’s smaller. It is, however, large enough to hold a bunch of my shit.”
She nods, eyes flicking to the breakfast nook in the corner.
“Here,” I say, taking a step back to give her space. “I’m going to go change. I have some clothes in the guest bedroom since my closet is currently being used. You can go back there first, check it out. If you’re nervous, I’d be happy to give you a kitchen knife.” My mouth quirks up at one corner. “If for any reason you feel unsafe, you’re welcome to stab me with it.”
She laughs then, her shoulders relaxing, and I’m thankful for it. It’s a glimpse of the version of Ellis I saw at the wedding–one more puzzle piece to place.
