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“I wish you would’ve come home with me,” he whispers.
“Me too. But I need to focus on finding an apartment, and you’ll distract me.”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He sounds disappointed.
“Good night,” I whisper. He hangs up. Whew. I’m glad I got that off my chest. I wash up then drift off into a restless sleep.
These past few days have been a blur. I spend most of my waking hours looking through the paper and the internet trying to find an appropriate and affordable place to live. Everywhere decent is expensive. I want to live in a complex not in someone’s basement. Any halfway respectable apartments that I can afford are in non-desirable neighborhoods. I don’t want to come home to a break-in or have my windows smashed out to get my stock stereo. There has to be an easier way. My only other option is to go through a realtor. They could find me a place no problem, but it costs extra.
It’s Thursday evening, and 4th of July. Every year, my parents would throw this kick-ass party at the house over on Davis. People would come over from the mainland and party until dawn. My dad would light fireworks from the beach, and I would run around in circles with sparklers. Now, we don’t do much of anything. My mom tries to pretend the holiday doesn’t exist. Her friends call and try to get her to come out but to no avail. I try not to do too much of anything either. I’m working later tonight so that will be a nice distraction.
At my NOAA orientation, I met some of the other team members. My official start date is Monday, but I was asked to be on the site earlier this morning. It was out in Nassau, practically in Queens. Maybe Chase is right, and I should get an apartment in the city.
I’m sitting at my mom’s kitchen table about to head out to Anthony’s when my cell phone rings. It’s Chase. I swear he knows when I’m thinking about him.
“Hi,” I greet.
“Hello, beautiful. Any luck?” He knows I’ve been looking non-stop.
“No, nothing yet.”
“Now, I know what you said about Manhattan. I still think you should consider it. There are lots of places here that have reasonable rates.”
“I know. But I don’t know how I feel about living in the city.”
“It’s fun. There’s always something to do.” He really wants me living close. I’m not sure where this relationship is heading, and I might need some distance. On the other hand, if all goes well it could be fun.
Defeated, I sigh into the phone. “Do you have anywhere in mind?” I hear a quick gasp of air from the other end of the phone.
“I do as a matter of fact. Can you meet me tomorrow morning?”
“What time?”
“Say around ten? There are three places I want you to see.”
“As long as I’m back by five. I have to be at the restaurant for work at six. I technically don’t start with NOAA until Monday.”
“That won’t be a problem. I’ll only have a couple of hours in between meetings anyway,” he adds.
“Where should I meet you?”
“I’ll be at the office, meet me there.” He gives me the address, and I jot it down.
“Okay, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night, beautiful,” he breathes.
“Good night.”
Early the next morning, I head toward Chase’s office in Manhattan. I know if I don’t leave by a certain time, I’ll hit all kinds of traffic on the Expressway. I have the address programmed into my GPS. He works in the financial district, almost around the corner from his apartment.
The drive isn’t too bad. I connect my phone’s Pandora to my stereo so I have favorable music to listen to. This early, all that’s on the radio are morning talk shows. I drive along singing to a mix of my favorites.
I arrive at his office at a quarter to ten. I have to circle around a few times before I can find a place to park. Once situated, I sit and wait for Chase to appear.
He pops out of his building right on time. I get out of the Jeep to meet him. He sees me and makes his way over to me, pulling me into an embrace. I feel so comfortable in his arms. He kisses me on top of my head.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he greets.
