AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 1
Everly
The sound of gravel under the tires pulls me out of my thoughts. I am finally home. Well, at least close enough to it. I peer out the frosty window and take in the sight of my sister Melissa's cozy home. A tiny porch, inviting windows, and the flowerpots full of dead plants now that the winter weather has taken over are a welcome sight.
I put the car into park and begin to unload my bags when Mel comes out to greet me. “You made it!” Her bright smile and welcoming nature always make me feel better.
My sister is a bouncy, sunshine, and daisy type of person. She is always who I wanted to be. Tall and thin with long gorgeous dark brown hair with just the perfect amount of waves. Her personality paired with her looks meant that she always had boys chasing after her.
“I’m glad you had faith in my driving ability,” I chuckle as we hug. It’s no secret that I have drawbacks to driving. Daytime, I’m solid. Going across town, no problem. The hard part is any kind of weather; storms, rain, snow, and ice are a big no. I would much rather stay home, thank you very much.
Coming back to Chicago in the winter might not have been the best idea for my driving issues, but seeing my sister is much needed.
This school year has been trying. When they say ‘there’s no tired like teacher tired’ they aren’t lying. My days are filled with keeping twenty-five third graders alive. I love teaching, but I can only hear my name being called so many times before I start to lose my mind. 'Ms. Williams, can I go to the bathroom?’ ‘Ms. Williams, Tommy drew on my paper.’ ‘Ms. Williams, do I have to do this?’ Not to mention the plethora of other responsibilities that go along with teaching. To say I needed a break is an understatement.
We make our way inside the house, Mel struggling with my luggage that she insists on carrying. The hot air is quickly warming my cold cheeks, the scent of Christmas Pine wafting through the air. Mel’s place is a 2-bedroom house 30 minutes outside of Chicago, just two blocks away from the house we grew up in. It’s set on a plot of land surrounded by fields, the long gravel driveway cutting through the now-dead ankle-height grass.
“I tried to clean up a bit for you Ev, but you know how I get distracted,” Mel calls over her shoulder as we make our way down the narrow hallway to her spare bedroom. I do know how she gets. She gets so caught up in whatever music she is listening to and ends up dancing more than cleaning. “Don’t worry though, I made sure to start in here so I knew it would get done.”
The room has a dark green theme. Fake hanging plants and ivy are in the corner to the right of the metal framed bed. The fuzzy white rug takes up the majority of the floor space, which adds to the comfortable feeling of the room. One dresser and a small closet are all it has to offer for storage. That’s okay though, I am only here through Christmas, which is a couple of days away.
I place my luggage at the foot of the bed and plop down, throwing myself on the bed. Mel leaves me alone to get myself situated. The hour-long drive was not bad. I almost lost my voice due to the horrid amount of singing I did in the car, but my brain is tired. I lay still for a moment, sighing.
Christmas is normally spent at our parent's house with all of us together. This year is a bit different though. My brother, Tanner, and his girlfriend Kate are celebrating with her family this year. Kate’s parents offered to have my parents join them on a cruise they take every year for Christmas in the Caribbean. My mom has been bugging my dad for years to go on a vacation, and she jumped at the opportunity. That leaves my sister and me to fend for ourselves. Which, honestly, I am not mad at.
My sister and I are two sides of the same coin. I'm curvy to her thin. The quiet one compared to her boisterous personality. We complement each other well. She is exactly who I need to help pull me out of the mud I feel like I’ve been stuck in.
After taking off my shoes and putting my comfy pants on, I make my way to her living room. “Wine. I need wine.” I state as I round the corner. Whenever Melissa and I get together, some sort of wine is involved.
I hear glasses clinking from the kitchen. “Already on it!” Mel shouts as I hear the pop of the cork. Mel has a monthly wine subscription, so there is no telling what kind of wine we will be drinking today.
I eye the bottle she carries in and sets on the coffee table. “It says it’s a sweet red, so hopefully you like it. It’s not a brand I’ve heard of before.” She holds up the bottle, carefully examining the label before shrugging and pouring us generous glasses of the red liquid. We both tilt our glasses and take a sip. The taste of sweet berries and dark chocolate coats my mouth. The alcohol is already working to warm me from the inside out. I don’t drink often, but alcohol is a great way to get me to relax. One time I drank too much too fast and had to be escorted from a concert, my sister laughing at me as we walked arm in arm out of the venue.
Mel places the bottle on her coffee table before settling onto the couch, grabbing a blanket.“Ok Everly, let’s get to it. How’s everything going?” Mel curls her legs under her on the couch and turns towards me, ready to pry information from me. I laugh and roll my eyes. Leave it to my nosy sister to get straight to the juicy bits. Coyly, I take another sip of my wine trying to buy myself some time. “Oh come on! Out with it!”
“Alright, alright” I shout, eagerly waving my free hand to get her to stop shouting at me. “There isn’t anything to tell,” I sigh, reaching over and placing my now half-empty glass on the side table. I think about what has gone on in my life recently, and nothing comes to mind. “Life has just been school and home since September. By the time I get home, I’m too exhausted to do anything.” I’m not lying either. Life consists of work and home with the occasional friend get-together once a month.
“So, like, you haven’t been dating? I thought you said you went out a couple of times with that one guy…what’s his name…” she snaps her fingers, like that will help her remember. Once she has it, she practically shouts, “Mitchell!”
I laugh as she fist pumps the air.“Mitchell was nice and all, but there wasn’t a spark with him.” I scrunch up my face as I think about what kissing him was like. Just blah. Sure, he was nice and wasn’t bad looking, but I want that passion that consumes me. He was not it. I tell my sister just as much and she nods her head, agreeing with me.
“No, I get it. I have that with Kyle. We can’t get enough of each other. It’s like every time I see him, my world stops.” She sighs and puts her hand on her chest over her heart. Mel is a serial monogamist. She’s been in relationships nonstop since high school. Kyle is the most recent of her boyfriends, one that I have been hearing a lot about for several months. They met while Mel was at a work function at the law firm she works for as an assistant. Kyle was one of the clients her firm was trying to recruit. He sounds nice enough and Mel has been falling hard for him since they got together.
We sit and chat for several hours like this. Each drinking several glasses of wine, enjoying each other's company. She listens to me complain about work and I listen to the crazy escapades she gets into with her group of friends. When I explain to her how stuck I’ve been feeling, she puts her hand on her chin, obviously thinking very seriously about something.
"I know what we need. We need to go out!” Mel jumps up off the couch and points at me. “Get ready. We are leaving in an hour.” She downs her glass and races to her bedroom, no doubt about to make a mess of her closet as she picks out the perfect outfit.
I groan. Everly Williams is not the going-out type of person. But I knew this would be coming eventually. Mel is notorious for dragging me to places I don’t want to go but I will, just to please her. Maybe this is exactly what I need though. Something to restart my life, to infuse some semblance of joy. With a huge sigh, I heave myself off the couch, already planning my outfit, thankful that I had enough foresight to at least pack something worthy of a night out
***
Holden
The bass of the music reverberates through my chest as I make my way through the crowd of sweaty bodies to the VIP section upstairs. I loathe nightclubs, but Ryan is dead set on buying this one. The asshole. The bouncer sees me coming and unclips the velvet rope that keeps the regulars from finding their way into places they shouldn’t.
A waitress wearing a short, black cocktail dress and far too much makeup places the glass of top-shelf whisky on the low table in front of me. I barely glance her way as she swishes her ass in my face. Not tonight sweetheart.
Just as I reach for my glass, Ryan’s wide eyes and cocky grin appear, coming up the stairs. Ryan is the whole damn reason I am here, in this club, in goddamn Chicago. Ryan has been my business partner since college. He’s stuck with me through some of my dumber business ventures, so now it’s my turn to join in on his. Even if it means returning to the city that I hate.
