Love In Between(3)

“No, actually, something came up, so my fiancé and I aren’t able to go. I don’t want them to go to waste, and you two look like you would enjoy Aruba together.”

She looked at him, and they both looked at me. “Let me pay you for the tickets,” the guy said as he reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet.

“No, please, just take them. I don’t want your money. Just promise me that you’ll have a good time,” I said as I put the tickets on the table and started to walk away.

“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

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One Year Later...



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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.