Chapter One

My hair was perfect, make-up natural but pretty, and my outfit was simply fabulous. I was getting ready for work. I am a photographer and I love to look my best while I am there. So here I am, at quarter to 7, ready to go and out the door. I strutted down the hallway of my little New York apartment in my crimson red peep toe heels, which showed off newly yellow painted toes, a simple charcoal grey short-sleeved dress and a red and yellow flowered scarf. I stepped into the elevator and pressed the second floor button. I lived on the third floor with my Dalmatian puppy, Popsicle. The elevator came to a stop and the door opened, revealing the river painting in the hallway right outside of the elevator. I stepped out and headed down the hall toward Lucy’s apartment; she was my best friend of several years and lived with her boyfriend Alex.
When I came to the door I did not even have to knock because she flung the door open, held up a finger and disappeared into the apartment. She was wearing a robe and her hair wrapped in a towel. I followed, closing the door behind me. I glanced around, looking for Willy, Lucy’s cat, when I found him I picked him up and stroked his back, cuddling him against my neck. When I set him down, he scurried off to the kitchen. I tossed my purse onto her pearl white chair and sat on the couch. I waited for Lucy to return so we could leave. When she returned she was attempting to put an earring in while she looked for her shoes.
“Which pair are you looking for?” I asked looking around the room/
“The one with the bow on top.” She said, getting on all fours, looking under the coffee table.
I got up and looked in the kitchen, then decided to search the bathroom when I didn’t find it. This seemed to happen a lot; I would come over, and she would still be getting ready, and somehow I always am stuck searching for something. When I entered the bathroom, I saw them lying on the floor by the tub. Which means she probably came home from work and got into the tub, leaving her shoes were she took them off. I grabbed them both by the heel, and headed back for the living room.
“How was work yesterday?” I asked, hiding the shoes behind my back.
“Stressful.” She said glaring at me.
“Aw, I’m sorry.” I smiled.
A few moments later, Lucy shot up from the floor and ran to the bathroom. I followed and when she turned with worry in her eyes, I handed them to her.
“Next time, remember where you take your shoes off!” I said, rolling my eyes and heading back to the living room.
She appeared a moment later, her earrings in, shoes on, hair curly with a sparkly bobby pin holding her bangs out of her face, and her black suit skirt, and shiny blue button down with diamond buttons. I grabbed my stuff and waited by the door as she disappeared into her bedroom to say good-bye to Alex. When she returned, we left.
We headed down the hallway and back into the elevator. I watched as the doors closed on my view of the painting, and down we went. We had a routine because work started at the same time for both of us, 8:30 A.M. Lucy and I first met in high school, and we always kept in touch and visited one another during college. She went to culinary school, and I went to school for photography after that, we ended up both taking the same business course. After college, we decided we should get apartments near one another. We searched for the perfect stores, and ended up finding two right next to each other! Therefore, we decided the Parc East Apartments would be best.
My photography studio, ‘Life captured by Rachel’ was on the left and her bakery ‘The Best by Lucy’ was on the right. The only thing that separated the two stores was a foot long brick wall. The two were in the same building, and shared a parking lot in the back. They were long and short so the distance from the front of the building and the actual parking lot was shorter than most in New York City. The windows in the front had red and white canopies over them, and our store names were on big signs above the front door.
As we walked out of the apartment building the greeter, (Ronald) waved good-bye. I waved back and ran to catch up with Lucy. She was always a fast walker when she was going to work because she was afraid the baker she hired was going to burn down the building if we did not get there in time. We walked in silence as always, listening to the sound of cars and taxi‘s going by. As we passed the dance studio about a block from the stores, Katy Perry was on; she is one of my favorite artists. As we kept, walking by I nodded my head to the beat and saw Lucy tapping her hand on her thigh. We crossed the street and slowed down our heavy pace as we approached the building. Instead of unlocking my studio, I followed Lucy into her bakery. The smell of fresh cookies and muffins filled the air. I smiled to the sight of my favorite thing at the bakery; the strawberry slice muffin. Kaitlin, the early morning baker, handed me one of the muffins and disappeared back into the kitchen. I picked up the muffin and took the top off, taking a bite of the warm bottom. After I placed the top and the bottom of the muffin into one of the brown bags on the counter, Lucy brought me my coffee. She was wearing her white apron that held many stains of flour, chocolate, and batter.
“Bye Lucy! See you at lunchtime.” I said, grabbing my stuff and heading to the door.
“Bye. See you then!” She yelled back.
AS I got to the door and old man was coming in, so I let him pass and proceeded through the exit. I walked over to my studio, put the top of my bag in my mouth, and dug through my purse with my free hand. After I found my keys I grabbed the zebra striped one and stuck it into the key hole. I turned the knob and opened the door. Grabbing my bag out of my mouth and proceeding inside. I let the door close and headed into the back. I put my purse away, set my muffin on the table, and headed back to the front. I turned the lights on and flipped the sign to open. I sat at the front desk, waiting for someone to come in before my first appointment. I sipped my hazelnut coffee and sat, with my legs crossed, on my lime green swivel chair. I glanced around the room, looking at my every other lime green wall, and my every other white wall. I looked at all of the mirrors I had, and wall decorations. For example; I had a big flowered painting above a small row of seats, a few wired flowers above another row of seats across from it, and some photos I had taken hung on a small wall from floor to ceiling. I looked around behind me and stared at the circle mirrors that hung all around the back wall. I glanced down at my desk and looked at how messy it was. Therefore, I decided to tidy up, by placing all of my gel pens into the diamond studded pencil holder, placing my un-used sticky notes into a pile, and writing down all of the important things on the calendar that I had not done the day before. I then opened the bottom drawer and pulled out my appointment book, which sadly weighed almost 20 lbs. I set it on the desk with a slight thud, and opened to this week’s page. It read:
Tuesday: William’s family- 10 A.M. - Cameron
Spring family- 11:30 A.M. – Cameron
Donna Martin- 12:30 P.M. – me
Evan’s family- 2 P.M. – me
It seemed as if Cameron, my assistant photographer was getting more business than I was… However, that does not quite matter, due to the fact we share the actual money.
I waited for what seemed to be forever until someone came into the studio. It was an older couple, in the fifties or so, and they walked around looking at all of the wall decorations, and the studio down the hall.
“Hello.” I said to them as they approached the desk.
“Good morning.” The older gentleman said, placing both of his hands on the desk.
“Good morning, how are you today?” I asked, leaning forward in my chair.
“I am very well. Thank you.” The man said turning to his wife.
“We were wondering if you could take some photos for us, it’s our 50th Anniversary tomorrow, and we wanted some pictures for ourselves and family.” The older women said, standing next to her husband.
“Of course I could. Here are our packages and their prices.” I said as I handed the list to them. They stared at it for a few moments and then they handed it back.
“We will take the Simple Life Package.” The women said holding her hands together against her chest.
“Ok. Now will that be with one or two photos?”
“With two please.” The women said, grabbing her husband’s arm and pulling him closer.
“Ok, follow me, and you will pay after the photo shoot.” I said and started walking toward the studio on the side. They followed. I told them to stand in front of the faded blooming flower’s background and hold one another’s hand. They did as I said and I took the picture. Next was a solid red background that I thought, made the wife’s pearl colored shirt look very good. After I took six shots, not including ones with props, I showed them all of the photos so they could choose their favorites. They chose a photo with and one without props. As we went back to the front of the building, there was a family sitting on the chairs, waiting for Cameron. I grabbed the paper with the different packages on it, looking for the price of theirs. After putting their money into the cash register and giving them their change, I went into the back again. I had to print out two 8’10, four 5’7, and a sheet of ten wallet sized photos. I placed them into a manila envelope and placed the studio sticker on the right hand corner. As I passed through the studio, Cameron was taking photos of two children, while the parents watched.
“Here are your photos, and here is my business card.” I handed them both the giant envelope and my little card that had my business hours and Cameron and I’s face, along with the phone number and address.
The couple left with a smile on their faces and that made me feel good. I checked the computer’s time, 10:15 A.M. Because I did not have to technically, be here until noon I decided to visit Lucy. When I walked next door, I sat in the way back, waiting for the line that reached the door to go down.
“Rachel!” Lucy screamed with joy from across the bakery.
“Lucy.” I said with a hesitant face.
“Can you come run the cash register?”
“Sure.” I got up and squeezed my way around people and behind the desk.
“Can I take your order?” I asked the first person in line, who looked like he was hungry. Great.
“Can I have a double chocolate chip muffin, a large caramel mocha with extra whipped cream, and a slice of chocolate cake, please?” He said rubbing his head.
“Sure thing.” I said and smiled. I turned my back to tell Lucy because there this was the last chocolate chip muffin left. “Is this for here or to go?”
“Here you go.” He said and handed me a twenty. I gave him his change and proceeded to the glass box.
I grabbed his muffin, placed it in one of the brown bags, and set it in front of him. Then I grabbed one of the plates that were stacked on the windowsill from the kitchen, and placed his piece of cake on it. I placed it in front of him and waited for his mocha to finish. The light on the machine went off so I grabbed a disposable coffee cup and filled it to the top, put whipped cream on it, and set it next to the others.
I continued to fulfill orders until the cashier who usually was here at 10 came in. She put her gloves and her apron on and took my spot behind the counter. I watched as she zoomed around the front of the store. Then I decided to take my lunch break.
“Can you make me my lunch?” I asked childish.
“Always do.” She said and started, making my usual lunch. “Hand me the lettuce.” She said pointing to the giant refrigerator built into the wall.
I handed her the head of lettuce and stood there watching her cut all of the stuff up and then make it into a perfect sandwich. She handed me a plate with a turkey and cheese sandwich on wheat bread with lettuce and a small bag of Sun Chips to go along side. I grabbed myself water from the fridge and sat at the little stool in the back break room. A few minutes later Lucy appeared with the same lunch but instead of Sun Chips, she had Potato Chips. We sat and talked about our day so far and about tomorrow and we ate our lunch. After about a half hour, I decided to get ready to go back. I said my good-byes and left the bakery. When I opened the door of the studio, it was completely empty and Cameron was sitting at the desk reading a magazine. I walked over to him and checked the time on the computer. It was quarter after twelve.
“Did you finish all of your appointments already?” I asked, grabbing a chair from the little break room behind the desk and pulled it up to Cameron. I sat and we both looked at the magazine, looking at all of the new summer fashions and what was going on in stars lives. I kept checking the time and waiting for my appointment to come in. A few minutes later I heard the door open. I shot my head up and looked toward the door. A young woman, who I figured was Donna, was walking toward the desk. I waited until she came up to the desk before saying anything.
“Are you Donna Martin?” I asked, looking down at my book.
“Yes, I made an appointment for business cards with a Rachel.” She said with a question in her voice.
“That was me, and what kind of card?”
“I am a realtor, so I need a nice professional card.”
“Ok, well here is what I can do for you. We usually do not do business cards but we have done it before. So we could either print them out here or we can give you the photo in an attachment so you can make your own cards.”
“What’s the price difference?”
“Well, it depends on how many you plan on printing.” I said with a side frown on my face.
“I was planning on 300.” She said with a nervous look on her face.
“Ok, that’s not bad. The total for us to print them would be about $150.” I said with a straight face.
“Well, I will print them here then.” She smiled and we headed to the studio.
“After I take six shots that I like, I will let you see them and if you don’t like any I will take more.”
“Sounds good.” She said and smiled.
“Please stand up here and smile.”
I took three head shots and then I told her to sit down on a stool in front of the same light yellow back screen. I took a half body shot. Then, for the last two I took a half body shot with a white and yellow swirled background while she was standing up and then I took a full body shot. I loaded them to the computer and a minute later, I showed her all six shots. She chose the second photo because her eyes were well defined and her smile was perfect. I opened the card maker program on the computer and chose business. We decided on the settings and colors and then I disappeared into the back.
I pressed the print button and the number of copies for 300. I went back to the front desk were her and Cameron were talking amongst themselves. I rung up her bill and she gave me the exact amount, change and all. I gave her the receipt and heard the door open. I didn’t glance behind to see who it was, but it sounded like children footsteps. I continued to the back and waited for it to finish printing. I started tapping my heel and humming La Vie Bohem form RENT. After the printer stopped, I grabbed all of the cards and a mini box. I counted by tens as I walked back to the front of the store.
I quickly glanced to the people who had just come in. My heart stopped and I could not breathe. Was that really who I thought it was. I set the box on the counter and pushed it forward toward Donna. She said something, but I could not hear her because I could not figure out if the person I saw was who I thought it really was. I wanted to leave and give the job to Cameron. However, I only did two shoots today. Therefore, I decided to go on with it.
I wavered for them to come forth. I brought them straight to the back and pointed them to stand behind the solid white black drop. I went up and changed the color to light blue because both little boys were wearing dark blue and I thought it would look nice. I did not let my anger get the best of me. As I realized it really was her. Lauren Evans, the snob from high school. The girl who sat with Alison and Alyssa. The girl who got brisk tea in her face by this girl Toni that sat at my table, because they were laughing and making fun of me. I smirked at the thought of it and told the two little boys to sit in front of their moms and smile. They did, and I personally thought that photo was the best.
“Here are the three photos I took, if you don’t like any I can gladly take more.” I said, placing my hand on my hip in disgust in the sight of her. She was way to tan, her face was already starting to wrinkle, and she was apparently alone because she kept the same last name from high school.
“We will take this one.” She pointed to the last one, the one that I liked. I almost wanted to say ‘no you cannot have that one, sorry’. However, I did not I pressed the print button and disappeared toward the back. I glanced back at them and she was on her phone texting while her adorable little boys, who were probably only two or three years old, starred at her. I printed out one 8’10 and a 5’7. I placed them in an envelope and walked back to her. My eyes were wide, my face I could feel was getting hot and my hands were starting to shake. To see her now was unbelievable. We moved to New York to get away from the past, not have it follow us.
We walked to the front of the store and I rung up their bill. I gave her the change and stared at her, waiting for her to leave. She just stood there, staring at her phone. Her kids were already over by the door, and were about to go out the door.
“Wait for your mommy.” I said and she looked up from her phone, back to the door and at me.
“Were you talking to them?” She said with an attitude.
“Yes, I was. They were about to leave without you, huh usually it’s the other way around.” I said with one right back.
“You do NOT tell my children what to do.” She said pointing her finger at me.
“Well, I should have just let them go, you wouldn’t have known. You’re too busy texting!” I screamed at her.
She turned and walked away. “Leave, just like you did freshman year, when you were covered in tea.” I said smiling. She turned and flipped me off. “Same to you!” I said and shook my head.
I disappeared into the break room, grabbed my purse and told Cameron to close up because I was leaving. I pushed the door open, full of anger. All I wanted to do was to find her and punch her in the face. I stomped over to the bakery and slammed the door behind me as I entered. As I stomped past all of the customers and into the back, my emotions were being mixed between being mad, and upset. I slammed my purse on the counter and started hyperventilating.
“Breathe, relax.” Lucy said, rubbing my back as I leaned over the counter.
“I saw… Lauren Evans.” I said and turned around to face her. Her face was turning red and I knew what was coming. I grabbed the closest hard thing to me and held it up. She punched it with all of her might, and I stumbled backward and onto the counter.
“I HATE that girl.” She said threw her teeth. You see, when all of this happened, Lucy was getting so mad that she would shake whenever she saw any of Laurens friends in the hallway. One day when she could not take it anymore, she punched Lauren in the mouth for talking about us. There were no witnesses, because we were in the bathroom and the girl that Lauren was talking to had left before it happened, and because I was never in the office the principle believed me that Lauren hit Lucy first.
“I know you do. As do I… I actually started shaking and I was about to punch her. She yelled at ME because I told her kids not to go outside when she was not paying attention. Then SHE flipped me off!” I said shaking my head, grinding my teeth.
“I feel bad for those poor kids.” She said, shaking her head and leaning over to touch the floor. She always stretched when she was stressed out. I decided to do it with her, maybe it really did work. After a few different poses, I actually felt calmer. We did breathing exercises and then just stared at one another. After a few moments, Lucy walked to the front and started helping take orders.
I stood in the doorway for a while, and then went back into the kitchen and grabbed my purse. I dug through it, looking for my pink diamond studded iPhone. I read all of the texts I had but instead of replying to any, I decided to pretend I never got them. I searched through all of my apps and looked for something to do while I waited. I decided to play Spin Art. As I spun the screen with different colored paints, Lucy came in with a complete white face, as if she had seen a ghost.
“What’s wrong?” I asked with a scared voice.
“Look out there.” She said. I tiptoed as best I could in theses heels and looked through the door.
I turned, confused. “Was that, Alison?” I asked.
“Yeah…” She said, shaking her head very slowly up and down.
We both looked into the semi crowded bakery. There were tables empty and tables full. However, the only person I paid attention to was her. I felt as if I were to faint. I grabbed hold of the side of the door to hold myself up. I glanced at Lucy, who was twitching. I grabbed her shoulder and we slid to the ground. Thinking: Why is it that if you run away from things, they always come back to bite you.

Chapter Two

I woke up with the biggest headache I had had since my 21st birthday. I rolled over on my queen-sized bed, accidentally knocking off a few of my decorative pillows onto the floor, and grabbed my cell phone from the side table. Looking through my contacts I found Cameron’s number. I called him, hoping he could take care of the studio today while I take a sick day. The phone rang and rang, and my head pounded. I placed the phone a few inches away from my ear and waited for him to answer.
“Hello?” Cameron’s groggily voice answered.
“Hey.” I said pulling the phone back to my ear.
“What’s up?” He asked, sounding a little bit better than when he answered.
“Can you open and take care of the studio today? I can’t come in, I’m sick.” I said with a pleading voice.
“Sure. Um… Should I come over to get the keys?”
“Yeah. Yeah that is fine. The door will be unlocked. I will put it on the counter. When you walk in make sure you say hello to Popsicle.” I said rolling over and hung up without waiting to hear his answer.
I set my phone back on the little side table and stared at the wall, covered in some of the paintings I had painted when I was younger. I was flooded with memories of art lessons, and going to the local dairy farm to take pictures of all of the animals and then paint them. That is what got me into photography. Without taking art lessons at Sue Hands Imagery, and without wanting to paint on my spare time, I would have never thought of photography for a career.
I pushed my light pink flowered bed spread off me and climbed out of bed. I skidded my feet as I walked out of my room, down the little hallway and into the kitchen. I grabbed my purse off the counter and dug through it until I found my keys. I took the store key off the ring and placed it on the counter. I put my keys back into my purse and went into the living room. I walked over to the closet by the bathroom and opened the door. I stood on my tiptoes and grabbed the box of writing necessities off the shelf. It was covered in sharpie and used to be full of old notes from Lucy. However, they are known in a bigger box with pictures.
I opened the lid and took out a new pen and notebook, the notebook I had before was in my car and my pen died. I put the box back into the closet and closed the door. My head was spinning, so I sat on the floor and waited a few minutes until getting back up. I walked over to eh kitchen and leaned over the counter. I wrote a note to Cameron explaining the situation and expressing my gratitude toward him opening the store and taking my appointments. I ripped out the paper and put the notebook and pen on the counter. I placed the key on top of the note and headed to the living room.
I grabbed a pillow from the floor, threw it to the couch, and kneeled down next to Popsicle. I pet his head, looking at his beautiful big brown eyes. I stared at his unique spots and laid my head on his back. He was warm and soft. I kissed his head and he licked my face. I smiled as I got up as slow as possible without falling back to the floor. I ran to the bathroom, nearly tripping over invisible shoe laces, and a few minutes later walked over to the couch, grabbed the folded up blanket under the side table, and covered myself with it. I closed my eyes and was about to fall asleep when I remembered to unlock the front door. I got off the couch and strutted to the door. I unlocked it and headed back to the couch. Popsicle had taken my spot and was lying with his head on the pillow. I walked over to him and hugged him. I sat on the other side of the couch and laid my head on the arm of the couch. I started to fall asleep.
I fell into a nice, deep sleep. Thinking of what had happened last night. Meanwhile, Cameron was on his way over. When he pushed open the door slightly, then all of the way, Popsicle jumped off the couch and over to Cameron, growling at him
“Hello, Popsicle.” Cameron pet him on his head, and then headed to the kitchen.
He walked over to the counter where he had spotted the key. He picked it up and shoved it in his back pocket. Just as he was about to walk away he noticed the note. He picked it up and read it. After setting it back on the counter but on the back, he wrote back. He set the pen on the counter next to the paper and headed to the living room. He stopped when he saw the candy jar on the side table by the couch. He tiptoed over to it humming a song by Cee Lo Green.
As he saw me, he stopped in his tracks. He walked over to the candy jar after a moment of silence as he stared at me. As he lifts up the glass lid, I rolled over and he almost dropped it, startled. He glanced at me and then proceeded to get candy. He grabbed a handful of the variety of candies. He sorted through the pile of candy he holds in his palm, looking for what he liked and disliked. There were Sweet Tarts, Root Beer Barrels, and mints. He shoved it all in his pocket and placed the lid gently back on the container. Wondering why there was no Lemon Heads in the container, they were her favorite candies. He contemplated something, and then said goodbye to Popsicle and left, leaving the door unlocked.
He checked his phone for the time, 8:10 A.M. He ran down the steps of the apartment instead of taking the elevator. There was a crowd of people in the lobby and he pushed his way through, elbowing and shoving people out of his way. He ran out of the doors, checked both ways and darted across the street. He ran a block and a half to the little candy store on the opposite side of the city.
The sounds of Taxi’s honking and people talking on their cell phones faded away as he entered the building. He ran over to the wall and picked up the biggest bag of Lemon Heads he could find and brought it to the front desk. He checked his phone as the person rung it up, 8:22 A.M. He tossed the clerk a twenty and fled the building, the big back in his arms. He ran across the street and back to the apartments.
The crowd of people was gone, so it was easier to get to the steps. He darted up them, nearly tripping on his untied shoe. As he got to the door, he pushed it open and trudged inside. He said a short hello to Popsicle and went to the kitchen. He grabbed a piece of paper from the notebook that was on the counter and ripped out a piece of paper. He scribbled:
Bought you something, check the candy dish.
He ran over to where I lay, and left the note next to me. He ripped open the bag and dumped the candy into the jar, clanging as pieces hit the sides of the glass container. He picked up the ones that fell out of the overflowing container and shoved them into his pocket. On his way out, he threw the bag in the trash and whipped out his phone, 8:31 A.M. He was officially late…
As he locked the door and was about to leave he felt his stomach tighten and his heart pound. He walked over to where I lay, and kissed me gently on the forehead. He strutted out of the apartment and to the store.
An hour or so later I woke up to the sound of sirens just outside of the building. I pushed myself off the couch, and walked over to the window. As I glanced out, I saw an old man, at least in his fifties and a woman with a lap dog in her arms. They were talking to one of the police officers. There was no damage visible in the cars, obviously a bumper to bumper.
The loud noises from outside was giving me a headache that pounded as if I had just done a bunch of consecutive flips. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and twisted the cap off. Chugging it down, I decided it needed some flavor, so I got out the lemon and the limejuice. Dropping some of the juices into the water, the smell of lemon over whelmed me. It reminded me of my favorite lemon candy. I craved a Lemon head so bad that I was about to leave and go buy a bag. However, I knew I physically could not do it today. I glanced at the note I wrote Cameron and noticed that he had written one as well. It said:
Dear Rachel,
Popsicle is adorable and your apartment is so nice! I hope you feel better and if you need anything, you know you can always call me. Be careful and drink fluids. Keep sleeping. Text I when you get this so I know you are ok.
Cameron

I placed the cap back on the bottle and shook it as I headed back to the living room. As I sat down a crinkling noise made me stand up and move to the other side of the couch. I glanced at the cushion, and there lied a crinkled up piece of paper. I picked it up and flattened it out to read. Listening to what the note said, I opened the candy jar. My favorite candy, something that made my day so much better was filled to the top. The sound of me taking the Lemon Head out of its wrapper made Popsicle come over and bark at me. He climbed onto the couch and over to me and started to paw my leg until I pet his head. I popped the candy into my mouth, getting a sweet taste and starting to chew away the sugar coating. My favorite part was the sour middle. I made a sour face and laughed at the feeling I always get, a tingling tickle sensation in my cheek. Laying my head on Popsicle made him squirm and he jumped off the couch and into the kitchen.
I got up and searched for my phone, when I found it I texted Cameron, thanking him and letting him know that I was ok. He replied rather quickly and aid that the place was empty and to feel better. I then decided to call Lucy. She did not answer so I decided to go down to her apartment. I grabbed my pink silk robe and tied it tight. I slipped my fuzzy slippers on and went to the kitchen. Noticing that Popsicle’s bowl was empty, I got out his puppy food, filled it to the top, and then poured some fresh, cold water into the other one. I grabbed my keys and went to the living room to say good-bye and grab my phone. Nearly knocking me over, Popsicle rushed over to the food dish and started eating. I waved good-bye and slowly headed to the door.
Holding onto the elevators railing, and closing my eyes helped from keeping me from being sick in front of all of the people standing next to me. When the door opened, I pushed my way through the door and went to Lucy’s apartment. I knocked, but did not get an answer in return, and the door was unlocked so I headed in. I walked past the cat and peeked into the bedroom. She was sprawled out and drooling all over her pillow. Not wanting to wake her, I decided to make hot coffee. While waiting, I decided to relax on her pearl white chair. I propped my feet up on the little atmen and waited for the sound of the coffee brewing to conclude. After about ten minutes, I got up and headed to the kitchen. The sound of my slippers scuffing on the hardwood flooring, and the slight snoring coming from down the hall made me feel like I lived here.
After knowing Lucy for almost ten years, I knew exactly what foods she ate, how she liked her food and drinks prepared her dreams and her fears, her secrets, and her fetishes. Therefore, I got out to tall coffee mugs and filled them a quarter from the top. I got out the creamer and counted until seven before stopping pouring it; this was always how we got the exact amount needed for the coffee to taste perfect. After putting the creamer back in the fridge, I headed to the bedroom with both cups of coffee. I set them on the side table and sat next to Lucy. After attempting to wake her up by tapping her shoulder, I decided to wake her up by rubbing her head and talking to her.
She rolled over and looked at me. I put my hand down and smiled. She glared at me and rolled back over. “Have you been in bed all day?”
“Mhm.” She said with a sigh.
“Well you’re not sleeping anymore. I have not been able to, so you cannot either. I have been back and forth to the bed and the couch and to the bathroom.” I pushed her shoulder and she rolled onto her stomach.
Pushing herself off the pillow, her light brown hair hanging in her face, she sat up and stared at me. “Who opened the studio? Cameron?”
“Yeah, he came over to get the key and then he opened the shop and took all of my appointments. Was the bakery open today?”
“Yes, and Alex went down to help with the registers.” She reached for her coffee, fake grabbing something in the air because she couldn’t reach it. I grabbed her mug and handed it to her.
We both sat Indian style on her queen sized silk-sheeted bed, drinking our coffee every other sentence. After what felt like an hour, we decided to eat something. So we both climbed out of bed and went to the kitchen. She cracked some eggs into the pan while I put the toast into the toaster. We stood by the counters in silence as the food cooked. The toast popped up and I grabbed two paper plates and waited for the scrambled eggs to be finished cooking. She placed a bunch of scrambled egg on top of the toast and I placed the other piece on top. We headed back to the bedroom with more coffee. I opened the window a crack as Lucy sat down and got situated and comfortable. I sat back down and then shot back up, it seemed I always sat on things and I did not think I had a big butt… I glanced down and nothing was there. I glanced at Lucy, who was silently dying from laughter.
“What?” I laughed, sitting back down.
“You’re face. It was priceless.”
“Oh, ha ha, what did I sit on?” Raising one eyebrow and smiling.
“The cat’s tail, and oooh did he run.” She laughed again and spilled her eggs onto the bed.
“Nice that was very slick.” I smirked, and leaned forward to help her clean it up.
She pushed my hand away “I can do it.” She smiled, leaned down and started to lick up the egg. When she came back up, there was a huge wet spot where the eggs had been.
“You are such a freak.” I was laughing so hard my side started hurting. I put my plate of eggs on the side table and lied down, breathing heavy and holding my side.
After a few moments of random laughing, I sat up and grabbed my eggs to continue eating. The contrast of crunchy and soft tasted good, especially because if was so warm and made me feel better. We sat there for a while more and then Willy came in. He hopped o the bed and stopped, mid-stride, when he saw me. He turned and jumped off the bed and left. We started laughing again and then Lucy got up and disappeared into the bathroom rather quickly. Waiting for her to return, I climbed under the sheets and pulled out my phone from my robe pocket. I rubbed my stomach as I texted Cameron. He didn’t reply, obviously he was busy.
“Is it ok if I go back to bed?” Lucy asked, with big and pleading eyes.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I just I actually wanted to talk about last night…” I patted the bed, indicating she sit next to me.
She sat beside me and I starred at her. She stared back and then to the wall. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything to her.” She looked at me and then back to the wall.
“Don’t be sorry Lucy, I’m glad you didn’t. Because I said something to Lauren and you always are the one to say something, so it made me feel good, knowing that I can defend myself. You know?”
“Ya. I guess I just always wanted to punch them both in their mouths and you know I love you and you are my best friend.” She grabbed my hand and rubbed the top of it.
“I know. You know that I love you too. I just, I need to defend me sometimes and me never did it before yesterday. And I think that is why I drank so much last night. It felt so invigorating to scream back at her, and you have no idea how bad I wanted to pop her in the mouth.” Clenching my fist and grinding my teeth together showed how mad I was.
“Relax. It’s over now. And this is New York City; we will probably never see her around here again.” She lay down and rolled over. I grabbed the covers and covered her up. Giving her an air kiss and leaving without another word.
I headed back to the apartment and decided to take a hot bubble bath. Just as I was about to strip bare, Cameron replied.
Hey sorry I was in a shoot. Not a lot of extra customers today. But how are you feeling?
I replied with a simple; been better. :/
I set my phone down and turned my IPod on. Turning the water to the perfect temperature and letting it fill to the top made me happy. I loved taking baths in my Jacuzzi tub, but I rarely did so. After the tub was filled, I squeezed a few vanilla extract drops into the water, changed the song to a relaxing Carrie Underwood one and climbed in. I relaxed as the bubbles from the pumps went up my back and tickled my feet. Taking baths always relaxed me, especially because I took them a certain way all the time. I had a vanilla bean scented candle on the side of the tub, my IPod was on and I was soaking in vanilla scented water.
My head rested on the edge of the tub as I sunk even lower into the water. I drifted into a daydream about my childhood. The fun times I had in High School, and the many times that I saw Lauren and Alison at the mall and Lucy and I wanted to beat them up, and the times I spent with my family at holiday get together’s. When the water started to get cold and I came back to reality, hearing the end of Love like Woe by The ready Set. I pushed myself out of the tub and unplugged the drain. I grabbed a towel, hung my robe on the back of the bathroom door, wrapped myself tight and headed to my room. As I opened the door, I heard the door close. My eyes shot to the door, and there stood, Cameron.
I could feel my face getting red and I was standing in my short little towel, soaking wet and there he stood, about ten feet away in his red button down and ripped jeans, hair messy and smiling at me. I looked down to the floor and then back at him. He glanced up to my face and pointed to my room. I giggled and headed to my bedroom. I closed the door behind me and quickly scurried around my room, looking for a good bra and a pair of pants. After only finding a pair of baggy sweat pants and a short tank top, I grabbed my brush and went to the living room. I pulled my shirt down, smiled and went into the bathroom again. Brushing my hair as quickly as possible, ripping the knots out of my head and putting my pajamas into the hamper before he left.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t know you were coming over to drop the key off.” I smiled and walked over to him. I hopped onto the counter and crossed my legs. I stared at him as he leaned against the refrigerator across from me.
“I texted you, I’m sorry, I should of called. Next time, I will. Promise.” He smiled and looked to the living room and then back to me. You like the candy?”
“I did very much, thank you. I really appreciate it.” I smiled and rocked side to side. “How did you know that was my favorite candy anyway?”
“You told me one day at work, I was eating one and you said you loved them, and you could eat them all the time.” He smiled and leaned forward.
“Well I thank you.” Just about to say something else, he spoke.
“I put your key by your purse.” He pointed to the counter next to the stove.
“Thanks.”
It was somewhat awkward for a few moments. Making my stomach knot up and my throat hurt. I smiled to him and he smiled back. I rolled my head and when I looked back at him, he was walking closer to me. I looked at him with confusion and he stopped. I smiled and he turned away, opened the fridge and grabbed water.
“Can you get me one?” I asked, holding my hand up, ready to catch one.
“Sure thing.” He tossed it to me and shut the fridge.
I took a few sips of it and waited for him to say something. After he said nothing I started to get nervous. Does he want to go? Does he want me to say something to him? I do not know what to do… Then all of a sudden, he was walking toward me with a sparkle in his eyes. My hands were getting sweaty and the knot was getting bigger. I swallowed hard and waited for something to happen. He came up the counter, lightly grabbed my hand and leaned forward. I leaned forward as well and placed my other hand on his shoulder; he placed his hands on my hips and pulled me closer. He kissed me softly at first. Then he kissed me again. And I returned his kiss with another. His lips were so soft, breath like the perfect mix of wintergreen and fruit. My stomach was flipping as we kissed passionately on the counter. We parted and he backed up, staring at me with a mall smile. I smiled back.
He turned and left. I said that I would see him tomorrow and to text me. And he replied with a goodnight and to feel better. Did I just kiss my co-worker?! I asked myself, smiling and sighing with happiness. I leaned back and exclaimed with happiness. I jumped off the counter and danced around the kitchen. Glancing at the clock, I realized it was already quarter after nine. So I decided to go to bed. I ran to my bedroom and smiled when I read the text that I had just received. Yes!
See you tomorrow doll. Thanks for the goodnight kiss.

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 10.04.2011

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