Until Him: Book 3 - Until Then Series

by Victoria Ashlee

  I followed him, “I will probably be eating pizza on the floor watching Netflix for a while. As long as you let me steal your wifi.” I gave him a side smile.

  “Wifi thief? I might have to report you.”

  “You wouldn’t.” I started opening one of the boxes.

  He pulled his keys from his pocket, “Before I forget, here is your key.” He unlatched a silver key from his keys, placing it in my hand.

  “I’m going to lose this. Let me put it away before I start unpacking.” I walked over to my purse on the other cart, pulling out my keys. That sad lingering feeling returned when I saw the gold plane on my keychain. It brought me into a daze.

  “Are you ok?”

  I looked over at him, “Yep. I’m fine.”

  He rubbed my arm, “Ok, I’ll let you unpack. Holler if you need anything.” He stopped at the door. “Don’t actually holler, because Freddie at the end of the hall gets super cranky, he’s a retired magazine owner. He’s got some stories for you if you’re ever bored.”

  I giggled, “Noted.”

  Stefan

  My lawyer had just left my parents penthouse when my phone started to ring. I walked over to the counter, picking it up. Keira’s name appeared. She’s been pestering me about seeing her. She keeps telling me I’ve lost my personality and that I wasn’t allowed to keep dodging her. What she didn’t know is that I wasn’t in the mood to see anyone. It wasn’t just her.

  “Yes, Keira?” I answered dryly.

  “It’s a great day to have lunch with your best friend!” She chirped.

  “It’s a great day to not do anything of the sort.”

  She sighed, “I’m going to tie you to a chair and force feed you baby food, while I sip wine, eating a steak.”

  “Is that what you call lunch? I know you haven’t been a Van Doren very long, but I didn’t know that you adapted their eating habits too.”

  “Ha Ha very funny. Just have lunch with me, please.”

  I looked at my watch, “I guess I have time. I need to talk to you anyway.”

  “Yes! I knew I would break you. Joe’s?”

  “Sure. Be there in thirty or I’m leaving.”

  “Deal” She chirped, hanging up the phone.

  Tim’s was extremely busy when I arrived. I was able to get us a table by the window. He was too busy to even notice I walked in.

  The door chimed, and I looked up to find Keira walking in. She waved at Joe, and he finally saw us. He held up his finger mouthing one minute. She walked over to the chair in front of me, plopping down in her seat.

  “I can’t believe my eyes, you’re still alive.” She smirked.

  “Nothing happened to me, I just didn’t want to see anyone.”

  She placed her chin on her folded hands, resting her elbows on the table, “You can’t spend your life tucked away in your parent’s penthouse.”

  “I don’t plan too; it’s partially why I agreed to this lunch. I needed to talk to you.”

  “About what?”

  Joe appeared next to the table, his forehead beaded with sweat. “Fancy seeing you two here.”

  Keira laughed, “We come here all the time, Joe.”

  He waved his hand, “Not that. It’s just I saw…” He stopped. “Never mind. What would you like to eat?”

  “Who did you see?” I asked, resting my arm on the table.

  “No one. It’s been busy, everything blurs together.”

  I cleared my throat staring at him, “Sophia?”

  Regret filled him for even bringing it up, “This past weekend.”

  Part of me was happy that she was out and about, living her life. Does that mean she’s better? Is she doing ok?

  “Was she alone?” I asked.

  “No, she was with someone.”

  Keira let out a small involuntary groan.

  I looked at her, “What?”

  She sighed, “She was with Tristen.”

  My eyes glazed over. The fucking nerve of his slimy timing.

  “Yes, that was his name.” Joe said. He looked at me. “By the look on your face, you two know him?”

  “He’s Leo’s cousin.” Keira told him. “Stefan and he don’t get along.”

  “It’s fine.” I handed Joe the menu. “I’ll have the grilled cheese.”

  Keira gave Joe a flat smile, “Cobb salad please.”

  Joe disappeared. I kept my eyes out the window.

  “Stef, I need to tell you something and you’re not allowed to freak out.”

  I looked back at her, “What?”

  She blew out a deep breath, “Soph moved out of your house on Sunday.”

  My heart started pounding. I knew this day would come, I just didn’t know it would be so soon.

  My nerves were shot, “Where to? She didn’t go to Cam’s did she? He doesn’t have room. I don’t know how they lived like that for so long.” I was fine with Cam. Hell I’d even be ok if she moved on from me with him, he’s a good person.

  She winced, “No, she moved into an apartment that Tristen owns.”

  “She moved in with Tristen?!” My voice was louder than intended.

  “Shhh.” Keira tapped the table. “Not with him, just the same building. He owns another unit on the same floor.”

  “Fuck.” I threw my hands in the air. “That’s basically the same thing, Keira.” I snapped. I glared at the couple staring at us, causing them to quickly look away.

  We stayed silent until our food arrived. Keira had nervously drunk all of her tea. Joe returned with a fresh cup, walking away shortly after.

  “Are you ok?” She finally asked.

  I kept my eyes out the window, “This is a good thing.”

  She gave me a strange look, “It is? Are you feeling ok?”

  “Yes.” I looked back at her. “I need you to do something for me.”

  “What?”

  “This weekend I’m going to move everything out of the brownstone. If anything of Sophia’s is left, I will give you a key to a storage unit. I want you to give it to her when I tell you to.”

  She looked at me strangely, “Why are you moving your stuff out?”

  “I’m going to go to London for a while.”

  “Oh.”

  “When she finds out I’m gone, I know what she will do. You have to give her the key when I tell you, no earlier.”

  She twisted her mouth to the side, “Are you sure about this?”

  I looked out the window again, “Sometimes you have to walk away, no matter how much you want to stay. No matter how much you want to fight, sometimes staying causes more pain. Sometimes staying destroys the other person. I will love her until the ocean stops kissing the shore, but I won’t be the reason she drowns.”

  “I think you just ripped my heart out, Stef.”

  “I love her. I won’t hurt her anymore. She deserves to be happy, and I don’t want to get in the way anymore.”

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Sophia

  My eyes fluttered open, I found myself still waking up in the apartment that I’m renting from Tristen. It’s been five days since I moved in. The large windows allowing the bright white light shine through. Every morning I remember that my life is not a bad dream, but my reality.

  I climbed out of bed, walking into the kitchen to turn on the coffee pot. No more fancy Keurigs for me. I have downgraded to my $10 coffee pot that I bought at a discount store on Wednesday. It still did the same thing, so I didn’t mind too much.

  As I sipped my coffee, I stared at the large empty room. I unpacked everything within the first two days of being here. The leftover brown boxes sat in my bedroom. I didn’t realize how long of a trek it was to take out the trash.

  I still hadn’t told Keira where I was living. Although I’m sure Tristen has mentioned it. She hasn’t asked when we speak, so I haven’t brought it up. It’s still a sore subject for me, I’m still trying to get used to the idea myself.

  I walked into the center of the room, imagining
furniture in it. I could probably find a small table with two chairs and a futon to use as the sofa. I didn’t need much really. I laughed to myself about the fact that I was going to bring discount furniture into this expensive apartment building. Tristen’s furniture is so posh and elegant, and I'm his discount Barbie.

  I grabbed my phone, making my way to the shower to get ready for the day. The screen illuminated from the movement. The date read across the screen. I stared at it for a long time. Today was Stefan’s birthday. This is the day that he dreaded for so long, due to that stupid contract with the Donahues. I bit my bottom lip. Who knows what came of that, after his father was arrested, nothing added up any more.

  I showered, put on a pair of tan shorts and a red top. My reflection staring back at me looked like a sad mess. I decided to curl my hair and put on makeup.

  I spent the day combing the city for furniture for my apartment. By the end I only bought a frying pan and a trash bin. I awkwardly carried my grey trash can through the lobby and on to the elevator. The frying pan was banging around inside. I couldn’t bring more attention to myself if I tried.

  Once I got to my apartment, I let the door shut behind me and set the trash can next to the kitchen counter. I pulled the frying pan out, setting it on the stove.

  Three small knocks sounded off on my door. I walked over to the door, “Who is it?” I called out.

  “Tristen.”

  I smiled, opening the door, “Hi,” I looked down at his hands, surprised. “Oh, what’s this?”

  He was holding a pizza box in one hand, two glasses in the other, and a bottle of wine under his arm. He had that lazy smile across his face.

  “I ordered pizza for dinner, and took a chance on you being home tonight. Are you hungry?”

  Tristen was trying. If I say yes, will I be opening a door to something that I’m not ready for? But I am hungry and he is my friend. I scratched my forehead, looking back at my empty apartment, “I am, but I don’t have any furniture. We can go over to your apartment instead?”

  He laughed, “That’s ok. Pizza and Netflix on the living room floor, remember? I couldn’t let you do that alone, now could I? I threw in the wine for the extra classy touch.”

  I smiled, “Ok, come in.” I opened the door wider, letting him in. Here goes nothing.

  He set the pizza box on the counter, then the wine and glasses.

  “I don’t have any plates.” I leaned on the counter.

  He pulled a bottle opener out of his pocket, “Do you really need a plate for pizza?”

  “I guess not.”

  “Do you want to get your computer?”

  “We don’t have to watch Netflix if you don’t want to.”

  The wine popped open and he set the bottle down, “I want to.”

  “Ok, I’ll be right back.” I walked into my room, I saw my computer on my bed, but walked into the bathroom checking my appearance. “Why do I even care?” I whispered.

  When I returned with my laptop, Tristen had created a makeshift pizza stand on one of the brown boxes. The two filled glasses of wine and wine bottle sat next to it on the floor.

  “I thought you could put the computer on this one.” He pointed to another brown box.

  I giggled at how cute he was being, “Sure.”

  We sat down, in front of our cardboard TV stand, with the pizza in between us. He handed me a glass of wine.

  He held his glass up, “Can we cheers to new beginnings?”

  I clinked my glass with his, “New Beginnings and greasy pizza.”

  Tristen was refreshing. I felt guilty that today was Stefan’s birthday, but he’s the one who left me.

  The TV show we chose played on the screen, but we hardly paid any attention to it. I guess I hadn’t realized it until this point that I’ve never sat down and had a true one on one conversation with him. It always involved drama.

  Tristen had his hands up, as he vividly told a story about him and Leo when they were younger, “So there I was standing on the tallest limb. Leo was climbing up after me. I yelled out like I was the king of the backyard, Leo grabbed the limb and just like that, the limb snapped. Leo and I fell to the ground hard. We were all scratched up and I broke my arm. Our nanny came rushing out in a panic, she thought she was going to get fired, but they kept her.”

  I laughed, “You two sound like you were a handful.”

  His legs were stretched out as he leaned on his arm, facing me, “Did you have any cousins?”

  I sipped my wine, “Nope, my Mom and father were only children. I did call this lady at church my aunt, but really she was just the lady that would sneak me candy in my bag during Sunday school.”

  “So, you didn’t have anyone your age to play with?”

  I hummed against my glass, “I had my friends in school, but no not really. It wasn’t that bad though; my parents loved me extra hard.”

  “Your parents sound like they were nice people.”

  I smiled, “They were.” My mind traveled to the night of the ballet with Thomas. I pushed the thought away once it arrived.

  Stefan

  My phone started ringing; I pulled it from my pocket. It was my Mum.

  “Where are you?” My Mum blurted out when I answered.

  “I’m busy.”

  “Will you be home later?”

  I watched one of the movers nic the side of my doorway, I clenched my jaw, “I don’t know.”

  “It’s your birthday. I know everything going on with your Father and Brother put a damper on things, but I’d still like to celebrate with you.”

  I sighed, walking into the kitchen, “Mum, I have dreaded this day for years, knowing that you were trying to force me into a marriage that I didn’t want while you dangled Grandfather’s company above my head. I don’t really feel like celebrating.”

  “I’m trying, Stefan.”

  I leaned on the counter, “I know you are, I’m just not in the mood.”

  Two hours later the last piece of furniture had been removed. The moving truck was well on its way to its next location. Sophia’s Mum’s paintings were safely in the airtight storage unit.

  I stared down at the letter I wrote her. Is this the right way to do this? Am I destroying her more? My phone was sitting next to the letter. Once I do this, she may never talk to me again. A sick feeling was rising in my throat.

  I picked up my phone, scrolling to her name. I can’t leave without hearing her voice one more time. She deserved to hear this from me, not some stupid letter. My thumb hovered over it, I closed my eyes and pressed call. When the phone reached my ear, it went straight to voicemail. I felt a part of me die a little from the sound of the automated voice.

  “I guess that’s a sign.” I said, as I picked up the letter.

  I slowly scanned all four floors before I left. When I got to Sophia’s room, I stared at the empty space. I walked in further, and checked the closet to make sure I didn’t forget any of her Mum’s paintings. Then it hit me. The green dress stared at me like it was taunting me. You could still see the dirt stain that she couldn’t get out. I closed the doors, “You can stay.”

  I left the letter in the middle of my bedroom, she’ll come here and she’ll be hurting. My hope is that the letter gives her closure, but I don’t know if I’d ever be able to close the door to her. Not truly.

  An hour and a half later I found myself sitting at a nearby bar, with a whiskey on the rocks in front of me. My hands were clasped around the condensated glass. Leo was meeting me, but he had yet to arrive. I told him to not bring Keira, I couldn’t hear her lecture me anymore. She would lecture me right out of this decision, and my mind was made up.

  A hand landed on my shoulder, I turned to look, and Leo was taking his seat on the stool next to me.

  “Happy Birthday, Stef.” He smiled.

  “It’s just another day.”

  He raised his finger signaling the bartender, “Tom Collins please.”

  The bartender nodded and started making
his drink.

  He rested his elbows on the bar, “So, you’re really going aren’t you?”

  “House is empty. Flight is booked. I need to clear my head.” I raised my glass to my lips.

  “I’m going to miss you, as sappy as that sounds.”

  I laughed, “It does sound sappy, and it’s not forever. You know I’ll be back and forth.”

  “Do you remember that night we met Keira? We were about to fight those three guys over a game.”

  “Yeah.”

  “We were some condescending little shits, weren't we?”

  “You still are.” I clinked my glass with his, after the bartender set it in front of him.

  “You’re no better.”

  I finished my glass off, “Never said I was.” I signaled the bartender for another.

  I stared up at the TV, “I called her.”

  His eyes went wide, “You did what?”

  “I called her.”

  “Well, what happened?”

  “Nothing. It went to voicemail.”

  “Did she ignore your call?”

  I sighed, “I don’t know. Does it matter? She didn’t answer.”

  “So, you left the letter?”

  “Yep. Pretty sure I signed it in blood, because I felt like I was killing myself slowly while I was writing it.”

  He shook his head, taking a sip of his drink, “I don’t know why you’re doing this to yourself.”

  “Because I love her.”

  He laughed, “Again, I don’t understand.”

  “Good thing I don’t need you to understand. I thought I invited you here to drink, not lecture me? I could have called Keira if I wanted that.”

  He raised his hands in defeat, “Sorry. I’ve never lied to you before; I’m not going to start by telling you that this is a good idea.”

  “I’m going to punch you.”

  He laughed, “You wouldn’t. We both know who would win.”

  “You know she’s living with Tristen?” I took another sip.

  “She’s not living with him.”

  “It’s the same fucking floor, it’s basically together.”

  “However you look at it, it’s still two different apartments.”