by A. L Long
It was well past midnight and I had only unpacked a quarter of the boxes taking residence in my living area. I decided to call it quits and opted for a nice hot bath. Nothing like a mound of bubbles to soothe an achy body, a body in dire need of some TLC. As I lay in the tub, I began thinking about what Dylan said about reaching out to Peter. Even though things didn't end well, he hadn’t left my mind since the day I told him it would be better if we went our own way. As much as it hurt, I could never bring myself to delete his number from my phone. There were so many times I thought about calling him just to say "Hi." In the end, I always chickened out and did nothing. Maybe tomorrow morning would be different. Maybe I would be able to actually hit the little green phone instead of just staring at it.
CHAPTER THREE
Lilly
The morning came too soon. It was 6:00 a.m., and I knew that if I wanted to do something else other than unpack boxes, I needed to get started on it. Stumbling out of bed, I went to the bathroom and did my thing, and headed to the kitchen for some much-needed coffee. After having the first taste of my morning pick-me-up, I began digging into the remaining boxes. Most of the boxes were filled with clothing, so I saved those for another time. I did manage to carry them to the bedroom to make more room in the living area. I finally felt like I was making progress. The shaggy white rug I had over the wooden floor was finally visible.
When the last box was emptied of its contents, it was nearly 10:00 a.m. I was glad I hadn't wasted my whole day unpacking. Most importantly, I had plenty of time to check out the new gym I saw around the corner from my building. I was glad that the old empty building finally turned into something useful and not one of those organic markets containing stuff nobody heard of. Changing into my workout clothes, I decided to call Dylan to see if she wanted to tag along with me.
"Hey, girlfriend," I began, “Whatcha doing?"
“Usually when you ask me what I’m doing, it means you either want something or you want me to go with you somewhere." Dylan knew me too well. I guess knowing each other for more than fifteen years; you tend to get to know someone pretty well.
"I was going to check out the new gym that opened up around the corner from me. I thought maybe you would want to go with me," I ask, hoping she would accept.
"I would love to go with you. Give me about an hour. I just need to get Isaac settled and I'll be over."
"Perfect."
While I waited for Dylan to show up, I thought I would occupy my time looking for a real estate agent. Searching the Web, I found one who specialized in commercial properties. I emailed her what I was looking for, and she instantly emailed me back with some listings close to the area I wanted. After looking at the listings, I was beginning to have second thoughts about her. Some of the listings she shared were complete dumps, from what I could see, just by looking at the pictures. The buildings that weren't, were either too small or so outrageously priced. No wonder they hadn't sold yet. By the time I got off the phone with her, I could tell she was annoyed with me. It didn't really matter. If I was going to pay a sizable amount for a spot, then she could be as annoyed as she wanted to. I wasn't about to be talked into something I didn't want.
Just as I was finishing up with the realtor, a knock came at the door. Looking through the peephole, I could see it was Dylan. Even though it had only been a yesterday since I'd seen her, I really missed her. So when my greeting ended in a big hug, it threw her a little off guard.
"I guess you're glad to see me," she said with a smile.
"I just really missed you" It was the truth. I might have gone a little overboard, though.
I grabbed my bag and we headed to the new gym, only it wasn't really new, in the sense that it had been there for a year and a half. I had missed so much while I was gone.
Since it was a gorgeous day, we decided to walk. One thing about New York, you never knew what to expect when it came to the weather. It could be unseasonably warm one day, and a blizzard the next.
When we entered the gym, I could tell it was a popular place. Looking around, I could see that there were several classes going on in various rooms. The main room where most of the exercise equipment loacated, was had people doing their own thing. As we walked up to the reception area, there was no one around. Dylan picked up the bell sitting on the counter and began ringing it. Within seconds, a very fit guy came to assist us.
"Good afternoon, ladies, is there something I can help you with?" he greeted us in a friendly manner.
“Yes, we would like some information on joining the gym," I replied.
"I think I can help you out with that," he smiled as he pulled several forms from behind the counter.
An hour later we were signed up as members. I couldn't believe how much the gym had to offer for the monthly membership fee. It had several classes ranging from low-impact aerobics to high-intensity kick boxing. There was even a special class offered for soon to-be mothers. This was what sold Dylan. She was all about being as healthy as possible during her pregnancy.
As we were leaving, we were so excited about joining that I didn't notice the man walking into the gym. I would have fallen on my ass hadn't it been for his arms reaching out for me. Looking up at him, I couldn't help but stare. He was very handsome.
"I'm so sorry,” I said, blushing from embarrassment. “I should watch where I'm going."
"No need to apologize. I should have been paying more attention," he said, in a deep voice.
As Dylan and I stepped outside, Dylan gave me one of those ‘Are you crazy looks?’ I knew that look and what she was thinking.
"Don't say anything Dylan. I know what you're thinking." I didn't want her to know that I was at a loss for words. I was too busy staring at his incredible body. Hopefully I would have another chance to get to know him better.
When we got to my building, Dylan decided she needed to get back home to Isaac. I knew it was hard for her to leave him for any length of time, and she had already been away from him for a couple of hours. It was a good thing that she made sure that Tetralogy had a daycare center on site; otherwise she would have never agreed to keep working.
Before she left, we decided to meet up again on Wednesday to go to the gym. Wednesdays and Fridays were the two days they offered the low-impact classes for expecting mothers.
Getting off the elevator, I could tell there was something wrong. The door to my condo was open, and I could have sworn that I locked the door when Dylan and I left. Grabbing the pepper spray from my bag, I held it up in front of me as I slowly pushed the door open. Looking inside, I saw that no one was there. I slowly walked through the door when I heard a noise coming from down the hallway. It sounded like the noise was coming from the bathroom. My grip tightened around the bottle of pepper spray as I approached the bathroom door. As I pushed the door open, a white and gray fur-ball appeared before me. "Oliver, what are you doing here?" I ask, thinking the cat would somehow be able to answer me. Taking a deep breath, I put the spray back in my bag and picked up the overweight Siamese cat.
Walking out of my place down two doors to Mrs. Jensen's, I held on to Oliver as I knocked on the door. Mrs. Jensen opened the door with a big smile on her face. I knew how much she loved that cat. What I couldn't understand was how he managed to get out? Mrs. Jensen always made sure he never went outside her home. Mrs. Jensen thanked me for returning Oliver. I really wasn't a cat person, but Oliver was beginning to grow on me.
~****~
By the time Wednesday rolled around, I was ready for a good workout. Natalie, my real estate agent, showed me some more buildings for my gallery. Everything she showed me wasn’t even close to what I wanted. It was mostly the same thing, either too small or too pricey. So when Dylan called and asked if she could meet me at the gym, I was all for it. This meant I could leave a little earlier and get rid of some of the stress I was carrying.
Entering the building, I could see that everyone was pretty much as they were the first time we came. I thought a good warm-
up would get me on my way to release some of the tension I had. I decided to start with a couple of miles on the treadmill. Dylan showed up just as I was finishing up. Her class was just about to start, so I headed back to the weight area and decided to work on my upper body. As I looked around, I wondered about the good-looking guy I plowed into a couple of days ago. I was kind of disappointed when I didn't see him.
Dylan was finished with her class about an hour later, looking like she really enjoyed herself. I still wanted to work on my lower body, so we decided to meet up again next Wednesday. Dylan didn't want to overdo her first week. The last thing she wanted was to be sore and pregnant.
CHAPTER FOUR
Lilly
I couldn't believe the way my body felt the next morning. Every muscle hurt. Even muscles I didn't know I had hurt. It felt like I competed in a triathlon. I needed to do something to loosen up. The first thing I needed was to get some pain reliever. Stumbling out of bed, I headed to the medicine cabinet in my bathroom for my relief. I popped two ibuprofen tablets into my mouth, and waited for them to kick in. An hour later there was still no relief. I decided maybe a walk would help loosen my tight muscles. Putting on my favorite Nikes, I headed out the door for Central Park.
It was another beautiful day with even more people taking advantage of the nice weather. Just as I stepped across the street, I felt the vibration of my cell phone. I was hoping it was the realtor letting me know she had found a place. When I looked down at my screen, I didn't recognize the number. I went ahead and answered it, just in case it was the real estate agent. Greeting the caller with a "Hello," I waited for a response. There was only silence on the other end. Before I could say "Hello" again, the caller hung up. Whoever it was must have realized they had the wrong number. Thinking nothing of it, I slipped my phone back into my pocket and proceeded to the park.
Walking for about half an hour, I could feel the tension in my muscles begin to ease. I was just about ready to head back to my condo when another call came in on my cell. This time it was Natalie, my real estate agent. "Hey, Natalie," I said as I continued walking.
"Hey, Lilly, sorry to call you so early, but I think I may have found the perfect spot for your gallery. It’s in a perfect location," she said with excitement.
Hailing a cab, I gave the driver directions to where I needed to go. The address Natalie gave me was just off of 5th Avenue, near the Garment District. I didn’t think there were any buildings available on that side of town, but it made me happy that Natalie found something. It was a really good area with lots of foot traffic.
As the driver pulled up to the curb, I could see Natalie waiting in front of a dark brick building. I paid the cab fare and stepped onto the curb. The curb appeal of the building was pretty impressive, with its glass front and huge ceramic pots, filled with greenery, on each side of the double glass doors. If the inside was anything like the outside, it would be the perfect place.
Natalie unlocked the double glass doors, and we stepped inside. The main floor was massive. It must have been at least 4000 square feet of open space. I pictured, in my mind, how it would look with all the artwork I had stored. I could see room for a sizable office and a conference room. Natalie pointed to a set of stairs situated to the right of the room. I could tell that they led to a second floor with a long balcony that overlooked the main floor. Everything was perfect about the building: the location, the size, everything.
By the time we left, I had signed a contract to purchase the building. Natalie assured me there was no way the buyer would turn down my offer, especially since I offered more than what they were asking for. I was so excited; I had to share my excitement with Dylan.
~****~
Rade was out of town on business for a couple of days, so when I told Dylan about my great news, she suggested I stay with her until he got back. Unable to turn her down, I made plans to stay with her for a couple of days. I packed a small bag and waited for Richard to pick me up.
Dylan insisted that Richard pick me up since it was her invitation. A sleek black Bentley pulled up to the curb just as I exited my building. Richard, being the gentleman that he was, got out of the car and assisted me with my bag, then opened the passenger door for me to get in.
"Hello, Richard. It’s been a while," I said with a smile.
"It has, Ms. Davis," he replied with the tip of his head.
The ride to Dylan's was quiet. I was mostly thinking about all the possibilities of what could be done to the new place for my gallery. My mind was filled with so many ideas that I couldn’t wait until it became reality.
When we got inside the house, Maria was waiting at the front door to greet us. She let me know that Dylan was in the living area playing with Isaac. Richard took my bag to the guest room upstairs, while I went to the living room. Dylan and Isaac were playing on the floor. Watching them together made my heart sing. There was nothing like the love Dylan had for Isaac. Isaac must have heard me because he turned his little body and jumped from the floor.
"Nant Illy," he said with excitement as he leaped into my arms.
"Hey little guy," I said, holding him close to me.
"Me and Mommy are making a house. Come see, Nant Illy, come see," he whispered, pulling me toward a house made with playing cards.
I knew he was trying to be quiet so that the cards wouldn’t tumble. I followed him slowly to where Dylan was sitting on the floor. The stacked cards were three stories high. I was amazed how well he was doing as his tiny hands grabbed a card and carefully place it on the card house. When he looked back over to me with a smile, I knew he was up to something. His little body lunged at the neatly stacked cards, and one by one the cards tumbled to the floor. Dylan looked at me and then to Isaac. Isaac covered his mouth with his little hand and began laughing. Soon we were all laughing.
Maria must have thought we lost our marbles, the way she was standing at the entrance. In a soft voice she said, "I’m ready to take off. Would you like me to put Isaac to bed before I leave?"
"That would be wonderful, Maria," Dylan said as she stood and lifted Isaac from the floor, handing him to Maria.
I stood and headed to the patio with Dylan while Maria took Isaac to bed. The night was still warm and Dylan thought it would be nice to have a drink under the stars. She, of course, had sparkling water while I had a glass of wine. As we took our seats, I thought back to when we were in college and how we use to share our most intimate thoughts while looking at the stars. So many things had changed since then.
Dylan grabbed my hand, pulling me from my thoughts. Looking over to her, I could see that tears were beginning to form in her eyes. Something must have set it off. "What's going on Dylan?" I asked.
"There's something that I need to say. It's about what happened the day Michael died," Dylan began, swiping away the tears from her face. "I've never been able to share with anyone how I really felt.”
“It will be okay, Dylan. Everything will be okay,” I said, pulling her close to my side.
Looking back, I remember how angry she was at me for introducing her to Michael, even though they ended up together. They were so happy together, even planned to get married. They were meant to be together or so I thought. Who would have thought that he would end up being someone capable of staging his own death, and stealing millions from the man Dylan loved more than life itself?
“I feel like I was the reason he didn't fight for his life. He told me that he no longer had to hurt and that he always loved me. I never told anyone, not even Rade. Why didn't he just give up when he had the chance?"
As I continued to listen to Dylan, I could tell she had a lot weighing on her mind. Who knew how long this had been tormenting her? I didn't know the full story as to what had happened to her. I only knew that Michael had kidnapped her with the help of Rade’s ex, Chloe Dupree, who was totally wacko. She was obsessed with Rade. They had a history together and Chloe wasn't about to let anything stand between them. She even went as far as to get pregnant
from him. She was psycho with a capital P. Somehow during the rescue, Michael got shot and Chloe got away. I only heard later how she came after Dylan with vengeance. If she couldn't have Rade, nobody could. That was the day I almost lost my best friend to that crazy woman. Thank God, Chloe was locked away for good.
Looking at my friend, I gave her what she needed. "I'm not sure what you’re thinking, Dylan, but stop. This whole thing, as demented as it was, was never your fault. Michael caused his own fate. He was responsible for his own actions. Not you or anyone else for that matter. So stop thinking it was your fault or that you could have prevented what happened." I might have been overly candid with her, but she needed to know that by no means was it her fault.
