Love At First Glance (Love At Firsts Book 1)

by Garcia, Muriel

  I’ve had the opportunity to look at some real estate websites and found a few apartments within my price range are worth taking a look at. One even has a long balcony that stretches the whole length of the apartment.

  I keep checking the time because I have three apartments to visit after work and I cannot wait any longer. As much as I love living with Spencer, I need my independence.

  “What’s got you so fidgety, Haven?” Matt, one of my co-workers asks.

  “I’m not fidgety, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I narrow my eyes at him and he bursts out laughing.

  “You’re something! You keep checking your watch and keep shifting in your seat. There are two options: either I make you all hot and bothered sitting here or you have somewhere to be after work. Which is it?”

  “As hot as you are, you’re not my type. I’m sorry to crush your ego.” I place my hands over my heart and fake looking sad which causes us to both laugh. “I have three apartments to visit in an hour and I can’t sit still!”

  “You wound me, Gorgeous.” He chuckles. “I get why you’re excited now. Whereabouts are they?” He leans back in his chair and sips his coffee. I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t my type, in fact he’s my type to the t! Tall, lean with sun kissed skin, blue eyes, a bit of stubble and black hair perfectly styled without looking all gooey and sticky with a ton of hair gel. He wears tailored pants and a button down shirt every day even though we’re pretty much allowed to wear whatever we want as long as it’s decent.

  I’m brought back to reality by the sound of Matt clearing his throat. “You’re staring and drooling, Haven.” He smirks.

  “I am not drooling, dickhead.” I argue and shake my head at him.

  “Maybe not, but you were openly staring at me. I knew you fancied me.” He taunts and throws me one of his dazzling smiles.

  “Oh shut up! You’re way too full of yourself.” I frown, he definitely is but he’s also a total sweetheart.

  “You secretly love it.” He chuckles.

  “Whatever.”

  “So, about those apartments?” He smiles and I’m grateful for the subject change.

  “Well, one is on Raleigh Street, another is on the 17th Street and the last one is on Willow Street. My favorite one so far is the Willow Street one but it’s so freaking expensive. It’s almost double the price of the 17th Street one.” I sigh. I hate making decisions like this. It’s the place I’ll be living in for the next couple of months, at least until I can find a house, so there’s a lot of pressure to get it right.

  “You’ll be okay, Have. Don’t stress about it.”

  “I can’t help it. What if I like it now but decide I hate it in a couple of weeks? Or end up with assholes for neighbors?”

  “That’s always a risk when you decide to rent or buy anywhere but, more often than not, it’s worth it. Your best bet will probably be 17th Street. Even though you seem to already have your eyes set on the Raleigh Street one, you’re most likely going to end up with quieter neighbors with 17th Street.” He smiles confident.

  “How can you be so sure though? Knowing my luck I’ll end up next to a family with screaming kids.” I chuckle.

  “Well, I grew up there and my boyfriend lives there. It’s a pretty quiet area and, huge bonus, it’s closer to work.” He states.

  “If only I could end up next door to your boyfriend. At least I’d know he wouldn’t be making a shit load of noise.” I grin.

  “That’s what you think.” He smirks.

  It takes me a second but I glare at him when the dots connect. “Not funny! I bet you’ve just jinxed me and now I’m going to end up next door to a couple fucking every night trying to outdo their last performance and scream their lungs out.” I frown. “Gross.”

  “It’s not gross, you prude!” He mocks me, throwing a pencil at me.

  “It is and I’m not a prude!”

  “When was the last time you had a good fucking?” He leans over his desk smirking at me, clearly enjoying making me uncomfortable.

  “Geez, I've known you for a week and you're already asking me about my sex life?”

  “Damn right I am. So, go on, spill the beans.” He smiles at me expectantly.

  I sigh. “Not sure that ever happened.”

  He frowns, unhappy with my answer. “Did your ex ever gave you an orgasm?” I shrug and shake my head. “Dude, you need to find yourself a real man stat and get him to fuck you loooonng and hard.” He chuckles.

  “Will you stop!” I laugh nervously. The idea of being fucked long and hard and the possibility of actually experiencing an orgasm at the end sounds way too good to be true and I shift in my chair, again, much to Matt’s amusement.

  “Well someone is getting hot and bothered.” He waggles his eyebrows and I throw the pencil back at him.

  “Piss off!”

  “I love you too, Gorgeous. Why don’t you go now? We only have twenty minutes left. There’s no point in you staying longer, I’ll only carry on teasing you about your lack of sex life.”

  “I hate you, you know that right?” I glare at him and turn off my computer.

  “I know but you love to hate me.” He chuckles, gets up and rounds my desk. He wraps his arms around me from behind and hugs me tight. “If I were into women, I’d totally ask you out and then I’d fuck you long and hard,” he whispers the last part in my ear and flicks it with his tongue, making me shiver.

  “Not liking you right now, Matt!” I chuckle as he kisses my head.

  “You’re a shit liar but I’ll let you off this time. Go. I’ll sign you out.” He smiles and swivels my chair around before helping me up.

  “Thank you. I owe you one.” I hug him and grab my bag from the big bottom drawer of my desk. “Have a nice evening. See you tomorrow.”

  “See you tomorrow, Gorgeous. Send me pictures of the apartments, I’ll help you pick if you want.”

  “Such a life savior.” I smile and wave at him as I head out of the office. I walk to the parking lot almost skipping in a mix of excitement and impatience.

  My first viewing is in an hour. Even with the extra time it’ll be tough to make it on time with the rush hour traffic, but I didn’t have much choice as the real estate agent didn’t have any other times for today.

  I really hope I can find a decent place today. I really hate going apartment hunting. After reading so many horror stories online about people ending up in shitholes and with lousy neighbors, I’m nervous about the whole process.

  Here goes nothing…

  CHAPTER 3

  I get in my Fiat and put on the radio, Uptown funk is playing and I can’t help myself, I have to sing along and wiggle in my seat. I get a few funny looks when I’m stopped at the red lights from people who clearly don’t know how to have fun anymore or maybe I’m just too easily amused.

  After almost causing two car accidents and narrowly avoiding a couple of cats, I’m finally at my possible future apartment. The building looks a bit old and run down but the pictures of the interior from the real estate website were promising.

  As Matt suggested, I’m trying to keep an open mind. Let’s just hope it’s one of the three I’m visiting today and that I won’t have to go through this process all over again. It's too much of a bother on your own. It would be so much easier with Spencer's help, but I want to do this on my own.

  I park in one of the narrow parking spaces allotted to the building and make my way to the entrance. I’m ‘greeted’ by an annoyed looking real estate agent as I rush through the front door. I’m only a minute late because the parking spaces are ridiculously tiny and it took me a couple of tries to park without damaging my car and the others. Strike one for this place. No way I'd risk scratching this little beauty.

  The real estate agent barely talks me as we walk up the five flights of stairs. Strike two: no elevator. I’m not lazy, but I don’t want to be out of breath every time I walk through the door. How am I supposed to carry all of my groceries up the stairs? It
’d take me forever and I’d have to take a breather on each floor!

  The agent smirks at me as I trudge up the last step, she must be used to this because she made it to the top without breaking a sweat. I’m seriously starting to hate this woman based only on the fact that she’s double my age and twice as fit. I glare at her behind her back as we walk into the apartment like the mature adult I am.

  The place is nice and as cozy as I expected but it’s a lot smaller than it looked in the pictures. It’s still a decent size, but for the asking price it’s too small. It’s already furnished so that’s a plus, but it feels so cramped. I love my space, I’d rather have less furniture and be able to actually walk around than to have to be constantly stepping over the something.

  The agent gives me a tour of the place but is very quick about it, as if she already knows what I’m thinking. The place looks amazing and I like it, but it just doesn’t feel right. Clearly, pictures can be deceiving.

  I thank the woman and tell her that I’ll let her know but that I need time to make my decision. She looks at me with disdain, already knowing that I’m not going to call her back. She probably thinks she’s wasted her time meeting me, but oh well, I’m not going to let an agent’s opinion have an impact on my decision.

  I managed to remember to snap a couple of pictures for Matt, which the Ice Queen certainly didn’t appreciate. How in the hell does she expect people to make a decision without taking pictures of their potential future home?

  I hurry down the stairs, taking two at a time whilst trying not to fall on my ass. That’s the last thing I need right now! I leave the building and walk to my car. Fuming when I see that some fucker has parked too close to my car. I have to get in from the passenger side and wiggle myself over to the driver’s seat. Whoever owns the offending car is lucky that I’m not cruel or I’d have either smashed my car door against his or keyed his car but, as I said, I’m not mean and I most certainly don’t want to hurt my own car.

  I give myself a moment before typing in the Willow Street apartment’s address in the Satnav and start to make my way across town. I hope this apartment will be ‘the one’. To be honest, with the large balcony and pool it looks more like a vacation apartment than one you would actually live in but the rent is decent and it is gorgeous. One downside is that I have a nasty feeling it’s going to be crawling with kids. There weren’t any children in the pictures but they gave off a ‘family’ vibe. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind kids, for a short period of time, but living next door to them with their screaming and early morning wailing is something else. The drive to the next apartment should only take twenty minutes, but with the traffic, I'll be lucky if I make it in time. I just hope it'll be worth it and I won't have to deal with another bitchy agent.

  I make it just in time but this time, it’s my fault. I stopped at a Starbucks drive thru on my way. I needed a coffee fix. To save time trying to find the car park, I park across the street and quickly take in the view in front of me. This place looks amazeballs. It’s a huge complex with three buildings surrounding a pool. There are sun loungers with umbrellas decorating the pool area and, you guessed it, screaming kids. Despite the fact that it’s fall, they are still playing outside around the pool. Luckily the actual pool itself is closed so that’s a bonus but still. Kids. Screaming. Kill me now. I sigh to myself. I really liked the look of this place but I can’t deal with that kind of noise and kids running around everywhere. It’d drive me crazy in a heartbeat. I sigh once more before getting out of the car and walking across the road. I spot a man younger than the old trout who showed me the last apartment and I pray he’s waiting for me. He looks up just as I reach the other side of the road and waves, clearly recognizing the look of someone in desperate need of an apartment. As we introduce ourselves, I note that he’s pretty hot so at least he will make this viewing a little easier on the eyes!

  This apartment is on the first floor and, once again, there’s no elevator, but at least it’s not as bad as the last one. I can manage to walk up one flight of stairs. The real estate agent, Gary, opens the door and I let out a gasp; this place is freaking huge! It’s pretty much double the size of the Raleigh Street place and half the price. Gary gives me a quick tour and I take pictures as we go. It has two bedrooms, an office, two bathrooms, a separate toilet and a fully furnished dream kitchen that opens to the living room. I walk over to the large window in the living room that leads out onto the balcony and take in the breathtaking view of the large park behind the complex. I could so picture myself watching the world go by on the balcony wrapped up in a cozy hoodie and a big fluffy blanket, sipping a hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream on a crisp fall night. I smile to myself as I lose myself for a second before I’m brought back to reality by the sound of kids screaming and laughing. As perfect as the image I just pictured is, it’s been chattered and this just doesn’t feel like home to me either. It’s spacious, would look amazing when furnished and the view is stunning but the kids would be a fucking nightmare.

  I thank the real estate agent and tell him that this apartment won’t work for me. He understands my concerns with the kids and tells me that he has been struggling to rent this place for a while now. We say our goodbyes and I make my way back to the car before clambering in.

  Feeling slightly deflated, I sigh and type in the last address into my satnav.

  “Please be a nice, quiet place. Please be a nice, quiet place. Please be a nice, quiet place.” I repeat and cross my fingers as I start the car. I put on some music and sing along as usual. I drive the short fifteen minute journey to the last viewing praying it’s the one. I’m slowly losing hope and I’m starving.

  I make it with a few minutes to spare. I manage to find the building’s parking lot and decide to wait in the main lobby. There’s no one in there other than employees so I decide to take a look around the neighborhood.

  So far, I'm pretty impressed. The streets surrounding the area are very lively but not overly noisy. It's right between the Union Station and the mall and the street is dotted with various little shops and cafés along the way. It looks like a little community and I already feel like I would fit right in. There even is horse carriages parked on the sides of the street.

  While the apartment building looks old compared to the other two, I have a feeling this is going to be the right place. I might sound crazy but it's like I was meant to move in here.

  I quickly grab a coffee from a small café nearby and head back to my hopefully new apartment. I’m sipping my coffee by the building entrance when a man comes over and introduces himself as the real estate agent. We make small talk for a minute while he finishes his cigarette before heading up to the fourth floor…in an elevator this time!

  I was right. Whilst the outside building looks old, the inside is amazing. Apparently it was renovated five years ago and considering it’s spotless with white and cream marble everywhere, I believe him. We get onto the right floor and I notice that every apartment door is a different color. It's quite surprising in such a luxurious environment. He walks me to a red door and unlocks it, pushing it wide open so I can take the apartment in.

  I. Love. It.

  This place, like the first one, is fully furbished but with a strict minimalist style. It’s spacious and homey despite the simplicity and everything is sleek and classy. The living room and open plan kitchen make one big, gorgeous room that is well lit with the massive windows covering the back wall which makes the room look even bigger than it already is. I take a look of the view outside of the main street and I can totally see myself people watching on a cold evening. It’s quiet and you can’t hear any noise coming from outside. I can’t hear anything from the apartments either side so that’s good too.

  The whole place is decorated in black and white, with red accents. In keeping with the minimalist theme, the bathroom is also very simple. There isn’t a bath but a huge walk in shower instead with a massive counter and toilet opposite. The bedroom is as
equally amazing as the rest of the apartment; it’s not the biggest, but it’s beautiful. The bed rests against one wall next to yet another large window, the perpendicular wall is covered with built in closets and wardrobes and also a door that leads to an ensuite. On the wall across from the bed is a big chest of drawers and a full-length mirror. The bedroom is a lot more spacious than the other two places I visited before and I love it.

  There’s only one question that I really need to ask. “Is this place pet-friendly?”

  “Yes,” he tells me, smiling.

  I let out a small happy squeal. “I’ll take it.” I exclaim loudly as I grin widely with excitement. I’m home!

  This is my new home.

  I love it.

  It’s perfect for me.

  Today is Monday, and I freaking love today!

  CHAPTER 4

  One week later

  It was hard breaking the news of my moving to Spencer. He didn’t like the idea of me moving out or looking without him. He tried to convince me to stay with him, he was adamant that I needed him in my life to stay sane. I don't really think that's true, I think it's be the other way around.

  I park in front of Spencer’s house after viewing my new apartment. I’m signing the papers tomorrow during my lunch break and moving my stuff in at the weekend.

  I’m dreading telling Spencer. We’ve been there for each other since we were in diapers and I don’t want him to think that I hate living with him. I just need my privacy, independence and the opportunity to sit on my ass and eat unhealthy food.