The NOVA Trilogy Boxed Set

by Jayce, Aven

  Shit, I hope I’m not sleepwalking again. I haven’t done that since I lived in the dorms at college, and it used to get me into a lot of trouble. I’d wake up, half naked in the hallway, or worse, the RA’s would find me on one of the couches in the lobby, where I’d fallen asleep for the night. It would come on when I was heading into exams, or had some big paper due, most likely due to stress. But now, I can’t imagine what I’m stressed about. It’s not like I ever fucking do anything. I can only assume it’s because of the move. For the first time in my life I’ll be living by myself, and I’m not sure how I feel about that, or if I’m even ready for it. I’ll have to take a warm bath each night to clear my mind so I don’t wake up in the lobby of my new building. Shit, that would suck.

  The dress I borrowed from Mera is flung over the desk chair in the guest bedroom. The bed’s unmade, and my purse is on the floor. I open it to find my thong still shoved inside, and receipts totaling seventy-three dollars. Damn, did we really drink that much? I guess we had another round or two on the way out.

  I pull out a clean pair of dark blue boy briefs and a matching tank from my bag before heading into the bathroom to freshen up.

  The light was left on from the night before, and the water is still running in the sink. I can imagine myself fumbling in here the night before, trying to wash up, while creating a mess with the water and toothpaste. I turn the faucet off and open the medicine cabinet, searching for Ibuprofen. Closing the cabinet, I see my reflection in the mirror and immediately drop the bottle into the sink.

  “Fuck, that mother fucker. Fucking asshole.”

  I lean in and tilt my head to take a closer look at the hicky on the side of my neck. I’m too fucking old for this shit. Damn, how am I going to hide this from Evan? Fuck it. I take Ibuprofen out of the sink and continue freshening up for the morning.

  The kitchen and living room are still quiet as I make the coffee. It feels good to have some clothing on while preparing drinks and breakfast. I’ve always been disgusted by people who cook in the nude. Even if they shave, the possibility of any kind of hair or pubes in my food is downright nasty.

  I pull two mugs out of the cabinet, a light blue one for Mera, and a red one for myself. Dry toast and black coffee, with orange slices on the side will be the perfect start for the two of us. With two steady hands, I carry everything on a tray into Mera’s bedroom.

  “Wake up, sleepy head.”

  “Hmph.”

  “What do you mean, hmph? I had just as much to drink as you did, but you don’t see me huddled under my blankets like a little wuss.” I also know that I have more body weight than Mera does, so I keep my teasing to a minimum.

  I place the tray on the nightstand and sit next to her, crossing my legs as I rub her side.

  “Hey, let’s have a light breakfast, then go for a jog to get our bodies ready for the day.”

  “Soph, are you fucking crazy? Does it look like I can go jogging this morning?” Mera throws the covers from her upper body and squints her eyes. I notice dried vomit on her chin, and mascara smeared down her cheeks. She places her head face down onto the pillow and kicks her feet.

  I start to laugh at the atrocious site. “You could be in a horror movie with that face.”

  “Fuck you,” Mera throws her pillow at me as she tries to knock me off the bed.

  “Well, at least get up and have some coffee and toast. We can talk about exercise later.”

  “What time is it, and why are you waking me up?”

  “It’s nine. We’re leaving at eleven. I want you wide awake when we get there so that you don’t drop or break any of my things, so let’s start the morning off right. Come on,” I say, smacking her ass. “Get up and eat.”

  “Pfft,” Mera responds, kicking her feet again.

  “Don’t dismiss me, or I’ll have to beat your ass instead of just giving it a light tap.”

  That put a smile on her face. “Please do, you got lucky last night, not me. I could use someone touching my ass for a while.”

  “Don’t tempt me, my love,” I say, leaning over and reaching for the tray on the nightstand. Mera sits up shirtless, letting her breasts hang out as we sip our coffee. She has perfect nipples and her faultless C cups are just what the doctor ordered. Literally.

  “Did you notice anything different about me this morning?”

  She looks over and her eyes widen as she sees my neck. “Holy shit, you little whore.”

  “I didn’t know he was doing that. I hate hickies. How am I going to hide this from Evan?”

  “Who cares about Evan, I’d be more worried about hiding it from the people in your new apartment building. Talk about a bad first impression. Oh, wait, that’s a pretty accurate impression of you.”

  “You bitch. You think you’re so funny all of the time, don’t you?” I pause, thinking back to Worship and the night before. “Hey, how old do you think those guys were?”

  “Well, they didn’t have on wrist bands from the doorman, so they weren’t of drinking age. I’d guess about nineteen.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. That’s a bit too young. I need to be more careful.”

  Mera looks at me and rolls her eyes. “She says that now.”

  “I’m also sleepwalking again.”

  “No shit?”

  “Yeah, I woke up this morning on your sofa, naked.”

  “You didn’t leave any seepage on my beautiful new piece of furniture, did you?”

  “Get dressed,” I respond, slapping her leg as I stand. “I’ll be in the shower, trying to rub this hicky off my neck.”

  “You know that doesn’t work,” Mera yells, as I walk out of her room toward the guest bath.

  “Yes, I fucking know,” I mumble back.

  ***

  We arrive at Evan’s at eleven, a little earlier than I had planned. The move wouldn’t take very long if I had been smart and rented a truck to take everything downtown in one load. Instead, with my MINI, and Mera’s little Nissan Juke, we’ll have to take at least five trips back and forth unless Evan decides to lend a hand.

  I see a note taped to the front door as we walk up the porch steps.

  “Is that from Evan?” Mera asks, as she approaches from behind.

  “We’ll see,” I say, ripping it off the door. “Yeah, he had to re-touch paint on a house today, so he won’t be around until the afternoon, or so the note says.”

  “That sucks. Well, at least he won’t be in our way, or it won’t be too awkward, for me anyway.”

  “I already forgot that you slept with him, thanks for reminding me.”

  “No problem. So he’s still painting houses?”

  “Yeah, I thought he’d find something better to do with his degree after we moved here, but that was wishful thinking.” I take out my key and unlock the door, walking cautiously inside as if I’m breaking into someone’s house. “It feels weird being here, like I’m a stranger and don’t belong inside with him not here.”

  “Don’t worry about it Soph, let’s get to work and we can relax tonight in your new abode.”

  “Sounds good. Let’s find Lewis and make sure he doesn’t get out while we’re loading the cars.”

  “Oh my God, I forgot about Lewis. I haven’t seen him in months.”

  Lewis Salami is one lucky little cat. I often tell him that he won the lottery by having me as his mama. He was brought to a shelter when someone came across him starving in an abandoned trailer. A place where his former owners left him to die. His long Persian fur had never been brushed and was so matted that he couldn’t walk. I cried the first time I saw him huddled in the back of a cage, shaking, not knowing where he was or what was happening to him. When I lifted him out from that cage he wrapped a paw around my neck and nuzzled under my chin. He let out a big purr and I assured him that no one would ever hurt him again.

  Since Mera’s allergic to cats I couldn’t take him with me to her place.

  “Lewis,” I call out.

 
There’s a thump on the floor above us as I hear him jump down from his favorite spot in the house, the master bedroom windowsill. A pitter-patter of feet scurries above me and I hear a rumble down the stairs. I see his head peek around the corner and when he sees that it’s me, he runs to my ankles and does a quick roll on top of my feet.

  “Hi baby boy,” I squeal, picking him up and planting a kiss on his cheek. Lewis begins to purr and I hug him for a few minutes.

  “That cat is fat, you should name him Chubs.”

  “Hey, he was left to starve, and as far as I’m concerned, he can eat whenever he wants. Besides, he only weighs twelve pounds, and I’ve known cats that were close to twenty. If he gets to be fifteen pounds, then I may cut him back a little, but for now, he’s happy and healthy.”

  “Maybe he looks fat to me because he has so much fur. I haven’t seen many Persian cats in person, so it’s hard to tell.”

  Lewis has three-inch thick orange fur and white paws that make him look like he’s wearing socks. His eyes are light gold and he has a black nose. Sometimes, when I wake up in the middle of the night, I see his little white paws running by my bedroom door. It’s a ghostlike scene when one is half-asleep.

  I take Lewis back up to the bedroom. “Sorry baby, I need you to stay in here for a while.” He lets out a small cry and hops back onto his windowsill. From there, he’ll have a nice view of the day’s activities.

  “Hey Sophia,” Mera calls up to me from the bottom of the stairs. “You have to see this.”

  I walk through the living room and stop in front of four towering piles of boxes. Each pile has a white sheet of paper taped to it, with a word explaining the contents: bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living. There’s also a small pile of boxes on the dining room table that are all labeled miscellaneous.

  “Did you ask Evan to pack all of your things?”

  “Hell no, and now I know why he’s not here. He’s afraid I’ll be pissed that he did.”

  “Are you?”

  “I don’t know. I suppose not, it does make the day easier for us, but it’s freaky that he went through all of my things. I mean, I wonder if he packed my tampons and stuff like that. What if he found my vibrator? Did he know that I had one, and what was he thinking when he found it in my drawer?”

  “I’d be pissed.”

  Pulling my phone out of my bag, I call Evan.

  “I doubt he’s gonna pick up,” I say to Mera, as I walk around the dining room and examine all of the boxes.

  “Leave him a message.”

  “I will. Look, this box is labeled E-V-A-N. I wonder if he’s giving me photos of himself or some of his things. Hey Evan, I’m here, call me.” I hang up the phone and place it back inside my bag.

  “That’s all you’re going to say?”

  “That’s enough. He’ll get it.”

  Mera roams around the boxes and looks over the rest of the house. “I don’t see any of your things out, so this must be everything. Are you taking any furniture, or electronics?”

  “Just my desktop, the flat screen from the bedroom, and my stereo. My father’s having new furniture delivered for me on Monday, so I’d rather leave everything else for Evan.”

  “A clean break will be healthy. Starting fresh like I did when I moved into my own place is going to be exciting. I’ll help you shop for some things if you’d like.”

  “I know. It’s your favorite thing to do besides drinking and sex.”

  “I can’t argue with that one, you know me well,” Mera says, walking over to the kitchen pile, trying to lift a few boxes. She checks the weight of each one, slightly shaking them to see how well Evan has packed my things. “These are pretty light, Soph. I don’t hear anything rattling around either. Cheers to Evan.”

  “Speak of the devil,” I say, hearing my phone ring from my bag. My hand starts to shake as I answer, knowing that an argument might occur. “Evan. I see you’re still just as anal as when I left a few days ago.” I shake my head and roll my eyes at Mera. “No, not that kind of anal, you know what I mean. Anyway, I appreciate all of the time this must’ve taken you. I guess you don’t have much going on lately?”

  Mera smiles at me and rolls her eyes back my way.

  “Oh, really? You let your new girlfriend help pack up my stuff? You shithead.” My voice rises and Mera starts to laugh. “Evan, God dammit. Haven’t you ever heard of a little privacy?”

  “Let me talk to him.” Mera yanks the phone out of my hand and walks into the living room. I’m fuming knowing that a woman other than Mera has been rifling through my most intimate possessions. What if she was the one who found my vibrator?

  I follow her into the living room as she does a better job than me of scolding my ex-boyfriend.

  “And another thing, you know we both have small girly cars, couldn’t you help us out a little bit with the SAAB? Where are you anyway?” Mera walks over to the front window with the phone, checking to see if he might be outside. “Really, at work? On a Saturday?”

  I claim the phone back from her and lower my voice, trying not to let him ruin my day. “First, thank you for taking care of Lewis, and second, I do appreciate the packing that you did, and I emphasize you. It saves us a lot of time, but letting your girlfriend look at and touch my things is just fucking rude.”

  Mera throws a tough face my way as she holds up a fist, looking like she’s ready to punch someone.

  “No, I’m not jealous, I just don’t appreciate strangers going through my entire life.” I start to pace and listen to Evan bullshit about trying to be helpful, how he was just thinking about me, and on and on about what a saint he is.

  Mera swirls a finger in the air as a cue that it’s time to wrap things up, and she’s right. Evan and I can argue back and forth for hours about certain things, my privacy being one of them. We’re good friends who just shouldn’t live together.

  “Evan,” I say in a softer voice. “Please remember that sometimes I feel like my privacy is all that I have. There are things in my past that I don’t want anyone to stumble across. If someone were to know everything about me, then what would I have left that’s just mine?” Pausing, I listen to Evan laugh. “I wasn’t trying to be funny,” I say, hanging up the phone.

  “Here Soph, let me wipe that fake tear from your face.”

  “Fuck off,” I say with a smile. “I know that was a bit dramatic. I think I’m just nervous about getting a new place after only seeing it online, so I’m taking it out on everyone around me.”

  “You didn’t go there in person?”

  “I was in the building, but my unit was being remodeled. I’ve only seen one that’s similar. Perhaps the stress from the unknown is why I’m being a bitch to Evan.”

  “No, he was a prick to let his new woman pack your stuff. That’s why we both yelled at him.”

  My phone rings again. Looking over at Mera, I shake my head no, and place it back in my bag. “I’m not answering it right now. We have better things to do.”

  After an hour, the cars are full, and the kitchen pile is down to one box. I tell Lewis we’ll be back in two hours, leaving him some food and water in the bedroom. Locking the front door, I walk down the steps and take a seat in MINI. I look into my rear view mirror at Mera, who’s waiting in her Juke. She gives me the thumbs up and I start my car.

  In thirty minutes, I’ll be walking into my new home.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Hey, turn onto Locust and pull into the parking garage on the left. We’ll have to carry a small load in from the garage until I check to see what kind of parking is available in my building.”

  “Which building is yours?”

  “You’ll see,” I say, hanging up the phone while I take a ticket from the parking attendant.

  I find the first available space, and Mera pulls her Juke next to MINI. We each take a box from our cars and head out of the garage, walking east on Locust, then up Eleventh.

  “I can’t believe you got a place in my neighborhood.
I’m like two blocks from here,” she beams, practically skipping down the sidewalk.

  “My dad gave me a list of four properties to choose from, and this was my favorite in terms of location and condition. I hope the inside is as good as the model I saw. I’m walking into this blind.”

  “I’m sure your dad checked everything out. He wouldn’t let you move into a place that didn’t meet his standards.”

  “I wouldn’t call the place I had with Evan high-end living.”

  “Well, it had character, and it was in a safe neighborhood.”

  “True,” I say, stopping Mera on the street. She looks back at me as I tilt my head straight up with a smile, following each floor to the very top of the twelve-story building.

  “No fucking way,” Mera whines. “You’re living here?”

  “Supposedly I have a third of the top floor.”

  “Shit, you lucky-ass bitch, you have a penthouse?”

  “Technically, my father has a penthouse, I’m just living in it.”

  We walk into the North Eleventh Street Building, a national landmark, and one of the most sought after places to live in St. Louis. The historic building was turned into lofts about a decade ago, with businesses on the ground floor including the Baguette Café, a place that Mera and I frequent every week. The original construction of the building took place a few years before the great depression, and it emanates dominance, security, and wealth from that time period. The art deco style is evident with rectangular blocky forms, and smooth-faced large stone pieces that tower over us as we enter the lobby.

  “Cripes, look at the ceiling height, and those modern lights, and the floors, and that painting on the wall, and….”

  “Mera, stop. Let’s try to look like we belong here.”

  “We do belong here Sophia.”

  We walk into the elevator, and I place my key into the slot. My heart starts to pound like it’s going to burst out of my chest. I feel dizzy. My palms are sweaty and my stomach is queasy. Can this elevator move any slower?