The NOVA Trilogy Boxed Set

by Jayce, Aven

  “I think I’m having a panic attack,” I pant.

  Mera laughs.

  “No, seriously.”

  “What could possibly stress you out so much right now that you’re having a panic attack?”

  The elevator opens and I look at Mera. “Life.”

  We walk over to my door and I pull out a shiny new key. Mera starts humming an early seventies folk song, Brand New Key, by Melanie Safka. I giggle, knowing that she’s trying to put me at ease. I turn the key, and open my door.

  “Fucking shit, Soph; how much money does your father make each year?”

  I’m dumbfounded, unable to speak. I wanted high-end finishes, like Mera, but this is beyond anything I could possibly imagine. From the hallway I see soaring sixteen-foot ceilings, and two floors, with black iron railings on the stairwell and a walkway above. The walls are concrete, painted a warm grey color. Gleaming oak hardwood floors run below, and contemporary light fixtures fill the space above. There’s a large glass window above my entry door, covered with an etched texture pattern for privacy. I surrender and step into the foyer, Mera happily by my side.

  The first door on my left is a full bathroom with yellow-grey walls, a white pedestal sink with a round mirror above it, and a grey stone tiled floor and shower.

  “This is lovely.”

  Mera takes my hand, excited to see more, she pulls me into a massive open space that runs a good forty feet. It’s definitely an open loft concept with the kitchen, dining, and living area all combined into one room.

  “This is gigantic, Soph. You could use it as a dance hall.”

  “I know. Look at this kitchen.” I slide my hand down the speckled brown granite counter of the kitchen island that has enough space for six stools. There’s a six-burner gas range, and gorgeous matching high-end refrigerator and dishwasher. All are stainless steel and brand spanking new. The island is the only thing that separates the kitchen from the rest of the room.

  Mera walks through the space with me, touching every counter and cherry cabinet. She opens the fridge and gawks at its size. “This is the biggest fridge I’ve ever seen.”

  I look in with her, realizing that we both could fit inside the thing. “I think it’s about five or six feet wide. This is all just cray.”

  “Totally cray. Maybe your dad wants you to gain a little weight, you better stock it.”

  “I could buy half of the frozen section at the supermarket and wouldn’t come close to filling this thing.”

  She closes the door and we turn to admire more of the space. The stadium-sized area has six large windows, a double door leading outside, and two half windows toward the ceiling on each side of the room. There’s so much light it reminds me of being outdoors. I walk over to the dining area and look out one of the windows at the city view.

  “I think I can see your apartment from here.”

  Mera walks over, opens the double door, and we step out onto the balcony. “This runs all the way along this side of your loft. You can put a garden out here. And look, there’s my place,” she squeals, pointing to the right.

  “I thought so. I’ll be able to wave to you.” We both laugh and I finally relax. This is incredible. I may not want to leave, ever.

  Walking back inside we see that the living room extends around to the other side of the kitchen. There’s a fireplace on the left wall, and four more windows. Galvanized steel ductwork hangs from the ceiling throughout the room, and lights drop down in groups of three. It’s a warm and inviting space, which I have no idea how I’m going to fill.

  “Let’s see what’s upstairs,” Mera says, taking my hand again while practically running to the second floor. At the top is a door that she opens with delight. We step into a large storage room, with one window, and a concrete floor.

  “You could buy some free standing closets and turn this room into an extra bedroom. It’s not like you have any need for storage space right now.”

  “Yeah, well it’s not like I have any need for an extra bedroom either.”

  “True.”

  “Let’s keep looking, we haven’t even found the real bedrooms yet.” Enthusiastically, I skip out of the storage room and follow the second floor walkway to the opposite side of the loft. There’s an open space at the end, with a built-in desk and bookshelves. “This will be my office. Look, I can view the entire loft from up here.”

  “Amazing. Your dad paid a fortune for this place. What do you think, about half a million?”

  “At least. But that’s not much to him anymore. Plus, he can always sell it and make a profit. I know that some remodeling happened before I moved in, and it looks like that entire kitchen is new. I’ll assume he updated the bathrooms as well. It’s all an investment for him.”

  “Why didn’t he get us a nice place back when we were college students?”

  “Because I asked him not too. I didn’t want to stand out, and I wanted us to have a real college experience. You know, eating Raman noodles for dinner, searching under the couch cushions for change to buy gas, and getting free condoms from the health center. It was fun and we have great memories to share because of it.”

  Mera gasps and latches onto my forearm, “Soph, you have a third floor.”

  I turn around and see the staircase in the corner of the office. Mera begins to race up the steps, and I pull her back. “Me first chickadee, this must be my bedroom.”

  I walk up, stopping at the top of the stairs. Mera’s right behind, and we both sigh at the sight of the sprawling master bedroom. Floor to ceiling windows line three of the four walls, and a set of double doors open out to a terrace. The oak floors from the first level continue up into this space, with similar concrete walls and exposed brick. The walls have a fresh coat of paint in a cinnamon brown color, and an antique bronze chandelier with frosted golden yellow glass hovers over the room. The galvanized ductwork and sixteen foot ceilings expand into the never-ending space, giving off a surreal effect of continuing out of the building and into the clouds. Mera and I sigh again, taking in the immense beauty that surrounds us.

  “I fucking need a king-size bed. Jesus.”

  Mera opens the doors to the terrace and a fresh gust of wind flows into the room, dispersing the paint fumes that still hang in the air. The terrace wraps around two sides of the bedroom, providing infinite views of the city. I’m bewildered as to what I’m going to do with all of this space. I don’t know if I’m ready for this. I’m not sure I can take on this much responsibility. It’s one thing to take care of a MINI Cooper, but a penthouse?

  “Are you panicking again?”

  “Maybe. Or maybe it’s being out here on the top floor of this building. We’re pretty high up.”

  “It’s beautiful. I’m moving in with you. Today.”

  “You might have to. How am I going to fill all of this space? It must be close to two thousand square feet in here.” I shake my head and walk back into the bedroom. I’m grateful, but my dad may have overdone it just a bit this time.

  “You picked it out, Soph.”

  “I know, and I love it. I’m excited, but I’m nervous too. Plus, the model I saw was half the size of this one.”

  A buzzing noise sounds as Mera closes and locks the terrace door.

  “Was that the door that just made that noise?”

  “Maybe you have an alarm system.”

  “I don’t think so, or it would have gone off when we first walked in.”

  There’s another buzz in the loft down below.

  “I think that might be my doorbell.”

  We walk the two flights back down to the main floor and I head over to the foyer.

  “Don’t open it, ask who it is first.”

  “I know, I’m not five,” I say, placing my hand on the entry door. “Who is it?”

  “It’s your dad.”

  I fling the door open and jump into my father’s arms, excited to have him here. “Dad, thank you so much. I love my new place. You’re amazing.”

&nb
sp; “You’re welcome, Sophia. I’m so happy you like it.”

  “Hi, Mr. Jameson!” Mera exclaims from the kitchen. “Can I live here too?”

  My father lets out a deep chuckle as I release him from my hug.

  “Mera, I should’ve known you’d be here,” my dad yells back at her. “Here kiddo, I brought you some flowers for your new place, and I have some help for you too, if you want it.”

  “Lilies, my favorite, and you brought a vase for them as well. How thoughtful.”

  “You can thank my secretary for reminding me that you probably wouldn’t have anything to put them in. She also said to keep them away from your cat, because they might be poisonous if he eats them.”

  My father’s smile disappears as he notices the hicky on my neck. I place my hand over it, trying to hide it after the fact. I try to change the subject, knowing that he’ll ask me about it later.

  “What are you doing here? Not that I don’t want you to be here, I’m just surprised.”

  “Business.”

  My father never gives me the details when it comes to his job. He owns a number of casinos in Las Vegas, and has associates in many cities. Other than that, I’m clueless as to what it is that he does when he travels.

  “Have you seen this place?”

  “Not in person. The contactor I hired sent me videos of the work that he did, but I wanted to check it out today, just in case there are any problems.”

  “Dad, it’s beautiful. I couldn’t dream of ever living in a nicer place.”

  “Oh, you will someday. Think of this as your bachelorette pad. Hopefully you can meet a few promising men with your new home.”

  “You mean lure them in with money?”

  “Well, yes. That’s exactly what I mean.”

  “Everyone is always trying to marry me off.”

  “I just want you to be happy, Sophia. Now, show me your home.”

  I walk my father through the space, watching him stop to check every socket, window, floor joint, and all of the nooks and crannies in each room. He looks pleased at the restoration and updates that were made. Mera follows us, pointing out her favorite things in each area.

  “Mera, do you like the guest bedroom? I was thinking that you might stay over here quite often so I had it painted in one of your favorite colors.”

  Mera and I look at my father, taken aback. He walks over to the living area that expands past the kitchen and puts his arm up, pointing to the right.

  “In there, on the other side of the kitchen, that’s the second bedroom. I guess you didn’t head deep enough into the living room to see it.”

  “Oh Dad, We haven’t been here long enough to find all the great spaces this place has.”

  Mera rushes to the door and walks into her room. She squeaks with delight when she sees the light blue color adorning the walls. More oak floors, large windows, and a chandelier that matches the one in the master bedroom complete the room.

  “This is perfect for family and friends, Dad. Great color too. Thank you, again.” I reach out and give him a big hug as Mera joins in, wrapping her arms around us both.

  We break apart and my dad continues through the penthouse, showing us the beautiful new master bath.

  “I had a large shower put in with two shower heads, and the heat lamp that you said you liked. Those are granite counters on the double vanity, and the large-scale tiles are a light grey stone. There’s also a Jacuzzi bath next to the new glass block window.”

  “Wow, Soph. You can fit like four or five people in that shower. It’s time for a party.”

  “No parties,” my father chimes in. “You’re too old for parties. At this age you need to have what’s called a social gathering.”

  I grin at his parental rules. “So it’s a party, but for older people.”

  “A social gathering,” my father repeats, pointing his finger at me.

  The three of us walk down the stairs, stand by the entrance, and my father checks the time on his iPhone.

  “Now, when I walked in, I said I had help for you. There’s a moving company out front that will help you with the rest of your things, and I have some of the furniture arriving in about an hour. I have a business meeting close by, after which I’ll be back to help the furniture crew. You and Mera can follow the movers to pick up the rest of your belongings. Here, take my Fisker, it’s in the basement in your parking spot.”

  Mera’s eyes widen at the thought of riding in such a luxury car.

  “I was wondering if I had underground parking here.”

  “Two spots. You and Mera can bring your cars around to the back of the building and head down the ramp on the far right side. You’ll have to use your key to open the gate. The underground parking is only for the penthouse residents, so it’s secure.” My father leans in and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Get moving girls,” he commands, as he walks out the door.

  I pick up my bag, Mera takes her purse, and we head out the door.

  “Where did your father disappear to so fast? I didn’t even hear the elevator.”

  “I don’t know. He rushes when he has business to take care of. He may have taken the stairs since he’s on some weird exercise kick.”

  “Yeah, like I couldn’t tell. There’s not an inch of fat on him, and he’s what, like in his late forties or something?”

  “He’s been tanning too, or maybe that’s just the Nevada sun that’s bronzing him up like that, but he sure does look healthy.”

  “I bet he’s getting laid a lot too.”

  “Fuck, Mera. Don’t place images of my dad fucking someone in my head.”

  “Well, he’s tall, with dark hair, striking chestnut brown eyes, thin as a stalk of wheat on the Kansas plains, and rich. You know he probably gets it every night, maybe even right now.”

  “Enough, no more sex talk about my father.” Locking the door, I hear her mumble something as she walks over to the elevator. “What was that?”

  “I said I’d fuck him.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  There’s a patter of light rain against my windows as a heavy fog obstructs the view of the city. My eyes blur as I try to focus on the bronze chandelier that hangs above my bed. It’s pre-dawn and I’m still tired from the whirlwind of activities that took place over the weekend. I couldn’t have done it without Mera’s help and support, plus it was a godsend that my father showed up to keep everything organized. It will take the three of us a few days to recover.

  The drowsiness lifts from my eyes and I see beautiful Lewis curled up at the end of my bed.

  “Good morning, baby boy. It looks like you feel right at home in our new place.”

  Lewis opens one eye and rolls onto his back in agreement. He lets out a quiet purr, and I decide not to disturb him. He had a long weekend just like the rest of us.

  I wrap the dark red robe hanging on my bedpost around my bare skin and slide into my matching slippers.

  Today I can finish going through the boxes that Evan packed, then I have to see Dr. Rosen before meeting my father for dinner. I wish he could stay a little longer, but he did promise to visit again for Thanksgiving, which is only three weeks away.

  Heading down the steps, I stop on the second floor catwalk, admiring my massive space. My father and the furniture crew placed all of the new pieces in perfect spots throughout the room. Antique Mexican rugs cover most of the oak floors. An abundance of southwestern tables and chairs fill the room, creating a feeling of being in Santa Fe. He even went so far as buying me bundles of pinion wood for the fireplace. Now I can have the smell of the southwest to go along with the style of my new place.

  I continue down to the first floor to make a pot of coffee. Mera was kind enough to unpack and organize the kitchen, while I was busy upstairs putting my bedroom together. My father spent his time rearranging furniture, setting the rugs in appropriate places, and hanging some paintings on the walls. He’s a big art collector, specifically oil paintings, and he enjoys purchasing the works of estab
lished artists as well as those who are up and coming. I haven’t told him about my nude modeling for the drawing classes at the university, and I think I’ll keep that a secret for a while longer.

  I take a few moments to light a small fire with the pinion wood. The penthouse is comfortable, but the weather outside is gloomy so a fire will be uplifting with my morning coffee.

  Lewis is awake and he hops onto the Saddle Blanket sofa that’s in front of the fireplace. His eyes flicker with the reflection of floating embers as he watches the sparks fly upward and disappear into the chimney. Mesmerized, I give him a small rub under his chin and leave him to enjoy the show.

  I rummage through the final boxes that are left resting on top of the dining room table. Evan packed well, a little too well. He crammed everything that I bought last week at the supermarket, including a box of tissues, and a roll of garbage bags, into any free space he could fill. There’s a box with Lewis’s toys, and another that has office supplies, including over 300 pens. A box full of pens; really Evan? What a waste of time. I’m not sure if some of the boxes are a joke, or if he’s just being his usual anal self. I see the box that’s labeled E-V-A-N. Slicing it open with the box cutter, I find my vibrator snuggled inside, looking like it recently had a bath and someone tucked him into a sleeping bag for a long nap.

  “Oh Evan, you are trying to be funny.”

  My phone rings as I reach into the box.

  “Hey Mera, guess what was in that box that had Evan’s name on it?”

  “Bananas.”

  “Pretty funny, and surprisingly close. My vibrator.”

  “And he labeled it Evan? What a weirdo.”

  “Yeah he was just trying to amuse me, or amuse himself. Can you picture him holding it?”

  “Disgusting. Make sure you wash it. You don’t know where it’s been over the past couple of days.”

  “I will,” I say, carrying it with me as I talk on the phone. “I’m glad you called, I wanted to ask you if you’d like to have dinner tonight with me and my dad, around five?”

  “That sounds great. I’m assuming you’re seeing Dr. Rosen this afternoon, so do you want me to meet you over there?”