by E. K. Blair
“And what did he say to that?” I asked.
“He said he’s good and just for me to come alone.”
I got up from my seat and grabbed the bottle of wine Giselle and Gretchen had brought over. I took the wine glasses from the cupboard and set them on the table. Sam stood up, opened the bottle, and poured each of us a glass. He held up his glass for a toast.
“To my new neighbor, Lily. May we become great friends and share many good times.”
We all smiled and clanked our glasses. “Thank you, Sam.”
We talked for a few hours about our careers. Sam’s an architect and works for a well-known company called Glassman and Fillmore. I shared my love of photography and the fact that I have a teaching degree, which was the reason that brought me to Santa Monica. Gretchen and Giselle talked about their modeling careers and the exotic places they’ve been. It was late, so Gretchen and Giselle called it a night. I hugged them goodbye, and Sam walked them to their car.
I was cleaning up the kitchen when a text message came through from Gretchen.
“I’m in love with Sam; why does he have to be gay?”
I smiled and shook my head as I replied, “All the good ones usually are.”
I finished cleaning up and looked at the clock; it was 2:45 a.m. I turned the lights off and walked into the bathroom. I turned the shower on, undressed, and stepped inside. It was a long day, and all I wanted to do was stay under the stream of hot water forever. After I managed to drag myself out of the shower, I put my pajamas on and looked at the guitar sitting in the corner of my bedroom. I walked over and picked it up. I sat down on the edge of the bed and started strumming a few chords. Memories of my father came to my mind, and I started to play the song that he used to sing to me when I was a child. When I was done playing the song, I looked at the clock again, and it was 4:00 a.m. I put the guitar back on its stand and climbed into my new bed. I prayed to God to please let me sleep peacefully.
***
My eyes flew open from the nightmare I was having. The clock read 6:00 a.m. as I glanced at it, and I had only slept two hours. I laid in bed, but I tossed and turned; there was no way I was going back to sleep. My mind was racing with the fact that I begin my teaching job tomorrow. I loved kids, and I loved being a teacher, but I also loved photography and would like to make that my career. I’m twenty-six years old, and I’m still undecided on what I want to do with my life. I thought I had it figured out with Hunter. My life was all planned out. We were going to get married, have a couple of kids, and live in a house with a white picket fence. I was going to pursue a career in photography while tutoring kids on the side. He was going to come home from work, and we were going to eat the meal together that I spent all day preparing. Was I just desperate to find some normalcy in my life?
I got out of bed and put on a cute little floral print sundress that I bought before I moved here. I dragged my ass to the kitchen for some coffee. Shit, I forgot to buy coffee. I sighed. I wondered if Sam was awake. I walked over to the wall and pressed my ear up against it. Since I didn’t know the layout of his apartment, I took a chance and lightly knocked on the wall. I smiled when there was a knock back. I walked next door and knocked on the door. I gasped when the door opened, and Luke was standing there in a pair of navy blue pajama bottoms that sat just below his hips. I instantly became nervous and started fidgeting.
“Can I help you with something?” Luke asked as he stared at me.
“Um, hi, I was wondering if Sam was around,” I said nervously.
“No, Sam isn’t here.”
There was tone in his voice that suggested I was bothering him.
“Oh, I’ll catch him later then,” I said as I turned my back and started to walk back to my apartment.
“Wait, is there something you needed?” he asked.
I turned around and looked at him. Even though he was rude, he was sure as hell the sexiest man that I’d ever seen.
“I was just going to ask if I could borrow some coffee. I forgot to buy some yesterday, and being the caffeine addict that I am, I kind of need some, quick.”
The corners of his mouth curved into a tiny smile. “Come on in,” he said as he stepped aside.
As I stepped inside his apartment, I was shocked at how big it was. I guess being the end apartment has its advantages.
“What do you take in your coffee?” Luke asked as he opened the refrigerator.
“I drink it black, but that’s ok, I’ll just borrow some and make it at my place.”
“You said you needed coffee quick, and I have some made, so take this cup and drink it,” he growled.
“Ok,” I said nervously.
I looked around his apartment as I took a sip of coffee. It was spotless, and everything was in its place. The dark brown, leather furniture complimented the beige walls and a 65 inch TV was displayed on the wall. I was very uncomfortable, but I couldn’t leave until I finished my coffee.
“You’re one of the very few people that I know who take their coffee black,” Luke said out of nowhere as he poured himself a cup and sipped it.
I sat down on the stool in front of the kitchen bar. Luke was leaning up against the counter with his coffee across from me. My eyes couldn’t help but wander to his perfectly defined six-pack and sculpted V-line. He worked out; there was no doubt about it. I think it was time for my battery operated boyfriend and I to get reacquainted. I couldn’t help but notice the scar that went from his right hip and around to his back.
“Is there something wrong with me?” he asked.
Instantly, my eyes darted up to his. “No, why would you ask that?”
“I don’t know; it’s just the way you were staring at me.”
I wanted to die. I got lost in his body, and he caught me. I was so humiliated at that moment; I had to think of something quick.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t staring at you. I was just thinking about something.”
“Thinking about what?” he asked as he walked closer and leaned over the counter in front of me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an acoustic guitar sitting by the TV. “Who plays the guitar?” I asked to quickly change the subject.
“I do,” Luke said.
“Cool,” I replied.
He walked over to his guitar and took it from the stand. As he brought it over and handed it to me, I looked at him in confusion.
“Here; play that song you were playing last night,” he said.
“You heard that?” I asked.
“Yeah, see my couch right there? That’s where your bedroom is.”
“Oh, I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”
“You didn’t; I was up anyway. Now, why don’t you play that song?”
I took the guitar from his hand and set it on my lap. I positioned my fingers on the strings and began to play. He took my empty coffee cup and filled it back up. He set the cup down in front of me as I strummed the song he wanted to hear.
“Who taught you how to play?” he asked as he leaned up against the wall.
“My father,” I answered as I strummed the last chord.
“What song is that?”
“A song my father used to sing to me. It’s called ‘Little Girl of Mine’.”
He looked at me with a blank expression. I handed his guitar back to him.
“Your turn.” I smiled.
“No! I’m not playing right now,” he growled and walked back into the kitchen.
I didn’t know what to say or think. One minute he’s being nice and the next he acts like I’m bothering him. He’s like a woman with severe PMS. I got up from the stool.
“Thanks for the coffee, and tell Sam I stopped by,” I said with an attitude.
He didn’t say a word to me; he just stared out the kitchen window with his hands pressed against the counter. I opened the door to walk out, and Sam was standing there.
“Hey, Lily. Good morning,” he said with a confused look on his face.
“Tell your friend
in there he needs to learn some manners when it comes to women,” I snarled.
I walked back into my apartment, and Sam followed behind me.
“What the hell happened?” he asked.
“He’s just rude, Sam.”
Sam walked over to me and put his hands on my shoulders. “Listen, Luke’s really a great guy once you get to know him. He’s had a really rough year, and I’m trying to help him.”
“Yeah, well, so have I, but I’m not rude to people.”
“Trust me when I say to cut him some slack. He’s probably just nervous around you because you’re so beautiful.” He smiled.
I looked at him with a perplexed expression.
“I want to ask you something,” Sam said. “Can you give me Gretchen’s phone number?”
I looked at him again and shook my head as I put my hands up in front of him.
“Wait–wait–wait. Why do you want Gretchen’s phone number?”
Sam twisted his face. “I want to ask her out on a date,” he replied.
“A date?” I asked totally confused.
“Do you have a problem if I go out on a date with your best friend?” he asked while giving me a weird look.
“You’re gay; why would you want to date Gretchen? What about Luke? I don’t think he’d appreciate his boyfriend going on a date with a woman.”
Sam took a step back. “Whoa, wait a minute; you think I’m gay?!” He laughed.
A horrified look swept across my face. “Aren’t you?” I asked carefully.
“You thought Luke and I were a couple?!” he said still laughing.
“Oh my god,” I said as I turned away in humiliation.
Sam grabbed me and hugged me. “You’re so cute, Lily. I haven’t had a good laugh in a long time.”
I stood there with my nose pressed against his chest. I patted him on the back. “I’m glad I could amuse you.”
“Now, about that phone number.” He smiled.
“Hand me your phone,” I said as I held out my hand. I keyed in the numbers of my phone, Gretchen’s phone, and Giselle’s phone. “Just in case you ever need to get a hold of me when I’m not home.”
Sam smiled as he took his phone from me. A few moments later, my phone went off. I walked over to the counter, picked it up, and saw that I had a text message.
“Now you have my number if you ever just want to talk.”
I looked at him and smiled. “Get out of here, and go call Gretchen. She thinks you’re hot, but don’t tell her I said that.”
Sam winked at me and laughed as he left my apartment.
3
Luke
I was sitting on the couch when Sam came through the door and started in on me. “What the hell’s your problem, Luke?”
I looked at him as I took a sip of my coffee. “What the hell are you talking about, Sam?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Why do you have to be such an asshole to Lily?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said as I got up and walked to my bedroom.
Sam followed behind me. “Bullshit! You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Leave me alone, Sam,” I warned.
He walked out of my room and went into the bathroom, mumbling under his breath. I opened my drawer and noticed it was almost empty. Looking over to the corner of my bedroom, I noticed my laundry basket was heaping with dirty clothes. I can’t even remember the last time I did laundry. I picked up some clothes that were lying on the floor and shoved them into the basket. I picked up the basket and set it by the front door while I went to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. Sam came out of the bathroom just as I was walking out the door.
“By the way, Lily thought you were gay!” he shouted.
I stopped and put the laundry basket down. I turned around and looked at Sam. “What do you mean she thought I was gay?”
“What part of ‘she thought you were gay’ did you not understand?” He smirked.
I rolled my eyes, shut the door, picked up the laundry basket, and I headed down the hall to the laundry room. As I approached the doorway, I saw Lily putting clothes into the washer. She saw me and stopped what she was doing.
“Hi, do you need to use this?” she asked while pointing to the washer.
“Yeah, but it’s fine, I can do laundry another time,” I replied.
I couldn’t stop thinking about how I was an asshole to her this morning and how she must have mentioned it to Sam, otherwise he wouldn’t have went off on me like he did.
“You can throw some of your clothes in with mine. We can split the cost.” she offered.
“Didn’t you just move in yesterday?” I asked.
“A couple of days of ago,” she replied.
“If you just moved here, why are you already doing laundry?”
She looked at me with anger in her eyes. “I didn’t do—hell, just forget it. It’s all yours,” she said as she took her things out of the washer and stormed out of the laundry room.
I didn’t say anything wrong, so I don’t know why she got so upset, but it didn’t matter anyway; I didn’t care. I threw my clothes into the washer, started it, and headed back to my apartment. As I opened the door, Charley came running to me.
“Uncle Luke, look what my mom bought me!” she said as she showed me her silver butterfly bracelet.
“Wow, that’s beautiful.” I smiled and gave her a kiss on her head.
“She bought it for me as a present for my first day of school tomorrow.”
“That’s really pretty, peanut,” I said as I put her down. “Where’s your mom, Charley?” I asked as I didn’t see her around the apartment.
“She went to the store. She asked Uncle Sammy if he could keep an eye on me until you came back from doing laundry.”
My sister, Maddie, is a single mom, and Charlene, or Charley as we call her, is her nine-year-old daughter. They live in one of the apartments upstairs. Her so-called dad, who denied he was the father from the start, until a paternity test proved Charley was his, comes around every couple of years. He doesn’t pay child support; he doesn’t call her on her birthday, Christmas, or Easter. He’s nothing but a dead beat dad, and I wish my sister would get him to sign over his parental rights. He’s not a good influence for Charley, and I won’t stand by and let him ruin her life.
“Hey, Charley, why don’t you go take your crayons and paper over to the dining table and color me a pretty picture? I need to talk to your Uncle Luke for a minute,” Sam said.
I walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. I took off the cap and flung it at him. He caught it in his hand like he always does. I swear that boy should have been a baseball player. I think he missed his calling in life. I walked over to the couch, sat down, and put my feet up on the coffee table.
“I realized something today, and I want you to know about it,” Sam said.
“Yeah, what did you realize, Sam?” I asked, staring at the TV.
“I remember while growing up, my sister would come home crying because some of the boys were being mean to her.”
I looked over at him as I took a drink of my beer. “Yeah, and what’s your point?”
“I remember my mom telling her the only reason they were mean to her was because they liked her, and they didn’t know how to express it because they were scared.”
“Is there a point to you telling me this story, Sam?” I asked.
“Yes, Luke, there is. My point is that I think you have an attraction to Lily, and that’s why you’re acting like you are towards her.”
“Jesus Christ, Sam, do you listen to yourself? You have no idea what you’re talking about!” I spat as I got up from the couch.
“Luke, it’s been a year since Callie—”
“Stop! Don’t you ever say her name again!” I yelled.
Suddenly, I felt someone tugging on my jeans. “Uncle Luke, why are you yelling?”
I looked at Sam and shook my head. I bent down a
nd put my hands on Charley’s shoulders.
“I’m not yelling, peanut; I just raised my voice by accident. I’m sorry.”
“Mommy always says to use your inside voice when you’re indoors.”
“I know, and I will; I promise. Now, go back over there and finish coloring that pretty picture.” I smiled as I kissed the top of her head.
“Look, man, I’m sorry I upset you, but Lily’s a real nice girl, and she doesn’t deserve to be treated rudely. She’s never done anything to you,” Sam said.
I looked at him, sat back down on the couch, and threw back my beer. “You act like you’ve known her your whole life when it’s only been two days. Do you want to date her or something? Are you trying to get my approval?” I asked.
“No, I’m not trying to get your approval, and I don’t need it either. If I wanted to date Lily, I would ask her on a date, but I’m really into her friend, Gretchen.”
I took the last sip of my beer as Maddie came walking through the door. I got up from the couch and kissed her on the cheek.
“Hey, sis, do you need any help?”
“Nope, I already took the bags upstairs.” She smiled.
We both walked over to the table where Charley was coloring and looked at her picture. “That’s a pretty picture, Charley. Can I have it?” I asked.
“Sorry, Uncle Luke, this picture is for my new teacher tomorrow.” She smiled.
“Ah, well, she’s one lucky teacher to get such a pretty picture,” I said.
Maddie and Charley cleaned up the crayons and paper then walked out the door. Charley stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to look at me.
“Uncle Luke, are you going to come over tomorrow morning before I go to school?”
“You bet I am, peanut.” I smiled at her as she waved goodbye.
I loved that little girl more than anything in my life.
***
Later that evening, Lucky came over, and we headed to Bernie’s. It’s the bar my sister worked at during the day and some evenings, but it’s also where me and the boys played a little music. We can draw in quite a crowd when Bernie, the owner, tells people when we’re playing. We weren’t playing tonight; we’re just having a few drinks and shooting some pool. I’ve known Lucky and Sam since freshman year at college. The three of us were roommates. Lucky’s a womanizer. He always has been, and he always will be. His real name’s Thomas, but we started calling him Lucky when he scored with the hottest chick on our college campus. He knows just the right things to say to a woman, and they always fall right under his spell. After a few games of pool and a few beers, I was calling it a night. Lucky invited a few girls over to the apartment to play his version of strip poker. I rolled my eyes, hearing the girls giggle when he said that.
