7. Alexandra
Alexandra
The phone keeps ringing, and just as I think it’s going to go to voicemail, she answers. “Whhhyyyyy the hell are you calling this early?” Ashlyn’s groggy voice comes through the line, and I hear her bedsheets rustle as she burrows deeper into her bed.
“Ugh. Okay, Mom.” I laugh as Ash huffs and stomps across her room. “Obviously I met a friend, as you say, and things progressed rather late last night.” I hear running water echo through the phone.
“The bouncer? So, you’re not going to work today, then?” I walk over to the bar-stool and sit as I listen to her move around her apartment.
“Maybe. Oh that. I’m sick. Cough, cough. ”
I hear a loud thump then cussing across the line and try to hold in my laugh. “You can’t say ‘cough’ when you’re faking it. Please tell me you didn’t do that when you called in?”
Ash scoffs. “Obviously I sent an email. I’m not dumb. Although I probably shouldn’t read said email.” I hear the distinct snap of a pod being secured in her coffee maker.
“Whyyyy?” I drag out the word, but internally I’m already laughing at her ridiculous behavior. Never change, bestie.
“Because I sent it when I was still slightly intoxicated. Who knows what I put in there?”
I can’t contain my laughter and hearing her groan just makes it worse. I try to catch my breath as she yells at me to pull it together.
“You’re insane. Want to go couch shopping?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“Obvi. Let me get ready. I’ll tell Jaz she’s sick too. Cough, cough.”
I laugh, shaking my head as she refuses to actually cough.
“Be there in an hour,” she says before hanging up.
I quickly grab my purse and head down to the coffee shop a block away.
I have coffee here, but it just tastes better when someone else makes it for me.
I grab one for Ash and Jaz along with pastries because we can’t go shopping on an empty stomach.
That’s ridiculous. I hustle back to my apartment after escaping the crowd of people fighting over a table in the tiny cafe.
With the coffee and pastries delicately balanced on the drink tray, I slowly make my way up the steps, careful not to splash hot liquid across my white jacket.
I’m breathing heavily by the time I reach my landing.
I should really get to the gym more, or at least get some cardio done.
I’ve lived in this building for years, you’d think I’d be used to the stairs by now, but no, I’m over here wheezing like my lungs are barely functioning.
I balance the drinks in one hand and try to reach my keys inside my purse with the other.
“Shit, shit, shit.” I mutter and throw my purse on the ground to catch the leaning drinks at risk of causing third-degree burns to my chest. A bead of sweat forms on my brow from the anxiety of almost burning myself.
I look down at my bag upside down on the hallway floor. “Shit.”
I gently set our bounty on the floor while I flip my bag over, effectively spilling the contents everywhere. Why me?
I pluck my keys out of the mess and toss them towards the drinks before trying to collect everything else. I crawl to the scattered lip gloss rolling across the uneven concrete. “Gotcha!”
“Jesus,” I hear someone whisper behind me.
I close my eyes against the heat crawling up my neck. Jesus indeed. Every damn time.
I slowly straighten, grabbing my keys to unlock my door, and letting the rest of my mess stay where it lays.
I try to avoid the man behind me, but he speaks again.
“Let me get that for you.” I hear dress shoes snap across the floor coming closer.
I’m painfully aware of the fact that I’m currently in yoga pants, an old T-shirt, and a light jacket that I felt would be good enough to run down to the coffee shop, but it’s definitely nowhere near the level of dress shoes behind me.
“That’s fine. I’ve got it.” I throw my door open and turn, ready to grab my stuff that’s still strewn everywhere, but as I turn he’s handing me the drink tray.
My eyes snap up to his as I reach for it and pause.
“It’s you.” I pause. Great. Just what I need.
Fucking Clay is holding my coffee order.
I narrow my eyes at him, giving him my best fuck-off face. “Are you stalking me?”
He gives me a slimy smirk that makes me want to slap it right off his face. “You wish. I actually just moved in across the hall.”
I snatch the drinks from him and set them on the entryway table so I can pick up the rest of my purse lying all over the hall. “Good for you.”
He stands against the wall, watching as I throw things back into my bag as quickly as possible. “Aren’t you excited to see me? You know, since you can’t see me at work anymore. I guess we won’t have to worry about HR whenever we decide to have a late night get-together.”
I gag loud enough he can hear me, but he just smiles like I’m kidding.
I toss my purse over my shoulder, finally getting everything I threw out like an idiot.
“Well, this has been fun, but you will never hear from me. Especially late at night. Have a great life, and enjoy the promotion.” Why in the fuck isn’t he at work?
“Obviously you haven’t started yet, or you just don’t care. ”
“Tsk, tsk, Alexandra. You know they don’t care what I do. A long lunch, leave early. It’s all about the connections. One day you’ll get that.” He laughs, and I feel my anger about to explode.
“Cool.” I slam the door in his face, so I don’t say something stupid. I’m so irritated by him that I don’t hear the clacking of stilettos down my hallway until Ashlyn is walking through my door and waving a hand in front of my face.
“We are ready to shop! Oh! Coffee, yum.” Ash rushes over and takes a big drink before digging through the pastry bag, with Jaz following quickly behind.
“Wait. Why do you have your backpack?” I ask Jaz, who looks like she’s about to fall over with how much her leather bag is bulging behind her.
She finally slides it off her shoulder, and it slams to the ground. I’m surprised it didn’t break my floor. “Oh, well, I was in-between classes when Ash said we were playing hooky and going shopping, so I figured I’d just bring it in case there’s down time.”
“No no no. No studying allowed on hooky day,” Ash mumbles over a muffin.
Jaz’s face reddens. “The semester is almost over. Then you’ll have me all winter break.” She pauses. “Well, at least whenever I’m not working. I got a job with the Department of Natural Resources for the winter as a trial, then hopefully they hire me full time.”
I grab my coffee off the tray. “Awe. Our little tree hugger. We are so proud of you. You’ll get the job, no question. Once they see how amazing you are they won’t want to lose you.” She looks down, picking up a pastry and avoiding our supportive faces.
Ashlyn claps, “Alright, until then…Let’s go burn some cash and find an awesome couch that you can christen tonight.”
“Ash! We aren’t going out tonight. There will be no christening of any kind.” I swipe my purse off the counter as we make our way out. Once they follow me into the hallway with the drinks and treats I lock up the apartment.
“That’s what you think,” Ashlyn says over the clacking of her heels down the long hallway. I’m not quite sure why she wants to go up and down all my stairs in those treacherous things, she’s lucky the snow hasn’t fallen yet.
I shake my head. Jaz loops her arm through mine as we follow behind Ash.
After hours of shopping and stopping for lunch, we stand on the sidewalk and watch as the delivery guys work to set my new couch on the grass because I didn’t pay extra for them to deliver it inside the room. How was I supposed to know that meant only to the curb?
“Al, no offense, but how are we supposed to get this upstairs to your place?”
“Yeah,” Jaz points at Ash’s pink stilettos. “Especially with those.”
“We can do it. We are strong, capable women.” I hold my conviction as I watch the men struggle between the two of them before dropping it with a loud thud.
Jaz and Ashlyn share a look. “I’m all here for powerful women, but part of that is admitting when you need help.”
I crouch down in the grass, staring at my new couch, willing an idea into my head. How in the fu…
The slam of a door jars my thoughts. “Do you ladies need some help?” The timber of James’s voice vibrates all the way down to my lady bits. I definitely don’t need to be doing that anytime soon .
“Yes.” “No.” Jaz and I say at the same time. I glare at her, she smiles back.
“Don’t listen to her. She’s too stubborn for her own good,” Jaz states as she starts explaining the reason the couch is not already inside of my stupid apartment. I look behind James as Thomas steps from the front seat of the black SUV.
“Hey, Thomas. We can figure it out, honestly,” I say as he makes his way over to me.
He chuckles, giving me that look fathers give their stubborn daughters. “You know he won’t let that happen. He doesn’t have it in him to walk away from someone in need.” His eyes sparkle. “Especially you.”
What does he mean, ‘me’? What do I have to do with that equation? I don’t get a chance to ask because James turns to me and my brain all but shuts off.
“Let me make a call and we can have this in your living room in twenty minutes.” He steps off to make the call and I turn to my friends.
“What are you doing?” I whisper yell with my eyebrows raised damn near to my hairline. Thomas snickers behind me, but I pretend he’s not there. He has daughters, so he will be exposed to this soon enough.
Ash wiggles her eyebrows. “That’s the hot guy from Club X isn’t it?”
“That’s him? Damn, I approve.” Jaz is outright ogling his ass as he talks on the phone. I groan into my hands.
“Oh my god. Kill me now. Could you keep your voice down?” I whisper and glance over my shoulder seeing him strolling back. I shoot a look to Thomas and he gestures zipping his mouth shut with humor dancing in his eyes. Yeah, he’s enjoying this.