Chapter Seven
MATT
Driving through the Art District to get to Alex’s apartment is eye-opening. This part of town is so cool, and I can see why Nate was so excited by her living here. The giant giraffe mural comes into view, and I pull up out the front of her apartment. I’m still in awe that she’s that uber-talented.
Grabbing the Chinese takeout from the front passenger seat, I hop out and then head inside the building and up the three flights of stairs to her door. It doesn’t take long for her to answer after I knock.
When she pulls the door open, my eyes bug out of my head.
Alex’s standing there, not in her usual business attire, which I’m used to seeing her in, but in a pair of cute denim shorts and a plaid shirt buttoned up just above her perky breasts with cleavage peeking out.
The sleeves of her shirt are rolled up her arms, giving her an edgy look. It’s grungy, but somehow it looks hot.
Alex eventually furrows her brows like I’m being weird. “You gonna stand there all night, or you gonna come in, you creeper?” she asks, shocking me back into reality.
I hand her the bag of Chinese and give her a smile. “I brought food.”
She chuckles, taking the bag, and turns to walk inside, placing it on a counter. “I can see that, Chinese too… did you miss the pizza emoji?”
“Shit, you wanted pizza?” I question, my eyes widening, even though they are still focused on the way her tits look in that top.
She narrows her gaze on me, folding her arms across her chest, which only forces those puppies out more. “Are you high or something, Matt? You’re being weird.”
I shake my head, step into her apartment, and close the door behind me.
The space opens up like a movie scene—expansive, with high ceilings and an industrial vibe that screams converted warehouse.
It’s nothing like I’d pictured, but somehow, it’s even better.
My eyes roam over the bursts of color splashed across the walls, eclectic artwork leaning casually on every surface, and the scattered yet purposeful arrangement of furniture.
The place feels alive, like an extension of her personality, and I can’t help but feel drawn to it immediately.
“Alex, your place is amazing.”
She shrugs, grabs the bag again, and walks to the kitchen area, setting it down on the metal dining table. “I know. I furnished the place myself. I love everything in here. This place—”
“Is like a work of art,” I interrupt, and she nods.
“Yeah, exactly. It’s my own living canvas.”
“I love it, Alex. It makes me feel so… warm,” I say honestly.
“Yep, that’s how I feel here too. Shall we eat before this gets cold?”
We take a seat at the dining table and grab some chopsticks from the takeout bag. Not bothering with dinnerware, we eat straight from the containers.
“So, in your eyes, how’s Nate doing?” I ask.
She sucks in a long noodle and shrugs. “He’s…
he’s doing what he does best. Moping and keeping busy with his art.
Distraction is key for him. If he’s distracted, he’s okay.
He’s constantly painting anything that reminds him of Ria, which isn’t bad because they’re beautiful, but it’s not healthy.
When he’s not working, though, he gets super sad. I kinda hate seeing him like this.”
Sighing, I give a small nod. “And how’s Zaria doing?”
“She’s okay, but not doing much better than Nate.”
“They need to sort their shit out.”
“Oh, don’t I know it. Man, those two are the worst at being in a relationship, I swear. But neither of them will listen to me, so there’s nothing I can do.”
“You’re a good friend, Alex.”
“I am. I’m a great friend, Matt.” She smiles, then sucks up some more noodles. “So you and Jaci, huh? How’s that going?”
“Really well. We’ve been talking on and off all day. She seems great, and I’m excited to learn more about her. Did you make contact with anyone?”
She nods, grabs a fortune cookie, and breaks it in half while throwing the fortune in the bag without reading it. “Yep, with a guy called Logan. He seems okay, maybe a little cocky, but I can work with that. He’s a tattoo artist in downtown LA.”
I chuckle. “Most men are cocky in one way or another, even me sometimes.”
She fake gasps. “Oh no, you would never, Matthew.”
I laugh and grab an egg roll as she continues with her noodles.
Being here and not knowing Alex all that well, I think I’d like to get to know her better.
So I figure, given the theme of internet dating and getting to know people by asking questions, I’ll use the same method with Alex.
We may not be dating, but it’s a good way to get to know someone, and I want to ask her some deeper questions.
“So, feel free to tell me if I’m pushing the friendship too far by asking this too soon… but you met Zaria in a women’s shelter, and I’m guessing you weren’t volunteering there?”
She tenses slightly. “No, I was staying there after my douche boyfriend, Kyle, up and left with all my stuff. Plus, he lifted all the money in my bank account, literally all of it. He left me with not a damn thing. Couldn’t pay my rent, couldn’t even afford to buy a bottle of fucking water.
I was so screwed. Thank fuck for that shelter.
” Her eyes flicker, and she blinks a few times, then continues, “I had to quit college, I just couldn’t afford to pay for it.
Had to get out of the apartment I was in.
Had to sell the few items I had left, which amounted to the jewelry I had on my wrist, for food.
” My forehead creases. “The cops didn’t help.
They tried to find him but said there was no hard evidence it was him, so they couldn’t do anything.
The shelter was… a godsend. They helped me get back on my feet.
Gave me odd jobs here and there to allow me to buy things.
Then Ria came in, and my world turned upside down.
We hit it off. She offered to help me. Paid for me to finish college, so I studied and got myself a part-time job at a café to afford this place.
Man, I owe her so much. I don’t know why she took such a liking to me, but I’m eternally grateful to her for helping me through.
I’d still be at the shelter if it weren’t for her. ”
Shaking my head with a heavy sigh, I had no idea what she went through.
“Wow, that’s crazy. I’m so sorry that happened to you.
No wonder you’re weird about dating again.
I totally understand why now. What I don’t understand, though, is…
where was your family in all of this? Why didn’t they help you when all this shit went down? ”
Her face falls, and she sniffs softly, the air shifting around her as her shoulders draw in. She chews on her bottom lip, eyes glassy, and I can tell there’s more behind them than she’s ever said out loud.
“I don’t have any family left,” she says quietly.
“I’m an only child. My parents went on a weekend trip upstate…
it was supposed to be their first proper getaway without me.
I was staying with my grandma when the news broke.
There’d been a massive pile-up on the interstate.
A fuel tanker lost control in the rain and exploded.
Dozens of cars caught fire.” Her voice wavers, the memory cutting deep.
“We spent hours glued to the TV, calling hospitals, police stations, anyone who’d answer.
We couldn’t get through to them. Every time the phone rang, I thought it was them.
But it never was.” She takes a shaky breath, blinking fast. “They were the kind of people who stopped to help. So when they didn’t come home, we knew.
Three days later, the call came. Witnesses said they’d pulled over to try and help people out of their cars when the tanker went up again…
they didn’t stand a chance…” her voice breaks, barely above a whisper, “… they went out heroes. And just like that, I was seven years old and an orphan.”
My chest tightens. I reach for her hand, and when my fingers brush hers, a warmth flickers between us. “I’m so sorry. I don’t even know what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say. They were good people.”
He weakly smiles. “They raised an incredible daughter.”
“Thanks. But Gran had a hand in that too. But unfortunately, she passed when I was eighteen, and after that… it was just me. I had to figure it all out the hard way.”
“Well, you’re not on your own now. You have Nate and me. We’re your family now.”
She smiles and nods, looking into my eyes. My chest feels heavy as I stare at her. I desperately want to reach out and move the loose strand of hair behind her ear and caress her cheek, but that’s not what friends do.
“Thank you for letting me get that out. That’s the first time I’ve told the story without crying.”
I squeeze her hand a little tighter. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, Alex. You’ve been through some pretty rough shit, way more than most people. It’s amazing you’re so well adjusted.”
“I don’t think I’m that well-adjusted. I mean, look at me… I have aqua hair and lip piercings.”
“I think that adds to your uniqueness and has nothing to do with how well you are adjusted. I can’t imagine you any other way.”
“Perfect the way I am, huh?”
“Yep, perfect… just as you are.”
She half-smiles, finally breaking my gaze, and looks down at her cell. “Should be good to go with Logan then?”
An unease settles in my chest, and I swallow hard. “Ah, yeah, he’d be a fool not to see the good in you.”
“Just gotta work on my trust issues,” she replies, and I nod.
“Totally get that. After what Kyle did to you, there’s no doubt you’ll have some reservations about having another man in your life. But, Alex, we’re not all douches like Kyle.”
“It’s been so long and taken me three years to get to where I am. I’m not sure I’m willing to risk it all for another asshole.”