You Found Me

“Hey Kai. Can you come help me please?”

“Here I come. Wassup?”

“Can you zip this dress up for me. I can’t really reach.”

“Sure, where are you headed tonight?”

I zone out, not really hearing her question. I’m too focused on how her fingers graze my back. I wish I could be mature, and ready enough for her. Kai seems so put together, and she is so kind. I love kind people. I more so crave kind them. When you live a life that has lacked just general kindness, you go looking for it in everyone. I think that’s what we are all doing, looking for the one thing our childhood didn’t fulfill in another person when we grow up.

Her fingers on my back send jolts of unusual but inviting feelings throughout my body. I don’t want to rush anything. She just became my roommate two weeks ago. I barely know her, yet I feel like we’ve meet before. Being an Empath, I can feel the sexual tension leaking from her. So, I’m one hundred percent sure that if I made a move, she wouldn’t reject me. I could also be horribly wrong, and just make a complete ass of myself. My mother gave me the wonderful gifts of ptsd, anxiety, and depression, causing me to have to second guess everything my Empath feelings lead me to believe.

“Echo, did you hear me?”

“Sorry. No. What did you say.”

“Where are you going tonight?”

“The usual night out I have with my girls. We pick somewhere to eat, then go get shit-faced and stoned at some club, and we either end it with sleepover at one of our places or eat again and say our goodbyes.”

“Sounds like fun. How long have you all been friends?”

“Since college. I love Sage and Hope. It’s like we were destined to be friends.”

All our parents knew each other at one time in life. They were all addicts and I guess addicts unite. I’m not going to bad mouth addicts in general but seeing how I was seriously abused and neglected by one, I can’t speak highly of them either. I still love my mother, but in all honesty, I cannot love her too much. I refuse to have my heartbroken by a person I barley know. Anyways, they all picked our names out together and that’s why our names all have the same vibe, and so do we. We fully believe that the universe brought us together. One day all our parents begged us for the millionth time to come to a meeting with them. Somehow, we all agreed to go on the same day, and we met in the bathroom during intermission. Tell me that’s not complete destiny. From that day on we never separated.

“You ever want to join us for a night, feel free to.”

“Thanks, maybe I will. You have a great night, Echo. You look pretty.”

I’m left blushing. Sage then shoots me a text, “Hey we downstairs and you roommate is beyond hot!”

I rush downstairs before Hope gets a chance to embarrass me.

“Hey babes. Y’all look beyond gorgeous as usual. Where are we eating tonight”

“I was thinking that new late night stoners café on Scott n 2^nd ave.”, suggest Hope.

“I’m in.”, agrees Sage.

“Well two against one either way so I’m down too.”

We head out of the door and begin our walk to the café. We typically walk everywhere. We live in the big city of New York, so you already know cars are pointless here. I moved here from a small town in Tennessee for more than one reason. Tennessee isn’t the most diverse state for one, and I’m biracial so it was hard to pick somewhere to fit in. Also, after college me and the girls decided that our dreams weren’t going to really be achieved if we didn’t move out of Tennessee. So, we put every penny we had together, and hit the road. We had to camp on the outskirts of the city for a while well we worked basic jobs to get enough for an apartment. Soon enough we were all making good money and could afford to live separately, yet close. I am an editor for The New York Times, Hope owns a hippy boutique, and Sage is a freelance artist.

We make it the café, and it has a very lad-backed, club-like atmosphere. Every table had a bong, and hash already at the center of it. I guess it’s the equivalent to before dinner rolls. Our waitress seems to be completely stoned which adds to the authenticity of the café. There’s an open mic night for spoken word going on. The girl speaking now is delivering a piece full of pain, I love it.

“So. You know what I am going to start off with.”, now begins Sage’s integration.

“No, I am not going to date her no matter how hot she is. I have only known her for two weeks.”

“I would have laid her two weeks ago.”, laughs Hope.

“Well, you guys know I’m a nowhere near ready to leave Rome in the past. I know she’s been dead for a year now, but I still feel her with me everyday.”

“That’s because you’ve tapped into you powers for communicating with the dead. You shouldn’t have done that.”, Sage nags.

“I only did it to feel her presence one more time. I didn’t mean for it to stick with me. You think with my mother doing drugs while she was pregnant, I wouldn’t be able to tap into anything.”

“Well, we have all healed from past traumas. So now our powers have nothing to hold them back.”, adds Hope.

Just to clarify, we don’t believe we are witches that can turn people into frogs or bring back the dead. We are very spiritual, nature loving, and earth cherishing people. We are connected to the planet, and our ancestors. We just believe in basic energy that surrounds us, and everyone else wether you think that or not.

“So? What are you going to do”, pushes Sage.

“I am going to get to know her as a friend. That’s it.”

“You really suck sometimes.”, jokes Hope

“Actually, my lifestyle doesn’t require as much sucking as yours.”

After dinner, we make our way to our regular club, Kisses. It’s one of the most famous LGBTQ bars in the states. Even though Hope is straight, she never minds going to the same gay club. I think it’s because she is secretly curious. Her family is strictly against the whole homosexuality community, but being an addict is one hundred percent okay. I think once her grandparents pass away, she will be herself. They raised her for most of her life, and the one thing she is determined not to do is disappoint them. They still don’t know she is Wiccan.

“Hey! I’m going to go hit on that girl over there! Wish me luck babes!”, Sage announces over the music.

“Good luck!”’ Hope and I yell back in unison.

I watch Sage as she approaches the girl, and it takes no longer than two seconds before they are grinding all over each other. Sage is the hottest out of the three of us. Not that I am putting myself down, but she is beyond sexy. I wish I looked even remotely close to her. I haven’t seen her get rejected once, by anyone. Maybe I am just insecure, but I envy Sage, in a good way of course. We dance for a couple more hours, until we can no longer stand.

“So is it a sleepover night, or a second dinner night guys.’, ask Hope.

“Well, I was supposed to be the host, but that hottie I was with earlier is coming home with me.”

“Of course, she is.”, I say with a sort of vindicating tone.

“What does that supposed to mean Echo? Are you jealous?”

“Why would I be jealous of her. I don’t even know her.”

“So, what is it then?”

“Nothing, I’m sorry. I’m just being an ass because I’m too drunk.” My insecurities are getting the best of me.

“Ladies chill. You all are radiating bad energies right now.”

“Hope is right. I’m sorry too Echo. I love you baby girl.”

“So, let’s not have a sleepover tonight. I think we all need to get some space from one another.”, suggest Hope.

It’s a pack we all a greed on in college. If we ever got upset with one another, then we take some time away from each other. The time length always varies. We come back together when the universe tells us it’s the best time. Usually this is when we start to miss one another so much that we just can not bare it.

“Everyone agree?”

“Yup.”

“Yes.”

“I’m going to head out. I love you gals.”, I decide the quicker I leave, the better. I want to walk home alone.

“Be safe babe. We love you.”, replies to Sage.

On my walk home I can’t help but sulk in my guilt. I shouldn’t have treated Sage that way. I sometimes mistreat Hope too. I think its because I miss Rome so much. My happiness has been at a stand still since she has been gone. Theirs kept going. I know they felt sad for me, but they didn’t feel sad over me.

I try to sneak into the apartment quietly. I don’t want to wake Kai. I stumble to the kitchen to get a snack.

“OH SHIT!”, I find Kai just sitting in the dark kitchen. “What the fuck are you doing creep?”

“I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. I don’t like to use lights if there is enough natural light coming in.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t mean to be such an ass about it. How has your night been?”

“Clam. I read a book and wrote some music.”

“What about you? Did you have fun?”

“Same old same old.”

“Doesn’t sound like it was much fun, but I won’t pry.”

“Just a friendly disagreement I guess you could call it.”

“Well, I hope it gets better. You all seem close.”

“We are. I love them so much. They are my only family really.”

“You guys seem chill. I like all your vibes. It’s like you guys are different versions of the same person.”

“We get that often. We were meant to be friends.”

“You want something to eat. I made mini sliders. They are in the oven.”

“You have to be physic, because I am absolutely starving.”

“Well have at it. They are good. I’m going to go read, and head to sleep. See you in the morning Echo.”

“Good night, Kai.”

Maybe the girls are right. Every time I talk to Kai I get this strange feeling, and usually I can tell weather it’s a good or a bad feeling, but with her I can’t. I shower and head to bed. I lie awake thinking about her. Typically, I take this time to remember what it felt like to lay next to Rome. Yet, I just can’t shake the thoughts of Kai.