Chapter 1
I stepped up on the curb and firmly slammed the cab door shut behind me. This was the seven-hundredth block and according to the bold numbers on the note in my hand, Lucien lived less than a block away. As I made my way up the crowded Avenue, a cool breeze blew through my hair and my arms flared up in goose bumps. I felt like a stranger to myself for actually going through with this.
“This is the first day of the rest of your life.”
Lucien showed me around his apartment. Immediately I fell in love with the place. The floor was all sleek hardwood and there were floor-to-ceiling windows everywhere. His walls were painted antique white and his furniture was black, providing an elegant, clean atmosphere. Lucien had a leather love seat and a long L shaped matching sectional. There was a round black glass table in the center of the living room. A few feet away was a mahogany pool table not too far from the bar and a set of French doors leading outside to the terrace. Another set of French doors led into Lucien’s study where he claimed he did all of his thinking.
His bathroom blew me away the instant I stepped inside. I had never seen a bathroom like it. When Lucien flicked a switch, a dozen bulbs around a large mirror went on and filled up that area with soft jaundice color. The floor, counter tops, and tub were black marble. The walls were tiled. That isn’t what made an impression on me, however. Lucien had a gigantic fish tank lined up against one wall. The tank was swarming with bright colored tropical fish and the neon greens, pinks and blues reflected off the black tile. It was really amazing to see something so unconventional.
“I actually had to have this tub installed,” Lucien explained as he looked over the deep pentagon shaped bathtub. “I wanted something deep and roomy, something I could move around in.”
Lucien pointed to all the fat pillar candles surrounding the tub.
“Those give it a ... I don’t know... kind of romantic atmosphere. Right now I’m into aromatherapy. You ever try it?”
“Sure.” Yeah, my mom was into aromatherapy bath crystals and all that junk. But I could give a shit.
Lucien nodded as if to say “I thought so”. And then there was a long silence that reminded me I was nervous. I’d been unbearably nervous ever since I had stepped out of that cab and made my way up Richmond Avenue in search of Lucien’s building. Somewhere between Lucien’s welcome hug and the tour, my awe swallowed up my nerves.
Buzz...“Mr. Capelli?“...Buzz...“Hello? Capelli?”
I spotted a miniature speaker just above the bathroom door.
“I’ll be right back,” he said in response to the buzzing. “Check everything out.”
Lucien hurried out of the bathroom leaving me with only the fish.
“This is bad-ass,” I said to myself as I opened the shower door. I stepped inside and stared up at the gold spout above my head.
This is the shower Lucien showers in every day. The same shower Meredith once showered in too.
I shook the thought from my head as I stepped out of the shower. It’s funny how everyone is someone else’s seconds, maybe even thirds or fourths.
“Don’t be nervous Audrey, keep it together. You’ve come this far, you can’t turn back now.”
I turned off the lights and made my way down the hall and went back to the living room where I took a seat and ran my hands over the microfiber, softer than suede. Lucien was at the door speaking to somebody in hushed tones. I could hear their voices but not what they were saying. I wasn’t interested much anyway.
“Who was that?” I asked Lucien when he returned. He had a box in his hands and was flipping it over and over like he was trying to figure out what was inside of it. With lack of interest he tossed it aside. The box landed on the pool table with a thump and rattle.
“That was um ... Fed-Ex.”
From the way he said this and his expression, I could tell he was lying. Why would he have to lie?
“Anyways, I have to be somewhere right now,” he said. “Will you be okay alone for a few hours?”
“Sure.”
I’d be fine as long as there weren’t any ghosts in this shiny floored apartment. Obviously this was a decent looking piece of town. I couldn’t imagine him living anywhere else. This part of the city seemed safe. I hadn’t heard any sirens so far.
“All right, well, um, there’s food in the fridge and drinks at the bar-” Lucien paused as if he wanted to retract that statement. “Maybe that’s not such a good idea right now but everything’s there. You like movies? Lucien grabbed one of three remotes off the table top. “If you want to see a movie just download it to the TV. Here, browse.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.” Lucien’s baby blues lit up like little lanterns. His smile was infectious. That body all decked out in a suit was looking pretty good from where I stood. I had never seen Lucien in a suit before. Usually he wore black slacks or baggy jeans with sweaters, like the time I first met him at Penny’s party. He looked good then but in a suit he looked even better; so sharp and sophisticated.
“Thanks for everything,” I said to him, genuinely appreciative.
“Come here,” he said. “Give me a hug.”
I got up to hug him, feeling like a small child in his safe embrace.
“Thank you for letting me stay here and stuff. I really appreciate it.”
“Hey,” he held his head back and lifted my chin with his thumb and forefinger. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you came to me. It means a lot, it really does. I promise things will get better okay? In the meantime make yourself at home. When you get sleepy, go up to my room and knock out.”
Lucien leaned in and kissed my forehead.
“I’ll see you in a little bit.” He checked his hair in the mirror beside the door and headed out, leaving behind the scent of his cologne. I didn’t know what to do next. He just left me alone my first night. Now I just felt like a kid left unattended.
I had almost backed out of showing up but I was glad I had gone through with it. I remembered why I had gone to Lucien in the first place. Of all my friends, Lucien was the eldest and by far the most responsible. Lucien had his life together and he was kind, the true meaning of a friend. Sure, I had only known Lucien for a few months, but I knew he was harmless. I trusted him and was happy to know that he trusted me and wanted to help me out in my time of need.
When I was sure Lucien was gone, I sprinted to the bathroom. Using strange bathrooms has always troubled me. Using a hot guy’s bathroom had to be the worst. I wished I could have called my best bud Penny and give her the low down. She’d no doubt laugh at me. I guess it was a funny situation and as I sat there on the black ceramic, I laughed at the fact that at that very moment, I was so fucked.
I grabbed a soft hand crocheted blanket from the foot of Lucien’s bed, a couple of jumbo sized pillows and took them to the living room. Lucien said to sleep in his bed while he slept on the couch but I wouldn’t dream of inconveniencing anyone. I made a bed on the sectional and propped my head up with the two pillows, stared outside the glass French doors. The breeze from the open windows was just the right temperature; it was Heavenly. But my mind wasn’t completely free. So many thoughts, so many images flooding my brain. I could see my father stepping in between me and my mother and holding her back as she screamed at me, outraged. I could even hear her voice; it was so sharp it bit into my bones, just thinking about it. I had never seen her so vicious. I really was convinced she wanted to tear my head off.
Before I knew it my eyelids were heavy as blankets and when I knew I couldn’t fight it anymore, I closed them. The apartment was quiet and dark and I listened closely for the sounds of the fish tank but the bathroom was down the hall and too far away for me to hear them. I pulled the baby soft crocheted blanket up over my shoulders, felt a warm tear trickle down the side of my face and melt away between my sideburn and the pillow. The soft blanket smelled like the cologne Lucien was wearing and in a way I felt a little comforted. Hopefully tomorrow would be a sunny day.
