Chapter 1
Copyright © 2020 by MsAnastasiaWhite
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.
It’s like in that moment the whole universe existed just to bring us together.
© Serendipity
I was running out of time. I was late, and I had no idea what to do. To think about it, I even thought that it was my lucky day. Today I had another job interview, and it went well, like really well. But I was afraid to jinx my luck because it was my fifth interview since the moment I came to live in New York almost a month ago. Now I really doubted my decision to move here.
Before moving to New York, I worked as an editor in a small publishing agency in Miami. I liked my job there, and my boss was happy with my work, but I wanted more. I wanted to follow my dreams and to work for a big publishing house. That’s why six months ago, I decided it was time to move forward with my life.
It wasn’t easy. I lived in Miami for four years, ever since I had graduated from college. I had a life there, friends, and even my rented apartment felt like it was mine. It was time when my last relationship ended, and I had a big talk with Chase. He lectured me on not following my dreams at first, and then he just said that I need to come to New York. I don’t know what the heck happened to me in that moment, but I agreed. I gave my notice and announced at my work that I would move to New York in 6 months time.
Everything went according to plan. I finished all of my assignments. I met all of my closest friends and told them about my decision. My parents weren’t thrilled to hear about my desire to move to NY. Mom liked visiting me, and she was happy with my life in Miami. As always, I had my dad on my side. He supported me, even if he was nervous about it too.
Chase proposed that I could stay at his house as long as I would need, and I took him up on this offer. So now I was living with him and his wife, Jenny, at their house in Brooklyn. He had been my friend for almost eight years. I visited him a few times, so it wasn’t surprising that he invited me to his wedding three years ago. His wife was a very kind and pretty girl, we never hid from her how our friendship started, and she was okay with it. I became friends with Jenny in a very short amount of time. For now, I wasn’t bothering them with my presence in their house, but I wanted to find my own place to stay. To be able to do that, I needed to find a job. That being said, it looked like I wouldn’t be successful. At all.
I sent my CV to every possible agency or publishing house. I was invited to a few job interviews. But I hadn’t received any offers, and I was starting to panic. What if I made the wrong decision? What if I wouldn’t be able to find a job as an editor? These questions bugged me every day. Well, and the thought that I would be going to Lily’s wedding in one week wasn’t doing me any good.
The last time I saw her was seven months ago. Lily and Kate came to visit me in Miami and stayed with me for almost a week. They were my best friends, but unfortunately, I didn’t see them much. It was all because I decided to move to Miami, while they stayed in our home state. Moreover, now they were living in one town. Because four years ago, Kate became Tim’s wife, and they have been incredibly happy since then. At least her college love lasted longer than Lily’s or mine.
Oh my God, why have I even started thinking about my college love life? I wasn’t a fan of these memories, and whenever I had this thought on my mind, I cut it short. No need to remember what brought only pain and heartache to me. That’s what I will do now.
My phone started to buzz. It was Jenny. She agreed to help me with my search for a gift for the newlyweds. She even suggested a few stores for us to look at. And now I was late,. because I got lost in this damned city. Again. Shit! I liked NY, but it was so hard for me to get used to it, so whenever I needed to go somewhere new, I had almost a heart attack.
“Becca, where are you? We agreed to meet at 5 pm. And now, almost 5:20.”
“Jenny, I am so so sorry!” I sounded panicked, and she felt it right away.
“Honey, relax, everything is okay. I will wait for you. Just tell me, where are you?”
“I know that I am close to our meeting spot, but I am just confused about where to go from here. To my left or my right?”
“What do you see?”
“Macy’s.” She heard my answer and started laughing. It was so genuine, so I smiled despite the stress I was feeling.
“Okay, Becca. Go to your left, and you will see me. Right away.”
I followed her advice without ending the call. I was clutching to my phone like it was my lifesaver. I went to the left and saw Jenny a few feet away from where I was. When I realized how close I was, I started laughing. Jenny saw me too, and now she was shaking her head from side to side with a lopsided grin on her lips. Yeah, she was a beautiful girl: blond hair, deep blue eyes, and full lips. She wasn’t exceptional, but she radiated kindness, and I loved her for that. She made Chase a very happy man, and just for that, I was ready to hug her every time I was near her. He was loyal to me no matter what, he was there for me when I needed him. And when he finally told me that he met someone, I was on cloud nine for him. He deserved the best, and they were perfect for each other.
“I feel like an idiot. I am very sorry for making you wait.” I hugged Jenny and kissed her cheek before stepping back.
“No biggie. You will get used to New York. You just need time and more walking around the streets to memorize your way.”
“I hope you’re right.” Jenny took my hand in hers and started walking in the opposite direction from where I came from.
“I am always right. How was the interview?”
“Well... It was good. I liked the guy who was interviewing me. He might be my future boss, and we hit it off with him pretty well. He was satisfied with my answers and with my experience. But you know, not receiving any offers so far has made me very skeptical. I will say that everything is perfect, only once I receive an actual offer. For now, it was a very nice chat with a handsome man in his thirties.”
“Handsome, huh?”
“Yeah. Justin Wilson is a handsome man and a heartthrob. That’s what I heard at least.”
“Careful, honey, he sounds just like your type of guy.”
“Let’s forget about him and get back to the task at hand. I need to buy the perfect present for Lily and John.” I changed the subject, not very subtle, I know. Jenny studied me for a moment and then nodded her head. It was the reason why I loved her just as much as I loved her hubby. She never pushed the issue; she felt my mood and was always patient with me. I told her everything about my past and why I was nervous about going to this particular wedding.
“Okay. I was thinking about what you told me about Lily. And I believe I found something that will be just perfect. Come. You will see it.”
Four hours later, Jenny and I almost tumbled into the house. We were exhausted, but our mood was very cheerful and light. We had a lot of fun together, because, in the end, we not only bought a present for the wedding but also a few dresses, jeans and skirts for ourselves. Now we both were lying on the couch, surrounded by bags, and were staring at the ceiling.
“Okay. Is someone going to enlighten me about what happened here?” We heard Chase’s voice, and he appeared before our eyes. He was in the kitchen, and he was amazed by our appearance.
“We went shopping.” Jenny giggled and stood up. She walked to Chase, wrapping her arms around his waist and giving him a sweet kiss on the lips. When she stepped back, they both stared at me. I rolled my eyes and stood up as well.
“Jenny helped me to find a present for the wedding and well... We got a little carried away.”
“A little?” Chase shook his head at me, but I had known him for a very long time. He wasn’t angry, and he wasn’t judging. “How was your interview?”
“Good. I told Jenny everything about it. Why don’t you ask her?” I went to my room. I knew very well that he wouldn’t drop it. He was doing it with good intentions because he cared about me. But I honestly was too tired to have this talk.
I was living in their guest room, while their bedroom was on the second floor. My room was small and cozy, and I had everything that I needed. I didn’t bring much with me when I moved here from Miami. Most of my stuff went to my parents’ house, and I honestly had no idea when I would be ready to take it with me.
I changed into my comfy clothes, washed my face, combed my hair, and made a Dutch braid from it. Just before I moved from Miami, I went to my colorist, and he made a blond balayage to my hair. Now only the top of it was dark brown, while most of it was platinum blond. I loved my new look, while Chase’s first words were, “What did you do to your hair?”. He said I looked better with my dark color, but Jenny supported me, saying that he needed to get used to it. And she was right, because a few days after my arrival, he apologized to me. He said that I looked beautiful no matter what and that he even started to like my new hairstyle. Chase was adorable.
“Can I come in?” I sighed and closed my laptop. It was exactly as I thought. Chase wanted to talk to me. He wanted to support me, and I felt a warmth spreading through my veins. I loved this guy because, over the years, he became my family. Not blood-related, but very close to that. He was the only one who stayed with me. No matter the distance, different time-zones, and how annoying I can be, he was my only best male friend, and I cherished our friendship very much.
