Bring Me Back

I shake it. “Hello.”

“The upstairs apartment is a little pricier than the others, but it has two separate bedrooms, one full bath, and a half-bath.”

“Sounds like it’s exactly what I need.” I try to sound cheery, but I’m anything but. My stomach is knotted into a tight ball. This … this feels too real. I take a deep breath and remind myself that it has to be done. Justin leads us upstairs to the third floor. “You seem a little young to own a building,” I comment, then cringe. “Sorry,” I say quickly. “I didn’t mean to sound rude.”

He chuckles and opens the door. “It’s okay. I inherited the building from my Uncle; he didn’t have any kids and when he passed he left it to me. I’ve been fixing up the empty units.” He shrugs.

“Oh, cool,” I say.

Hannah and I step inside. The apartment is much larger than hers, probably double the size. Like her apartment, there’s an exposed brick wall, but this one extends into the kitchen. The kitchen is L-shaped with an island that sits against the wall on one side with a butcher-block countertop. The other countertops are the same white stone as Hannah’s with black cabinets. There’s a sink in front of a window that overlooks an old-fashioned bank.

I step into the empty living area. It’s large enough for my sectional, a few bookshelves, and the TV. The space i

s also large enough that I could add a small table for a dining area other than the island. When I move over toward the half-bath—also newly redone with shiny white tile—there’s a nook that would be perfect for my desk.

Hannah trails behind me as I enter the first room. It’s small, but cute, perfect for my baby girl. I can see it now. Cream walls, pale- pink curtains, and the paper crane mobile above an antique-style crib. Tears swim in my eyes.

“It feels like home,” I confess, turning to Hannah. “This … It feels right.”

I take a deep breath and warmth floods my belly. I feel like that warmth is Ben telling me it’s okay, that this is what I need to do. I have to let him go.

Letting go is never an easy thing, but I’ve taken the necessary steps to do it, and now it’s time to commit.

I know I don’t need to see the rest of the apartment to know I want this place, but I look anyway and it only cements my decision.

As Justin locks up I say, “I’ll take it.”

His eyes widen in surprise and he smiles. “Really?”

“Yeah.” I nod, resolute. “It’s perfect.”

Hannah claps her hands together giddily and throws her arms around my neck. “We’ll practically be roommates.” She laughs as she pulls away.

“Great,” Justin says as we start down the stairs. “I’ll get started on the paperwork. Are you okay with a three-month deposit?”

“That’s fine.”

When we reach the second level, Casey and Chloe are waiting outside the door.

“There you are,” Chloe groans. “We’ve been banging on the door for an hour.”

“It has not been an hour.” Hannah moves past me to unlock the door while Justin heads back to the office.

“Who’s that?” Casey asks, watching Justin go downstairs.

“Yeah,” Chloe chimes in. “Who is he? And why were you both up there? Was there some kind of weird threesome going down?”

Hannah pales, and I burst out laughing. “God, no,” Hannah cries. “He’s my landlord. He was showing Blaire the apartment upstairs. Remember me talking about that?”

“I like my theory better.” Chloe shrugs as we all file into Hannah’s apartment. “It’s more interesting.”

“So what’d you think?” Casey asks me, plopping on the couch.

“About what?”

She shakes her head. “The apartment?”

“Oh, right. It was perfect.” I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear and sit down. “I told him I’d take it.”