Chapter One
Lindsay
* * *
“It looks so empty without all of your stuff here,” I say as I hold back tears.
Anna looks around the half-empty apartment and tries not to cry as well. “I’m sorry,” she says for the millionth time. “Why don’t you come with me?”
“Back to Delaware?”
She looks hopeful as she nods her head, her short black hair bobbing up and down.
“But you’re moving back in with your parents.”
“They have an extra futon in the basement. I’m sure they’ll let you crash there. Or, you can move back in with your dad.”
I sigh as I drop my eyes to our scratched-up hardwood floors. “And leave my big life in the bustling city? I can’t do that.”
She smiles sadly, knowing that my big life in the bustling city consists of living in my bedroom for twenty-three and a half hours a day, only leaving for the occasional grocery run at the corner store.
Anna is my only friend in Miami and she was my only friend back home growing up. She convinced me to move to this city three years ago with dreams of adventure, the promise of meeting new people, and the excitement of partying with high rollers on the beach. It didn’t exactly pan out like we had imagined.
Now that my roommate and only friend is leaving, I’m all alone.
“I’d love to stay,” she says, about to explain herself again. “But my dad offered me that job in his company… There’s nothing going on for me here.”
“You don’t have to explain,” I tell her. “You’ve done more than enough. Especially since you’re hooking me up with a roommate.”
“That reminds me,” she says. “Emmett will be here in about two hours.”
“You’re sure your cousin is cool?” I say, looking at her skeptically. “He’s not some closeted psycho who likes to stuff dead animals or anything like that?”
She laughs. “Emmett is the best. You’re going to love him. Just don’t hide from him in your room the entire time. Try to make friends with him. Please.”
I shake my head, but she knows me too well. We have been best friends for twelve years and roommates for three. I’ve heard about her mysterious cousin Emmett over the years, but I’ve never met him. He lived in Toronto but is now moving to Miami for some kind of cryptocurrency job.
“I’m sure we’re going to get along great,” I lie. I’m not leaving my room.
“Okay,” she says as she glances at the open door. “My car is double-parked, so…”
I sigh as I step forward and hug her. My heart feels like it’s breaking.
Who am I going to watch reruns of Game of Thrones with on Sunday nights—an apartment tradition? Who am I going to stay up with and bounce ideas of my art off of?
I’m not going to have anyone to talk to. I’m not going to have anyone to see.
“Do me a favor, Lindsay,” she says with a quiver in her chin. “And don’t take this the wrong way.”
Uh oh. That’s never good to hear before a sentence.
“You have to get out more. Meet some people.”
“I get out,” I lie.
She just stares at me.
“It’s just that with quarantine,” I ramble on, giving every excuse in the book. “I got used to staying inside and now, I don’t know, it’s a habit. I guess I have been a little stuck in here.”
“You’ve barely left in a year!”
“By the way, this is the worst goodbye ever,” I tell her.
“I just worry about you,” she says. “I know you work from home, but there’s a world outside these walls. There’s a whole city full of people who would love to meet you!”
I laugh. “Okay, Anna. That’s enough crazy talk.”
She sighs as she looks at me with sad eyes. “You have so much to offer. Try to get out. Talk to Emmett. Make friends with him. He’s outgoing and nice. He’ll have friends all over the city in no time and he’ll be invited to all sorts of parties that he can bring you to.”
I bite my tongue, keeping the self-disparaging words in.
Like he’s going to want to bring me to any cool parties. I’ve gained so much weight over the past two years, I’m embarrassed to go out.
It started during quarantine when everything closed up. I spent my days lounging around, eating and drinking more than I should have. I was totally going to burn it all off when the city reopened, but that didn’t happen. In fact, I gained ten more pounds since then. Oopsies.
“I’ll be fine,” I lie as I gently nudge her towards the door. “I’m super social.”
She smiles sadly at me and then heads out. “I’ll call you when I get home,” she says.
Home.
This place is already a distant memory for her.
Soon, I will be too.
“Drive safely,” I say as I watch her walk down the hall with her last bag.