When Rain Falls

Chapter 3 | The Hamptons (Part 2)

When Rain Falls

Chapter 3 – The Hamptons (Part 2)

     Deidre's studio apartment was located on the fifth floor. We had to use the stairs due to the elevator being out of order. Her place was cozy and organized. Compared to our house, you could easily tell she wasn't a fan of clutter based from the minimalist vibe. The only colors you'll see throughout the room were gray and white. Cosmo went straight to the living room and jumped up on the light gray sofa.

     "I have a Queen-size bed," Deidre stated as soon as she closed the door behind her. "You can either sleep next to me or you can sleep on the sofa. Take your pick."

     "I'll sleep on the sofa, thank you." I smiled as I scanned the pictures on a console table placed against a wall. There were childhood and graduation pictures, some pictures of her parents, grandparents and friends, but not a single picture of her with a man. I'm guessing she must be picky with guys or she's simply enjoying the single life. I'm leaning towards the latter.

     "That's perfect," she squealed and then started removing the throw pillows off the sofa. I looked at her in confusion. "Oh, don't worry, it's a sofa bed."

     "That's great," I said in relief. I tried sleeping on a sofa once and got a backache in return that lasted for weeks. My eyes caught the sliding glass door near her bed. It was a small balcony filled with plants and a breakfast nook in the middle. "It's a lovely place."

     "Just letting you know that you could stay here as long as you want," Deidre offered as she followed me outside the balcony with a silver tray containing a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses. Cosmo followed as well and barked as if he was agreeing with whatever Deidre just said. "Don't be pressured to look for your own place right away. Take your time. Besides, I love having company."

     "Thank you," I took a sip of my lemonade and inhaled the fresh breeze. "Have you ever had a roommate before?"

     "I did," she said, lifting the glass to her lips. "My jerk of an ex-boyfriend."

     Oh. That explains it.

     "Well, the single life isn't too bad, right?" I smiled. Cosmo barked. He was sitting underneath the round glass table. It was almost as if he understood the conversation we were having. "Cosmo seems to agree."

     "I do miss the asshole sometimes," she admitted with an eye roll. "But then the guy is completely insecure. He had a problem with me earning more than him. We were fighting almost every day whenever we came home from work, and it just came to a point where I've had enough of it, you know. He was acting like he was so high and mighty and he doesn't even pay half of the fucking rent, so I kicked him out."

     "Good for you," I nodded. "You should be proud of yourself, Deeds. You don't deserve guys like him."

     Her phone on the table buzzed, interrupting our conversation. A picture of a young man flashed across the screen. It was upside down, so I wasn't able to see what he looked like. She grabbed the phone from the table and answered. She got up and moved closer to the railing for some privacy. Must be her new boyfriend.

     My phone buzzed as well. I fought the urge to roll my eyes to the back of my head when I saw who texted me. It was a text message from my ex-boyfriend, Aiden. The last time we spoke was around two years ago. I even stopped talking to his sister, Pandora. Refusing to read the message, I pushed down on his name and clicked the delete button before inserting my phone back inside my pocket. So annoying. I don't know why I couldn't just block his number. I'm the annoying one.