Lessons

Running Into Them

Moving into my new house was a fun experience, to say the least. It allowed me some liberties that I otherwise wouldn't have taken. After staying there for a few months, the four bedrooms, two-bath home allowed me to set up a guest room, gym, and playroom. During that time, the business with Seth McCloud and Cloud Corps had finally been processed, so things were going smoothly on a business front.

I had slowly started fixing the house, tearing down a wall, dividing another space with a half wall that also doubled as a bar top, and overall just turned the house into the perfect man cave. It was a task I could have hired others to do, but it gave me enough time to sort out my head. During that time, I also began to text the woman I had met at The Red Room.

Her name was Nyx. She was 22, a Psychology/ English double major at the local university, and worked at The Red Room because the pay was good and helped cover the school cost. She lived in an apartment off campus and had a sarcastic and straightforward way of handling things that kept me on my toes. Nyx gave me a feeling that neither Lynden nor Rebecca did, but it was one that I was happy to embrace.

Things between us were strictly platonic until she was convinced I 'had my shit together.' We would talk and text for hours and occasionally go out and do little activities together. Countless people assumed we were a couple during our outings, but we just laughed and explained that we were just friends despite how much I flirted.

My buzzing phone brought me out of my thoughts, and I righted myself from my reclined position on the couch to retrieve the device from the side table.

"Hello?" I questioned as I answered the call.

"Hey, you. What are you doing right now?" Nyx's voice sounded on the other end of the line.

"Nothing really; what's up?" I questioned, stretching back out on the sofa again as we fell into easy conversation.

"Great. I'm bored and need to de-stress after this text I just took. Come by. We can go to the movies and out for sushi or something." Her voice was full of excitement, and I couldn't keep the smile off my face.

"Sure, let me put on some clothes, and I'll be there in about 30," I informed.

"Sweet. I'll see you then." She said, and we disconnected the call.

I laughed, shaking my head as I stood, raising my hands over my head in a stretch before padding to my room for a change of clothes. I kept it simple with a plain white v-neck tee and black joggers, slipping my feet into dark grey trainers, and shrugging on a leather jacket. I ensured I had my necessities, such as keys, wallet, and phone, as I closed the door behind me, leaving behind the rich sandalwood scent of my cologne.

True to my word, it took me about 30 minutes to arrive in front of Nyx's apartment. I made quick work of parking, and as I stood in front of her door, waiting for her to answer, I found myself smiling again.

"Someone's punctual." The woman remarked as she answered the door, leaning against the frame with an amused smirk.

I gave a shrug. "It was an estimate. I know how I drive and the average distance to your house, sooo...." I trailed off.

"Come on, smartass." She laughed, pushing my shoulder as she brushed past me, her sweet jasmine scent catching my nose as she did so.

"Am I driving, or are you?" I asked, following after her.

"You drive; I might want to take a nap," Nyx replied almost immediately as she opened the passenger door and slid inside.

I shook my head as I jogged to the driver's side, hopping inside before starting it up.