Unrequited Love

Chapter 23

     About three weeks later, Faye and I moved into the apartment in Soho that Olly helped us get. I sat in the new living room couch, looking out the apartment window watching the people walk along the street.

"We need to form a guest list." Faye walked into the room looking down at her notebook, "Friends family, I need to know who to invite. I'll make all the plans since I'm not working."

I sat there staring at the window, thinking about who I have to invite. I can't stop thinking about her. Ren. What about Ren? Do I invite Ren? Would I just send out an invitation without calling her first? Would she even come? The day I moved out, was the last day I talked to her. And I have not seen her since the day at the coffee shop. It has been two years now. I can't help but partially blame myself, she was my best friend, she meant everything to me. And just one day- everything ended between us. Just like that- it was that quick. In a way, it still feels like our relationship never came to an end. Some nights I wake up in the middle of the night and delusionally thinking that I am still living at Ren's penthouse. Some days I feel guilty whenever Ren crosses my mind, I have Faye now.

"Yuri" Faye stood in front of me, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, actually I have an errand to run." I stood up from the couch and kissed Faye, "You start making the guest list, and I'll let you know If we need to add anyone else." I said as I walked towards the front door. I sat down on the floor to put on my black boots that I was wearing with my black jeans and grey sweater.

The clouds started appearing in the sky and the wind was starting to pick up as I walked up from the subway station. It was weird, taking the subway and arriving at the street I lived on for over ten years of my life. What was I doing here? Did I even think about this rationally? What am I going to say? Pretend as if nothing happened? I thought about every possible way to greet Ren as I walked up to her apartment building. I did not even look around, I headed straight to the elevator door and typed in the same code to her apartment, just like I used to. And it worked. I stared at the numbers I had just typed, clicking myself back into reality. Why didn't she change the code? Was she still waiting for me?

I felt my heart start to race as the elevator door opened up, I stared at the hallway that lead to the penthouse. Then I heard someone say something, but it didn't sound like Ren.

"Hello?" I shouted as I stepped out of the elevator.

"Who the hell" My heart started racing as I heard a man's voice walk up closer to the hallway, "Who is-" He stopped at the other end of the hallway, staring at me.

"Theo?" He looked the same as the last time I saw him, "I'm sorry to intrude. I didn't think Ren would have kept the same code to her house."

"Yuri, come in" I could see him smiling at me, "It's been a while." He said as I walked behind him, into the living room. "Want anything to drink? Beer?"

"Sure, thanks." The house looked the same as before. Theo handed me a can of beer that he had opened for me, I looked down at the beer can and felt my chest drop, "This is-"

"Ren's beer, yeah" He sat down on the chair across from the couch, "Make yourself at home" He said as he began to light his cigarette.

I felt weird as I sat down on the living room couch- the same couch I used to sit on for over ten years. The same couch I had sex on many times with Ren and the same couch Ren was sitting on when I told her about me moving.

I leaned back on the couch, "How have you been Theo?" I took a sip of the beer.

"Pretty good. My girlfriend is in the shower right now, we've been dating for about a year now. Almost done writing my third novel."