Supernova

Chapter Two | Floor girl

Sterling

"No, Patty, I don't think you understand," I plead to her as she bustles around her kitchen. "I've never seen him. Ever."

    "Sugar, it is possible that you don't know everyone in the building, you know," she giggles at me and I roll my eyes.

    "It's not like we live somewhere huge, Patty. There are four floors, the lobby, and the roof," I mutter.

    "You are such a sour puss," she says, running her hands under the water and shaking them off.

    I've lived in this apartment since I finished my sophomore year of nursing school. I was 20 and finally saved up enough for rent for an apartment on my own. I've always been one to be on my own. Patty is in the apartment directly across the hall from me. I was old enough to pay rent, yes. I certainly did not have money for anything else though. Patty noticed or knew or found out based on some psychic ability she possesses and she took me in. She feels like family. She is my family.

    "I'm not a sour puss. I just don't know why he'd be here roaming the halls at 2am. No one does that here. So there's no way he lives here," I conclude.

    "You do that," she calls me out and slides me a plate. "Eat."

    I shake my head and push it back. "I'm not hungry. I'll eat at the hospital later tonight. Back to what I was saying. He's not me. I have reasons. I also would've seen him. Maybe he was hooking up with that girl down the hall. You know, the stripper."

    "Eat," she says sternly and I roll my eyes and pick up the fork. "So what if he was? What's it to ya? And stop calling that girl a stripper. She's a high class escort."

    "Nothing! I'm a curious girl, Patty."

    She scoffs. "Trust me, I know. I'm heading to bed, sugar. Lock up before you leave, please. That food better be gone or I'll have words for you."

    Like I said, she's my family.

I stick my tongue out at her and she does it back. "I love you, sugar plum. Goodnight. Don't work too hard."

"Love you too. My job is to work hard, Pat."

She waves me off as she's walking away and I chuckle. I finish all of my food, per Patty's request. She always tells me I need to eat more or that I work too much or that food at the hospital isn't real food and that I'll kill myself eating there. Patty worries about more than she needs to. I think she forgets that I'm a grown adult sometimes.

I dig in my sweatshirt pocket and pull out the key ring that contains one to Patty's and lock the door behind me. There's also a keychain on it that says "Chicago is my home!". I bought it when I moved into the city. Although it doesn't quite feel like home still. Not much does. Lost in my thoughts, I turn around abruptly and smack right into some.

"Fucking hell," I hiss holding my nose which feels like I broke it.

"Oh, god," I hear an all too familiar voice. You are kidding me.

If I was a supernova, I would explode. So many times. And then morph into a never-ending black hole

I open my eyes and look at him and there he is. Mr. Hallway Man. He's wearing a tight black t-shirt and jeans. His hair is still shaggy and up close, he's handsome. I can't deny that. However, the piercing pain in my nose makes me want to deck his pretty face into oblivion.

"Look who it is," he muses.. "Floor girl."

It's been weeks since I saw him, how could he remember me? I guess it's sort of hard to forget a woman laying in the middle of an apartment complex hallway refusing to open her eyes. I'd remember me too.