I had never been in love before. Never had I fallen for a man or a woman or anyone of any sort--I couldn't, even if I tried. It was that time of the year when caramel colored leaves would drop from the seasoned trees above. That time of the year when puddles littered the streets and displayed bright images of those who'd pass by in a common rush to pull out of their driveways and bolt to work. What a beautiful time. It was Friday night, and I had just finished a photo shoot in Manhattan. I smiled at a young boy who was sitting at an ice cream shop next to my parked Toyota truck. He grinned back and crinkled his nose with joy. What a wonderful world? I continued to walk to my crimson truck as taxis zoomed by in the street. Just then, I noticed something different about the air. Something was burning and it was nearby. I got in my truck and began to speed off down the block. Was a house on fire? Was there an accident? I kept driving as these thoughts trailed through my mind. I pulled up to my apartment and quickly ran inside and into the elevator. Once I reached my floor, I ran to my room and locked the door. My phone was still on the table. I must've forgotten it and not even noticed! It was buzzing non-stop. I had gotten three amber alerts. They all said "LOCAL MARROT HOTEL BLAZING". Jesus. A hotel was burning down at this very moment. "Fuck," I said in a panicked whisper. The Marrot Hotel is behind my apartment. How did I not notice this? I'm not sure. I picked up my jacket and computer bag and ran out of my door locking it fast. "I have to warn people," I muttered to myself. I knocked on the door across from me. No answer. I knocked on the door to the left of me. No answer. Then, the door to the right of me. I was just about to board the elevator when I heard a stirring coming from my neighbor's place on the right of my door. A young man around my age slowly opened his door and peeked out. Clearly, he had been napping. I rushed over and looked him straight in the eyes. He stared down at me and leaned his arm against the wall. He was several inches taller than me and his hair was very dark and thick. He kept looking at me and I looked back concerned. "Oh!" I said embarrassed, "The hotel behind our apartment is on fire and uh...do you want to leave with me?" His eyes followed mine as he waited for something. Was I supposed to say something else? "Oh! Oh God. My name is Naomi. I live next door to you and I just thought you should know. You know, so you won't burn alive if that fire spreads." He smiled at me and closed his door with a slam. I stood there aloof. About a minute later, the man opened his door again and placed his hand on my back. He pushed me towards the elevator and as soon as its doors opened, he took my hand and pulled me inside. The doors shut closed and he smiled at me again. "My name is Joji, but sometimes my friends call me George. Either name is fine. I make these stupid infamous videos on YouTube and I'm a musician." There was a small silence. "It's nice to meet you, Joji," I replied with relief. He stared at me a little longer then turned around as the elevator doors opened. "I'll drive," he said. "Okay," I said back, "Wait! Where are we going?" I followed him out the front door and to his car. I got in the passenger seat as he turned on his car. "How about Dunkin Donuts?" he asked me. "Sounds good and far away," I replied laughing. He grinned as we sped off. I didn't know at the time, but I had just met a very important person.
We had finally arrived at the donut shop a few blocks away. As we walked in, we saw firetrucks peel by, sirens ablaze. A big gust of wind blew my hair back as I squinted into the foggy night. The bright light from inside Dunkin Donuts was comforting, and Joji was too. He had thrown on a heavy black jacket over a plain t-shirt he was wearing. I walked into the shop and we approached the cash register. "What would you like?" asked the lady in front. She was around 50 I would say. She had wrinkles on her forehead and skin tags coating her eyelids. "I'll have some black coffee please," said Joji, "What do you want?" he asked me. "I'll have a pink donut with sprinkles please," I asked. He turned to the cashier and said: "One pink donut with sprinkles too please." I quickly reached for my wallet from my bookbag, but he stopped me. "Don't worry, I'll pay," he said grinning. I looked up at him and paused "But Joji," I began. "No," he replied laughing. His hand that seemed so much bigger than mine covered my mouth for a second. "I'll handle it, Naomi," he chuckled. I smiled and blushed a little. How sweet is he? No guy had ever done anything like that for me..paying for my donut? Geez! The cashier studied us for a few seconds then smirked. "Cute couple you two make," she said as she smiled. Her shaky hands returned Joji his change and I giggled. "We're not dating, Ms.," I said quietly. "Imagine me being that lucky," added Joji, "a girl like Naomi with an idiot like me...I wish." He turned to look at me and tilted his head to the side. I mimicked his head tilt and beamed. Joji poked my cheek with his thumb then brushed my bangs back slightly. The cashier stared then gave Joji his reciept. "Sure looks like love to me," she said.
That night, we finally returned to our apartment. The fire next door had died down and left our building nice and toasty. As we walked inside, rain began pouring. "Looks like we made it in time!" declared Joji with a crooked smile. He gave off a warmth that no one I had ever known could provide. "Let's head upstairs," he said. We took the elevator to our floor and stood outside our doors. "Goodnight!" I said with a small grin. "Goodnight," said Joji with a gleam in his eyes, "sleep tight..don't let the fire bite." I laughed and shut my door.
It was about 2 am when I heard this noise. A yelling? What the fuck could it be..so early..why? I leaned against the wall and listened. Some weird things were being said on the other side. What was Joji doing? Well, it was time to go to bed, so I did. Maybe he's just making a video or something.
