we met in NYC

chapter 1

I stood in the middle of stars hill train station clutching onto my mother as if when I let go she is just going to disappear into thin air. I blink back the tears that are threatening to spill over out of my eyes because I know that if just one tear falls, many, many more will follow. I breathe deeply and slowly let go of my mother and my brother and my sister who is squashed between us all clutching onto my waist sobbing quietly into the bottom of my sweater. I pull her off me and crouch in front of her. I take her face in my hands and get her to look me in the eyes.

"I promise I will come back to visit you as often as I can Izzie. And we will phone every night at bedtime ok. And, hey, maybe mom will even let you come visit me and I can show you around and we can get ice cream and eat it in Central Park, and we won't forget the bread for the duckies." I tell her as I wipe her tears away with my thumb. It pains me to see my baby sister like this but I have to leave. I cannot stay in this godforsaken town anymore because I will go crazy and nobody wants to see that. Like ever, trust me. "I will be back to visit before you know it okay. I promise"

"Promise?" she asks me, with her hand wrapped around my little finger.

"I promise" I respond as I lift her up to hug her tightly once more before my train to grand central station is called. I give mom and Jon, my brother, a quick hug before grabbing my bags and heading towards the train for grand central station. with one last glance back at my family, I step onto the train and find a seat. 

       Settling down in my seat, I pull my headphones and my iPhone out of my handbag along with my book, Underworld by Meg Cabot, I know, sounds morbid right. well, it actually kind of is but the good kind of morbid. you know, the romantic kind of morbid, Romeo and Juliet kind of morbid. the kind that you just know, that everything is gonna come out in the couple's favour. well, that is the best kind of morbid. yes, you guessed it. I am a hopeless romantic. and I really do love these books. in fact, this is the fourth time I have read it but it is the kind of book you just cannot get enough of.  I sit there with the yungblud playlist radio on Spotify playing through my headphones.

Four and a half hours later I lift my head up from where it was resting on the cool glass to see that the train has just pulled into Grand Central. As the doors open, I grab my bags and tug my wheelie suitcase off the train and stop to stare around myself in amazement. this place is huge. I have seen the pictures but, wow, just wow. I shake my head to break out of the state of amazement and walk outside to find a cab. I wait for ten minutes before a cab pulls up. I haul my bags in the trunk but leave my handbag out to go in the back with me. I shut the trunk and step into the back whilst checking my phone for the address of my new apartment.

" 129 3rd Ave please," I ask the cab driver as he begins to pull out into the heavy traffic of new york city.

25 minutes later, the cab stops and I grab my purse to hand the cab driver the $30 for the cab ride and step out to haul my stuff out of the trunk. I drag my stuff through the glass doors and head to the elevator just as I notice that there is someone by the elevator already. I cannot see his face but I can see his back and it takes all the effort I have to stop my jaw from dropping to the floor and keep moving. He is tall with broad shoulders and scruffy blonde hair and he is HOT!!! he is wearing a pair of suit pants with a powder blue shirt that shows off his strong broad shoulders. As I reach him my fingers are starting to go numb from my bags so I accidentally drop my bag and all of the books in the bag go flying all over the floor.

"shit!" I curse under my breath but apparently, Mr hot pants heard the bang of my books and comes over to help me gather them up just as I get to my knees starting to grab them. my god. his front is even hotter. how is that freaking possible! he has got soft features, deep blue eyes and as he smiles I notice he has an adorable dimple on his left cheek by his perfect lips. his nose is slightly crooked which tells me that it must have been broken at some point in his life. I tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear and look up.

"Uh thanks. " my voice comes out small and not at all like it usually is.

"Anytime" he responds. he has a deep voice and it is so incredibly sexy. it is the kind of voice that must make women just melt to the core. at least that what it does to me anyway. "you're new around here right. I mean you must be cause I have never seen you here before and I have to say that I would not forget a face like yours" oh my god. was he flirting with me. he doesn't even know my name.

" yeah. I just moved here. as you can see" I gesture to the bags around me. "my name's Laura by the way."

"Alexander but you can call me Alex" he smiles that heartstoppingly gorgeous smile and if I wasn't already on the floor then I know I would be by now. we finish gathering up the books and he stands up and offers me his hand to help me get up and I take it. he pulls me up and i see his muscles flex beneath his shirt.

"Thanks, Alex" I smile and grab my bags just as the elevator doors ping open. i drag my bags into the elevator and Alex very kindly grabs the rest of my books and steps in behind me.

"What number are you on Laura?" alex asks.

"uh. level 12 please" I respond.

"huh. coincidence. i am on the same level. which apartment are you in?" alex asks and looks at me with genuine interest. A look i have not seen for a long time and i realise that i like it. especially on him. 

"umm" i look down at the tag on my keys then look back up "twelve fourteen. what number are you in?" i look into his eyes and smile

"cool. i am in twelve sixteen. so i literally live just next to you" he rubs the back of his neck with his left hand and smirks. I have a feeling i am going to like Alex, hell, I already do but after what happened at home i swore i wouldn't fall that easy for anyone ever again but I do not know if I will be able to stop myself falling for Alex.