I awoke the next morning feeling restless and without much sleep. My eyes opened to a hazy overcast of light rainfall tapping at my window. I pushed the covers off and rolled over onto my side as I slowly sat up and tried to get my act together. Today was going to be a long one, I could feel it. Once I managed the willpower to get up and go, the rest of my morning routine went without a hitch. I brushed my teeth, got dressed, had a waffle for breakfast and unplugged my phone from the wall as I powered it on.
When I saw that I had no new messages, I went in search of coffee when I heard a knock at the door. The time on my phone said 8:30. But who could be showing up here at this hour, I wondered. Seven steps were all it took to get from the kitchen to the door as I pushed back the security chain and unlocked the deadbolt. I turned the knob and the door swung open revealing a man in a classic black suit with neatly groomed facial hair. He was handsome to a fault with bluish green eyes and wavy dark hair.
"Can I help you?"
"Good morning, Mr. Middleton. My name is Carson. I'm the head of security for His Royal Highness, Prince Alexander. I was instructed to stop by and pick up some boxes."
"Oh yes, of course," I replied, stepping to the side and letting him in. "But I feel like I should warn you though, I really haven't finished packing yet as you can see. Honestly, I didn't think you would be showing up here today, I just wanted to know if there was some kind of address I could send my stuff to."
"I wouldn't worry about that all. Though I do have a suggestion if you will allow me to permit it."
"I'm listening."
"I have a team on standby that can come here and finish up your packing for you. And trust me when I say that they will be of the highest discretion. It won't take long I'm sure and when you arrive home, it'll be as if they were never here. Do we have an accord?"
I shook his hand. "I think we can agree on that. But I'm only taking the essentials. Books, movies, video games, clothes."
He nodded as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled his phone. "Very good. I'm sending my team your address as we speak. They should be here shortly. Also, would you be so kind as to leave your key with the gentleman downstairs? Don't worry I've spoken to him about it. Now, can I offer you a ride to work?"
"That won't be necessary, Carson. I can manage."
"Very good, Sir. At least let me walk you out."
Grabbing my keys off the counter, I slipped my phone into the front pocket of my slacks and allowed Carson to go ahead of me as we walked out the door together. I locked the deadbolt into place and walked down the small flight stairs while simultaneously removing my apartment key from the keyring and clipped the rest onto my belt loop. When we made it to the lobby, I saw the landlord at his desk, reading the morning paper and eating a glazed doughnut. I placed the key down in front of him as he glanced at it.
"I hear that you're moving," he said. "When were you planning on telling me?"
"I didn't know that I was moving until yesterday. At any rate, here is the key to my apartment. I assume Mr. Carson has told you about the people that are coming here to help me pack my things up."
"He has. I'll also need you to sign some forms this evening."
"And my security deposit?"
"You'll get it back, don't worry. Anything else?"
"No. Have a good day."
There was no more rain by the time I stepped outside and pulled the hoodie over my head. So I said farewell to Carson and went on my way toward the nearest Starbucks which was about a block and a half from where I lived. Puddles lined the sidewalk as I avoided them as best I could and started making plans about what I wanted to do for lunch. Yes, it was still early to be even thinking about food. But I still had forty-eight hours left until I was to be on a plane heading for a new horizon.
The smell of dark roasted coffee hit me like a freight train the closer I got, that it is until I saw line through the window. I groaned in defeat. Not wanting to waste my time standing in line when I had to be at work in twenty minutes. And I without coffee was like a car without gasoline. My day couldn't possibly begin without coffee flowing through my veins. And the idea of using a substitute rather than Starbucks just wasn't going to cut it for me. Therefore, I forced myself to move on as I made it to work on time and clocked in.
But as soon as I stepped out onto the floor, it seemed as though everyone was aware of my sudden departure from the company. They even took the time to decorate my desk with silly pieces of confetti, a handwritten we'll miss you card, and a gift basket filled with chocolate and a bottle of wine. I smiled at the thought and sat down as I turned on my computer and signed in. I checked my email, as usual, took a quick peek at Mr. Knox's schedule for the day, and made a mental note for today's staff meeting after lunch.
"Hey, Avery!" Emily said as I looked up. "I got you a little something."
"Emily, you are a lifesaver! Thank you."
I took the Starbucks cup from her hand and took a good long sip as I sat back in my chair and sighed happily. Emily laughed as she shook her head. Knowing full well that coffee flowed through my veins much better than blood.
"So I hear that you're leaving us for good."
"I am. It's scary but also a little exciting."
"Well, I know that you're going to do just great at your new job. Nobody works as hard as you do. And who knows, you might meet somebody wonderful."
I nodded. "I hope so, too."
The door to Mr. Knox's office opened as I stood up and watched as a young female stepped out with my boss and shook his hand with a smile on her face. This must be my replacement, I thought. She was a pretty little thing with dark brown shoulder length hair, deep dark eyes, and gloss-covered lips. She looked at me and offered her hand for me to shake as I returned the favor and said hello. Once the introductory was out of the way, it was time to get her started on training.
Her name was Lily, a girl from Northern Michigan and the youngest of two older siblings, a brother, and a sister. New to the city and just fresh out of college, Lily majored in English Literature with dreams of making it big as an author. So when I asked her why she decided to work here, she said.
"I worked as a second assistant for my father's law firm while I was putting myself through college. So I figured I'd work here until I can feel comfortable enough to get my writing career off the ground."
"What do you like to write about?" I asked.
"Romance. I just love the idea of it, you know?"
"Couldn't agree more. I'm a sucker for a good romance novel."
I started the morning off by getting Lily situated with her login credentials and also having her picture taken for her ID badge. By the time lunch rolled around, Lily mentioned that she was starting to get a grasp on things and wondered when she might be able to take a crack at the driver's seat. I chuckled and told her to just answer calls and take messages while I was at lunch with Emily. I logged out and tossed my coffee cup in the trash near the entrance to the employee break room where I found Emily at the terminal.
"Hey, there you are," she said, pressing down on the enter key. "Ready to go? Any of our usual places you feel like eating at today? It's my treat."
"Hmm," I considered as I walked up to the terminal and clocked out for lunch. "How about pizza?"
"Yeah, pizza sounds good."
When we reached street level, the rain stopped and the sun came out for however briefly it was. Emily took me by the arm as we headed north and crossed over the bridge to one of the best pizza restaurants in the whole city. Lou Malnati's Pizzeria was a family-owned Italian and Chicago-style restaurant famously known for its deep-dish pizzas and buttery crust. As we walked in, it was fairly crowded but not by much. The tip of the lunch rush had subsided greatly enough that we didn't have to wait long for a table.
Two menus were passed around but we didn't need them, seeing as how we ordered right away which completely surprised, Christina, our waitress. But as we waited for our food to arrive, I caught the feeling that someone was watching me. I glanced over casually towards the bar and noticed a man in a business suit with his jacket hanging off the back of his chair. He was in the middle of talking with another gentleman when he caught me staring at him and raised his glass to me as if to say "Hey."
He was cute with short light brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a baby blue dress shirt with a dark tie and black slacks. I didn't return his kind gesture and instead turned my attention back over to Emily who was going on about some hot guy she met at a bar the night before. I smiled and nodded but mostly I'd gotten quite good at knowing when to tune her out. She didn't even know that I was doing it, which made it all the more priceless. And by the time our food arrived a few minutes later, so did a couple of drinks.
"We didn't order these," Emily said.
"They're from the gentlemen over at the bar," the waitress replied.
"Really? Well in that case. . ."
"I'll take care of this," I interrupted.
"Avery, don't make a scene."
Emily's words made sense in the beginning, but I wasn't interested in being hit on by a man who's only thought was about sex. I walked up to the bar where the man was sitting with his friend as he turned and looked at me with a warm smile. His drink was Vodka and coke and seeing as how it was his second one because I noticed another twenty dollar bill next to the napkin he placed the glass on, I could tell he was starting to get a little familiar buzz. I'm sorry but drunken sex is not at the top of my list.
"Hi there," I said.
"Hello. I see that you got our drinks."
"We did. Thank you. But I have to ask, why us?"
"Honestly? I think you're cute and my friend likes your friend."
I cleared my throat. "Thanks, but no thanks."
I turned to walk away when the man tried to stop me by grabbing my arm. I spun around and twisted his shoulder as he groaned in pain and dropped to his knees. The whole place went silent as I stared into the eyes of the other patrons, including Emily. I released him and stormed back over to the table where I paid for our food and took it to go instead. But it was only when we were about half a block away from work that Emily decided it would be a good time to start asking questions about what the hell just happened back there.
"What the hell was that?"
"It's nothing. Can we please not talk about it?"
"Okay. I'm not going to pry. But you have to give me something, Avery."
I sighed as I stopped and looked out towards the river. "A couple of years ago, I was in a very abusive relationship and I almost died. It took me a long time to recover but as I got stronger, I decided that I was going to learn how to protect myself. And what you saw back there was the result of my defense."
"Avery, I'm so sorry, I didn't know."
"No one does. Anyway, we should start heading back now."
The rest of the day went by in a blur as if someone had pushed the fast-forward button on my life. And before I knew it, I was home again. I locked the door behind me, set my phone down on the counter and grabbed a cold beer. Only then did I realize the sudden shock of how empty my apartment was. All the boxes were gone along with the rest of my stuff while only the furniture remained. Strange that I would be spending my final two nights in this place. A home that for so long was my safety net.
A net that protected me from the harsh reality of life that resonated throughout the world. But over time I learned how to overcome that fear and lived to fight another day. The battle may have been long. But I did not lose the war. I became stronger, someone different. I think what happened to me that night in the hospital bed, was that the old me had died when I was in that coma. And when I awoke, I was someone else entirely. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, I am reborn again.
Author's Note: Hello everyone! I really hope you guys are enjoying this story. :) Also, I can't wait to see Avery's face when he finally sees London for the first time. Stay tuned for more!