Evelyn has called me twenty seven times ever since I left home. The last ten calls were bombarding my cell and my guess is that she's at home and she knows I'm gone. We discussed many times that we need time apart. If being together results in us getting hurt physically and mentally then there's something wrong with us. Maybe we aren't compatible or I'm just a terrible boyfriend. My right hand is on the steering wheel and my left is snaking over my shoulder feeling up the scar on my shoulder blade. That night when we fought, Evelyn didn't just break a few plates. She threw a glass over my head and one of the slivers ended up under my shirt, cutting the flesh. She doesn't know that she's cause of that scar because I lied to her about it. She didn't do it on purpose and it would only add up to the tension, so I decided to keep quiet about it.
On the twenty eighth call, I finally snatch my cell and turn it off then throw it on the empty passenger's seat. My phone landed making a lifeless sound on the leather seat and my mind flashes back to all the times, Evelyn and I rode together to uni in my car. I was behind the wheel most of the time, but she would like to drive over once in a while, our fingers always intertwined, her night blue nails slightly digging into my skin. The same night blue nails that clawed on my back when we made love.
I am a masochist when I'm with her. I laugh at that thought. Most men wouldn't dare admit that their girlfriend is in charge in the bedroom. I belonged in that category for a while, until Evelyn and I sat down and talked about it. She said that there's nothing wrong with a man wanting to be controlled once in a while. We even agreed that it would be interesting to spice things up by switching whenever we felt like it. Part of me though fed on the pain she inflicted. But we weren't rough all the time. We've had our soft and gentle moments as well, our love was special yet scary. She became overly controlling and I hated that. Evelyn would try to monitor me during some serious decision making and when I pointed that out she would become defensive and we would argue about that for hours. She would even say things like: 'What are you going to do without me?' or 'I don't approve of you traveling out of the state for that job' and she would try to convince me to stay put in one place. When I put the pieces together, I knew that what we had was bad for me.
I drive in the small neighborhood in Portland and I quickly find the apartment building on Sunleth Street. From a distance it looks like a gated community, but it's just the tall black fence that does the trick. A number of small apartments with the same architecture design are aligned in a slight curve and in the middle there's a yard with an old fountain. There are some tables lined up behind it along with some beach chairs and umbrellas. Those weren't here when I came to talk to to the owner. I was in luck to contact the man who owned this place because he was gonna leave the day after for a business trip in Canada. I seemed to have made a good impression on him and we settled on an agreement. Thankfully, he was understanding and considering because he told me that these most people that move in this particular area are college students because of the convenient location. The city is within walking distance and there's a lot of small shops, convenience stores, and the university isn't very far from here. The rent is reasonable and the owner is sensible so I guess I made the right choice.
There's also a parking place right in front of the apartment complex and I remember the owner telling me that it's arranged by your apartment number. I pull over in No 7 and begin unloading the trunk. The apartment manager had messaged me the entrance password a few days ago and I press the following numbers. I have no clue what this guy looks like.
The gate automatically opens and I walk inside with my suitcase in hand. I place it in front of the door then make a quick jog to my car as I begin unloading the boxes. As soon as they're all in the front yard, I look around for the reception.
"Hey, what is your suitcase doing next to the gateway?" A woman's voice asks firmly.
I look at my forest green suitcase, that I placed next to the gate to prevent it from closing on me.
"I-I'm sorry, I'll remove it." I stammer and grip the handle. It makes a rolling sound as one of the wheels breaks down and the whole suitcase makes a scrapping and screeching noise against the floor's tiles. Well, that's embarrassing.
"Shit!" I whisper-yell and the girl comes forward. She closes the door of her building and runs over to me, her wavy blonde hair shining under the sun. I'm too busy trying to adjust the wheel back to the base of the suitcase but the stupid thing broke and I don't have another replacement wheel.
"I see the wheel broke." She says. I nod and just when I thought that she'd help me out she adds "I just hope you're on the ground floor otherwise this will be hard to carry around."
No shit.
"So, you're the new tenant?" She questions.
"Yes,"
"What's your name?" The blond woman asks, her jade green eyes putting me on the spot.
"Park Jimin." I answer and she snorts.
"Another poor lost soul," she mutters. "One more person to expect late payment from"
"Is there a problem with that?" I raise a brow.
"Oh, don't get me wrong-it's just that the other guy that lives here is total douche and I want to punch him in the neck."
"Is he late with his payments?" I inquire.
"Most of the time but I'm used to it."
"Okay,"
"I'm Nox." She says and I extend my hand. She looks at my palm weirdly.
"What's wrong?" I pipe. "Do I have something on my hand?"
"No," Nox replies. "You've got tiny hands."
I don't know how to respond to that.
"It's cute don't worry." She says and finally shakes my hand.
Well, this isn't awkward at all.
"Okay, maybe not tiny, but childlike." Nox continues.
This isn't getting any less weird.
"Let me help you with your stuff." She says.
"Ah, no it's okay." I say tentatively.
"What number are you?"
"Seven."
"Oh well, you're on your own then."
My eyes widen in disbelief. "What! Why?"
"You're on the top floor and the elevator is out of order." She says simply as she walks away. "You're on your own buddy."
"You said you'd help me!" I cry.
She spins around and grins. "Oh, so now you want my help?"
Looking down on the floor, I nod.
"Next time don't say things you don't mean." She says and goosebumps rise on the nape of my neck. There was an unintended sharpness on the tone of her voice.
"Okay," I breathe and she turns to the pile of boxes on the floor. She takes two together and I'm amazed at how she can carry them.
"Relax princess," she coos. "I can handle the weight."
I grab two boxes and then we climb three flights of stairs in silence. When we finish carrying the final boxes along with my suitcase, I mentally slap my forehead.
"What's wrong?" She asks.
"I forgot to look for the apartment manager." I say. "I need my key."
"About time you asked." She mumbles and heads towards the stairs.
"Where are you going?"
"Don't you want your key?" She asks, her jades slicing through my ordinary brown orbs. "Come on, I'll give it to you."
It takes me moment to process what she just said. "Wait, you're the manager."
"Yup."
As we go down the stairs I begin to pay attention to her long blonde hair. The sun rays get caught in her cascading waves lighting up each and every follicle on fire. That's when I notice that her hair isn't blonde at all. There are specks of red in it and a knot is created in my stomach.
Fucking great. I moved from one place to another only to find an Evelyn lookalike.
Only, she didn't look like Evelyn at all. Okay, they might have the hair thing in common, but Nox' hair isn't as red as Evelyn's. Also, Nox is quite tall. Almost as tall as me, but if she wore heels she'd definitely surpass my height. She's wearing an army green jacket, a pink stripped T-shirt and jeans. Her brown boots are ankle high and she seems like the type who prefers comfort over the fashion standards. She's wearing eyeliner and natural pink lipstick. Her eyebrows aren't very thick, in fact they're kind of scarce and straight unlike Evelyn's full arched brows. One brow is slightly arched, as she gives the impression that's she's a challenging personality. Her lashes aren't particularly long either, but at least she doesn't put any stupid fake plastic extensions that would make her look like a doll. Nox wants to be real and true to herself. But she's also brutally honest and blunt and that comes off as rude to others. She doesn't seem to care though.
When we go down to the front yard, we walk past the water fountain and head towards her place on the ground floor. She unlocks the door and walks inside only to close the door to my face.
"Um, oh okay." I mutter and after several seconds, the door opens again and Nox appears with a single key hanging on her forefinger. Her nails are almond shaped, light pink nail polish making the surface smoother so when she hands me the key, her soft nails unintentionally caress the inside of my palms delicately.
"Since you're new here, you've gotta follow a few rules." Nox starts. "No. 1 no re-arranging the furniture. Everything is in place and you won't have to change a thing. Property owner's orders. No. 2 no smoking in the apartment otherwise I will have to kick your ass out. No. 3 if you want to fuck a girl or a guy you don't do it here." She then taps the wall next to her. "Walls are thin. No. 4 no loud music after 10 pm. But don't overdo it during the day either. No. 5 if you damage anything that doesn't belong to you, you pay. No. 6 open the door after you shower or the bathrooms window so that the steam escapes. We don't want mole on the walls. No. 7 if you want to do something—I don't know sketchy make sure that I will not find out. Capiche?"
I nod. "Understood."
"Alright, now if any problems occur during your stay, you come to me. It's my job to manage and monitor things around here, which means that I am responsible for keeping track of your payments as well. I expect you to be on time with your rent."
"End of the month 1,395 dollars." I say.
"You're learning fast. That's good Park." She smiles thinly. "You get three passes with your rent by the way. Don't worry, we will try to be lenient if you're facing any serious financial issues but don't take my patience for granted."
"I won't." I croak and she smiles more like a person this time.
"Alright," She mutters. "See you in the end of the month then." The door shuts with a light click.
Nox definitely is not a people person. I wonder how she got this job.