I step onto Brooklyn Place. A park that I've named after myself. I sit on a rock that's facing a small pond.
It was probably a bad idea for me to come here since it's freezing cold, but I wanted to come. To visit my calm spot.
When I first came here, I had went sightseeing. That was when I saw this beautiful place. I had passed a few parks that day, but this one had caught my attention. It was probably because this one was clean, the grass and trees looked really green, and, best of all, there was no one here. That's when I decided to call it my calm spot.
After my classes at NYFA I would come here and chill. I would spend maybe three hours just enjoying the peace. Just looking at this beautiful scenery, makes me feel relaxed.
I pull out my phone and dial my mom's number. This seems like the best time to call her, because when I get home I know I'm going to be busy with all the bills I have to pay.
The phone rings twice until she picks up.
"Hi honey. How are you?" my mom says into the phone. She sounds like she's been asleep, but that disappears quickly.
I get off the rock and start walking around the park.
"Hi mom, I'm doing good." I say into the receiver. I can hear her telling someone in the background that I'm on the phone. "I got your letter today. I can't believe my little cousin's getting married."
"She's not really your little cousin. You two are only two years apart." She corrects me. I can't help but smile. My mom is still correcting people. She's been doing it for years. "But, yeah me neither. It feels like it was yesterday when I changed her diapers."
She laughs into the phone at her little comment. I can't help but laugh along with her. One thing that I love about my mom is that she's very humorous. Even when she tells horrible jokes, I can't help but laugh.
"I called to let you know that I will be coming." I tell her.
A loud squeal comes from the other end. I pull the phone away from my ear. I wait a few seconds for my mom to get herself together. I put the phone back to my ear and hear that she's talking to someone really fast. I laugh. I know she's excited. When my mom's excited she starts to talk really fast. So fast that you can hardly understand her sometimes.
"That's great news dear! I can't wait to see my baby girl again." She says, calming down a little.
At the name baby girl I start to feel emotional. I miss my mom so much. I've never realized that until now. Sure I've missed her other times, but this is a strong kind of miss. I wipe my eyes to make sure I don't have tears in them. I breathe a sigh of relief when my fingers aren't wet. I don't want to cry while I'm on the phone with her. That will ruin her happiness and she'll start crying too.
I talk to my mom for a few minutes until she tells me that she has to cook dinner. We say our goodbyes and hang up the phone.
The wind is blowing gently, making the little bit of grass and the leaves on the trees rustle. I can feel my hair blowing along with the wind. I don't care if the wind is going to make strands of it stand up. I'm too busy enjoying the quiet and the beauty of nature.
I am suddenly interrupted by the ringtone of my phone. I sigh and pull it out of my purse. The caller I.D. reads an unfamiliar number. Who is this? My friend's and family's numbers are under their names. I hesitantly hit the answer button.
"Hello?" I ask cautiously.
"About time you answered the phone." A deep voice speaks on the other end of the receiver. I blink my eyes in confusion. This voice sounds familiar, but I can't put my finger on it.
"Err...I'm sorry, who is this?" I ask.
The person gives a irritated sigh. I lean back on the grass and pucker my lips. I'm not all about being rude to someone I don't know. So I'll just wait for them patiently. It feels like an eternity until they answer.
"It's me. Your new neighbor? Ring any bells?"
It hits me like getting struck by lightning. That guy I saw yesterday on my balcony. The dude who I thought was going to kiss me, but instead laughed at me. My eyes narrow as I stare into the pond. How did he get my number?
"How did you get my number? Are you a stalker?" I speak out my thoughts.
My once relaxing morning starts to turn into a tense one. Just hearing this guy talk makes me agitated.
All of a sudden a loud bustling laugh comes from the jerk. I pout my lips slightly as I start to turn pink. What did I say funny? I don't remember saying anything funny. I'm serious about the stalker comment.
"Very funny. I went to the front desk and asked for your cell phone number. Told them it was an emergency, and since I'm new and you're my neighbor, they gave it to me in a heartbeat." He tells me.
He sounded very arrogant when he said that. I roll my eyes at his overconfidence.
"What do you want that can be an emergency?" I ask.
Sarcasm was in my voice as clear as day. I can hear loud animal noises in the background and I can't help but wonder where he's at. Is he at a pet store? I hope he knows that pets aren't allowed in our building. Unless he's working there, but that would be weird for someone that looks loaded with money.
"Can you bring me my lunch. I left it in my apartment. It's on the kitchen counter. I have a spare key under the doormat at the balcony door. Bring it to Furry Friends by 12."
"Okay, but what's your name? I can't bring your lunch if I don't know your name."
He releases a sigh and answers.
"It's Kevin. Now hurry up and bring it over."
He hangs up the phone with no kind of farewell. He sounded like he was in a rush. Whatever, it's his fault he forgot his damn lunch. I'm not going to rush to give someone, who is rude to me, their lunch. Anyways I want to stay here a little longer.
I take a look at the time on my phone. It's 10:45. I have an hour and fifteen minutes left until I have to drop off his lunch. Ha, let's make that two hours and fifteen minutes. A small mischievous grin grows on my face at the thought.
~
It's 1:30 when I arrive at the pet store where my jerk face neighbor works at. I was holding a brown paper bag that smells like greasy Chinese food. My nose wrinkles at the smell. I push open the door and step inside. A bell rings, announcing my arrival.
The small pet store is bright, and looks clean. There is a lot of cages that are filled with dogs, cats, birds, snakes, spiders, hamsters, and other animals that I can't name . In the back, there is a row of aquariums filled with different kinds of fish.
The place stinks. Which I expect since this is a pet store. My stomach churns as I breath in the stench. I swallow hard. If I keep thinking like this I'm going to get sick and barf on this floor.
A girl who looks like she is in her mid-20's is standing behind the counter. She has long red hair that is perfectly straight and falls over her shoulders perfectly. The makeup she's wearing is vivid, but stands out beautifully on her pale face. The bright red lipstick stands out along with her white eye shadow and black mascara. Other than her looks, she is wearing a silky white blouse, and an apron with the store's logo. A dog with floppy ears. To sum it all it up, this girl looks rich and pretty.
"Hi, how may I help you?" She greets.
She has a bright grin as she flips her long hair over her shoulders. Her teeth are pearly white, and perfectly straight. But she kind of seems way too happy. Like she's on a happy pill, or something.
"Uh, is Kevin here?" I ask.
Her face glooms over for a second, but then it brightens up again. I blink at the quick mood change. That was strange.
She nods her head, and goes to a door behind the counter. She yells Kevin's name, and comes back to the counter. I look at her name tag closely. Her name is Willow. I can't but notice the hearts and smiley faces on it. Okay, it's official. This girl is on happy crack.
Kevin comes out of the door with a tired look. His dark brown hair is sticking out in the same dark red beanie from last night. He's also wearing an apron just like Willow, and underneath it is a blue, red, and white plaid shirt that's rolled up at the sleeves. To be honest, he looks even hotter than he did yesterday.
When he notices me, the tired look immediately disappears. Instead an aggravated one appears. He quickly walks around the counter, and grabs my arm. His hold is tight enough to cut off blood circulation. I shake my arm trying to release it from his tight grip. He shoots me a glare but loosens his hold on me a little.
He turns to Willow, and gives her a fake smile. Willow is oblivious to it because she smiles back at him flirtatiously. She leans on the counter so far that her cleavage shows a little. What is up with this girl? Doesn't she know that he's giving her a fake smile? It's so fake that it's noticeable.
"I'm going on my lunch break. I'll be back by 2:15." He tells her.
She nods her head with a flutter of her eyelashes. She glances over at me, and I can see her giving me the stank eye. What did I do to her? I don't remember doing anything wrong. Plus I just met her.
Kevin gracefully leads me out the door. When we're outside, he lets go of my arm. Instinctively, I rub it. This is going to bruise later on.
I'm about to tell him off until he shushes me. He unties his apron, balls it up, and stuffs it in the back pocket of his jeans. I look at them and see that he is wearing white jeans and white converses. The outfit looks good, and it fits him well. It's not baggy nor is it too tight.
"Enjoying the view, perv?"
I look up at him in surprise. I can feel my cheeks heating up. This is the second time I've been caught staring at him. I need to learn how to be more discreet.
Kevin smirks at me. He casually wraps his arm around my shoulders, and leads me through the bustling streets of New York City.
"I want to take you somewhere." He tells me.
Where are we going? I thought I was going to drop his lunch off, and go on with my day. My plans were to pay my bills, and watch a movie on Netflix while wearing joggers and a warm wool sweater. I look down at the greasy paper bag, and hand it over to him. Kevin looks at it with furrowed eyebrows. Then realization flashes across his face. He takes it out of my hands with a silent thanks. At least he thanked me this time.
We walk by a trash can, and Kevin throws the greasy bag in it. Wait a second. Isn't that his lunch? Why did he throw it away? The bag seemed pretty full. Even if the food stunk of grease, it's still a waste.
"Isn't that your lunch?" I ask curiously.
Kevin looks down at me with a slight grin, and squeezes my shoulder. My body shakes in pleasure from the small grip. My face heats up again at the weird reaction. Since when has a shoulder squeeze made me feel that way? My friends and family does that to me, and I don't react like that.
"Yeah, but I was thinking we could go have lunch at a restaurant." He suggests.
Oh, that's where he's taking me, but I can't help but wonder. What does he mean by "we"? I stare at him in shock as we turn a corner.
We stop at a stop light. Cars zoom by in front of us. Kevin doesn't pay any mind at the look I'm giving him. I'm starting to feel a little dizzy. I don't know if it's the smell of smoke mixed with his cologne, or the fact that he's taking me to a restaurant. Wouldn't this be a date? No, it can't be. I mean, we haven't even known each other long.
The light shows the man walking, and we walk across the crosswalk. He casually heads down the street and stops in front of a large building. It looks about 20 floors high.
"Brooke, welcome to Bright Nights, the fanciest restaurant in the state."
~
A/N: Here's chapter 2 the edited version! Chapter 3 will be edited tomorrow. Enjoy!
-Lisa ♥