“Thanks. You’re looking pretty hot yourself, Mr. Hamilton.”
“Are you ready to have dinner with the folks? There’s been a change of plans and we’re meeting at a restaurant instead.”
“As ready as I’ll ever be. Let me grab my shoes.”
We walked out of the apartment building and climbed into the back seat of a Rolls Royce.
“Emma, I would like you to meet Darren. He’s another one of my drivers.”
“Hi, Darren. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too, Emma.” He smiled as he looked back at me.
“Darren is the only one who knows about our little arrangement. I trust him with my life. If you need him for anything, you are to give him a call. He’ll take you wherever you need to go. Hand me your phone and I’ll put his number in for you.”
“I thought no one was supposed to know.”
He put in Darren’s number and handed me my phone as he placed his fingers under my chin.
“Like I said, I trust him with my life.”
Chapter 5
We stepped inside Shay Gardens and I was blown away by the décor. Round tables spread across the two-level restaurant with gold-colored tablecloths and beautifully lit candles that sat in the center. The dark wood trim that surrounded the restaurant was elegantly carved and the finest paintings hung on the walls. The hostess showed us to the table where Max’s parents were waiting for us.
“You’ve arrived.” His mom smiled as she lightly hugged Max and then me. “You look stunning, Emma.”
“Thank you.” I smiled as Max pulled out my chair.
I looked over and saw a beautiful young girl sitting across from me. “Emma, I would like you to meet Fiona, my sister.”
“Hello, Fiona.”
“Hey,” she said with a fake smile. I could tell already that she didn’t like me.
“Oh my God!” Max’s mom exclaimed as she grabbed my left hand. “You got your ring. It’s beautiful.”
“Yes, it is. You did a nice job, Max.” His dad smiled.
“Have you two set the date yet?” Fiona glared at Max.
“No. Not yet. It probably won’t be for a couple of years. Emma wants to finish school first.”
Both his parents grilled me about my background and my childhood. I had to make it sound better than it was because they’d think I wasn’t good enough for their son. Hell, I didn’t think I was good enough for him. I told them I grew up in Miami in a very influential neighborhood and that both my parents were very successful business people. I didn’t want to give out too much information in case they decided to check out my story. I wouldn’t put it past these people, especially ones that would put an engagement stipulation on their son’s trust fund. After we finished dinner and dessert, we said our goodbyes and climbed into the Rolls Royce.
“What a success! My parents adore the shit out of you.”
“I’m not so sure about your sister.”
“Ignore her. She’s seventeen going on thirty. She has an opinion about everything and everyone.”
Max reached in his pocket and handed me a check. “This is for your first year at Parsons. Go deposit it in the bank tomorrow and then pay your tuition. I don’t want you losing out on your classes.”
Suddenly, guilt washed over me and I found it hard to accept it.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Thanks, Max. I really appreciate it.”
He placed his hand on mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. My heart skipped a beat at his touch.
“No, Emma, thank you. I wouldn’t be able to pull this off without you.”
I gave him a small smile as the Rolls Royce pulled up to my building. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Good night, Max,” I said before climbing out and shutting the door.
“Good night, Emma.”
****
I slept in longer than I should have, but I was exhausted from all the shit that had happened yesterday. When I awoke, I looked at the ring on my finger that I forgot to take off before climbing into bed. Today was a new day and I was still engaged. Somehow, as I slept, I prayed to the dream gods to let it all be a really bad dream; a dream that happened while I was still sleeping in Miami. But it wasn’t a dream. I let out a long stretch before climbing out of bed. I shuffled into the kitchen for a cup of coffee and noticed there wasn’t a coffeemaker. What the fuck? Who doesn’t own a coffee maker? No time for a shower. I needed coffee ASAP. I dug out a pair of black yoga pants, an oversized pink t-shirt that said, “I’m All Yours,” and threw on my pink Miami baseball cap. After grabbing my purse and phone, I took the elevator down to the lobby and headed out the door. Right or left? Shit. I didn’t know New York City yet. I walked back inside and asked Tommy, the doorman, where the closest Starbucks was.
“Go out the door, make a right, and it’s right on the corner.”
“Thanks, Tommy.” I smiled at him.
“You’re welcome, Emma.”
I found Starbucks and stood in a line with about fifteen other people who had the same idea I had. Finally, it was my turn. I ordered a coffee and a banana chip muffin and took a seat at a table by the window. My phone started beeping with a text message from Kara.
“How’s New York City? I figured I would have heard from you by now.”
“Sorry. Yesterday was kind of a crazy day trying to get situated.”
“Meet any hot guys yet?”
“Not yet.”
I couldn’t tell her about Max. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t. The questions would start being asked and I would have to lie to my best friends. It was better that they knew nothing of what happened yesterday.
“Keep me posted and send me lots of snap chats. Especially when a hot guy is around.”
“Tell the girls I said hi and I promise to keep in touch.”
As I sipped my coffee, I wondered what Max was doing. I caught myself thinking about him a lot already today. In some sort of weird way, I missed his company. Hell, he was practically the only person I knew in New York City, so that would explain why I missed him, not to mention the fact that all I could think about was what he looked like naked. I finished my coffee and muffin and hailed a cab to the bank to open a new account and then to Parsons School of Design. When I stepped into the large building, I asked the guy sitting behind the desk where the financial office was. He guided me down the hall, to the right, and then another right.
“What may I do for you?” the old woman with a unibrow asked.
“I’m here to pay for my fall semester.”
It didn’t matter anymore, why the hell they decided to decline my loan at the last minute, so I didn’t even bother asking. I handed the lady my I.D. and then handed her a money order for the tuition.
“You’re all set. I hope you enjoy your time here at Parsons.” She smiled.
I wanted to tell her thanks for nothing, but I just gave her a small smile and left. Classes started in a few days and I was more than ready. Before heading back to the apartment, I decided to stop at the store and pick up a few things, the most important item being a coffeemaker and coffee. I purchased some snacks and some food to cook meals since Macy’s refrigerator and cabinets were empty. I wasn’t surprised with her being a model and all. She always ate like a rabbit. My hands were full of bags, the coffeemaker being the heaviest. I tried to hail a cab, but they weren’t stopping. I set down my bags and pulled out my phone, pulling up Darren’s number.
“Hello, Miss Knight. Do you need me to pick you up?”
“Hi, Darren. Yes, please. I’m outside of Whole Foods by Parsons. I’m not sure exactly what street I’m on.”
“No worries. I’ll find you. I’m in the general area right now. Sit tight and I’ll be there shortly.”
“Thank you.” Click.
I stood there with my heavy bags and watched the people pass by as I felt like I was in another world. A few moments passed and the Rolls Royce pulled up. Darren got out, opened the door, and took my bags.
r /> “Thank you, Darren. I didn’t want to call you, but I couldn’t get a cab to stop and these bags are heavy.”
“No problem, Emma. I’m at your disposal whenever you need me.”
I slid in the back and then asked Darren if he’d seen Max today.
“Yes, I just dropped him and a lady friend of his off at a restaurant for an early dinner.”
Something happened to me. My stomach instantly felt sick. “Oh, good for him. I’m going to go home and cook a nice meal for myself.”
He looked at me from the rearview mirror and smiled. Darren was a nice man. He was about mid to late forties with brown hair and hazel-colored eyes. There was something about him that clicked with me and I felt comfortable around him. Almost like a father figure. We reached my building and Darren helped me carry my bags up to my apartment.
“Thank you. I appreciate your help.” I smiled.
“You’re welcome, Emma. Have a good night.” He walked toward the door, stopped, and turned to me. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing with Max?”
I was taken aback by his question. “Yeah, I know what I’m doing.”
He pursed his lips. “You’re a great girl and I don’t want to see you get hurt. Sometimes, people need to fall on their own before they’ll learn a valuable life lesson.” He walked out the door, shutting it behind him.
I stood there for a moment and pondered what he meant. I figured he was talking about Max. After setting up my new coffeemaker and putting my food away, I decided to cook myself a breaded chicken breast and a baked potato. As I was preparing dinner, I had the music playing on my phone and “Uptown Funk” came on. I needed to distract my mind from Max. I began dancing around the small kitchen and using a wooden spoon as a microphone, moving my hips back and forth while I breaded the chicken. I threw it in the oven with the baked potato and shut the door while moving to the beat of the music and singing. I turned around and screamed when I saw Max standing there, smiling at me.
“What the FUCK! You scared the shit out of me, Max!” I turned off the music.
“Sorry, but I knocked. You didn’t hear me and you didn’t lock the door, so I let myself in and watched your sexy dance moves. Damn, Emma. Rule number one when living in New York: always lock your door.”
“I forgot. I thought you were on a date.”
“How did you know that?” he asked as he arched his eyebrow.
“Darren told me. I had to have him pick me up from Whole Foods because I had a lot of bags and I couldn’t catch a cab. I was surprised I didn’t hear from you today.”
“I was busy at work. Pretty much in meetings all day.”
A smart-ass remark was about to escape my lips, but I stopped it.
“I take it you’re cooking dinner.”
“Yep. I haven’t eaten since this morning. So, what are you doing here? And why is your date over already?”
“I only took her to dinner. Once we left the restaurant, I took her home and headed here.”
“Why?” I asked as I poured a glass of wine. “Would you like some?”
“Sure. Thanks. And why what?” He took a seat on the stool in front of the counter.
“Why would you cut your date short to come here? You didn’t want to have sex with her?”
“Of course I did, but she’s on her period and I don’t do that shit. I don’t think you should be asking me questions like that.”
I handed him his glass. “Why not? We are engaged to be married after all.”
A twinge of pain invaded my heart when he admitted he wanted to have sex with her. What the hell was going on with me? It had been too long since I’d had sex. The last time was with Justin and that was right before we broke up six months ago. Speak of the devil. My phone rang and his name popped up.
“Ah, shit.” I looked at Max and then answered the call.
“Hello.”
“Emma, it’s Justin.”
“I know who it is, Justin. Why are you calling?”
I looked at Max and he stared back with narrowed eyes.
“I heard you moved to New York to go to that design school or whatever. Why did you do that?”
“Gee, Justin, maybe because it has always been a lifelong dream of mine. You would know that if you ever paid attention to me in our relationship.” I put it on speaker and set the phone down. I had to check on the chicken.
“I paid attention to you and, by the way, you never paid me for that X-box game you purposely broke.”
Before the laugher could escape him, Max covered his mouth.
“I’ll send a check in the mail.”
“I miss you, Emma. I really do,” he spoke in a sad tone.
“Sorry about that, Justin. Listen, I need to go. My dinner is ready. Do me a favor and please don’t call me anymore.”
“Is that what you truly want?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m living life in New York now. I’m starting over. I suggest you do the same.”
“Goodbye, Emma.” Click.
A single tear rose up in my eye, and Max got up from his stool and walked over to me.
“Hey, you okay?” he asked softly.
“Yeah. He’s an idiot and he has a lot of growing up to do.”
“Go sit down and I’ll put your food on the plate and bring it to you.”
“I’m fine, Max. I can—”
He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Emma, go sit down. Please.”
I took my glass of wine and the bottle and sat down at the table. Max put the chicken on a plate and fixed my baked potato with a little bit of butter, salt, and pepper. He set it down in front of me with a knife and a fork and took the seat across from me.
“Would you like a bite?” I cut into the chicken.
“Nah. I’m full. How long have you and Justin been broken up?”
“Six months.”
“How long did you date?”
“A little over a year.”
“Wow. So, you broke his X-box game?” He smirked.
I took a bite of my potato and nodded my head. “He wouldn’t listen to me. That was the biggest problem in our relationship. I would talk and he’d zone out. He was either watching sports or playing his damn X-box. He didn’t have a job and he never took me out. Even when I offered to pay, he still wouldn’t go.”
“He sounds like a loser.”
“He is. I got so fed up that I couldn’t take it anymore. I went over to his apartment and he was playing X-box. I asked him to turn it off because I needed to talk to him. He told me that it was cool and just to start talking. So I did and he basically ignored me. I told him we were over and he told me not to be silly. He never looked at me once the whole time I was talking to him. Rage got the best of me so I took the disc out of the X-box and stomped on it until it broke into several pieces.”
Max chuckled. “What did he do?”
“He cried.”
He threw his head back in laughter. “Jesus Christ, Emma.”
I couldn’t help but laugh with him. He held up his wine glass.
“Here’s to broken X-box games and the start of a new life.”
I held up my glass and we lightly clanked them together. After finishing my dinner, Max got up from his seat.
“I better get going. I have to be at the office early tomorrow.” I got up and walked him to the door.
“Thanks for stopping by.”
“You’re welcome. Thanks for the wine.” His eyes stared straight at me. He hesitated for a moment and then walked out the door. “Good night, Emma.”
“Good night, Max.”
I shut the door, locked it, and then leaned up against it. There was a part of me that didn’t want him to leave.
Chapter 6
I spent the next couple of days inside my apartment building. I got up in the mornings, went down to the fitness center, worked out, and then sat in front of the TV all day. The only person I knew in New York was Max and I hadn’t heard from him since the night he was over. He was proba
bly too busy trying to fuck anything with legs. School started tomorrow and I couldn’t wait. I needed to keep myself busy and immerse myself in something other than thinking about him all day. What I thought was going to be easy wasn’t turning out that way. He had an effect on me that I couldn’t explain and all I wanted to do was spend time with him. Maybe it was just because I was in a strange city and living alone that I felt this way. I needed to get out and meet more people. I talked to my mom back in Miami and she was doing well. I’d never kept anything from her before and it was hard not to tell her about Max. I missed my girls – Kara, Aubrey, and Molly – and I missed going out. After putting on my pajamas and climbing into bed, my phone beeped with a text message from Max.
“Good luck on your first day of school tomorrow.”
Really? I don’t hear from him in two days and he sends me that? I put my phone down and didn’t respond. Turning off my light, I snuggled under the covers and closed my eyes.
****
I arrived and took a seat in my Integrative Studio 1 class. I was nervous as hell just like any other person would be when they start something new and unfamiliar.
“Hi, I’m Hannah.” The girl next to me sat down and smiled.
“Hi, I’m Emma.” A prospective friend already. I was excited.
We sat and talked for a few minutes before our, oh my God, sexy as shit professor walked in. He scanned the class and smiled, welcoming us. I swear I felt my ovaries explode when he looked at me. He stood a little over six feet tall with messy brown hair and a light beard that sat upon his perfectly sculpted jawline. I frowned when my gaydar started flying off the charts. When class let out, Hannah and I found that we had the next two classes together. Before our last class, we took a lunch break and grabbed sandwiches at Breads Bakery. She was a cute girl with curly brown hair and big brown eyes. Her tiny body fitted her five-foot-four stature. She was from Iowa and was in New York cultural shock. She lived in one of the campus apartments and was shocked when I told her where I lived. I explained to her that it was Macy’s place and she was letting me stay there. As we were talking and getting to know each other, my phone beeped with a message from Max.