“I’m sure it won’t be a problem. I’ll keep ya posted… And Spencer, don’t forget to add your dreams into this vision of hers.”
He’s right. I need to find a happy medium between honoring her dreams and following mine. Now all I need to do is figure out what mine are.
* * *
I have so many thoughts and ideas running through my head as I make my way back to the bookstore. When I pass the now vacant building next door, I peek through the windows. It looks to be in decent shape. It’s big and open. I would still have to knock down a few walls and add a small kitchen, but it’s all doable.
Alice opened this morning so I could meet with Phil, and Jules has the day off. Shoot, I need to call her before she sends out her two-man search party. I yell to Alice, who is helping a customer, that I’ll be back down in 20 minutes.
“Tell me everything,” Jules says as soon as she answers my call. The other night after Finn left, I’d texted Jules that I was fine and would call her later. I was so tired I never even made it into bed. I just passed out right there on the couch. Gallifrey was not amused.
I walk through the front door and kick off my shoes. “I’m not sure I really have the words to describe the monstrosity of what happened,” I say with a groan, as I collapse onto the couch and drape my arm over my eyes.The dramatics, I know!
“Oh, this is going to be good. Oh wait, hold on a sec.” I hear her fumble with her phone and then Alex’s voice rings through. Yeah, good idea. I’m not repeating this more than once.
“Okay, now that we are all on the phone, spill it Spencer!”
“Ohhh, what did I miss?” Alex says with excitement in his voice.
“Spencer has a new neighbor. A very hot, tattooed neighbor.”
With a sigh, I fill them in on the events of meeting Finn.
First, I ran into him when I was walking out my door and thought I was going to die. Then, I was barely able to keep it together while trying to talk to a guy completely out of my league. Even on the human level, out of my league.
And all of that was before the glorious act of me falling down the stairs and Jules going full Spider Monkey on Finn.
“Hey, from my eyes, it looked like you were getting pushed around in the back alley again.”
“She has a point,” Alex says.
“Yes, I know, and I appreciate that, but you then proceeded to just sit on his back while having a conversation with me,” I say, throwing my hands in the air like they can see them.
“He was super comfy. Not my fault, I could not help it. Although I should work on my dismount,” I hear her mumble through the phone.
At that point, we all started laughing.
We have all been best friends for years. Alex spent a lot of time with his grandma growing up, and every time she would come into the bookstore she would bring him. We used to play back in the stacks while she shopped. Then his grandma and my mom started planning play dates for us. Then, in 5th grade, there was a new girl sitting by herself at lunch. She looked like she wanted to punch someone, but I eventually won her over and we developed this unbreakable bond.
I don’t know what I would have done without them when my mom died. They were by my side every day at the end and held me as I broke into pieces night after night, watching my mom drift away.
“So what happened after?” Jules says, pulling me from the depths of my sadness.
“Okay, well, what you missed was Finn helping me back up the stairs.”
“Where was hand placement for this so-called help?” Alex asked with serious excitement in his tone.
“Around my waist,” I say as we all sigh. “I know, right?” It was like I fit perfectly.
I continue, “we made it to the top of the stairs, no problem. But when I went to open my door, I lost my balance and fell to the floor, but this time I took Finn with me. He came crashing down on top of me.”
My two best friends then proceed to lose it. I don’t even think they are breathing.
It’s ok, I got this.
“And he was hard.”
That stopped them in their tracks. They both took a deep breath and followed up in unison with “Oh My god!”
