Stopping at my door, I glanced up the stairs. Should I go up and apologize? Maybe share the good news with him? I truly believed that he liked my art. He’d bought my paintings before he’d ever met me. There was no one else who would understand the magnitude of the opportunities I’d been offered today. Forreasons I didn’t want to explore, I wanted to share this news with him.
My surge of excitement dimmed as a woman walked past me and continued to climb the stairs to the upper floor. I craned my neck in time to see her stop in front of Sebastian’s door. She rang the bell.
I’d seen her before. If Sebastian were a hooker, I would assume this woman was a regular. She was older than him, drop-dead-gorgeous, and reeked of money, from her shiny black curls to the tips of her designer heels. Her demeanor suggested she was a dominatrix-type, in business as well as in bed—the kind of woman who took pleasure in wringing the life out of a man. If she was here, clearly he was expecting her.
Damn womanizer!
Heat crept up my neck and my cheeks burned as I unlocked my door and stormed into my apartment. Seconds later, I remembered I’d promised Lily I’d help her out.
Muttering curses, I rushed up the stairs and knocked on her door, firmly ignoring the urge to glue my ear to Sebastian’s door as I walked past it.
Lily opened in seconds. “Hey, come in. The movers are finished, and Mom and Dad just left ten minutes ago.”
“Are you all set?” I stepped inside. “Sorry I couldn’t help, I was swamped today. If you still need anything, I’m here now.”
She waved off my suggestion. “No worries. Everything is in place. As you’ve pointed out so many times, I’m quite the minimalist.”
“I don’t know how you can live like this.” I looked around the apartment with the same layout as mine, yet it was worlds apart in style. There was a white leather sofa in the living area, and a coffee table next to it. Nothing else.
“This is it?” I pointed at the sofa. “You don’t even have a frigging TV.”
Lily shrugged. “I don’t watch TV much. When I’m in the mood, I’ll watch something on my laptop.”
I shook my head, walking over to the main bedroom. A queen-sized bed, one nightstand, and a dresser—all white. There were still a couple of suitcases and some clothes on the bed, but Lily wasn’t kidding when she’d said she didn’t have much stuff. This must be what Heaven looked like—or a really clean loony bin.
“These are all your things?” I searched for a spot of color, finding nothing other than her clothes strewn on the bed, most of them pale pastels. “There’s even less stuff here than in your old apartment.”
“I got rid of some things. What you don’t understand, Jesse, is that things take up energy—or at least they do for some people, and I’m one of those people.” She went to the window and opened it wide, taking a deep breath. She looked absolutely serene in a simple pale-yellow T-shirt and gray yoga pants. “I don’t like clutter. I need space to breathe and to think. I have to deal with enough emotional chaos in my job.” She turned to me. “Want a cold drink? I have some beer and water in the fridge. Or herbal tea.”
I rolled my eyes. The only time I drank tea was when I was sick and thought the end was near.
“Beer sounds great. Have you eaten anything? I’m starving.”
I followed her into the kitchen, with its white fridge, white table, and two white chairs. I had to admit all that white gave off a Zen vibe. But I couldn’t have lived in that space. I needed color, knickknacks, stuff that reflected my personality. Unlike Lily, clutter gave me energy and a feeling of accomplishment.
Lily opened a beer and handed it to me. “I’m starving too. I was getting ready to order a pizza.”
“Make it two, please. I want mine with salami, pepperoni and—”
“Extra mozzarella and extra ketchup packets. I know.” She had her phone in hand and tapped the screen. “Go and wash your hands, and we’ll wait for the food.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I set my bag down next to the sofa and went into the bathroom. As I washed my hands with the jasmine-scented soap, I glanced at my face in the mirror. There were dark circles under my eyes, and my hair had lost its volume, flat after the long, hot hours of the day. I couldn’t compete with Sebastian’s companion, even though she had more than a decade on me.
I shook my head, annoyed with myself. Why the hell did I care? Why was I considering myself attracted to Sebastian? I wished he’d left things alone and had never brought me those stupid waffles. I’d enjoyed our old relationship—saying hi when we’d met in the hallway and nothing more. I wished Sue hadn’t invited him to her wedding. I wished I’d never fixed his stupid door. Those things had ruined my emotional balance. Now I had to admit that I’d felt something suspiciously close to jealousy when I’d seen that woman leaving his apartment.
I shook my head. I’d thought myself a smart woman; obviously, I was wrong. How could I be attracted to a man with a personality I despised? Stupid hormones!
I needed to get a date and get laid—notby Sebastian.
I joined Lily on the sofa to wait for the pizza in a room without a TV.
“Something wrong?” Lily asked.
She stared at me as I was punching one of the white furry cushions to make myself comfortable.
“Nope.” I lay the cushion down and forced myself to relax. “Actually, I had a great day.”
