“It’s time you start interacting with some nicer people,” he says with a quickwink.
“It seems you’re taking care of that littleproblem.”
Jackson leans down and ducks into the Jeep. “If you think I’m being nice now, you haven’t seen anything yet,” he whispers before kissing away the chance of a response rolling off the tip of mytongue.
With his words being the last before my door closes, I watch him make his way over to his car across thelot.
The late-night hour makes traffic easy to navigate, so following him through Boston and into Brighton is quick andeasy.
Apparently, Jackson has his own parking garage underground.How fancy!I didn’t know these existed here. I thought street parking was the only option in the outskirts of Boston. Shows what I know from living in thesuburbs.
There’s a string of silence between us as I follow him to the elevator and up to the top floor of this apartment building. I’ve told myself many times before that I can learn about a man from the way he lives, and right now, I have no clue what I’m in for. The elevator brings us to a hotel-looking hallway, lined with bright white doors, fancy trim, and gold-plated numbers centered perfectly on each apartment door. “This is so nice,” I tellhim.
“After I left my ex, Dana, I went on a bit of a spending spree,” he says. “It was my way ofcoping.”
“Hey, I can appreciatethat.”
He unlocks his door, and it opens into endless square feet of dark brown hardwood floors and windows for walls across the back side. You can see the whole city from up here. In the kitchen, there are modern, stainless steel appliances surrounded by dark granite countertops and sharp contrasting gray cabinets. Everything else is white. The decor is very masculine but neat and trendy. The best part is, the entire place smells just like him. “I love your apartment. It’s so clean andnew.”
A crooked smile perks to one side as he unbuttons the cuffs on his sleeves to roll them up. “It’s funny you say that. It’s exactly how I feel too, except I’d rather feel like I’m home, and it hasn’t exactly felt like that for me yet.” That breaks my heart because I think I know exactly how he’s feeling. I’m in the same boat, but I’m home, home, like my childhood bedroom home where my comforter is neon pink and blue with cheetah print patches. There’s got to be an in-between spot we’re both missing outon.
Jackson pulls me over to his couch and takes the bag from my grip. “White or redwine?”
“White, please.” The couch is plush and comfortable. It’s easy to tell this was one item where he went for comfort rather than style, although it looks nice too. “You really do have an amazing view from uphere.”
“Yeah, it’s nice, but honestly, when I’m not working nights, I drag myself to bed and watch TV until I fall asleep.” I see another side of Jackson that I wasn’t aware of—there’s sadness in his voice, and I think I can tell he’s not the kind of person who likes to be alone. It’s the same thing that got me stuck in a relationship that went on for way toolong.
“I think we have a lot in common,” I tell him. I don’t live in a place like this, but I think he’s already seen a hint of the common traits we sharetoo.
He walks over with a bottle of wine and two glasses he’s already filled halfway. “Get that book out, Emma. It’s time.” After placing the glasses and bottle down, he rubs his hands together with excitement and sits down on the couch besideme.
“You’re really into this story?” I ask, needing more validation. Mike was never interested in any part of my life. This is all new tome.
“That woman knows what she is talking about, and I want to learn from that kind of wisdom. You don’t just find people walking around who have lived the kind of life she has lived. Her story is the type to change someone’s way of thinking, and from the parts I’ve heard, I’m already impressed with her strength and desire to push through a situation without hope—alone at that. I don’t think I could do something so heroic, and it amazes me to hear about those who can make it through hell and come back from itall.”
I get it. Her story is altering my entire view of the world. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at life the same wayagain.
