Finally looking up at my surroundings, taking my white hard knuckles from the steering wheel as I glance out at my new place. My eyes go wide as I turn to see a surprisingly spacious apartment above a closed storefront.
The old brick and mortar building is nestled in a row of similar-looking stores, the main difference being the paint jobs on the exterior and the second story atop the middle building. The exterior is painted a faded bubblegum pink, with the cracking render outside leaving much of the earthen brown bricks visible to the world. While the bottom floor of the center shop is empty, beyond a faint coating of dust clinging to the large shop window, the neighboring stores are rather lively and bustling despite the poor weather.
To the left appears to be a small cafe, the exterior having been left egg-shell white and unpainted while the interior is filled with natural brown and green tones. Warm light spills out through the front window, revealing a small crowd inside drinking, eating, and chatting amongst themselves around the salvaged and second-hand-looking vintage furniture. Small sets of potted plants hang from the ceiling, with draping sets of ivy and vines creeping down to enhance the naturalistic setting of the place.
On the right-hand side of the empty store sits a small noodle shop, an awning out front acting as a bit of cover for the numerous customers as they wait for their order. Inside looks far more cramped than the cafe on the other side of the empty storefront, with the kitchen being larger and taking up more of the square footage. Only a few small tables sit beyond the windows, with even fewer people sitting at them and eating in.
As I park I try to bring my car as close to the center building as possible, watching as Jamie tries to wave me into position from his car in front of me. My heart flutters as I make eye contact with him in his rearview mirror, a nervous squeal escaping my lips as I turn to focus on my parking job.
As I shut off the engine I glance out the window, wincing as I notice the parking sign outside.
"No standing..." I whisper under my breath, letting out a tired sigh as I begin to look around for somewhere else to park. However, before I can begin my search in earnest I'm snapped to attention by a tapping at my window. Preparing to apologize profusely to whoever I had upset I look up to see Jamie standing by my door, my worries ebbing away immediately as I look up completely dumbstruck. He stands with one hand over his head, protecting him as best he can from the bucketing rain.
"It's alright" Jamie calls out, his soothing dreamy voice barely making it through the sound of the rain against my windscreen. "It'll be fine if we're quick."
Realizing that time was of the essence I quickly unlock my doors and pop the trunk of my car before wriggling up and out of my seat. I hastily try to tug my 'dress' down as I scamper out of my seat, awkwardly leaping to my feet as I stand next to Jamie.
Without even waiting for me to say anything Jamie quickly pulls open one of the rear door, grabbing one of the large boxes. My jaw drops as I see it in his arms, the sheer size of the thing feeling far different than when I had packed them acting as an immediate reminder of my diminished size.
Jamie huffs and grunts a little as he pulls it free from my car before looking down at me past the cardboard. He gives me an expected look before tilting his head towards the empty storefront.
"Do you mind getting that for me?" he asks, flashing me a quick but strained smile as his hands struggle to grip the massive item in his arms.
Before I can even think about what I'm doing I find myself nodding at Jamie and racing as fast as my little legs can carry me towards the door. As I approach the door I notice the customers outside of the noodle store looking at me, some merely inspecting the new girl around town while others glare with greater lecherous intent. A shiver runs down my spine as I catch a man in his fifties licking his lips as e stares at my ass, my hands shaking as I fumble to get the door open and to escape his gaze.
Strangely enough, as I slide the key into the lock I find it impossible to turn. My already hurried actions begin to grow more frantic as I try to turn it with all my strength. I freeze up as a shadow falls over me before easing up as I hear Jamie chuckle from over my shoulder.
"Try the other key" he explains with a short laugh. "You'll need one for the bottom floor and another for the apartment."
Nodding in understanding I quickly whip the key from the hole before easing the other one in. I feel like an idiot as I easily turn the key, my cheeks turning red out of pure embarrassment. As I ease the door open I'm hit with a blast of stale air, motes of dust immediately making themselves known as they float out into the street. Jamie wastes no time in walking past me, dropping the box carefully onto the dusty titled floor before heading back to the car.
As he climbs into the back seat he begins to drag another large box closer to the door. He pauses for a moment before turning to face me from inside my car with a warm yet worried smile plastered across his face.
"Are all the boxes this big?" he asks, his voice wavering slightly as he hefts the box. Looking over at him I give a meek nod, knowing that I hadn't found anything smaller than those at my local supermarket.
Jamie pauses again, thinking something over before speaking up again. "Why don't you head upstairs and unlock the place? I'll get everything out of the car for you, I mean, we can't have a pretty lady breaking a sweat can we" he explains, chuckling as he struggles with getting the box free from the awkwardly small doorway.
"O...okay!?" I squeak, my voice failing to decide on the tone of my response and leaving me sounding downright awkward. Desperate to escape the situation I race indoors, my hands shaking as I move deeper inside.
"Pretty" I coo softly, hoping no one else would hear me. "He called me...pretty" I repeat, a grin forcing its way across my lips despite my best efforts. No matter how hard I try I can't seem to remove the elated expression from my, admittedly adorable, face as I begin to explore the ground floor.
Much like the neighboring buildings much of the ground floor is open plan. While both the cafe and the noodle store had counters separating the space at different points the only divider in the empty storefront appears to be a wall on the right hand side that covers the step stairwell up to the second floor.
The tiled floor, an alternating checkerboard of white and black tiles, ends partway through the one single room. Where the tiles end there rests a series of torn and exposed floorboards, the wood warping after having something ripped from it when the store was closed down. Moving beyond whatever remained of where the counter had once stood I glance deeper into the store, a series of large light outlines sitting distinct on the plain white kitchen floor.
"It was..." huffs Jamie from the door, dropping another box off with the last. "...A bakery" she continues, rolling his shoulders as if to loosen them a little.
"Are you sure I can't..." I mumble, eager to help in any way I can.
However, Jamie merely waves at me dismissively as he nods towards the stairs. "No no, I've got it. Just go have a look at your new apartment and I'll fetch you once I'm..." he begins to say, pausing as he watches my lithe body race to the stairs as I follow his instructions. I'm halfway up the creaky stairs by the time I hear him mutter the end of his sentence, "done?"
Racing up the stairs I pause outside of the door, whimpering as I realize how quickly I had plodded off up the stairs at the behest of Jamie. I slowly raise my keys to the door, my hand shaking as I fumble to get the key into the narrow hole.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" I mumble, worried at how eagerly I was following whatever Jamie was telling me to do. Before I can linger too long on the thought I step into the apartment, the stale air from the floor below failing to carry into the living space above.
The entrance to the apartment is remarkably spacious. Where a wall had once separated the landing and a hallway from a living space to the left the whole area now lay open. New carpeting lines the floor, a smart choice considering the potential to one day have a shop open below. I can't help but wriggle my toes against the lush cream-colored fibers, reveling in the feeling of something warm and soft against my sensitive skin after spending so much time out in the rain.
The walls are covered in a light olive green paint, the old paint of the apartment having been restored with a fresh coat whenever the new carpets had been put into place. To the left of the door is a cozy yet expansive living room, the small window that had once lit up the formerly separated face facing out onto the street below. A bright orange two-person couch rests oddly in the center of the room, lacking any wall to really press up against, facing a small table with a tiny LCD TV sitting atop it. Between the two items of furniture rests an old and heavily scuffed coffee table, the whole ensemble looking thrown together from second-hand or recycled furniture.
Towards the far end of the entryway/living room rests a rather large wall. On the right side is the continuation of whatever hallway had been here when the place was built, now running down towards three closed doors. To the left, and acting as a continuation of the living room, is a large archway that leads to a rather modern-looking kitchen. The tiling takes its cues from the new carpet, making up a slightly off-white color that goes along with the new cabinets. The walls of the kitchen appear to have been repainted as well, now sporting a more modern white paint job in comparison to the rest of the apartment.
Shuffling down the hallway I begin to inspect the closed doors. The first leads straight into a small room acting as one part linen closet and laundry, complete with a washer and tumble drier crammed into the limited space. The cramped tiled space appears to be taking a bite out of the available space in the kitchen, much like what I expected of the next room.
The next room down leads to a smile bathroom, the cozy room having been most obviously remodeled in comparison to the rest of the apartment thus far. Despite the small area the room feels lovely and spacious, the skylight above the room flooding the white walls with a gorgeous amount of natural light. Shiny new fixtures rest around the room, from the apparently yet unused toilet to the removable high-pressure shower head nestled behind a wall of glass.
Finally, at the end of the hall and nestled in behind the kitchen is a surprisingly large bedroom. The walls have been repainted a gentle beige to go along with the light nature of the carpet. A large window rests on the right-hand side, though it mostly overlooks the tiled rooftops of the buildings behind it. A large double bed rests in the center of the room, a black metal frame covered with tiny nicks and scrapes sowing yet another repurposed item. The room lacks any form of built-in wardrobes, however, a small dresser and slender wardrobe instead sit in the left corner of the room closest to the door.
I don't get much of a chance to explore the bedroom much further before I hear the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs. I race out to watch as Jamie carries up one of my boxes to the landing, letting out a deep satisfied sigh as he places it down on the carpet.
"Consoles huh?" he asks, smirking over at me from across the apartment.
"I...uh...What?" I stammer in response, my eyes darting around as I try to work out what he was talking about.
"The box..." he explains, pausing himself as he realizes how it may have sounded. "I didn't open it, I promise" he calls out in his soothing voice. "I just...well I saw what you wrote on it and...you mean, like, video games?" he asks, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
"I...yes?" I squeak back, unsure how to answer or more specifically which answer he would prefer. I hate myself for how I was acting, the thought of lying to endear myself to him crossing my mind more than once as I wait to gauge his reaction.
"That's cool, I haven't played anything since I was a kid" he says with a chuckle, my heart sinking as I'm wracked with the thought he may think me childish. However, I only have to languish in my sadness for a few seconds before he pipes up again. "Maybe you could show me a thing or two, once you're set up that is"
"Yes!" I blurt out, wincing at my own eagerness. Taking a breath I try to reign myself in, however, I only end up blurting out more non-sense. "I mean, I could set them up now and...I mean...after we've..."
Jamie pauses for a second, cocking an eyebrow at me from the doorway. His smile quickly returns as he turns to face the door. "We still have to move your car and get the rest of the boxes up here first" he explains, taking his first steps out into the stairwell and down the rickety old steps.
His voice feels like it's reverberating through my apartment, the deep echo coming up from the stairwell and reaching me faintly at the back of the hall. "After that..."
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