A Dozen Ways to Find You

Scrambled

He was surprised she caught the egg.

Amber did not stay for much longer, the self-guided tour had a time limit. Before she left, she said it was the best place she had seen so far. 

Cole climbed over railing and made the leap back to his balcony. He felt an insatiable curiosity about the girl in the apartment next door. He wanted to know everything about her. 

Cole. You get like this. Give her space.

He held a quick pace to his patio door and inside the apartment.

Come on. She hasn't even moved in yet.

He barreled through his room and into the hallway. He impatiently knocked on the door directly across from his.

Please don't do this.

The door opened to reveal a Greek woman. She wore silky blue pajamas and her black curls were arranged in a bun on top of her head. "Coley Poley! Back for more?"

"More groping?" He was irritated. "You owe me for that."

"How would you like to be repaid?" She smiled flirtatiously with straight teeth.

"I need to go on your balcony for a minute." He pushed past her into the apartment. "I need to see something."

She does not resist and follows him outside. "What is going on, my love?"

Cole is silent as he studies the parking lot. Bernise is chatty as usual, but does not break his concentration. Seconds pass before he sees Amber emerge from building 2. She was distracted on a phone call as she navigated to her vehicle.

Not smart for a pretty lady to let her guard down.

Amber unlocks an SUV and climbs inside. Cole repeats the license plate again and again in his head.

613-APR. 613-APR. 613-APR.

He knows it will be be a restless night.

————————

In the week that passed, Cole was able to discover so much more about the girl from the apartment. It was all so easy thanks to her public video channel. He found it in a matter of minutes and spent hours watching through footage. She was not shy about sharing her life.

Her name is Amber Richards. She recently moved here from another state to begin pilot training. After packing up everything in her Subaru, she drove here last month with her two cats. She has been staying at a hotel in the city while looking for an apartment. 

Cole liked that she was young and driven. Only 20 years old and pursing an impressive career. She seemed smart enough to do it. He liked watching her talk about flying— she would get so excited and her nose would scrunch up a bit.

This morning Cole got a notification that she uploaded a new video titled, "I got an apartment!". He didn't bother to finish cooking his scrambled eggs and pressed play.

The video had good production value-- there was even a clip of her touring the apartment. She mentioned Cole, though not by name.

"I guess I met one of my neighbors, you guys. He gave me an egg as a housewarming present." She holds up an egg to the camera and laughs. "It's the thought that counts."

He loved that part. He replayed it a few times.

Cole was wild with the thought of him having touched that same egg. He wondered if she had eaten it by now.

Cole eventually continued the video. Amber returned to her hotel and applied for the apartment. She got approved the following day. The good news was celebrated with dancing around the hotel room. He liked the way she danced— confident and unembarrassed. Cole squinted when he noticed a flagpole through the window behind her. The flag attached clearly displayed the name of the hotel as it hung limp.

What if a creep noticed this and finds her? Cole worried. He stressed at the thought of what someone could do to her. She was alone in a new city.

Cole snagged a hoodie and his car keys. There were only two Hiltons in town so it was a 50/50 which one she was staying at. He picked the one on Craig Road to try first.

He sped to the hotel. The thoughts playing through his head were not kind to him. They grew darker and darker until he turned the radio up to drown them out. He could admit that this was a bit creepy, but it was her fault for posting that video. She was asking for it.

The Hilton parking lot had no sign of Amber's SUV. He still remembered the license plate. Maybe she was out shopping? Cole considered waiting nearby in case she returned. It seemed more likely that she was at the Hilton on Rancho Blvd., so he headed that way.

When he turned into the parking lot, he easily located her Subaru. That relieved him. He could tell based on height of the flagpole that Amber must have been staying on the 3rd floor. The curtains were drawn on most of the windows so he couldn't be sure.

He parked his car just out of view from the entrance and reclined his seat, watching and waiting.