Hers (Ruby Rose)

1| New York City

^ELLIS^

I SAT IN the tiny corner coffee shop just a three minute walk from my apartment, holding the novel Me Before You in one hand, and a white and pink floral teacup in another. The shop was completely empty, besides the two waitresses behind the front counter cleaning whilst they talked amongst themselves.

It was a cold and dreary day in New York City, but I relied on my vanilla latte to keep me warm, as well as the comfort from the indoor heating provided in the café.

I loved it here. I was born and raised in NYC, and I never planned on leaving. But unfortunately, due to the cost of my small apartment rising and the salary I was making working at American Apparel not being enough to keep me living comfortably, I'd been forced to move out, preferably away from the city.

Although it shattered my heart into a million pieces and I spent every night since finding out crying myself to sleep, I knew it was for the best.

My best friend, Gemma, offered me a room in her three-bedroom apartment located in Los Angeles for an affordable price which I could not turn down even if I wanted to. I knew she had another roommate, but she said that they needed another person so that they could also afford to pay bills.

So, today was my last day in New York before I caught a plane to my new home. In someway, I was excited for this change, and the fact that I would be living with my best friend of fifteen years, since we were seven-years-old, which had been a life-long dream of ours. However, we never had the opportunity because of Gemma's job offer two years ago. Even though we caught up once every two to three weeks, it wasn't enough. Especially with my new loneliness since my parents both died last year.

It did not help that I was reading such a tragic book after what had happened in my own tragic life.

I placed the book down and finished off my coffee. I then got up from my seat next to the window and placed my black handbag on the chair as I shoved my book, wallet and iPhone into it. As I threw the strap over my shoulder and walked towards the door, I said goodbye to the friendly waitresses who returned the gesture back to me.

The sound of the bustling city was comforting, and I knew I would miss the noise. The quietness in LA would take me some time to get used to, but I had faith that eventually I would consider it my home like I did here.

On my way to my building, I was stopped by Poppy, an elderly woman over the age of eighty-five who still worked every single day. She ran a floral boutique in the middle of the footpath that she would pack up and travel with every single day. I had seen her too many times in my life that she knew everything about me, and I knew everything about her.

"How are you today, Ellis?" She asked, her back hunched and a red and yellow scary draped over her thinning grey hair.

"Honestly, I could be better. Today's my last day, and I'm going to miss you so much." I said, pouting at her before putting my arms out for a hug. Her body was soft and squishy as I wrapped my arms around her, and she patted my back whilst awing.

"This will be good for you, my darling. You need change. Heck, the only reason I'm still alive today is because I spent most of my life travelling. It's good for you, a change of scenery."

I smiled over my frown. I realized that the person I was going to miss the most was Poppy.

"I'll come visit you, okay? Every now and then I'll be here, I promise." I told her.

She smiled wide. "I believe you."

"Oh, I want you to have this." I dug through my purse that was still by my side. Under all my belongings, some completely useless and others extremely valuable, I found what I was looking for. It was wrapped in white tissue paper and was rectangular shaped.