Loved and Alive

Chapter 5

I pull out my phone, hitting a number. I wipe at my eyes as I walk.

"Hello?"

I open my mouth to speak, then stop and hang up. I stop on the sidewalk, well aware of where I'm walking, and the sun fading behind me.

I enter the building in front of me, slowly going up the stairs as my phone rings.

"Did you just call me and hang up?"

"Yeah, I uh...I hit the wrong number." I lie as I stop.

"You sound like you're crying."

I shake my head. "No, I stopped thirty minutes ago."

"What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I say as I continue up until I come to a door.

"Are you sure?"

I reach out with my free hand, pressing the doorbell.

"Hang on," I hear from the phone.

There's a rattle as the door in front of me unlocks, then opens.

"Hi." Robert says as he lowers his phone. "What're you doing here?"

"I don't know, I was walking and suddenly I'm here." I say, shifting in my high heels, the extra height almost making us eye-level.

"Did you want to talk?" He asks.

"No." I move forward and press my lips against his.

Robert wraps an arm around my back as he pulls me inside, shutting the door and locking it before pulling me in tight and kissing back.

~~~~

I unlock my apartment door, easing it open and step inside.

Setting my heels down and shutting the door, I jump as my phone buzzes in my coat pocket.

"Hello?" I answer in a hushed tone.

"You gotta stop doing this to me."

"Don't know what you mean Robert." I say as I shut my door and flop on my bed, stifling a yawn.

"Well if we're going to keep doing this, it would be nice to see you in the morning." He says.

I smile sleepily. "I'll think about it."

Robert sighs. "Okay, you know what? Fuck this."

I sit up and frown. "What?"

"Will you go on a date with me?" He asks.

"Yeah. Yes, how does Friday work?"

"I'll pick you up at seven."

"See you then." I say with a smile.

"Unless you show up at my door again." Robert teases before hanging up.

I let out a squeal, falling back against my pillows as a knock comes from my door.

"Uhhh...." I look at my clothes, the same dress from last night. "Hang on!"

I grab a pair of pajama shorts and a large sleep shirt from the edge of my bed, quickly stripping off my dress and pulling the bed clothes on.

"Okay, yeah it's unlocked." I say, zipping a hoodie over the bedshirt.

My roommate opens the door. "Wow, you look like shit."

"Gee thanks." I say sarcastically as I grab my work folder and walk over to my desk.

"When'd you get back? 'Cause I was up late, so it had to have been after two." My roommate says as she sits on my bed.

"I had to get a few drinks. You know how dinner with my parents goes." I thumb through my drafts and edits, pulling one out and boot up my laptop.

"Oh? Well, did you meet anyone?"

My fingers freeze over the keyboard. "I didn't." I shake my head. "But, I did visit a friend."

"Dude, when are you going to put yourself back out?" My roommate says.

I shake my head. "Doesn't matter. Pretty soon you won't be here to bug me about it." I tease.

My roommate scoffs, tossing a small pillow at me. "I leave in two months asshole."

I laugh, tossing the pillow back. "Well could you at least leave my room now so I can work? My deadline is Thursday." I say.

"Consider me gone." I hear my door shut a second later and lean back in my chair. I blow out a sigh, already feeling stressed about all I have to do.

Pulling up my documents, I gasp. "No!"

I stand up, my chair rolling on the floor as I grab my purse and rifle through it, followed by my jacket.

"Shit."

I jam my feet into a pair of sneakers, then grab my phone and keys.