“I’m sorry, miss, I didn’t see you there,” he apologized.
He looked at me and then at the box on the ground. “Are you moving in?” he asked as he looked at his watch.
“Yes, I just got here a few hours ago, and I haven’t had a chance to get the boxes from my truck,” I answered.
“It’s nice to meet you; I’m Sam,” he said as he held out his hand.
“Hi, I’m Lily. It’s nice to meet you too.”
“Let me grab that box for you,” he offered as he bent down to pick it up.
“No, that’s alright, I’ve got it,” I said as I put my hand in front of him.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Let me carry the box for you since I almost knocked you on your ass with the door.” He smiled.
It was the middle of the night, and I was arguing with a hot guy over a box. “Fine; my apartment’s right there,” I said as I pointed to my door.
Sam looked at me and smiled. “Well, look at that; looks like we’re neighbors.”
I opened the door for him as he stepped inside my apartment and set the box down on the floor. “So, you’re the one playing the loud music at 3:00 a.m.?” I asked.
“Sorry about that,” he said as shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll tell Lucky to keep it down.”
“I’d appreciate that. Thanks for the help with the box,” I said as I shut the door.
I spent the next hour unpacking the box and putting away the towels. I organized all my bathroom items and then took a hot, relaxing bubble bath. My hands began to wander as it had been a while since my battery operated boyfriend and I had a date. As soon as I was finished, I got out of the tub, wrapped a towel around me, and walked into the living room where my suitcases were. I opened one suitcase and pulled out a pair of jean shorts and a navy blue tank top. I grabbed my phone from the couch and looked at the time; it was 6:00 a.m. Giselle and Gretchen were coming over to help me unpack around 8:00 a.m., and the bedroom set was being delivered between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. I blow-dried my hair then put it back up in a high ponytail. I put on some light makeup and then decided to go for some coffee.
I stepped out of my apartment at the same time Sam did his. We both looked at each other, and he smiled. “Don’t you ever sleep?” he asked.
“I should be asking you the same thing.” I smiled back.
Sam was hot; there was no question about it. He stood around six feet tall with a great muscular body, sandy brown hair, and brown eyes. He definitely fit the Santa Monica image.
“Where are you off to so early in the morning?” he asked.
It really wasn’t any of his business, but he was being nice, so I felt the neighborly thing to do was to be nice in return.
“I’m off to find some much needed caffeine,” I replied as I stepped out of the building door, and he followed behind me.
“Me too,” he said. “I went to make some coffee, but the bag was empty. I hate it when Luke doesn’t tell me we’re out of coffee.”
“Luke?” I asked.
“Yeah, he’s my BF and roommate. Hey, would you like to go get some coffee together?” he asked with a smile.
I studied him. Sam seemed like a really nice guy, and he was gay, so I didn’t have to worry about him hitting on me.
“Sure, I’ll go with you, but we have to make it quick; my girlfriends are coming over to help me unpack.”
I hopped into his truck, and we drove down the road to a coffee house called ‘Brewsters.’ We walked inside, and Sam was instantly greeted by the girl behind the counter.
“Morning, Sam! Who’s your friend?” she asked as she was wiping down the counter.
“Morning, Jamie! This is Lily; she just moved in next door. Lily, this is my cousin, Jamie; she owns this lovely coffee house.”
Jamie wiped her hand dry and held it out to me as I gently shook it.
“It’s nice to meet you, Lily. Are you new in town?”
“Yes, I just moved here from Portland last night,” I replied.
“Great, well welcome to Santa Monica and to Brewsters! What can I get you?” she asked.
“I’ll just have a large black coffee.” I smiled. I looked over at Sam and found him staring at me. “What?” I asked.
“That’s how Luke drinks his coffee. I don’t understand how you can drink it with no sugar or cream. We argue about it all the time.”
“Everyone has different coffee taste, Sam,” Jamie said.
“Let me pay for your coffee,” I said to Sam.
“It’s on the house.” Jamie smiled as she handed us our coffees. “Cheap-ass, Sam, over here never pays. Consider it a ‘welcome to Santa Monica gift.’”
“Thanks, Jamie!” Sam smiled as he grabbed a bag of coffee from the shelf. “I’m taking a bag home; I owe you!”
Jamie rolled her eyes. “He owes me every week.” She laughed.
“Thank you, Jamie. It was nice to meet you.” I smiled as I held up my coffee cup.
“It was to meet you too!”
I walked out of Brewsters and climbed into the truck. “Your cousin is really nice,” I said.
“Yeah, she’s more like my sister. She came to live with me and my family when she was eight years old. Her mom and dad were drug dealers who got caught, and they were sent to prison.”
“Are they still in prison?” I asked.
“Yeah, 20 years later, and they’re still there. She hasn’t seen them in all these years either.”
We arrived back at the apartment building, and I got out of the truck. I walked over to my Explorer and set my coffee cup on the hood. I took the keys from my purse and unlocked it. Sam followed me.
“Let me give you a hand with those boxes,” he offered.
“That’s alright, Sam. Go enjoy your coffee. I can handle this.”
He walked over to the back of the Explorer. “Nah, come on, Lily; just let me help. It’s the neighborly thing to do anyway.”
I sighed and unwillingly opened the hatch. Sam smiled, grabbed a box, and headed towards the apartment building. I stepped ahead of him so that I could hold open the door. Before I got up to the door, it swung open, and a guy stood there, staring at me.
“Luke, you’re just in time; hold this box,” Sam said as he handed it to him.
“What are you doing?” Luke asked. “I woke up, and you were gone. By the way, there’s no coffee left.”
“Yeah, I know; I just picked some up at Brewsters. I have the bag in my truck. By the way, this is Lily; she’s our new next-door neighbor.”
Luke looked at me. “Hey,” he said as he quickly looked away.
“Hey,” I replied back.
I couldn’t help but stare at him. He stood in the doorway—all six feet of him—in ripped jeans and a gray muscle shirt. He was barefoot, and his short, brown hair was messy. He was definitely one of the hottest men that I’d ever seen. You could tell he worked out by the muscle and definition in his arms and shoulders. He had a Celtic cross tattooed on his left bicep, with wings behind it. Thank God he was gay. I felt rather uncomfortable because Luke didn’t seem as friendly as Sam did.
“Lily, go unlock your apartment door so that we can get these boxes in there,” Sam said.
I walked past Luke and caught him staring at me. The minute I looked at him, he turned away. As I unlocked the door and opened it, I stepped outside and held the building door open so that Luke could set the box down in my apartment. He did just that and then went inside his apartment and shut the door behind him without saying a word.
“What’s his problem?” I asked Sam.
“Just ignore him. He’s not much of a morning person, that’s all.”
I couldn’t shake the feeling that he seemed familiar to me, but I knew it wasn’t possible. Just as Sam and I were bringing in the last of the boxes, Giselle and Gretchen pulled up. I haven’t seen them in over three months, so I put down my box and ran over to them as they got out of the car. I hugged Gretchen first and then Giselle.