Page 44 of Alexander: Alexander's Story

Will do.

september

A

Pumpkin Spice Latte?

Em

For me or for you?

Yes.

That’s surprising, honestly. When?

This weekend, if you’re free.

Sure, you can come see my new place.

Her building is downtown, an older one recently converted to condos. The area is artsy, and it suits her. I like to imagine her walking to get coffee in the morning at the bodega down the street, picking up fresh flowers at the farmers market on the way home. I hope she has a nice life. Hopefully, she’s happy.

“Guys, chill.” I tug on their leashes, and they both stop trying to get the chihuahua walking across the street.

When we walk up to the entrance, she’s standing there waiting to let us in.

Her blue eyes go wide, and she smiles from ear to ear. Shelookshappy. I don’t know if it’s to see us, but she looks healthy and happy. She’s still sporting a tan in late September, and herhair has been cut a little shorter. She’s wearing it curly, too. I love her curly hair; it’s my favorite version of her.

“Oh my god. Who are these!?!” She squeals, falling to her knees to pet the two dogs.

“The well-behaved one is Delta. And the one who can’t keep it in his pants is Milton.” Milton is on his hind legs, licking Emma’s face. Delta patiently waits his turn, tail wagging.

“You got TWO dogs?!” I laugh, watching both dogs lose their shit over her.

“I make no claims to Milton. I’m dog-sitting. But uh, yeah, Delta’s mine.” She looks up at me and smiles. Like she’s proud of me or something, and my stomach knots.

“Okay, well, come on.” She takes the drink carrier out of my hands so I can manage the dogs, and then leads us to an elevator.

“Do you like it here?” She shrugs at my question.

“It’s not Spearhead…” Her words seem edged with sadness. I want to tell her she can come back anytime, but I’m aiming for light and easy today. Selfishly, I hope this meetup might lead to another because I do miss her…and I still love her. Not having her in my life is more challenging than I imagined it would be.

It’s not Jess-soul-crushing hard, but life hasn’t been the same with her gone.

Delta helps, but we’re sleeping in her bed…still. The two of us. So there’s that.

“It’s cool.” I look around at all the original Art Deco features.

“There’s a rooftop pool,” she says with a smile.

“Sounds like you’re living the dream.” I mean it, but she laughs disingenuously and rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, the dream.”

We’re quiet the rest of the way up to her condo on the fourth floor. There are only two units per floor, so as soon as we exit the elevator, we turn, and she unlocks the door on the right.

“Neighbors, okay?” I ask because I worry.

“Yeah, she teaches pilates. So pretty quiet. She likes her sleep. It’s great for me.”Thank fuck.“So this is it.”