Rustic Hearts

I turn toward the courtyard and take it in. The space is a good size with a few large shade trees sprinkled about. There are cobblestone sidewalks lined with flower beds bursting with purple salvia and bright yellow coreopsis along the path. A couple of people are seated on benches under the trees, reading or typing away on their laptops, and one girl is lying on a beach towel, soaking up a few late rays of sunshine. Yes, I will definitely love it here.

I make my way to the center building and climb the exterior staircase leading up to the third floor. It is insane how anxious I am to meet my new roommates. Will they be able to tell by looking at me the hell I have been through this past year? Is my outside as tattered as my inside? I know these are silly thoughts because my scars do not show on the outside. They are not physical scars, not all of them anyway.

I reach the third floor, and I see 3B right at the top of the stairs. A shadow is peeking out of the front window before my foot even hits the landing, so I assume Daniel texted to let them know we had arrived. As I raise my knuckles to knock, the door swings open, and a tall, slender girl my age with shoulder-length blonde hair that has bright pink tips comes barreling for me and wraps her arms around me.

Dawn, I think to myself. This must be Dawn.

“Brie, we are so glad you are finally here,” she practically squeals.

She smells like coconut, and I allow myself to absorb some of her enthusiasm as I squeeze her back and look behind her into my new home. It’s intimidating, but she hooks her arm in mine and leads me in like we have known each other for ages.

“We have your room all ready for you. The bed is made up with fresh linens, and it has been thoroughly cleaned. Tonya took everything with her that wasn’t nailed down, but all of the furniture is still here, so we’ll just have to go shopping to get you all the essentials, like pillows, blankets, and a lamp. Not that you need too many blankets here. It’s always warm.”

She is talking a mile a minute as she leads me through the apartment, past a nice-sized living space and down a hall. I instantly like her.

“This is your room. It’s the smallest of the three, but it has the best view. The ocean is across the street and down a couple of blocks. You have your own bathroom—well, sort of. It is the one across the hall, and it is also the guest bathroom when we have company. Kelsey and I have a Jack and Jill bath between our rooms, and we share it. Come on; I will show you the rest.”

I follow her and check out both their rooms and the large-closet-sized space they use as a makeshift office with a tiny desk and shared computer and printer.

“Now, we come to our favorite spot in the entire apartment,” she informs me as we round the living room.

She swings her arms wide in a dramatic game-show-hostess fashion. “Ta-da. The kitchen. This is where all the magic happens. We don’t have a table or anything, but this island is massive, and the barstools are very comfy. It is the reason we rented this place. It is just so big and open. We like to cook, and we absolutely love to eat. There is a small deck through those sliding glass doors. It has an outdoor table and umbrella with a matching couch and electric fire pit. We sometimes like to sit out there and have coffee in the morning or di

She laughs, and I can’t help but smile with her.

Kelsey, a petite girl with long blonde hair, is behind the island, cutting up what looks like bleu cheese and adding it to a board with other varieties, grapes, and crackers. My stomach growls at the sight.

“Yes, we do. We aren’t exactly winos, but let’s just say, we do our part to keep Napa Valley thriving.” She looks up and adds, “Wow, look at you. You look like some exotic creature with your dark hair and olive skin. We don’t see many Italian beauties around here. It’s all bleached-blonde Valley girls with spray tans and fake tits. Present company excluded, of course.” She slides her eyes to Dawn, who obviously has enhanced assets.

Dawn playfully sticks her tongue out at her friend. I can’t help but notice that Kelsey is a natural stu

I wonder if every girl in LA really is blonde and beautiful. It’s very different from home. New York is a melting pot of ethnicity and culture, and everyone always seems to be made up to the max and in a hurry to be somewhere.

“I have some snacks here because we assumed you would be peckish after that long flight. We figured we would just call out for di

We hear Daniel enter the kitchen as I thank them for the warm welcome.

“No problem. We are happy to have someone new in here. Tonya was … well, she was …”

“She was the devil,” Daniel finishes Kelsey’s thought from the doorway.

Dawn walks over to him for a quick kiss and then admits, “Yeah, she was. I don’t want you to think we are difficult to live with or anything. She was just in a bad mood most of the time and a bit on the lazy side. I mean, really, you are a twenty-three-year-old adult; wash your own dishes and pick your own clothes up off of the bathroom floor every once in a while.” She rolls her eyes. “When she started hitting on Kelsey’s boyfriend right in front of us one night, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Girl Code. You never, ever break Girl Code. She had to go.”

I get it. I have four brothers. Tidy is not a word in their vocabulary, and it drove me and my mother nuts. And I, too, have felt the sharp sting of a friend’s betrayal.

“You guys do not have to worry about me. I like a clean and neat environment, too, and I have zero time or desire to hit on anyone at all. I am focusing on me right now. Only me.”

A look of relief passes between my new roomies, and I know—I just know—I am home.

Both of Me is available now!