Love Like This
You'll Be With Me Wherever I Go
I unlocked the door to my apartment and walked in to be greeted by the familiar scent of clean linen candles. I dropped my messenger bag on the floor and kicked off my Vans. I shrugged off my jacket and hung it on the coat rack before I walked into the kitchen.
I opened the fridge and scanned its contents. And when I didn’t find anything of interest, I grabbed the menu for the Chinese restaurant that delivered. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I fished it out as I decided that I wanted the veggie fried rice and lo mein. I answered it without looking at the screen. “Hello?”
I smiled when I heard the response. “Hey, Claudia, is it okay if I come over for a while?” Patrick asked.
I giggled. “Sure. Have you eaten? I was about to order takeout.”
“Get me some of whatever you’re getting. I’ll pay you back,” he offered.
I shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.” I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the order and the phone number before putting the menu away. I gave him my address and apartment number, unsure if he knew or remembered where I lived and then the call ended.
I quickly called in the order and then went to pick up my scattered clothes around the house. I tossed them in the laundry room and closed the door as the doorbell rang. I ran out, sliding across the hardwood floor and crashing into the wall beside the door. I fell on the floor then scrambled to get up and opened the door, slightly out of breath.
“Hey,” he said with a small chuckle. “What was that loud crash?”
I blushed. “The wall doesn’t like me,” I said, shrugging it off. I gave him a hug and let him in. He smiled as he looked around.
“This place is just so you,” he said as he walked towards the couch and sat in the middle.
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know if I should say thanks or not.” I went to the kitchen and grabbed two beers before returning to the living room. I handed him one and then debated on whether or not I should sit beside him or in the armchair that was angled toward the flat-screen television.
He shrugged. “It was a compliment.” I sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to say. He didn’t say anything either. I picked at my nails as I stared at the floor. “I like your bow.”
“I like your face,” I said, mentally kicking myself for not having something better to say. The doorbell rang and I quickly got up, grabbing my wallet from my back pocket. I handed the guy a twenty for the food and an extra five dollars for a tip then grabbed the bag of food and took it to the living room.
“So what’s for dinner?” Patrick asked as I grabbed the cartons of food and handed him two. I handed him a pair of chopsticks and grabbed my carton of lo mein so I could stuff my face.
*
I groaned as the phone rang, reaching to grab it from the nightstand. I managed to find it without opening my eyes or lifting my head, then pressed the answer button and held it to my ear. “What the fuck do you want?” I asked tiredly.
“Open the god damn door; I rang the doorbell fifty times and spent the last ten minutes knocking on the door. My knuckles are bruised, thank you,” Lizz said in an annoyed tone. I attributed it to the fact that she was pregnant and moody.
“’Kay,” I said. “Give me a minute.” I hung up and put the phone on the table, sitting up. I looked over at Patrick, who was still asleep, and smiled to myself before I slipped on some clothes and went to let Lizz in.
She smiled at me when I finally opened the door. “Took you long enough. Were you asleep or what? That was the third time I tried calling. I was about to go all Agent Morgan on your door!” I laughed at her Criminal Minds reference, trying to imagine her kicking a door down.
“Yeah, I was asleep,” I said, hoping Patrick would sleep or just stay in the bedroom until Lizz left. “Why are you here so early?”
She stared at me wide-eyed. “It’s noon. This is late even for me!” She looked around the room and I closed the door. “Oh my god!”
“What?” I asked, hoping it was nothing big.
Her eyes narrowed. “You slept with Trick!”
She crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for my response. “How do you know?”
She walked over and pointed. “Sex hair. You’re glowing.” She turned and pointed at the coffee table that had remains of last night’s dinner on it. “Food for two.” She looked around. “Not to mention I can smell his cologne and you reek of sex.”
I blushed. “Shut up.”
She giggled before she ran over and hugged me. “I’m so proud of you! Anyway, I was, uh, just stopping by to say that I was leaving in a few days.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Leaving? I thought you and Garrett talked. I thought he was fine with it?”
Lizz nodded. “He’s fine with it, yeah, but we’re going to spend a couple months in the mountains and record a new CD.” She shrugged. “No big deal.” Lizz had a thoughtful look. “We’re probably not going to have internet or cell reception though, so if you can’t get me on my cell you can call the cabin…” She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to me.
I nodded. “Is this the address?” I asked. She gave a single nod. I hugged her. “I’ll miss you.”
She smiled. “I can’t wait for you to hear some of the songs we’ve already written.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What are you going to do after the new CD?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Take a few months off. Disappear to give birth. Write more songs. We’ll figure it out when the time comes.” She thought. “But I have to go and finish packing. Tell Trick I said hi.”
I nodded again. “Good luck with recording.” She smiled and then left; I decided I was going back to bed.
I opened the fridge and scanned its contents. And when I didn’t find anything of interest, I grabbed the menu for the Chinese restaurant that delivered. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I fished it out as I decided that I wanted the veggie fried rice and lo mein. I answered it without looking at the screen. “Hello?”
I smiled when I heard the response. “Hey, Claudia, is it okay if I come over for a while?” Patrick asked.
I giggled. “Sure. Have you eaten? I was about to order takeout.”
“Get me some of whatever you’re getting. I’ll pay you back,” he offered.
I shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.” I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the order and the phone number before putting the menu away. I gave him my address and apartment number, unsure if he knew or remembered where I lived and then the call ended.
I quickly called in the order and then went to pick up my scattered clothes around the house. I tossed them in the laundry room and closed the door as the doorbell rang. I ran out, sliding across the hardwood floor and crashing into the wall beside the door. I fell on the floor then scrambled to get up and opened the door, slightly out of breath.
“Hey,” he said with a small chuckle. “What was that loud crash?”
I blushed. “The wall doesn’t like me,” I said, shrugging it off. I gave him a hug and let him in. He smiled as he looked around.
“This place is just so you,” he said as he walked towards the couch and sat in the middle.
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know if I should say thanks or not.” I went to the kitchen and grabbed two beers before returning to the living room. I handed him one and then debated on whether or not I should sit beside him or in the armchair that was angled toward the flat-screen television.
He shrugged. “It was a compliment.” I sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to say. He didn’t say anything either. I picked at my nails as I stared at the floor. “I like your bow.”
“I like your face,” I said, mentally kicking myself for not having something better to say. The doorbell rang and I quickly got up, grabbing my wallet from my back pocket. I handed the guy a twenty for the food and an extra five dollars for a tip then grabbed the bag of food and took it to the living room.
“So what’s for dinner?” Patrick asked as I grabbed the cartons of food and handed him two. I handed him a pair of chopsticks and grabbed my carton of lo mein so I could stuff my face.
*
I groaned as the phone rang, reaching to grab it from the nightstand. I managed to find it without opening my eyes or lifting my head, then pressed the answer button and held it to my ear. “What the fuck do you want?” I asked tiredly.
“Open the god damn door; I rang the doorbell fifty times and spent the last ten minutes knocking on the door. My knuckles are bruised, thank you,” Lizz said in an annoyed tone. I attributed it to the fact that she was pregnant and moody.
“’Kay,” I said. “Give me a minute.” I hung up and put the phone on the table, sitting up. I looked over at Patrick, who was still asleep, and smiled to myself before I slipped on some clothes and went to let Lizz in.
She smiled at me when I finally opened the door. “Took you long enough. Were you asleep or what? That was the third time I tried calling. I was about to go all Agent Morgan on your door!” I laughed at her Criminal Minds reference, trying to imagine her kicking a door down.
“Yeah, I was asleep,” I said, hoping Patrick would sleep or just stay in the bedroom until Lizz left. “Why are you here so early?”
She stared at me wide-eyed. “It’s noon. This is late even for me!” She looked around the room and I closed the door. “Oh my god!”
“What?” I asked, hoping it was nothing big.
Her eyes narrowed. “You slept with Trick!”
She crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for my response. “How do you know?”
She walked over and pointed. “Sex hair. You’re glowing.” She turned and pointed at the coffee table that had remains of last night’s dinner on it. “Food for two.” She looked around. “Not to mention I can smell his cologne and you reek of sex.”
I blushed. “Shut up.”
She giggled before she ran over and hugged me. “I’m so proud of you! Anyway, I was, uh, just stopping by to say that I was leaving in a few days.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Leaving? I thought you and Garrett talked. I thought he was fine with it?”
Lizz nodded. “He’s fine with it, yeah, but we’re going to spend a couple months in the mountains and record a new CD.” She shrugged. “No big deal.” Lizz had a thoughtful look. “We’re probably not going to have internet or cell reception though, so if you can’t get me on my cell you can call the cabin…” She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to me.
I nodded. “Is this the address?” I asked. She gave a single nod. I hugged her. “I’ll miss you.”
She smiled. “I can’t wait for you to hear some of the songs we’ve already written.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What are you going to do after the new CD?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Take a few months off. Disappear to give birth. Write more songs. We’ll figure it out when the time comes.” She thought. “But I have to go and finish packing. Tell Trick I said hi.”
I nodded again. “Good luck with recording.” She smiled and then left; I decided I was going back to bed.