Where Things Changed

I ignored the traffic around me and stared at the road ahead. The desert plains ran next to me, keeping me from escaping the reality I didn’t want to accept. I could barely breathe as the boxes suffocated me with their presence – the four-hour drive to Las Vegas was torture, regardless of how loud I blasted my IPod. The whole ride there I could see my mom’s car in my rearview mirror, a giant smirk on her face; mostly because she wanted me to feel guilty for being upset with her.

I reminisced to the last four years living in Los Angeles, California. I thought back to the countless memories I had created within those tall skyscrapers, all of them leaving my stomach weak and aching. Every image that appeared in my head brought tears to my eyes and made me regret getting so attached; I recognized that the friendships I had believed unbreakable were now holding on by a thread. I reminded myself that everything and everyone is temporary and that this, too, will pass; yet I couldn’t resist the hurt I felt in my chest. I had to restart my life… again.

Embarrassed that I was getting so emotional, I wiped away the tears trickling down my cheeks and reminded myself I was strong enough to overcome another big move. I peered ahead, struggling on clearing my mind. The only things to distract me were the mountains up ahead and the bustling valley that awaited.

*

We arrived a half-hour past six, the sun barely beginning to set behind the desert hills. The neighborhood was different, to say the least. Every house mimicked the other and almost every garage held a Mercedes or a BMW. By the time we were finished unloading the innumerable amount of boxes, it was pitch black and I was beyond exhausted.

*

The next morning I awoke to the beaming sun crashing in through the curtain-less window and the sound of my mom conversing with a man in the kitchen. With sleepy eyes, I made my way sluggishly towards the fridge.

“This is my daughter, Annette.” She introduced me to the man, the joy clear in her voice. I looked up from pouring my much-needed glass of orange juice and noticed the dazzling young man sitting at the counter.

He stood up and gracefully walked over to me, reaching out his hand. “I’m Aiden,” he smiled. I shook it, barely being able to make eye contact. His good looks made him incredibly intimidating… and all I could think about was how terrible my breath must smell.

“He’s our neighbor two doors down,” my mother added happily.

“Nice to meet you,” was all I could mumble before running back to my room. They interchanged a few more words before I heard the front door close. A rush of relief came over me.

Seconds later, my mom ran into my room. “He is gorgeous!” She exclaimed.

“Why was he even here?”

“He wanted to say hello. It was very polite of him.” She smirked playfully.

“And what did you tell him?” I asked a bit annoyed.

“Nothing, I just mentioned you like a hundred and fifty times!” She smiled, looking more smitten than me.

“Oh god, how embarrassing!” I buried my face in my hands and imagined how awkward that must have been.

“I told you moving wouldn’t be all that bad,” she said in an ‘I told you so’ voice as she began to leave. I rolled my eyes and made my way to the bathroom.

Even after showering, I still couldn’t get the thought of him out of my head.

*

“Hun, can you run to the store really quick? I already went through all the Lysol wipes.” I looked up from the box of plates and silverware that I was unloading to find my mother handing me a twenty-dollar bill.

“Uh, yeah sure. You need anything else?”

“Hm, if you find anything to clean the counter tops or bathrooms, that’d be great!” she smiled at me, the pity she felt beaming through her eyes.

“Kay, mom.”

I made my way out the door and was instantly greeted by the sizzling heat of the afternoon Vegas sun. I could literally feel the bottoms of my shoes burning with every step I took on the driveway. Living in a desert was worse than I imagined.

I got in the car and typed ‘market’ into the GPS. It promptly led me to the nearest Vons. I slowly made my way down the block, staring at the house two doors down.

The whole two miles to the market I struggled on not thinking about the mystery guy. Yet I couldn’t resist. All I could picture was his sleek black hair, his sweet caramel eyes, and his sensual white smile… He was an A-class lady-killer. That was enough to warn me that I couldn’t further engage. No point in getting infatuated with a guy who probably already has a line of girls waiting to date him.

*

I made my way through the cleaning products and picked up all the things a clean freak would love - Lysol, Windex, Clorox and more. As I waited in line at the cash register, trying to juggle my mountain of over-sized bottles, I noticed a familiar face in the register next to mine.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey,” he smirked. “Annette, right?”

“Yeah, hey.” I looked away and set the bottles clumsily on the conveyer belt. I focused on ignoring him as the young girl rang up my products, her eyes shyly drifting towards Aiden behind me. No one was immune to his good looks.

I could feel his eyes staring a hole through the back of my head as I waited there. My heart started to race, my stomach was in knots, and sweat began to beat down my forehead. I had been obsessing over him since this morning, but now that he was in my presence, I couldn’t help but panic and blush.

I finished paying and he was before me in a flash. “Here, let me help you with your bags,” he grabbed my bags and placed them in his cart. His gesture left the cashier girl and me speechless.

“Thanks,” I smirked, my eyes trying to glance at him when he wasn’t looking.

He chuckled, “It’s not a problem, you looked like you had too much to carry anyways.” I nodded in embarrassment.

He escorted me to my car in an awkward silence and finished putting the bags in my trunk. “It was cool seeing you again,” he mentioned, looking down at me. His honey eyes searched for mine but I was just too nervous to return the look.

“Yeah, thanks for the help.” I turned to leave and get in my car when I felt him grab my arm.

“Hey, wait. There’s a party tonight, if you’re interested in coming.” Our eyes met and just as I was about to decline, something pushed me to say yes.

“Sure, I’d love to.” I said instinctively.

“Awesome! I’ll stop by your house at 8.” He smiled one last time and then walked away.

As soon as he let go of my arm my head felt light. I struggled on getting to my car and just sat there as everything spun around me. What had just happened to me?

At last I was able to drive off. Although my head felt better I couldn’t get rid of the gut feeling I had in my stomach.

Something was way off.