Last Olive Bistro ✓

Chapter 40: Confidence

Rory and I were making great money by the winter, and he finally landed another dance agent. I bought myself a heap of new clothes, fashionable ones, and could actually have my hair professionally done more often. I looked put together for once, and I felt great about myself.

Jacob and I were still going steady, as close as ever, and the other day he asked me if I'd consider moving in with him. I said I would; it was time we took our relationship to the next level, and honestly, I had outgrown my apartment. Though the place was sentimental to me, I knew I had to move on to something better.

My best friend also agreed to this, as he confessed that he had been browsing apartments recently.

"Are you and Jacob even more serious with this moving thing?" he asked. We walked down Fifth Avenue in search of higher-end luggage stores. Jacob and I were escaping the snow globe-like New York for ten days in Dubai, UAE. I needed nicer luggage, and plenty more of it.

"We are," I answered with confidence. "His apartment is like an entire house itself; nothing like ours, so there's plenty of room for both of us."

Rory chuckled and said, "I didn't expect it to be a hole-in-the-wall loft."

He and I headed into a ritzy store and began to browse the bags. I never thought in a million years that I would have been able to afford such luxury. Many sets were going for a couple thousand dollars—but I had the money to spend.

"What about this one? I like the colors," I asked, gesturing to a seven piece cream set with tan leather accents. It was simple, yet elegant with a vintage flair.

"I like it," he replied, examining it all around. "Do you think it's enough room for all of your valuables?"

I playfully hit his arm and he laughed. "Are you getting anything?"

He shrugged. "I thought about it, but not just yet. I want to wait and see if I get any gigs outside of New York."

Jacob's new agent was well-known in the NY dance scene—a pioneer in the industry for over thirty years. He was in good hands. We hired a second general manager at the Bistro to fill in for Rory when he was absent and it worked out great. I did it for a month but found the task too time consuming, and that's when Jacob suggested the new hire.

"You're the owner—you have to allow trusted people to do the work for you," I remembered he said.

"So, who's idea was it? Dubai?" Rory inquired as we continued to look around the store.

"Mine," I answered. "I've been reading about it online, and from all the pictures I've seen, I have to go."

Rory replied with a jovial chuckle, "I thought Jacob might have owned half of it or something."

"Nah, not yet," I joked. Rory happily rolled his eyes, as such an idea wasn't too far-fetched.

I selected the cream vintage set after considering all of the other options. It had a hard exterior and ample room inside, made up of a floral satin lining. It was perhaps too many pieces, but I'd find use for all of them. I paid and the luggage would be delivered to our apartment in a few days.

Rory and I headed for lunch, which we decided on an old favorite, low-key pizza shop where the little round pepperonis were baked crisp atop the extra large slices.

The winter December winds blew through the streets, creating a wind tunnel of frigidness. Most of the sidewalks were shoveled and salted, but a few in front of some closed storefronts were still ice-covered and dangerous. I held on to Rory to avoid another careless accident and sprained ankle right before a trip. The air stung my face and I wrapped my wool scarf around most of my head, with just my eyes open to see where I was going.

The pizza shop was warm and lively. The open counter provided a full look into the stone-fired pizza ovens, which created a coziness that I was about to cuddle up to.

As we sat across from each other, at a table stuck with various advertisements and local business cards, we ate mostly in silence until I spoke up.

"I can't believe this is all happening, you know?"

Rory swallowed his bite and took a sip of soda. "Things have changed for the better this year. I'm seriously proud of you, Clo."

We held eye contact for a moment longer than usual and I replied, "I couldn't have done it without you. You saved me."

He smirked and sat back in his seat. "But you made the choice to accept a little bit of help, from me and from Jacob. Don't give all the credit to either of us—you held your own. That's why I'm proud of you." He stuck his hand out over the table for me to hold, and I did.

"I'm getting there, with the whole 'accepting yourself' thing," I said. Rory squeezed my hand once before letting go and resuming his lunch.

"I know. You've been working hard on every aspect of your life this year—you're a boss for goodness sakes—and this is why you seriously deserve a vacation."

I took a big bite of my pizza and ate for a moment. Then I said, "You know, I've never been on a plane before?"

"Me neither," he said. "I can't help you there. Does Jacob have his own plane?"

I laughed and said, "He used to have a private jet."

"Of course," Rory remarked under his breath. I cackled, causing some of the other patrons to glance over.

"We're flying first class on Emirates," I said.

"Dammit, Chloe," Rory scoffed, but in a joking manner. "What happened to us sticking together?"

We laughed obnoxiously, but as the pizza place filled up with more hungry people, their chatter drowned us out. New York didn't notice things like that, we blended in with the bustling crowd.

I felt like I blended in with those around me—the go-getters, the workers, the living. I had purposes in my life, and I lived for them by my own free will. I had pushes to get started by my best friend and my loving partner, but I was finally coming to grips with my own self-esteem. I was going to be confident in myself and my abilities; I was going to radiate positive energy. I deserved it. I worked for it. I had been through too much pain before to not let myself live a meaningful life now given the chance.

I began to repeat these affirmations to myself each morning. At first it felt so silly, but after a week it turned into a habit, much like drinking coffee or brainstorming ideas for more business ventures, but those were in the future. For now, I made it a point to focus on the present—my personal life, my restaurant, and my upcoming, much needed, vacation to a place I could submerge myself in and get lost for a little while.