After 4 | ✓

Chapter 16

Tessa's POV:

"Good to see you, again." A familiar voice say. When I look up it's the same blond, blue eyes, server we had. Robert.

"Y.. Yeah." I say to him and look down at my glass. And he goes to other tables to serve.

"You know him? How?" My mother ask me.

"Yes, I was here with Landon's family." Not his. I say to her.

"Oh" she says.

After I ate my food, I excuse myself and go to the back door of the restaurant, push through the door, again, like the last time but this time not because of that awkward dinner but for some air to breathe. Now it's broad daylight not chilled night. I rest my elbows on the rock ledge and look out into the woods, like the last time. It's more beautiful than its was when I last visited.

"Hey, are you all right?" a voice sounds from behind me.
When I turn, Robert is standing in the doorway.

"Hey, yeah, I just needed to breathe," I say.

"Just like the last time." He smile and walks closer to me. He leans his elbows on the ledge only a few feet away.

"Yes, like the last time. But this time I'm here with my mother and her boyfriend and his daughter. And I don't want to get drunk again." I tell him and he chuckles.

"Oh I see. And I don't have any drinks to offer to you too. So you're still seeing him then? After I left you in that bar." I stop breathing at the mention of his name.

"Uhh...We broke up though." I say meaning every single word.
Yes, we broke, he's with someone else, happy and in love.

"Oh, that sad. It's his loss that he broke up with someone like you." He said and touch my arm.

No, it's my loss that I lost someone like him, I want to say.

I change the subject. "Yeah, I'm here for vacation and then I'm moving to New York for college in a month. And it's really look beautiful out here in summer." I pointed out into the woods.

"I told you it'd be beautiful, glad you came." He said with a warm smile.

"So, how your studies is going in Seattle, do you like it there?"
I look at him and ask, but he turn away his face and look into the woods.

"Agh...That, I'm not going to Seattle now. I'm going to New York too. I get offers a significantly larger grant to attend New York University than my previous choice in Seattle, so I'm going with that." I'm surprise by this.

"Oh, really, that's good. Congratulation, Robert." I say. And he turns his face towards me.

"Yeah, I'm going in less than a month." He looks behind me and back at me. "Where are you going to stay, when you get there, if I may ask?"

"I'm going to stay with my bestfriend, Landon."

"He is his step-brother? Isn't he? The boy you were sitting with, the last time." He ask politely.

"Yes." I sigh.

"Robert" someone calls his name. When I turn to look at the door, there is one server is standing.

"I'm coming." He said, look at him and wave. "If you still have my number, we can meet and hung out at the city?" He offers.

"I don't have it," he destroyed it. "You can give me now?" I kindly ask.

"Yeah, sure." He pulls out his phone. "This, you can type yours." I take it and type my number.

"Done" I give him his phone back with a smile. And my phone buzzed in my hand, it's a unknown number.

"It's me. Just checking that it's right or not." He say and put his phone back in his pocket. "I should go now. You can save it whatever name you like." He smile.

"Yeah, please go." I say and he dismissed himself. And I go back to my table and finished my dessert and we all go back to the cabin.

We all spent our week in the cabin, beach sometime. And me and Heather wandered in the road, she was picking every different flowers in our way to back to the cabin and created a small beautiful bouquet for my mother.

......
One month later...

"Welcome to New York, Tessa." Landon opens the door of his apartment and give me the tightest hug with a warm smile ever. I miss this. I miss him so much.

"Yeah, I'm in New York" I hug him back.

"Come on in." We break our embrace. He takes my bags and help me get inside the apartment. "This apartment have two bedroom, both of them are small, but which I'm in now is a little bigger. And if you don't like that other one or it is too small for you, we can swap." He kindly offers.

"No thanks, I'll be fine." I smile at his kind offer. I miss his kindness.

"I'd talk to you but it's time for my work now. So I've to go." He take his phone from the kitchen counter and hugs me again.

"Yeah, go."

"We'll talk later, bye." He says and head out the door.

I look around the apartment, it's small but enough for both of us. Here in New York it's very difficult to get a apartment in our, my budget atleast, and it's kind to have Landon advice and offer me to stay with him. And it's more ‌comfortable to live with him than any stranger roommates.

I go to the kitchen to drink some water. This kitchen is so small, you can't fit more than two people, there is Nespresso machine, off white fridge, a microwave and a narrow kitchen counter.

I take my bags and go to my room, there is nothing, no furniture whatsoever. Landon told me that this apartment comes with no furniture, not even a single one. And the room is so small like its someone's closet. I go to my actually closet, which is looks like it not even there and unpack my bags, putting my clothes in the hangers.

I don't have many clothes but I brought every single clothing items I've. I pull out my some books and put them on the floor. I have to buy some furniture or these precious things will look like a mess.

......
Five days later....

Me and Landon are at the IKEA for buying some furniture. I don't have that much money, and they have affordable and cheap products, so here we're.

Sophia, sorry Nora, she likes her friends called her Nora, which is her middle name. That she'd talk to her restaurant boss, Lookout the restaurant's name, where she works as a pastry chef, recommends about me, and get me some work there.
I've to do something with my time here, while some college accepts me.

"First we should buy two beds, for each one of us. My back is aching from sleeping on the floor. And two dressers too. And I think we also should buy a couch for living room and two person table in the kitchen. You know the necessities." I suggest to him and look around the store.

"Yeah. Mine too. I was busy with my college and work so I didn't get anything, but now you're here, we should buy it." He agrees and we go to the bed section.

Landon buys a metal headboard bed and for me blue upholstered headboard one. I told him about that there is a book where a stalker boyfriend buy this type of bed to her girlfriend, and at the end of the book he killed her for some psychopathic reasons.

After buying beds we buy a grey colored couch, two person table, two dressers and headed to home. The delivery came in two hours, we get them settle in right places, and me and Landon assemble his metal bed.

I arranged my belongings inside the dresser and clean my room to perfection.

Nora called me and informs, that there is a vacancy left for me, as a server at the Lookout and my training will start in two days later when I get there. I thanks her and she hung up by saying that it's her pleasure to help her friends.