Lifetime

Chi-Town

Faye greeted my dad and I at the door, her bubbly and infectious personality the same in person as it'd been through screens for the last two months. She pulled the bag I'd carried upstairs from my shoulder, dropping it onto a nearby chair before pulling me into a tight hug.

The three of us spent the day moving the boxes and bags that filled the moving van we rented into my room. When we were all tired of lugging items and after my dad set up my furniture, he treated us to take out that we ate on the funky, hot pink couch in the living room.

"At least text me every day." My dad reminded me that evening as he held onto me, squeezing me so hard that my feet left the floor.

"I will and you have to promise to tell me if you need me to come home." I replied, laying my head on his chest.

He kissed my forehead, jingling his keys in his hand. "Love you, Sellie."

I reciprocated his sentiment, watching him get into his car from my window. Faye and I tuned into some late night game shows while snacking on the chocolate-covered treats she ordered for my arrival, and before falling asleep I cried, this new start overwhelming in a way that required release.

Faye had an incredible eye for design and helped me decorate my room in a way that fit my taste and the style of the apartment. She helped me learn the transit system and took me to buy new coats that would get me through the harsh weather to come in a couple of months that I would need to be prepared for.

I knew based on our previous conversations that she was in school studying fashion design against her family's wish for her to pursue a medical degree. Her attention to style reminded me of Hobi, her on the go and energetic vibe feeling like a comfort that I'd known my entire life.

In the day she attended classes and worked shifts at a local boutique, but I quickly discovered that she truly came alive at night, when she first invited me to a club she was helping promote during my first weekend in Chicago.

It was my first time out at a club, my legs and arms bare in the mini skirt and matching top I wore, and shoes that resembled a pair I loved to put on my Barbie's as a girl on my feet. Faye held onto my hand as she led us to the front of the long line outside the entrance of Karma, a few people shouting out greetings to her. She seemed to know people and have friends everywhere we went.

We bypassed security without having our ID's checked, the club already packed full of people. The crowd easily parted for her as we approached the stairs, leading to the less crowded second floor of the building, her hips swaying in a way that called even more attention as she walked.

Even with the command she had over the spaces she occupied she never let me feel left out. She introduced me to every person she talked to even though I would never be able to keep up, put all her attention on me even when she was dancing in front of a guy, and sent the drinks we were bought and didn't want to other tables with beautiful groups of women.

I settled into a routine of weeks where we slept on an odd schedule, often awake into the night as we watched the game shows we'd become addicted to and going on random adventures that stemmed from the random questions that popped into our minds. The first began when we both realized we'd never seen a female condom and ran around the city, searching for them in three different drug stores before coming up short and heading home. I started work at the public library during the day so that I wouldn't have to live solely off of my mom's life insurance money, sorting and checking out books in a rhythm that made time pass quickly.

There were so many events to attend that my weekends were just as busy as the workdays. I became a quick addition to Faye as people who I met but barely remembered started to greet me by name, our weekly clubbing and attendance at every social or cultural event that piked our interest taking up most of our time and making us a recognizable duo in the area.

September rolled around in a flash, days fusing together as I got more comfortable in the city. I became a pro at navigating the metro and found the best spots for coffee and pizza. Museums were my favorite, many of my lunch breaks and days off spent walking lazily through galleries. I photographed every beautiful view and started to bring in a little extra money by booking photo shoots when I had the chance. 

It was an entirely different experience from being in my hometown, so many opportunities keeping my focus that I didn't realize we were almost a week into the month until Faye popped her head into my doorway.

"How would you feel about a double date this weekend?" She asked, dressed in a robe with her hair in curlers.

I looked up from painting my nails, my face covered in an orange clay mask that didn't allow for any expressions or movement. "With who?" I replied through my barely parted mouth.

"A friend of Lee's." We'd become so attuned to each other over the past couple of months that she could read my manner through my eyes. She'd been dating Lee for just a couple of weeks, but was already more infatuated with him than any of the many men who'd been trying to get her affection since I met her. "I promise he's cute. He's a law student and he just moved here too."

"You know I'm not really looking to date right now, Faye." I responded with a technical truth. I wasn't planning to date right now, uninterested in romantic connections that would never feel as gratifying as those that I already experienced.

She walked over to my bed, getting on her knees dramatically. "Come on Sel, please. If you go on this date Lee said he'll do that thing that I've been wanting to do." I laughed at the kinky negotiation they had. "We can all go to that restaurant opening you were talking about and I'll owe you big time." She pleaded.

My eyes lit up as I remembered the date of the opening, clarifying. "Wait, that opening is on the seventh, isn't it?"

She nodded, her brow furrowed in confusion, unaware of the significance of the date as I replied again.

"I'll be there."
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Author's Note: Apologies for this being an in between chapter but you guys know if you read my writing buy now that these chapters are important for building the story. If you're on this ride with me, I promise the third soulmate will be revealed in my next update. Any guesses as to who's next?