Aftermath

8

Calpurnia remained stoic in the face of her mother as she told her she was moving out. No longer would she be responsible for Harmony's actions. It was clear the only one who could take care of Cal was Cal herself. She had found an apartment she could afford with the coffee shop and bookstore, and put in an offer with a move-in date set for as soon as possible. They had approved her and when all was said and done, she was out of her childhood home before her mother even knew she was leaving.

There was an emptiness about her as she moved through the days and weeks following the departure of Matthew. Cal found herself struggling to find a new normal. Antsy with living alone, not used to being able to exist at peace with her surroundings. She spent a lot of her free time walking around the valley. Even after having lived there her entire life, she felt as if she existed in a space that made her unrecognizable.

Her mother had tried to contact her a few times since she'd left, but she decided to shut off her phone. She didn't have much use for it and couldn't afford a phone plan of her own so she was sure it was only a matter of time before it was best used as a paperweight.

Megan had expressed concern for her a few times at work, keeping a close eye on her while she was there, and going out of her way to invite her along to plans. Calpurnia found solace in The Valley Nook and Mr. Delgado's simplicity. He didn't pry, he let the silence settle like a blanket around them, and then he went home. But, after feeling guilty turning down every mention of a plan Meg had thrown her way, Cal decided to invite her to her apartment. It felt like something friends would do, show off their new spaces.

When the day Meg was coming over arrived, Cal wished she'd never opened her mouth about the apartment. Incapable of shaking the feeling that Meg's expectations would never be met because it was a humble studio. Cal didn't have much; she had made her bed inconspicuously to hide the fact she still only had an air mattress. Not that Meg would ever judge, but Calpurnia just didn't have much to show off and never imagined the self-consciousness would be this aggressive.

...

"It's so exciting that you have your own place!" Meg squealed plopping down on the blanket they'd set up on the floor for a picnic. Meg had brought over a basket overflowing with snacks and treats for them to nibble on while they probably talked over a movie that would play in the background.

Calpurnia sipped her wine while Megan snacked on chips and looked around. She wondered what it would be like to see her apartment through Meg's eyes. She wondered how she would see this place if it wasn't an escape but the next destination. Meg glanced at her curiously and she forced herself back out of her thoughts.

Cal curled her knees up to her chest as she listened with a smile stretched across her lips as Meg gave her the rundown on things that had been happening with her. She met a guy at a get-together and they had been chatting nonstop, and they'd hung out a few times but Meg was trying to get a feel for what he thought about her and he wasn't being very generous with "vibes".

She told Cal about how crazy school had been and fall finals were coming up before Thanksgiving. Cal loved listening to Meg talk. It didn't occur to her how little she spoke until she was around other people and struggling to say anything worthwhile. Cal found herself glad Megan was there, glad she wasn't spending the night thinking of something to do alone.

A day later, Megan managed to convince Cal to go out for some drinks with her. Calpurnia wasn't feeling particularly social, but Meg wasn't taking no for an answer. The point of redemption was that she gave Calpurnia the option to pick their spot, so at least they could go to her favorite place. As she walked out to meet Meg she tried desperately to ignore the nagging in her stomach.

"Cal!" Megan yelled when she came out the front door of her apartment. Her blonde hair bounced as she jogged over to grow an arm around her neck and pull her in for a quick squeeze.

"Hey Meg" she responded with a one-armed squeeze and pulled away at the first opportunity. "So," she began hoping to get her talking to relieve some pressure from herself "is mystery man going to be there tonight?" She could see her chinks pink almost instantly and she shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know, I invited him but he wasn't sure if he would be able to come." Meg looked pretty bummed but Cal decided it was only because she wished he could come and nothing more serious. Cal nodded in acknowledgment and shoved her hands into her pockets as they walked.

He did end up coming out, which was the highlight of the evening. She could see how much Meg liked him and honestly hadn't found a reason for her not to. He was attentive, and reminded her of Oliver, making sure people were taken care of and aware of things around him. When he first got there he stuck his hand out to her without hesitation.

"Isaac, nice to meet you" she shook his hand and quickly introduced herself before heading to get another drink to give them a moment to say hello.

The three of them had an enjoyable time, Isaac was easy to get along with. It was nice to see Megan crushing on him, it was nice to keep getting to know her outside of the setting of work.

"Bathroom" Meg slurred into Cal's ear gripping her wrist loosely and Cal nodded.

"Be right back" she announced to Isaac as she dragged Calpurnia away with her. When they arrived Meg started interrogating her from inside the stall. Cal watched herself in the mirror as she responded to the questions.

"So, what do you think?"

"He seems nice," hollow eyes.

"Does he seem too good to be true?"

"He seems to be genuine," emotionless words.

"Are you okay?" Calpurnia simply nodded in response and turned away from the mirror on the wall to head back out to the bar.

After two more rounds of shots, Cal left. She spared a word with Meg explaining that she was going home, and ambled lazily in the direction of her apartment. It wasn't an extremely long walk, but Calpurnia briefly wished she had a phone so she could call a taxi, as she stumbled down the sidewalks. She crawled into bed as soon as she made it up to her apartment, barely managing to take off her shoes.