change me

chapter 3

As I'm sitting in my desk in this awful chair, I hear the people next door. They're arguing. It takes me back to my first client, which was the hardest for myself. Austin was a female, around age 20. Like myself at the time. She was a difficult person to work with, but I think it's just because we were so alike. This girl was my best friend at times, and others we fought like a unhappy married couple. But at the end of the day, Austin was my best friend.

Well she was. Past tense. Until she died. Just like all my other friends.

I suddenly snap out of my thoughts when there is a raspy voice by my door. Intercom.

"Miss. Miller, there is a delivery for you down at the entrance." The voice says.

"Send it up please."

I don't remember ordering anything. It could be  the news I ordered last month, but I knew well that wasn't coming.

The elevator beeped from down the hall and I heard footsteps in  down the hall. There was a light knock on the door, and as I walked I wondered how they possibly could've managed to get up the elevator so quick.

I opened the door, and there stood a man. He was holding a bouquet of flowers, He was taller than me, he had an light complexion, and the most gorgeous eyes in the world.

"Miss Miller?" The handsome man questioned.

"Um.." I hesitated, in shock of his beauty.

"Miss Miller?" He repeated.

"Yes. Yes that's me." I slowly said.

"Um, we heard the news. Us down at the coffee shop below, we wanted to give our sympathy." He said, sounding a little nervous.

"Oh, well thank you. Come on in, I'll get these in water."

He steps in the room, and walks over to the glass walls. I step to the sink, and fill a glass with water and put the flowers on the table.

"Would you like some tea? Coffee?" I say.

"No, I'm okay. Working at a shop that makes it all day everyday kind of makes me lose the craving for it. Thank you though." He says apologetically.

"Okay. Water then?"

"Yeah, that'll be great." He replies.

I motion he can sit on the chair by the window as I get some water. I walk back to the sink, fill a glass with water, and present it to him.

"If you're far away enough from all the chaos the streets hold, it can actually look like a decent place to live." He says, as I hand him the glass.

"Oh yeah? And what're your experiences with the chaos?"

"It doesn't happen to me, I just see it happening to others. I'm Riley, by the way."

Riley. That's his name.

"Grace," I reply. "So how long have you lived here?"

"Just moved about a week ago. I've been trying to get to know the place, see the scenery. It's not too easy though, I've been working all the time I've been here." He says with a sad expression on his face.

"I could.. Take you?" I reply.

"That'd be nice. No like- really nice." He says with a smile forming on his face.

"So, what're we sitting here for? Let's go!" I say slipping on my shoes.

We walk out the door, and down the hallway. There is a line for the elevator, so we take the stairs. 15 floors down, Riley is behind me gasping for air.

"Out of shape, now are we?"

"You wish!" He says as he flies past me, sliding on the railing. Childish. "Come onnn!" He echoes as he keeps going down and down.

I run as fast as I can, and eventually hop on along with him. I feel the air blowing in my face as I speed down the rail. Suddenly, a jolt of something hard stops me. Wait, picks me up. I turn around quickly, and see and out of breath Riley, smiling big down at me.

"That was cool."

I nodded, showing my agreement.

I like this boy.