the beginning / a.i.

three.

august 19th 2017/

I walked into the apartment and looked around at the empty room. 

"Hey hun, do you like it? I think it's nice. It could use some work, but I guess that's just in time, right?" My dad said from beside me.

"I love it," I responded. I was grinning so big I could feel my cheeks already hurting. I did love it. It was amazing.

It wasn't too big, it wasn't too small. It was perfect. It was in a big apartment building that was walking distance to the train that would take me to the college I would be attending in a week. Right around the corner was the job I was working at and across from that was a small little bakery. It had a window that looked over the street, where it wasn't too loud, but not too quiet. When you walked in, there was a small kitchen, next to that was a small living area and down a small hall was a room and a  bathroom that connected to it. I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I had spent so long saving up money to get my first apartment and this was it. It was empty and the only furniture I had was from my room at my dad's house back in New York. He was here helping me unload the truck and set up my apartment. 

"This is amazing dad, really. I'm so happy," I looked over to him and could see his eyes getting watery, "Oh, n, hey, Dad, don't cry."

He wiped his eyes and walked over to give me a hug, "I'm just so proud of you, Ivy. You have worked so hard and you are finally here and yeah, I'm going to miss you." 

I was crying now, too. Happy tears mixed with the idea of not seeing my dad every day. We were really close, my whole life we had been close. I had a younger sister, Lana, and she was pretty close with my dad and I, too. She was going to come here with us, but the school for her had already started and she couldn't miss the first week of school. She promised to call. 

"I'm going to miss you so much, Dad," he was hugging me extremely tight as if he was afraid to lose me and for a quick moment, I felt a wave of panic rush through my body. I wasn't going to see him for a while, and I was here all by myself.

"I'm gonna miss you more, bug, believe me."

-- 

It was my first night in my apartment and I had my mattress set up on the floor in the living room. My phone said it was 10:27 and as I went to turn out the light I heard screaming outside in the hallway. I walked over the door and opened it to a girl and guy yelling at each other in the hallway.

The girl was wearing a long silver dress and yelling at a tall man in a suit. The man in the suit was pressing his fingers to his forehead and looked undoubtedly frustrated. 

"You can't tell my mother that we are getting married when you haven't even proposed to me. We haven't even talked about that! You haven't even asked me to marry you!"

"I was stressing! You were stressing me out! I just panicked and that was what I thought to say!"

I watched from my door in amusement, this was interesting. 

"You followed up saying that you wanted to marry me because it would look good to your colleagues! They already hate the fact that I am dating an older guy and now you are acting like a complete douche in front of them! What do you imagine they think of you now!?" She was screeching at him now.

"For fuck's sake, Toni, it was impulse!" He groaned.

"No! It wasn't just impulse! You thought of it and you said it, so you meant it. I don't really want to be with someone who thinks of me as a trophy! " The girl's face scrunched up, she looked like she was going to cry. I felt guilt swell up in my face and I debated if I should step in or not.