Emily, Please Don't Go Away

Two

Knock, knock, knock.

I opened my eyes as the sound echoed off the empty walls. I stretched as I rose, squinting as the sunlight beamed through the blinds. I looked at my watch and blinked in disbelief.

Who the hell knocks on someone's door at 7:15 in the morning?

There was another short series of knocks as I made my way to the door. I pulled it open, and much to my surprise, my neighbor stood before me with two coffee cups in hand. I looked at him with confusion as he held a cup towards me. After a second of me staring at him warily, he laughed nervously.

"Oh, coffee? Thanks, Gee. You're the best! How did you know?" He mocked in a higher pitched voice. "Ah, no problem. I just figured you could use the extra boost if you were going furniture shopping today." I laughed quietly to myself. "Well, good morning, neighbor. I brought coffee," he said as he held it out again. I smiled as I took it gratefully.

"I'm sorry. I didn't go to sleep until close to three. I'm not a morning person anyway, but it was a surprise to have someone knocking on my door at seven in the morning."

"Well, around here, everything gets busy pretty early. Figured I'd try and save you the hassle of the midday crowd."

"Oh, I didn't think about that. Where I'm from, there aren't a whole lot of people. So, timing isn't usually an issue," I explained. He nodded slowly.

"Right. So, you gonna get ready? Because, while even though you look absolutely adorable, I highly doubt you'd want to leave with your bedhead." My eyes widened as I reached up and felt the knots in my hair. I felt the flames on my cheeks as I quickly turned away from him and hurried towards the bathroom. I changed, brushed my hair, and straightened my makeup before returning to the living room where he was standing. He was leaned up against the wall, staring out the small window. I cleared my throat, which caused him to jump slightly.

"So, any advice on where we should start?" I asked as I grabbed my coffee off of the counter. He shrugged.

"It really just depends on what kind you're looking for. Style, comfortability, budget, stuff like that."

"Well, money isn't really that big of an issue. I would prefer to stay on the cheap side, but it needs to be comfortable." He nodded his head.

"I know just the place. Their stuff is cheap, but it's well made and super comfortable. Bonus?" He smiled again. "They do delivery and set up."

* * * * *

After a long morning of shopping, we decided to stop at a little cafe for lunch. I stared at the menu in amazement, having never heard of half of the items on the list. He ended up ordering for both of us, and when the cashier gave us the total, he insisted upon paying.

"This one's on me." I rolled my eyes playfully and wandered over to a vacant table. He returned a few minutes later with our food and drinks. I took a drink from the cup he sat in front of me, and a quiet moan escaped. He raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"What's so funny?" I asked defensively. He shrugged as he took a drink from his own cup.

"I mean, I love coffee. I just didn't realize that someone could love it that much," he smirked. My cheeks burned as I looked down at the table. "So, neighbor, tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, anything you wanna share, although your name would be a pretty good start." I tilted my head in confusion before it hit me. I wasn't sure how, but we had made it through the entire morning without even knowing each other's names.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, the name's Emily. I'm eighteen. I just moved here from Alabama to attend NYU."

"Oh, that's cool. I went there a few years ago. What are you studying?"

"Art," I replied before taking a bite.

"Huh, small world. So did I. Anyways, please continue."

"Well, I'm not really sure what else to tell you. Why don't you go?" He nodded, smiling slightly.

"Well, I'm Gerard. Twenty-seven. I'm from Jersey. I moved here to go to college, and after I graduated, I got a job in the city, so I decided to stay."

"What do you do?"

"Um, well... I do cartoon type drawings for local papers, magazines, stuff like that."

"That sounds really cool. Do you ever do any comic style art?" For a split second, his face turned a light pink.

"Uh, yeah, actually. I've been into comics since I was a kid, so that was one of the first things I ever did. I still do from time to time, but..." He stopped and rubbed the back of his neck. "You know, you're probably not interested in my nerdy shit. Should we head back? They'll probably be there soon." I nodded as I stood up.

We started back towards the apartment complex. Neither of us said much on the walk there. As we stood by the doors, I looked at him standing so awkwardly. I couldn't help but smile. Something about him made me feel a certain way, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I studied him for a moment.

He wasn't very big, but he wasn't just skin and bone either. He had fairly well-toned muscles. His jet-black hair was about shoulder-length, and his bangs covered part of his face. I noted his beautiful hazel eyes and his slightly crooked smile. I could tell from the way he spoke that he is, or at least was, a smoker. He held his mouth in the same way that Gramps did. I was so lost in observing him that I didn't even realize that he had been speaking until he cleared his throat uncomfortably, bringing me back to the real world.

"Sorry, I have a tendency to space out a lot." He chuckled as he glanced nervously at the ground.

"No, it's okay. I was just saying that it looks like we beat them here."

"Yeah, it would seem so."

"Well, I'm gonna head inside. If you need any help once they finally bring everything, don't hesitate to ask." I nodded, smiling thankfully.

"Thanks, Gerard. For the company and for lunch. I owe you one." He smiled back as he opened the door to his apartment. As he stepped inside, I recalled what I was going to tell him earlier. "Gerard?" He stepped back out and looked over at me. "I don't mind the nerdy shit. I'm a bit of a nerd myself, so don't feel like it's something you have to apologize for." His eyes lit up, and a shy smile crept onto his lips.

"Thanks, Emily. It's nice to meet a fellow nerd." I nodded in agreement and waved as he shut the door.

Nice to meet you too, Gerard.