Out of Town
Sam: Are you on your way?
Me: Coming down now
Sam: See you soon
I locked the screen of my phone and shoved it in my pocket as I finished brushing my teeth. I checked my sweatpants for stains and whiffed my T-shirt to verify freshness. Satisfied, I left the bathroom, slipped on my shoes, and walked out my front door onto the second-floor landing. I jogged down the stairs to the door of the first-floor apartment. I knocked.
Nothing
. I knocked again. A faint voice from within commanded me to enter.
Closing the door behind me, I kicked off my shoes by the door and plopped down on a faux leather couch close by.
"I'm here!" I called out. Sam responded that she would be out in a minute. I took the time to take in my surroundings. Multicolored walls, mounted portraits of distant locations, Buddhas, and evil eyes surrounded me on all sides. The smell of incense lingered in the air, and the multitude of plants abounding inside the apartment filtered the light shining in from the midday sun.
Sam creaked open the bathroom door and sauntered out to the couch. Her wavy, auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She smiled as she came over to sit down next to me. She crossed her legs and pointed herself in my direction, her pale skin bold against the dark brown leather of the couch.
"Hey, Wes." She said.
"Hey." I said, frowning. "I'm sorry."
Sam placed her hand on top of mine and lightly squeezed.
"I know it can be weird the first time, but it's ok. You're not doing anything wrong." She leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek.
"I don't want to mess anything up with Ash." I said, weakly.