In my name.
"He did it!" Daphne throws her arms around me. Her enthusiasm is so infectious that I allow her to dance me around in a circle as Tara breaks out into nervous giggles.
"You own the building now." She turns to me. "He actually came through."
“This is so exciting! I knew he would come through. You have to go see him. Right now!” Daphne shoves me down into the desk chair and pulls a brush from her purse.
"My hair is too curly for that. If you brush it, it'll poof up until I look like a poodle."
"Oh right." She throws the brush on the desk and gently finger combs the snarls from my hair. Tara rummages through my purse until she finds my lip-gloss. She hands it to me. I apply a thin layer with shaky hands.
"What am I going to say to him?"
Tara shakes her head. "The man just gave you a building. I'd say all the rules have officially been thrown out the window. I'm pretty sure he won't care what you say. He'll just be glad you're back."
Warmth suffuses me as they rush me out the door. I turn at the last minute. "What if this isn't his way of saying he wants me back? Maybe he's just trying to keep us from suing him."
The idea of going over there by myself only to find out that Finn is still angry terrifies me.
"Come on, we'll drive you. You're not in any shape to drive. Plus, I love to see a happy ending!" Daphne herds me outside and then turns to lock the front doors of the building behind us.
"How do you know it's going to be a happy ending?" I am desperate to know the answer. Because I want that so much and anytime I've ever wanted something like this, it hasn't happened.
"This is your romantic moment, Ris. It's just like in the movies. The hero does something stupid but then he apologizes and does the grand gesture. Then he picks her up and carries her off into the sunset. This is your time to ride off into the sunset and no one deserves it more than you."
Tara leads us to her car since it's the biggest and I climb into the back while Daphne gets up front. They whisper softly back and forth to each other the entire drive but I'm not paying attention to any of it. All I'm thinking of is Finn and what I'll say to him.
Tara parks directly in front of his building. John waves as we enter the lobby. I use my key and then hit the button for the top floor. Tara bumps my shoulder. "Are you ready for this?"
"I hope so."
When we get to his floor, we turn left and then stop in front of his door. I raise my hand to knock and then hesitate. Daphne sighs and then raps on the door with her fist.
I glare at her. "I needed a moment."
"You need to hurry up. Happily ever after waits for no one."
After a minute, we all look at each other before Daphne bangs on the door again. I put my ear on the door listening. Nothing.
I pull out my key ring. Using it is a risk because there's a chance that he's here and just ignoring the door. If I open it, he could be pissed. Or he could be naked with someone else. Any number of humiliating and painful scenarios run through my mind.
But at least then I'd know for sure.
I slide my key in and turn the lock. I push the door open and stick my head around the doorjamb.
"Oh no."
I push the door open all the way and then walk into the apartment. The now completely empty apartment.
Daphne puts her hand over her mouth. "Oh, Rissa. I'm so sorry."
* * * * *
I've been sitting on the floor in the middle of Finn's empty apartment for the last ten minutes. Daphne and Tara are waiting downstairs in the car. I told them I just needed a minute to process. I need more like a lifetime to process this.
"Rissa? What are you doing here?"
I look up. Tank is standing in the doorway holding a roll of duct tape and an empty cardboard box. I hastily wipe away my tears. It's humiliating enough that Finn has just moved on without even saying goodbye to me but I definitely don't want him to find out that I was sitting in the middle of his apartment crying like some kind of stalker chick.
"Nothing. I just came to see Finn but I guess he doesn't want to see me." I look around and laugh weakly.
Tank drops the box on the counter. "I know for a fact that he wants to see you. But he can't."
I watch as he assembles the box and then rolls duct tape over the seams. He's obviously been busy in here to have cleaned out this place so fast.
"Well, tell him I got the deed he sent me. And that I wish him well, wherever he ends up."
Tank looks over at me. "He's going to end up right back here. Would you hand me that roll of bubble wrap over there."
Puzzled by his strange nonchalance, I back up until I see the bubble wrap in the corner of the room. It's right below where the television used to be. There's a faded spot on the wall where the paint is a slightly lighter color.
"What do you mean he's going to end up right back here? Didn't he move out?"
"Nope. He's just getting the place painted. He asked me to move all his stuff out so the painters can come in this week."
Relief buckles my knees and I sit back down on the floor. "What? You mean he's not gone? Is he staying somewhere else? Can you take me to him?"
Suddenly Tank looks uncomfortable. "Um, he is staying somewhere else but I can't take you to him."
It feels like we're talking in circles. Tank was always straight with me so I don't understand why he's being deliberately difficult right now.
"He did it!" Daphne throws her arms around me. Her enthusiasm is so infectious that I allow her to dance me around in a circle as Tara breaks out into nervous giggles.
"You own the building now." She turns to me. "He actually came through."
“This is so exciting! I knew he would come through. You have to go see him. Right now!” Daphne shoves me down into the desk chair and pulls a brush from her purse.
"My hair is too curly for that. If you brush it, it'll poof up until I look like a poodle."
"Oh right." She throws the brush on the desk and gently finger combs the snarls from my hair. Tara rummages through my purse until she finds my lip-gloss. She hands it to me. I apply a thin layer with shaky hands.
"What am I going to say to him?"
Tara shakes her head. "The man just gave you a building. I'd say all the rules have officially been thrown out the window. I'm pretty sure he won't care what you say. He'll just be glad you're back."
Warmth suffuses me as they rush me out the door. I turn at the last minute. "What if this isn't his way of saying he wants me back? Maybe he's just trying to keep us from suing him."
The idea of going over there by myself only to find out that Finn is still angry terrifies me.
"Come on, we'll drive you. You're not in any shape to drive. Plus, I love to see a happy ending!" Daphne herds me outside and then turns to lock the front doors of the building behind us.
"How do you know it's going to be a happy ending?" I am desperate to know the answer. Because I want that so much and anytime I've ever wanted something like this, it hasn't happened.
"This is your romantic moment, Ris. It's just like in the movies. The hero does something stupid but then he apologizes and does the grand gesture. Then he picks her up and carries her off into the sunset. This is your time to ride off into the sunset and no one deserves it more than you."
Tara leads us to her car since it's the biggest and I climb into the back while Daphne gets up front. They whisper softly back and forth to each other the entire drive but I'm not paying attention to any of it. All I'm thinking of is Finn and what I'll say to him.
Tara parks directly in front of his building. John waves as we enter the lobby. I use my key and then hit the button for the top floor. Tara bumps my shoulder. "Are you ready for this?"
"I hope so."
When we get to his floor, we turn left and then stop in front of his door. I raise my hand to knock and then hesitate. Daphne sighs and then raps on the door with her fist.
I glare at her. "I needed a moment."
"You need to hurry up. Happily ever after waits for no one."
After a minute, we all look at each other before Daphne bangs on the door again. I put my ear on the door listening. Nothing.
I pull out my key ring. Using it is a risk because there's a chance that he's here and just ignoring the door. If I open it, he could be pissed. Or he could be naked with someone else. Any number of humiliating and painful scenarios run through my mind.
But at least then I'd know for sure.
I slide my key in and turn the lock. I push the door open and stick my head around the doorjamb.
"Oh no."
I push the door open all the way and then walk into the apartment. The now completely empty apartment.
Daphne puts her hand over her mouth. "Oh, Rissa. I'm so sorry."
* * * * *
I've been sitting on the floor in the middle of Finn's empty apartment for the last ten minutes. Daphne and Tara are waiting downstairs in the car. I told them I just needed a minute to process. I need more like a lifetime to process this.
"Rissa? What are you doing here?"
I look up. Tank is standing in the doorway holding a roll of duct tape and an empty cardboard box. I hastily wipe away my tears. It's humiliating enough that Finn has just moved on without even saying goodbye to me but I definitely don't want him to find out that I was sitting in the middle of his apartment crying like some kind of stalker chick.
"Nothing. I just came to see Finn but I guess he doesn't want to see me." I look around and laugh weakly.
Tank drops the box on the counter. "I know for a fact that he wants to see you. But he can't."
I watch as he assembles the box and then rolls duct tape over the seams. He's obviously been busy in here to have cleaned out this place so fast.
"Well, tell him I got the deed he sent me. And that I wish him well, wherever he ends up."
Tank looks over at me. "He's going to end up right back here. Would you hand me that roll of bubble wrap over there."
Puzzled by his strange nonchalance, I back up until I see the bubble wrap in the corner of the room. It's right below where the television used to be. There's a faded spot on the wall where the paint is a slightly lighter color.
"What do you mean he's going to end up right back here? Didn't he move out?"
"Nope. He's just getting the place painted. He asked me to move all his stuff out so the painters can come in this week."
Relief buckles my knees and I sit back down on the floor. "What? You mean he's not gone? Is he staying somewhere else? Can you take me to him?"
Suddenly Tank looks uncomfortable. "Um, he is staying somewhere else but I can't take you to him."
It feels like we're talking in circles. Tank was always straight with me so I don't understand why he's being deliberately difficult right now.
