He shrugged. "Well, we can take a look around at least. You did say you liked this location."
She smiled at him and walked across the room to examine the kitchen. Burke ran his fingers over the empty shelves. They were dusty now; the tenant must have left a while ago. He was surprised that the landlord had still not rented out the apartment. It was a beautiful place, and for most the furniture would have been a bonus. Of course, some people preferred to style their own homes, but then again some people hated that process.
The wood blinds were half closed so that only thin bars of sunlight filtered through. It gave the living room a softer feel. Dust motes floated above the couch. He watched them for a moment before sitting down. A comfortable couch...he wondered what the tenant had used it for. With all that shelf space, she must have studied here quite often. There was certainly no TV case. Burke could imagine her setting down her coffee mug on the table and perusing an academic journal late at night.
Burke could imagine her doing many different things here.
Had she kissed anyone here, he wondered. Had she cuddled with anyone here? Had she invited her friends over? They were all distinct possibilities, and he had the unfortunate ability to envision every single one. She would have sat exactly where he was sitting. The spot almost felt as if it had permanently shaped itself to her body. As she sat here, coffee in hand, because he was sure she was a coffee drinker, mocha lattes to be specific, she would have sardonically mocked her friends, comforted them in her odd ways, and perhaps even talk about her own life.
But she would not do any of that anymore. This apartment was no longer her home, no longer the place of comfort she retreated to after a long day's work, no longer a room filled with memories. She was somewhere else now, halfway across the country for all he knew. He could see her packing up her bags with a suitcase flung on the bed and cardboard boxes stacked by the door. No doubt she would have simply tossed her clothes into her suitcase without bothering to fold them. Her books, however, would have received the utmost care, particularly the ones that carried her favorite articles.
When she left he wondered if she walked around the empty apartment one last time. He wondered if in those fleeting moments she found herself reliving memories. He wondered if she had thought of him at all before she left her key on the counter. Then he realized he was being ridiculous. She was not a nostalgic person and had never been. Most likely, she left without a thought, without looking behind, and moved forward with her life to that faraway city where she would find another apartment.
"So what do you think? Now we can always remove some of the furniture if it's not to your taste. I have several companies you can call."
He shook his head. "No that's fine. I like it. I'd like to keep everything the way it is."
"Alright then, we can get the paperwork done today." She opened the door and walked into the hall, presumably to find the landlord.
Burke walked into the bedroom. It looked the same, untouched, just as it had all those years ago. She had slept on that bed for four years on the left side. The bathroom, the shower, the closet...she had used all of it these past years. That dresser would have held her clothes. Medical journals would have been stacked on top of the nightstand. Her scrubs would have been tossed around the room. There would have been traces of her everywhere. None of those would haves mattered. She was gone.
He was late, and Cristina...Cristina had moved on.
Fin
