A/N: This is something I have been working on for a very long time...let me know what you think.
Nine years. Nine Long years since I had been here. The airport terminal was just as i had remembered it,as were the streets, the familiar little shops, and even the noises of the cars on the busy streets. I was finally home. Back in the city I missed so much. After all those years away from everything I was so used to, I was finally back. Back home in London, England.
"Here we are ma'am." The taxi driver spoke, breaking me from my trance.
"Thank you." I paid him for the ride and climbed out. He helped me unload my bags and carry them inside my new apartment building.
"Miss. Caldwell! How are you?!" The woman behind the front counter screeched as she ran around the desk towards me. She grasped my hand in a death grip and shook it furiously.
"I'm Sheryll Jackson, the manager of La Ville de Belle. We're so excited to have you as a new tenant. Your furniture has been taken up to your room, along with all of your boxes. If you need help moving anything feel free to call down to the front desk. Here's you're key, apartment 613. It's on the fourth floor." She handed me my key, still smiling. I looked down and smiled to myself. This was my key to my apartment.
"Thanks so much Ms. Jackson—"
"Please—call me Sheryll."
"Alright…well thanks. I'll see you later." I waved goodbye and walked towards the elevator with one of the buildings employees pushing my luggage close behind. The doors closed and it was just me and this twenty-something year old boy.
"Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it. I'm—"
"Skye Caldwell. My Manager hasn't stopped talking about you since she found out you were moving here. I'm Jason." He cut me off and quickly explained.
"How old are you?" I randomly asked.
"Twenty-two. How about you? You're a lot younger than I originally thought." He smiled.
"How old did you think I was?"
"Like…forty." I couldn't help but start laughing.
"I'm twenty-five." He laughed as the elevator doors swung open and we stepped out. We walked about ten feet down the hall and Jason stopped and looked at me.
"613, right?"
"Yup, thanks." I smiled at him and opened my door. We dropped my things inside and Jason smiled at me.
"I'll catch you later."
"Alright, thanks again." I smiled and he walked down to the elevator and disappeared.
My living room was small and mixed in with the dining room. The walls were white as was the carpet. The kitchen was off to the right and was fairly good sized for an apartment. There was a small island in the center and all the counters were black marble with a matching black stove, dishwasher, and refrigerator. All my furniture was in the center of the room, still wrapped in plastic from the move. The boxes were piled against a wall and I smiled to myself. I have a lot of work to do, I thought and I walked back to my bedroom with as many suitcases as I could carry. The door to my room was straight across from the front door, but by the time I walked around everything I was starting to drop my bags and practically threw them into the room. My mattress was lying on the floor in the middle of my room. My bed, dresser, and side tables were in boxes leaning against the walls. I pulled my largest suitcase over on top of my mattress and opened it. I pulled out a pair of sweatpants cut off into Capri's, a white wife beater, and a pair of black boy shorts and a white bra. I stood up and walked into the bathroom which, like the rest of the apartment, was a fairly good size. There were two doors leading into the bathroom: one from the living room and one from my bedroom. On the far wall was a good sized shower slash bathtub, on the left wall the toilet, the right wall had the door to the living room, and the wall I stood at had a sink, makeup counter, and giant mirror on it.
I glanced at myself in the mirror and couldn't help but laugh. My waist-length black hair was greasy and pulled into a high bun, the shorter layers and swooping bangs hung around my face. I hadn't bothered with makeup, knowing by the end of the flight I would look worse with makeup then without. My skin was greasy and made me wish I had taken the stud out of my nose, seeing as how gross the grease buildup around it was. I opened a box on the floor and pulled out a towel. I removed my nose stud and hair tie and dropped them on the makeup counter. I started the shower and stripped off my clothes before stepping under the steaming water.
Exactly twenty-seven minutes and three-point-five-four seconds later (or something like that) I stepped out of the shower, dried off, and got dressed. I unpacked the one box that was in the center of the bathroom, putting towels on the towel rack and extras in a drawer in the makeup counter, placed my hairdryer, straightener and assortment of hair products in the cupboard space below the makeup counter, and threw my makeup in random drawers. I walked back in to my room and pulled my toothbrush and toothpaste out of my suitcase and returned to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
When I was done I dropped my toothbrush and toothpaste on the makeup counter, plugged in my straightener, and went into my room to grab my phone. When I picked it up I dialed my friend's number and waited.
"Why are you calling me? Isn't it the middle of the night there?" My friend Andrea's voice spoke over the phone.
"Actually it's about two-thirty in the afternoon." I smiled, wondering how long it would take her to catch on.
"Huh? How is that—Are you in London?!"
"Possibly."
"And you didn't tell me before? Where are you staying? How long have you been here?" She started rambling off.
"Whoa there Andy slow down. I just got here this afternoon. And I'm staying at my apartment at Le Ville de Belle."
"I know where that is. You're like two streets away from me."
"Really? Wanna come help me put my apartment together? We can order pizza, have a movie night, just like old times." I smiled.
"Sounds awesome, do you work in the morning?" She asked.
"Nah, I don't have to be at work until Monday, so I'm off for the weekend. What about you?"
"Nope, I got a new job. Well, it's more of an apprenticeship but I'll tell you about it later. You want me to come over now?"
"Yea that'd be cool. Fourth floor, number six-thirteen."
"Gotcha, I'll see you in a bit."
"Awesome, see ya."
"Bye." I hit the end button on my phone and dropped it on my mattress. I went back to the bathroom and dried and straightened my hair. I pulled out my makeup and applied my powder foundation, black eyeliner, black eye shadow and a little mascara. I pulled out a box of nose rings that I had packed with my makeup and dropped my makeup back in the drawer. I opened the box and started looking for something to fill the hole in my nose.
"Hmm, stud or hoop?" I asked my reflection. "Hoop? Good choice." I smiled. I picked a hoop out of the box and slid it into my nose. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. "Not too shabby…"
Just then I heard a knock on the door. "Coming!" I shouted as I snapped my box of nose rings shut and dropped it into the drawer. I walked out to the front door, placed my hand on the knob, and with a sigh pulled it open.
I smiled the moment I saw Andy standing there. We had been best friends since we were five and the last time I had seen her was the day I left, nine years ago. She was an inch or two taller than I remembered her being, not standing at about 5'5". Her dirty blonde hair was about shoulder length in the front and real short in the back. It was cut with lots of layers and had a few hot pink streaks in it. Her blue eyes stood out, surrounded by black eyeliner and eye shadow. She was wearing a white wife beater and pink Victoria's Secret Capri sweats. She had black Rainbow flip flops on and she smiled brightly when she saw me, making her Monroe piercing shimmer in the light. Her perfectly straight teeth were whiter than I thought was possible for anyone, but then again, they always had been.
"Skye!" She squealed, pulling me into a tight hug.
"Andy! It's so great to see you again!"
"I know it's been far too long!" She continued to smile as I stepped back and let her in. I closed the door and she turned around and looked at me, suddenly very serious. "Don't you ever fucking leave like that again. Nine fucking years without seeing you. It was so hard for us not having you here."
"Us?" I asked confused.
"Yes. Tom and I…"
"Don't even give me that shit."
"Skye he was heartbroken."
"Yea well he didn't act it. I told you what happened."
"Yea and I've told you how he acted afterwards. He was miserable Skye."
"I don't see how he could have been, he seemed fine the night I left. Could we drop it though? How have you been? Any boys?"
She gave me a sad look before trying to smile. "Of course there is."
"What's his name?" I sat down and leaned against the wall.
"James. He's adorable and mighty well off. He's a producer for movies." She sat down across from me and beamed.
"Really? And what are you doing?"
"Oh yes! My new job, I almost forgot."
"You did forget…"
"Shush. Anyway, my dad wanted me to be an accountant so I got a degree in that and then was hired as an accountant for a salon. Well I fell in love with the whole thing and went to beauty school. I'm working as sort of an intern slash apprentice at the shop. It only pays minimum wage but the owner loves me and plans to make me a stylist as soon as she can."
"That's awesome."
"Thanks. So how about you?"
"You mean you don't know? You're dating a movie producer and you haven't heard my name anywhere?"
"Should I have?" She looked confused. I couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm a hair and makeup designer for movies. I got here and I thought the manager was gonna maul me."
"So you got transferred here?"
"Yep, pretty much I work for a company that has four main designers, depending on what style they want for the movie depends on which designer they pick. There are four in L.A. which work on American movies and four here in London which do European movies. We don't all live in L.A. or London, that's just the two main headquarters."
"So do you just go to the main office or to a movie set on Monday?"
"Movie set. I only go to the office if there's a meeting, which is rare, or for new assignments. The office is just where the business end of my career is. You know, so I can knowwhat my budget is, my hours, how long they need me. Although a good portion of that is discussed over the phone or through email."
"Do you stay in the hair and makeup trailer the entire time?"
"Nope, plus I have assistants. I have two girls that do the hair and makeup as I tell them. If I didn't it would take ages to get done. Generally they get the extras and I take care of the main people in the scene. Then I throw the essentials in my apron and watch them film the scene. During breaks while they're getting directions and such I touch up anything that's not perfect. Honestly, I have the best job in the entire world. I've never worked with someone I didn't like."
"Lucky. How cool would it be if I could be one of your assistants?" Andy asked with a smile.
"That'd be cool. Unfortunately both of my assistants have already been chosen. But hey, if anything opens I'll let you know."
"You'd better. So, uhm, no offense but your apartment looks more like a storage garage than an apartment. Shall we put it together?"
"I think that'd be a pretty cool idea. Let's start out here." I stood up and helped Andy stand, then headed for the furniture and boxes in the center of the room.
A/N: What did you think? Please leave a review...