Page 2 of Four of Hearts

I pursed my lips and looked down at myself, taking in the black mini skirt I was wearing. “I’m afraid this is my last clean one. But you can wear one of those new jean shorts I got last week. They’re in the closet.”

She didn’t complain, and after choosing the perfect pair that fit her white top, we sat down in front of the large mirror hanging on my living room wall and did our makeup while talking about how our day went.

Life couldn’t be more perfect. I loved my job, I had my best friend around almost every day, and I had a group of friends who I loved to spend time with.

There wasn’t anything more I needed.

Nothing at all.

***

On our way to Benson’s place, it turned out that he had moved. He didn’t live in the same apartment complex he had been living in for the past four years. Instead, he had moved out just a week ago, without really telling anyone. I rolled my eyes when Willa got the message with the new address on it.

“He could’ve told us earlier. Before we made our way here,” I complained, throwing my hands into the air.

Willa mumbled something under her breath, then she nodded in agreement. “Yeah, now we walked all this way in our heels, and for what?”

We were whiny little bitches when things didn’t go the way we planned. We were spontaneous, but had we known we should’ve walked all the way to the other side of town, we would’ve carried these boots and worn our sneakers instead.

The walk to Benson’s new place took us way too long, but it was because we stopped multiple times, wondering if it was really worth going, or if stopping at one of the bars on the way there was a better idea.

We decided to fight through the pain and blisters.

“Motherfucker,” Willa muttered as we finally made it to the building Benson supposedly moved into. “Are we sure this is the place?”

I looked up at the industrial building, taking in the big windows and dark red brick walls. “What number did it say in the text?”

Willa pulled out her phone and checked the message. “Uh, thirteen. Yeah, that’s the one.”

I studied the exterior, and I wondered why the top two rows of windows were blacked out. There were five floors, and Benson apparently lived on the third. I looked at Willa, and we both shrugged before we headed inside and waited for the elevator to come.

“No way I’m walking up there in these damn heels,” she stated.

I agreed, chuckling. “Never.”

Chapter 2

LOLA

“How did he find this place? This would’ve been perfect for us,” Willa said as she looked around Benson’s apartment, looking stunned.

I was annoyed by the fact that we hadn’t found this place before he did too. How dare he live here alone when Willa and I could’ve turned this place into an amazing, shared living space?

“Lucky bastard,” I murmured, taking in the retro furniture and insanely tall ceilings. “I can only imagine how perfectly lit this place is during the day. And imagine watching the rain from here…it’s perfect.”

“I hate him. I’m officially not a fan of Benson anymore,” Willa stated with furrowed brows.

I laughed and grabbed her hand. “Come on. Let’s go find him and say hello.”

We headed through the crowd, and after a quick search, we found Benson sitting on a couch on the other end of the apartment. He was smoking a cigarette while holding a beer in his other hand, and when he noticed us, he grinned and got up to hug us both at the same time.

“My favorite girls! Glad you could make it. How do you like my new place?” He stepped back and did a quick turn with his arms open wide. “It’s incredible, huh?”

I pursed my lips and tried not to grimace. His strong cologne was mixed with the bad scent of cigarette smoke and his breath was so thick with the smell of beer that I had to turn my head. I had an extremely sensitive nose, and I hated smelly people. Sure, this was a party, and everyone smelled. Still, I was going to open a few windows later.

“We love it. Actually, we wish we could live in here ourselves. How did you get this apartment?” Willa asked.

“I got lucky, I guess. And you know what? I can now throw parties every damn week, and no one will be bothered by it. My old neighbors were fucking annoying.”

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