Page 45 of Drawn to You
He nods. “She called you when you were asleep.”
“Oh, no. Let me text her and tell her not to worry.”
Andrew makes a detour on our way to get my belongings from my apartment. I feel embarrassed when we go up to my dingy place. I glance at him like a guilty child. I’ve done something out of a whim and made a mess, and now I must rely on an adult to clean up my mess for me.
I expect Andrew to comment on how bad the neighborhood is and admonish me, but he doesn’t. He just quietly helps me to put everything into place. He takes my clothes from the closet and places them into my suitcase. And then he puts the bathroom essentials into a cardboard box I used when I moved in.
Within just an hour, I’m ready to go.
I turn the key back to the landlady, and she returns me my deposit check, saying she hasn’t cashed it yet.
I’m going to pay her the rents for the two days I stayed here, but she just waves it off. “My share for your window replacement.”
I thank her by telling her I’m leaving the brand new shower curtain I purchased to the apartment for the next tenant to use.
My stomach rumbles as soon as we get back in his car, and he laughs. “Let me take you to lunch first. What would you like to eat? There’re all kinds of foods here in Hollywood. Asian, Mediterranean, French, Italian?”
“Mm,” I hesitate. “I don’t know. But I feel like having something spicy.”
“Spicy? Perfect,” he says. “It’s close to Thai Town here, so I’ll take you to a Thai food restaurant.”
“Thai?” I squeal. I’ve had it exactly once in my life when I went to Fresno with my parents. I had the tastiest lunch at a Thai place.
We drive west on Melrose, passing stores with signs in various languages. While I can tell Spanish, French, and Italian from English, the rest is all graphics to me. Andrew doesn’t speak any other language, but he can tell which one is Greek, Armenian, Russian, Hindi, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc.
We stopped in front of a Thai restaurant with signs written in fancy curly strokes. “They have the best shrimp soup in town,” Andrew explains.
Minutes later, I’m savoring the spicy shrimp soup with limes, whose Thai name I can’t pronounce, still being boiled in an aluminum hot pot. The lime and lemongrass give an irresistible fragrance. Paired with the spiciest green peppers on earth, it’s zesty and spicy. I keep sticking out my tongue like a dog, but I can’t stop spooning more into my mouth.
After devouring the most delicious barbeque chicken on skewers and some pad thai, I’m so full I have to rub my stomach to push down the food. But Andrew insists on me trying the taro with coconut milk, which is the most amazing dessert I’ve ever had.
I’m so stuffed the moment we get out of the restaurant I can’t walk straight. Thankfully Andrew has me in his strong arms and helps me into his car.
“I love this place, Andrew! Thank you for taking me here,” I say when we leave the parking.
“Anytime, Britt. I’m glad you like it. It’s my favorite place too,” he says. “We’ll definitely be back.”
Satiated with a big meal, I lean into the back of the car seat with content. But the moment we turn onto Hollyview, my sadness returns. I’m thankful that I can go back to Andrew’s house, but how long can I stay there? Andrew is a nice guy, and I’m now even more indebted to him than ever. But the fact he’s engaged to someone else remains.
Chapter 18
Brittney
“Why’re you so quiet?” Andrew asks when we’re back in his garage. “Are you okay?”
I chuckle. “Yes. I’m just full from lunch.”
“You need a nap?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” he asks.
“Yes, I’m perfect.”
He helps me with transporting my suitcase and cardboard box into my bedroom and helps me put things back in their places. He’s going to hang my clothes in the closet, too, when I stop him.
“Please, Andrew, leave it. I’ll take care of it later.”
