Page 71 of Drawn to You (Chasing Olivia 1)

“I’m sorry. I know you need your space. I just wish you weren’t so far away.”

“It’s a beautiful apartment, better than I deserve. I can’t wait until you see it. Maybe I’ll come get you this weekend?” I add milk and Splenda to my mug and tighten the lid.

“Maybe,” she mutters.

“I’ll call you later tonight. I’ve got to go. I can’t be late for work.” I give her a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug. She hugs me back but won’t let go. “Mom, I’m not moving to Alaska. I’ll see you this weekend.” With that, she releases me.

“Okay. Have a good day at work.”

I grab my bag filled from my last minute packing and head out to the car.

It’s six pm, and I haven’t heard from Chase all day. I hope everything is going okay at my apartment. I pull up in front of my building. I take out the bags from the back of my car and place them down on the sidewalk. The doorman, Paul, calls over to the valet, who takes my car to the garage. “Let me help you bring those up, ma’am,” he then says.

“That would be great, thank you.” I place my card in the slot to call for the elevator. It dings and opens up. Together, Paul and I get the bags in the elevator.

“Thank you, Paul,” I smile. The elevator closes, and I am on my way home.

I search for my keys in the abyss that is my pocketbook. Taking a deep breath, I place it in the lock and open the door. I walk through the entryway and into the kitchen. Wow, what a difference! Chase is sitting on a barstool at the end of the kitchen island. Wait, the walls were white when I rented the apartment. “Did you have the place painted?” I ask in surprise. He stands and strolls towards me.

“Hello, beautiful,” he croons, pulling me close.

“These walls were white, right? Or am I going crazy?” He gives me a quick kiss on top of my head and releases me.

“No, you’re not crazy. Yes, I had the walls painted. I hope you don’t mind. I wanted the walls to go with the furniture.”

“No, the place looks great.” Granted, I haven’t made it past the kitchen but so far so good.

“Come, take a look at your new place.” He brings me into the living room. “I hope you like the furniture.” Like it, I love it!

“It’s fantastic,” I gasp, trying to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. It must have cost a fortune! Gorgeous matching dark leather couch and pair of wide leather chairs with rolled arms and tufted backs. French end tables that are carved up the legs. A pair of tables on either side of the couch hold lamps with caramel slag glass shades. The couch faces a faux mahogany fireplace with a sixty-inch flat screen TV over it. A multi-toned silk rug matches the theme of the room. The walls are painted a light cream color. Just enough color to be noticed, but not enough to overpower the room. It’s all perfect.

I can feel the tension in Chase’s hands. “You still have other rooms to see. Come on.” He leads me through the sliding glass doors onto the terrace.

Right outside the living room is a patio set. The top is made from stone tiles in browns and beiges. Around the table are six chairs with rust colored cushions. A state of the art barbeque is off to the side, as well as a pair of tall heat lamps. I look at Chase. “For the fall, when it starts to get chilly,” he explains, shrugging his shoulders.

Off the master bedroom, there is an aluminum patio set with the arms and legs shaped in bamboo. The aluminum is painted a dark brown; the cushions are a light green. There is a couch, loveseat, large armchair, pair of side chairs, two end tables, and a coffee table. They are set on an indoor/outdoor rug. “For when you want to have friends or family over.” If I didn’t know any better, I would say he was up to something. “Come, I want to show you my favorite room.” His grin gets wider.

He leads me through the other sliding glass door, the one that leads into the master bedroom. There is a huge bed in the center of the room, it must be a king. On the bed is a gorgeous beige, brown, and light green comforter with lots of pillows. There is a fancy French style headboard and footboard with different colored inlaid woods. Next to the bed on either side sit a pair of black marble top demi lune nightstands. Across from the bed is a matching low chest with the same black marble top. Over the dresser is a fancy wood mirror that matches the rest of the set. On the floor is a neutral French needlepoint rug with flowers. The walls are painted a light green. Chase is grinning ear to ear like a little child that just got handed an ice cream cone. He looks so proud of himself, it makes me giggle.

“Are you laughing at me?” he asks, feigning shock.

“I would never,” I say, laughing now.

“You can’t laugh at me until you’ve seen the rest of the apartment.” He grabs me and kisses me hard on the lips, effectively stopping my mirth. Just as I start kissing him back, he lets me go. He gives me an enigmatic smile, takes my hand, and finishes his tour.

After showing me the spare bedroom and bathroom, we go back into the living room. It is then that I notice he has hung up the painting he bought me on a wall, all by itself near the kitchen. It looks even better hanging up than it did when he bought it. I sit down on the couch to admire it.

After I finish admiring my painting, I get a chance to really look around the apartment. I am amazed at how well he pays attention to detail. Everything that I had mentioned that day we went furniture shopping made its way into the apartment. The leather couch, the black marble dresser. He went above and beyond by picking up little accessories I never mentioned, the touches that make a place look lived in. And there is a Keurig in the kitchen!

“I love it,” I gush. Chase takes a seat next to me. I lean my head on his shoulder. He smells divine. “Thank you.”

“I would do anything for you, haven’t you figured that out by now?” He puts his arm around my shoulder and runs his fingers up and down my arm.

“It’s everything I envisioned my apartment to be and more.”

“I’m glad you like it. I was a little worried about the wall colors.”

“How did you find the time to have it done?” I ask, still stunned he did it at all.

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