Page 22 of Nightmare

Olivia

I sipfrom my iced latte as Summer and I walk down 5thAve in the direction of Chanel. My long black hair blows in the summertime breeze and cars are all around us either honking their horns or sitting in gridlock traffic.

Ah, New York City. The city of traffic jams.

I already have one hand full of bags from this morning’s shopping trip, Summer has both hands full, trying to maneuver the straw of her iced coffee into her mouth without dropping any of them.

We woke up this morning with the hangovers from hell in desperate need of coffee and a girl’s day, in that order. Nothing makes me feel better than swiping a credit card – even if it does have Summer’s name on it – so we hit 5thAve with a fiery passion running through our veins, after hitting Starbucks.

Shopping with Summer is comfortable, we haven’t spoken a word to each other in about fifteen minutes. We’ve both just been nursing our coffees and trying to avoid all the fast-paced people rushing around us.

After spending way too much money at Chanel, we both decide that we should head back indoors and veg on the sofa all day. Swinging my bags from side to side next to me, we make our way back down 5thAve towards our building.

I slide my oversized sunglasses up on top of my head as I push open the doors and head to the elevator. I type the code into the pin pad, willing myself to keep hold of all of my bags for a minute longer, and the doors slide open immediately.

After a quiet ride in the elevator, the doors slide back open, our heels clicking in unison on the marble floors as we make our way to the bedroom, dropping our bags down on the plush carpet just inside the door.

“I think we got too much today.” Summer says at no one as she inspects the dozens of shopping bags laying out on the floor.

I send a laugh in her direction and land face down on the bed, letting out a groan. Somehow after four shots of espresso, my brain is still pounding inside my skull. I reach up and start massaging my temples as Summer’s tiny frame lands on top of me with a thump.

“What. Are. You. Doing?” I wriggle around and shove her off of me, turning on my side to face her.

She’s laughing at me as she reaches out to comb her fingers through my hair before she lets out a long sigh. “Have I told you how happy I am that you’re home?”

A smile spreads across my face, and I lean in to wrap my arms around her in a hug, my face in the crook of her neck, “Only a hundred times.”

She gives me a squeeze and loosens her hold on me to stand on the 4-inch heels of her boots. “I’m going to unpack all of this shit, then let’s order some food.”

I give her a nod and stand to follow her back to our mountain of shopping bags just as I hear the doorbell ring.

A couple things run through my head, the first being: I didn’t know penthouses had doorbells. The second: Who the fuck could be here?

“Can you get that?” Summer asks from her spot on the floor as she digs around in a big Lululemon bag.

I make my way out to the elevator and see a box on the wall with a speaker and a lot of buttons. I hit the one next to what looks like a microphone symbol, “Uh, hello?”

A muffled laugh comes through the speakers planted all around the room, scaring the living shit out of me.

“I swear, I’m not stalking you.”

Who the fuck?

I hit the microphone button again, “Oooookay… Who dis?”

Another laugh comes through the speakers, “Travis.”

My eyes go wide, and Summer comes sprinting down the hallway, flailing her arms all around her. Her voice comes out as a whisper, even though no one can hear us. “Like, the guy from last night? Oh my god, we’re about to be murdered, Liv.”

I stare at her with no clue what to do, because how the hell did this dude find where I live? I didn’t even tell him my last name.

I press the button again, “Um, did you need something?”

Summer is pacing back and forth with her hand on her forehead saying‘we’re going to be murdered’over and over again, I can’t help the laugh that comes out of my mouth as I watch her.

“Re-fucking-lax. We’re not going to get murdered, Summer. I would have to buzz him up here.” I point my finger towards the button that unlocks the elevator doors. She lets out a sigh, rolls her eyes at me, and then continues on her little panic-march around the sitting room.

Travis’s voice comes through the speakers again, “Yeah, okay, I just wanted to see you again, I guess? Could you buzz me in? I’m standing down here like a lunatic talking to a wall.”

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