“Dude, we’ve been coming to this coffee shop every single day. The coffee here is crap.” Caleb mutters, pushing the door open.
“I like it. It’s simple coffee.”
Disappointment washes over me as I notice the lack of Ariana in here. She hasn’t been here for the past five days. I push her to the back of my mind, shaking my head at my thoughts.
Why the hell do I care?
“Who are you looking for? Every time we come in here, you’re looking for someone.”
“I forget how observant you are.” I say unhappily, ordering two black coffees to go. Caleb remains silent, waiting for me to elaborate. When I don’t, he lets out a deep sigh.
“Well? Who is it?” He questions.
“Nobody. It’s nobody.” I respond bluntly, hoping he’ll drop the subject. I leave a ten note on the counter and take my two drinks, handing one to Caleb.
“I don’t even like black coffee,” Caleb grunts, dropping his cup in the waste bin on the way out. I scan the car park and become increasingly angry at myself as I realise what I’m doing. Looking for hermosa’s car.
“It’s that girl isn’t it? The one from the club!” Caleb grins, proud of himself. When he notices the look on my face, his grin widens.
“Bullseye! I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Shut up Caleb.” I grumble in response, slamming my car door shut as I step inside the drivers seat. Caleb scurries over to the other side, sliding into the passenger seat before shutting his door over.
“Dude, you’ve got it bad.”
“No, I haven’t. Can we drop the subject?” I ask him, keeping my eyes on the road. If I pretend to focus entirely on the traffic, maybe Caleb would change the subject.
“Do you want me to track her down? See if she wants to hook up with you?” Caleb asks, scrolling through his phone. I reach out and pluck it from his hands, my eyebrow raised high.
“Caleb, you’re not my personal assistant. Stop acting like one. Second of all, don’t ever track her down and ask her if she wants to hook up with me. I will actually break off your fingers if you do that,” I say casually, throwing his phone into his lap. I keep my eyes glued to the road and can see Caleb scowling from the corner of my eye.
“You’re mean Alejandro.” Caleb replies, mimicking Papa’s voice as he says my name.
“Don’t speak like Papa Caleb, I have enough of him already,” I say firmly but can’t help my lips from tugging upwards. He does a pretty good impression of Papa.
“You should move out, get yourself a bachelor pad. That way, I can stay over whenever Nicki and I argue.”
“So you want me to buy an apartment just so you have somewhere to hide?” I question him, chuckling under my breath. Caleb grins widely, nodding his head.
“See? We’re both on the same page,” he jokes.
I pause for a moment, thinking hard about his suggestion. Would it be so bad if I moved out? I’d still be there for Papa. The apartment I’d seen with Ariana wasn’t that far away from where I live now. And it sure would be nice to have my own space, away from Papa and Juan.
The place was perfect. It didn’t need any work doing and I could afford the rent easily by myself. It was also available to move into immediately.
“Caleb, you might actually be onto something,” I murmur, tossing my phone into his lap.
“Make the call.”
That’s how I end up five hours later being the brand new owner of the apartment.
The best thing? I’m officially living alone.
*****
“Are you sure this is what you want Alex?” Papa asks me for the third time, his voice quiet. I pick up another box filled with my stuff and turn towards him, my eyes sincere.
“Yes Papa, it’s what I want. It’s nothing against you or Juan. . . Okay, maybe Juan a little. I need my own space and I can’t live with you forever.”
Papa simply nods, his jaw clenched tightly. I notice a glimmer of sadness pass through his eyes and I pause, guilt filling me. I place the box back onto the floor and take a step forward.
“I don’t have to go if you want me to stay, just say the word.”
He shakes his head, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
“I knew this day would come. I’m going to miss you hijo.” He walks over to me and pulls me into his chest, embracing me tightly. It’s a very rare moment of affection and I close my eyes for a brief second, inhaling his scent. As a child, his scent always calmed me down.
“I’ll be round the corner Papa. Call and I’ll be here in a few minutes. We’re a team, remember?” I say, pulling back. Papa nods slowly, taking a few steps away from me. He bends down and picks the box up effortlessly, handing it over.
“Buena suerte Alejandro.”
“Gracias,” I smile at his good luck wishes and walk out of the house I’ve called home for the past several years. As I’m leaving, I turn to look at him from over my shoulder. He’s leaning against the door frame, slouching slightly due to his tall frame.
“Te extrañaré Papa!” I yell at him, a smile on my face. He doesn’t respond but gives me a small nod, the corners of his lips twitching up into a small smile.
*****
“To my first home,” I grin, cracking open the beer and holding it up towards Caleb. He mirrors my smile and slaps his beer against mine, chuckling under his breath.
“This place is fucking amazing man.”
He’s right.
At night, the city is lit up outside the windows. The view is simply stunning and I pause for a moment, staring out into the endless world. It amazes me how millions of people are going about their daily life, their existence in the world shown by twinkling lights of street lamps and moving cars.
We’re both sat on two bean bags, cardboard boxes filled with my belongings surrounding us. I have a delivery for all of my furniture arriving tomorrow but for now, sleeping on a blow up mattress for the night will have to do.
“Do you hear that?” I say quietly, turning towards Caleb. He remains quiet, waiting for me to answer the question.
“Silence. Pure silence.” I sigh, closing my eyes and leaning back. I take the first sip of my beer when there’s loud knocking on my apartment door. The sound echoes around the empty apartment, bouncing off the walls. Caleb is the first to spring to his feet, his posture on guard.
“Well, that didn’t last long,” I mutter, placing my beer down beside me. I stand up and frown, glancing down at my watch.
No-one besides Papa knows where I’ve moved. Who the hell is knocking on my door at midnight?
“Alex, get the door.” Caleb says firmly, rifling through a bag. He pulls out a gun and throws it to me, taking hold of one himself. I tuck it into the waistband of my jeans and place a finger to my lips, signalling for him to stay quiet.
My heart begins thumping as I walk towards the door, pausing as I try to listen out for any voices coming from behind it. Moments pass and all I can hear is silence.
Another several bangs against the door cause me to spring back from it, clutching my hand to my heart.
“Shit!” I yell, striding towards the door for the second time. I don’t waste any time as I pull open the door, one hand clutch-ing my gun – “What are you doing here?”