Chapter 7

Brandt

“Good morning, Brandt. It’s time to wake up,” the AI said.

“AI turn off,” I groaned, feeling the effects of the alcohol from the night before.

At first, I stared out the window, not moving, to clear the fog from my mind. Instantly, I remembered bringing Emma back to my place, and I turned over to find nothing but empty bed. I sat up trying to remember everything from the night before. The last thing I could think of before passing out from exhaustion and intoxication was Emma walking out of the room to get a glass of water. Her body was so perfect, and I smiled thinking about the curves of her hips and that perfect ass as she walked away. It was like a dream, especially since she wasn’t in the bedroom and her clothes weren’t on the floor. I looked under the covers to find myself naked, so I knew I hadn’t dreamed the whole thing.

I pulled myself out of the bed and grabbed onto the dresser, letting the dizziness move away. I was very hungover, and I needed some water and aspirin to head this thing off. I walked around the apartment trying to see if Emma had left me a note, her phone number, anything, but there was absolutely no trace that she was ever there except for the empty water glass in the sink with her lipstick on it. I walked over to the coffee maker and filled it with water, turning it on and leaning against the counter, feeling the sting of her absence. I grabbed my phone to find missed texts from Trevor from the night before, wondering where I had disappeared to. I shook my head and tossed my phone back up on the countertop, figuring I would call him later and give him the rundown of the evening’s events. He would definitely be proud of me that I’d left with a woman.

Normally, when I woke up to find the woman I’d slept with gone, I felt good knowing I wouldn’t have to sell some cheap lie about calling her later. This time, though, I hated that she left like that. I had such an amazing time with her, and I wanted more, something that hadn’t ever happened to me. I poured myself a cup of black coffee and pulled the aspirin from the cabinet, sitting down on the kitchen stool and taking two of them. I rubbed my face, groaning, wondering what I could have done for her to just disappear like that. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever met, and her personality was killer. She was the woman I’d always wanted to meet, even before I married my wife, but had figured she just didn’t exist. Usually, women that beautiful were stuck-up and only looking out for their own best interest.

I walked into the living room and leaned against the glass, sipping my coffee. It was a beautiful day in New York, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. The hustle and bustle of the city was as it always was, only I felt like there was something missing. Emma had rocked my world, and I couldn’t grasp the idea of one woman moving me like that in just one night. Maybe it was the alcohol or the excitement of the night that had done it to me. Maybe it was not feeling so alone on the one day of the year that could drive single people to drink. Either way, when I thought of Emma’s smile and the way her body moved in my bed, tingles rumbled in my stomach. I growled and walked back across the living room, grabbing the empty champagne glasses and setting them in the sink. I looked at the pictures on the fridge and shook my head, remembering what it felt like when my ex had walked out on me and Sicily. That sting immediately pushed the butterflies away.

Emma had been beautiful, charming, and perfect in every way I could imagine, but she was a woman, and I had found that, in itself, made it hard for me to even give it another thought. She had left without a word, without a note, just like my ex had. All women were the same. I had been right about my theory, and I decided it was probably better that she’d taken off while I was asleep. I washed the glasses in the sink and dried them off, setting them back in the wet bar. I took in a deep breath, still smelling the remnants of Emma’s perfume on my skin and feeling the disappointment in my chest. I needed to get out of the apartment to clear my head and remember that the night before was all for fun. I had achieved that objective. It was time to let it go and just remember the fun I had instead of growing some strange attachment to this woman. I picked up my phone and dialed my mom.

“Hey there, you,” she said. “How was last night?”

“Fun,” I said, keeping the details to a minimum.

“Good,” she said. “I was hoping you’d let loose and have a good time.”

“Yeah.” I chuckled. “Not something I’ll do all the time, but it was nice. Hey, I have some errands to run and things I want to get taken care of. Do you think you could watch Sicily for the day?”

“Sure,” she said happily. “She’s still asleep.”

“Really? She’s usually up with the sun.”

“I think she partied herself into a sugar coma.” Mom laughed. “She missed you, but she had a blast making cookies, watching movies, and staying up later than she probably should have. You know me. I have a soft spot for her.”

“You’re supposed to. You’re her grandma,” I said, laughing. “I’m glad she had fun, though. Tell her I love her, and I’ll see her at dinnertime, okay?”

“Yep, have a good day sweetie,” she said before hanging up.

I put my phone down and hopped in the shower, washing off the remnants of the night before. When I was done, I brushed my teeth and pulled on some jeans and a sweater, lacing up my boots as I sat on the edge of the messy bed. I pulled on my wool coat and gloves and headed out of the apartment. I took a cab to Central Park since I lived some ways away and got out, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air. Going for a walk had always cleared my head, and that was exactly what I needed to do right then. I strolled through the park, grimacing at the couples walking hand in hand. It still felt like Valentine’s Day, and I hated it, more today than I did the day before.

I walked to the ice rink in the park and sat down on the bench, watching the skaters move across the ice. There were people who could glide with ease, and there were others barely making it across the slippery surface. They would be taking the ice off the rink soon, letting it settle for the rollerbladers who would frequent the place in the warmer weather. I leaned back and thought about Emma, about how she looked and how beautiful she was standing under the lights of the dancefloor. I had completely stopped talking to that other girl midsentence, not even noticing when she walked away in irritation. I hadn’t cared, though, not at that moment. I had been too enticed by that beauty in the sequined dress. She had made me stop in time right then, and it only had gotten better when we sat down and talked. It was like I had known her my whole life. She was so easy to talk to, and we’d immediately started to tell each other all about our lives.

I couldn’t understand how she couldn’t have felt that way too. I couldn’t understand what would have made her bolt like that and not even want to leave me information to contact her. Maybe it was because she was on vacation, but still, if I were in her shoes, I would have hoped she would have called me anyway. I was more than irritated and not just at Emma. I was irritated that the one time I went out and found someone I actually liked, I couldn’t keep her in my apartment, much less in my life. Women were ruling my world and bringing me to my knees, and I was damn tired of it.

What I needed to do, and I had told myself before I left the apartment, was forget about Emma. Chalk her up to a good lay, and move on with my life. I swore to myself after my ex left that I would never again get myself in a situation where I was distracted by a woman. Still, there I was, sitting on a bench in Central Park, my mind not able to let Emma go. I had thought about her all morning, through the entire cab ride, and then during the entire time I was trying to clear my head. Emma lived in a different world, a world of hometown goodness, small lives, big dreams, and people who cared who she was. I lived in New York City where you didn’t know your neighbor, and you could be robbed at gunpoint in the middle of the street and no one would bat an eye. She had no idea how my life was, and I had no idea how hers was either. It was probably for the best that I didn’t see her again. We would have never worked out coming from two completely different places.

I sat there on the bench placating myself, telling myself I had done the right thing and I was lucky to not have to deal with another woman in my life. People came and went past me and through the park until the sun was high in the sky. I watched a couple dance across the ice, moving and skating in motion with each other. You could almost see the connection between them as they gazed into each other’s eyes. There was nothing but trust as he tossed her in the air, watching her spin and land perfectly. People around them clapped, skating to the side to watch them finish their routine. From the outside, they looked like this perfect couple, but I knew that didn’t exist. It was just for show.

I stood up and started to walk away, heading back to the entrance where I had come in. I shook my head and shoved my hands in my pockets. I was tired of all the bullshit, of the drama, and of relationships. Love was a load of shit, and if I didn’t know that before, I knew it now, thanks to Emma.