Chapter Six
Riley
I moved into my new house almost immediately. I’d been worried that I wouldn’t be able to sleep the first night, especially since the house was so big, but it had been wonderful. I kept expecting the lawyer to phone me to tell me that there had been a mistake. How could I own such an amazing house all by myself? How was I suddenly a homeowner? The thought continued to thrill me with each passing day. I found myself spending my time walking through the house. I was still nervous about changing anything, but I made mental notes as I walked around with what I would one day do the place. As great as it was, it wasn’t me. I definitely wanted to make the house a little more in line with who I was, rather than leaving it the way it was. I hoped my grandmother wouldn’t mind, but I suspected she would assume that I would change it. I walked around the house wondering what sort of person she was, and whether or not I would’ve gotten along with her. Sometimes I’d see something that would make me smile, and I’d think that perhaps we could’ve been friends after all. The thought made me sad that I’d missed out on something great. I was determined to make her proud and to make sure the house was well looked after and loved. It was the least that I could do for her.
I was sitting in the living room reading a book that I had found on the bookshelf when there was a loud knock on the door. I jumped up in fright and looked at the time. I had someone coming to see the house later that day, but it was far too early for him. Unless I had gotten the time frame wrong. And then it hit me. What if the person standing on the other side of the door was the lawyer who had come to tell me that he had made a mistake? There was nobody else that it could be. I walked to the door, heart heavy with sadness as I said a silent goodbye to my short-lived home. But when I opened the door I breathed a sigh of relief to see Paisley standing at the door. She grinned at me and then frowned.
“What’s wrong? A whole mixture of emotions just ran through your face in like a few seconds. Were you expecting someone else?”
“I thought it was the lawyer coming to tell me the house wasn’t mine.”
“Haven’t you already signed?”
“Well, yes, but I’m still battling to believe it.”
“Believe it! It’s yours. Now, are you going to let me in or what?”
I laughed, gave her a quick hug and let her through the door. She looked around and sighed with contentment.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” I said.
She nodded. “It’s like you’re living in a castle or something. It’s beautiful. Isn’t it creepy on your own though?”
“Surprisingly not. There’s a nice energy in this place. I like it.”
“Well, I like it too. We’re going to have to celebrate soon.”
“Today? Why don’t you stay?”
“I wish I could, but I have this stupid party to go to. I was actually on my way there now, but I thought I’d pop by and see you first. I’d much rather stay here than go to this party, trust me. So we’ll have to reschedule. Come on, take me on a tour.”
I took her around the house, and chuckled as she swooned and sighed at every room that we entered.
“You sure you don’t want to move in with me?” I asked. I had already asked her before but she was stuck in a contract with her own house and wasn’t able to get out of it for a while. “Now that you’ve seen the place, I’m sure you want to. Plus, you’ll have the added bonus of living with me.”
She chuckled. “That is a bonus. I wish I could, man. This place is incredible. Are you looking for a roommate still or are you going to just stay here alone for now?”
“I would love to live alone, but I can’t afford it. The upkeep of this place is too much for me to deal with alone. I actually put an advert in the newspaper. Some guy is coming to see it this afternoon.”
“Some guy?” she said and raised her eyebrows. “Who exactly is this guy?”
I shrugged. “Well, I don’t know yet. I haven’t met him. But he read the advert and called me. And he sounds really nice.”
“And you’re going to let him come here while you’re here all on your own?”
“Paisley, it’s fine! He sounds nice.”
She groaned. “And you are far too innocent. Now I’m thinking I should cancel the party to make sure that you are okay.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s fine. I’ll phone you the moment he leaves.”
“And if you like him you’re going to say yes to him? Isn’t it going to be weird living with some stranger?”
“People do it all the time. It’s the only way to afford rent these days.”
“But what if he’s dangerous? What if he sneaks into your bedroom every night and tries his luck with you?”
I chuckled. “You’re watching far too many scary movies. I’m sure he’s going to be fine. And if I don’t like him, I’ll tell him that I found someone else.”
She sighed. “Okay, fine. But promise me you’ll call me as soon as he’s left. I’m not going to be able to relax until I know that you’re okay.”
“I promise.”
“Good. Well, one good thing is that this place is big so you won’t be in each other’s way.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought. Hey, why don’t you come around after the party? I can be the excuse you need to leave early. We can have some wine here.”
She looked around at the house again and smiled. “Yeah, that’s a great idea. This is just the sort of place you want to sit around drinking wine and talking about philosophy.”
“We’re going to talk about philosophy?”
“I said it was the sort of place where people would do something like that; I didn’t say we were going to do it. But the wine, now that we’ll do.”
“And we’ll do it well,” I said and chuckled.