Page 18 of Some Things Never Change

We bickered back and forth most of the way down to Santa Mariana, keeping the two of us awake. After another four hours, we finally reached Rosalina, the suburban city where Andy lived. It was just ten miles east of Santa Mariana with quaint neighborhoods, beautiful homes, and well-kept lush lawns.

I was ready to sleep by the time we reached Andy’s beautiful house. My memories became fuzzy after we arrived. We parked my car in his two-car garage and left the boxes in my car. I was too exhausted to move my things. Aside from Andy giving me a quick tour of his decently-sized home, I hardly recalled much. I believe I took a quick shower and was watching something with him in his living room when I passed out cold on his couch.

Chapter

Seven

I woke up to the familiar scent of a light and fresh detergent smell. Without wasting another second, I opened my eyes immediately and sat up in the bed I was laying in. My heart was drumming in my chest as I surveyed the dark and unfamiliar room. The dark curtains were fully drawn, with little-to-no light seeping through.

I groggily climbed out of the big, warm bed and glanced around before realizing I was in the master bedroom. I stumbled out of the room to a dimly lit hallway, unsure of where to head.

“Andy?” I called out, walking down the hallway. My voice croaked. “Andy, you here?”

“Tink?” he answered. His voice was far away, as if it was on the other side of the house.

When I walked into the dark living room, I noticed the blanket and pillow on the sofa right away. Had Andy been sleeping on the sofa instead of the bed with me? I was too disoriented earlier to notice whether the other side of the bed had been used or not.

The white shades by the windows were half drawn and I could see out onto Andy’s yard and driveway. The sun was already setting, and the sky was just minutes away from turning into night. I wasn’t sure when we arrived at Andy’s house, but I was certain I had been sleeping all day.

I heard Andy’s footsteps coming from the back to where I was. “You’re finally up,” he said.

I glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s already six P.M.?”

Andy carelessly shrugged. “What do you expect? We were driving all night and safely made it here in one piece.”

“All thanks to you. If you weren’t there, I think I would have slept at a rest stop along the way.”

“Thank God I accompanied you, because that just sounds dangerous.” He shook his head. “By the way, I just finished making dinner and was about to come wake you up. Let’s eat! You haven’t had anything all day.”

My stomach whined loudly at the mention of dinner, and Andy flashed me a knowing smile. “I knew you’d be pretty hungry, so I made plenty of spaghetti.”

“Is it the same recipe you used last time?”

When I came to Santa Mariana to visit him the last few times, he always made this amazing pot of spaghetti and meatballs. I would inhale at least two plates of it and begged for the recipe, but he never cracked. Apparently, he scoured the internet for an authentic Italian grandma’s recipe and he wasn’t going to give up that easily.

Andy led me into his posh kitchen. When we discussed the interior design of his house months ago, Andy wanted to focus on the kitchen the most. It needed to be updated. He wanted a modern, chic, and more functional kitchen in mind so I helped with the proportions, layout, and everything to make this space more cohesive than the original design. This was the first time I had seen the kitchen in person since the renovations started. The cabinets were a perfect, crisp, soft gray with rustic golden handles paired with white porcelain countertops and a kitchen island, exactly how he wanted it.

“Wow, it looks amazing,” I said. “It looks even better in person, to be honest.”

“Doesn’t it?” smiled Andy from the kitchen island. “Thanks, Tink. Without your help, I doubt my home would look a quarter as good as it does now.”

“I didn’t even do much. It was just really the flooring, kitchen, and bathrooms that needed the most help. Everything with the house was perfectly fine, but you’re welcome.”

I looked around and was thoroughly glad to see how well furnished and balanced his home was. We went with a modern, chic, and contemporary design.I hated to toot my own horn, but I loved the wood of the new flooring I helped picked out. It brought warmth to the house to counter the cooler, contemporary aesthetic. I immediately noticed the potted plants around the kitchen.

“Let me guess? Shoua brought you a few housewarming gifts, didn’t she?”

Andy grinned. “Is it that obvious?”

I snorted. Shoua has a green thumb and is obsessed with adding more to her growing collection of plants in her home. “The plants are a dead giveaway.”

Andy laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess it really is that obvious that she spent an entire weekend here with Anthony when they visited at the beginning of December. The two of them gifted me the plants since they were complaining that my house needed a bit more life.”

I smiled. “Looks like you’re a plant daddy now, huh?”

“I’m not a really good one, to be honest.” He rubbed the back of his neck again. “In fact, I’m worried they might be dying.”

“Dying? They look fine! If anything, I’ll help remind you to take care of your plant babies when they start to look a little shriveled up.”

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