Page 4 of Waiting for Sunshine

“Ugh, YES! I considered burning the whole place down, but I settled on disinfectant by the gallon because I kind of like it here.” She says playfully. I huff out a tired laugh as I see the mile marker to my exit.

“I should be there in about 20 minutes,” I tell her, taking a sip from my latest coffee cup. Soon to join the other 5 on the passenger side floorboard.

“See you soon,roomie,” Taylor says before hanging up the phone.

I look in my rear-view mirror to see my Jeep packed floor to ceiling with my bags and paintings. I still couldn’t believe everything that transpired over the last couple of days, so many things changed so quickly. I am no longer in a long-term relationship or working for a gallery owner I love. Instead, I am single, road-tripping back home, alone, with everything I own crammed into my Jeep, and jobless.

Jobless.

I groan at the thought. I never would have imagined that I would spend 4 years attending art school, graduating at the top of my class, just to end up jobless so soon after graduating. I have absolutely no idea what’s next for me. If I will find an art-related job or if I will settle on something that’s good cash flow for now. If I will be living with Taylor for a while or if I’ll be able to afford my own place eventually.

Maybe I’ll end up working a job that pays well and be able to move back to San Francisco to work with Hugh again. Being the optimist that I am, I won’t worry too much about it. I have some money in my savings to live off of for a little while. It will definitely stretch further in Nashville, living with Taylor, than if I were alone in SanFran.

I turn on my blinker and turn onto Taylor’s street. Her neighborhood is seriously the cutest. Everyone’s lawns are perfectly manicured and there are small trees with their supporting mechanisms still attached planted in most yards since they are all new builds. Even the flower beds with shrubs that are beginning to die, because it’s the dead of winter, manage to look well kept. My suspicions about the surprise are confirmed when I see two cars parked outside, belonging to Leah and Lauren.

We met Leah Gates and Lauren Long in middle school when we all got put together for a group project. We spent the entire week taking turns working on it at each other's houses, and once we bonded over how hot we all thought our history teacher was, the rest was… well, history. After that, we did everything together, and the fact that we’ve stayed friends into our 20s is something very special to me. I would do anything for these girls– they’ve become my family.

I pull into the driveway where they left a spot open for me, quickly turn off the engine and hop out. Before I make it around the front of my car, my three best friends come barrelling out of Taylor’s house running right towards me. In a matter of seconds, I am completely enveloped in their hugs.

God, I’ve missed them.

“I missed you guys so much!” I say, my face buried in a mess of red and brown hair. Taylor pulls back first, removing the red curls from the bunch that was threatening to suffocate me.

“We missed you too, bitch!” she shouts back, making all of us laugh.

“Oh my god, Taylor. Did you need to shout that so loud, the whole neighborhood probably heard you?” Leah laughs. Leah is the youngest of the group – I mean, we’re all the same age, but her birthday is last so we always give her shit about it. However, she’s the most level-headed out of the four of us. Always being the most reasonable when it comes to… well, everything.

“Of course she did, she wouldn’t be Taylor if she didn’t.” Lauren chimes in, brushing a strand of Taylor’s wild red hair out of her face.

“Plus it’s true. We missed our bitch!” Lauren yells out even louder than Taylor had. Leah rolls her eyes, shaking her head in disapproval. Lauren, I’d say, is probably the second most feisty of the bunch. She and Taylor hold down the lets have a good time, fuck the world attitudes, and I’m settled somewhere between their wild sides and Leah’s voice of reasoning. I’ve always been a more go-with-the-flow type, and it fits in our group dynamic perfectly.

“Okay okay, let’s get all your shit in the house already.” Taylor directs as she breaks up the group huddle. When we walk over to the Jeep, I pop the hatch open and we all stand there staring at it.

“Oh my god, Shane, did a grizzly bear pack your car?” Taylor asks. Her eyes wide as she looks at me. I shrug my shoulders and yank some canvases out to hand her.

“I was in a bit of a rush, Tay,” I say and stick my tongue out at her. She playfully rolls her eyes and grabs the rest of my paint supplies.

After grabbing all of my stuff and shutting the trunk back, Taylor swings her arm over my shoulder and we walk inside, Lauren and Leah right on our heels holding duffle bags and boxes of shoes.

Taking an immediate left once inside the house, Taylor sets my canvases on top of the small kitchen table. At the same time Leah, Lauren, and I drop my bags and boxes of shoes on the floor beside it. I stand there taking in the sight of her cute little house, as she walks over to the small island and pours us each a glass of wine.

I have always loved Taylor’s house because it is so freaking cozy. The outside is painted cornflower blue, with white trim and columns on the front porch. When you walk inside there are coat hooks on the wall to the right and an entrance to a small dining area to the left.

The dining area leads straight to the kitchen, which I am obsessed with. She has navy blue cabinets, white marble countertops, and stainless steel appliances. There’s a small island in the kitchen that has the same color scheme of navy and marble, with just enough room for two barstools on one side.

There’s a door to the left of the kitchen that leads to Taylor’s master bedroom, then windows that look out to her little backyard. In the living room, there’s a small gray sectional, covered in throw pillows and knit blankets.

Her fireplace is whitewashed and sits in the far left corner, right next to the tv stand – which I’m sure has all of our favorite movies inside. There’s a small hallway off the living room that leads to the guest room and guest bath, which I will be calling home for the foreseeable future.

There are candles burning everywhere you look, which has the house constantly smelling like vanilla or baked goods. I want to curl up on the couch and take a nap every time I’m here.

“Okay!” Taylor announces, startling me from my thoughts. “I know you need a shower Shaney because you were not lying about smelling like a crusty cheeseburger.” She scrunches her nose at me.

“I said crusty moteland cheeseburgers. Though I’m not sure that statement helps me.” I laugh.

“Anyways,” she continues, “you go take a shower, and we will order food. Then it’s full-on girls' night.” She raised her wine glass in the air, and the three of us followed suit, clinking our glasses together.

I grab my bags and haul them into what is now my bedroom. I find my way to the guest bathroom, which is conveniently right across from my room, and tie my long blonde hair into a bun on top of my head and wash my face. I walk over and turn the shower on and let the water run so hot it steams up the whole bathroom. After I drop my travel clothes into a pile on the floor and step in the shower, I am able to immediately feel all the muscles in my body relax. I take a deep breath and tears start falling down my face. Because this is the first moment I really let myself relax since I walked into Pete’s office.

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