The following days I slowly develop a routine. I wake up early, go to work, clean, do laundry and everything else I need to do then go back home, sleep and repeat. Gigi has been a saving grace that has been taking me to the mansion on some mornings. I don’t know how I could survive without her.

Which brings us to now. My limbs wrapped around her like vines on a tree. Begging her to stay.

“NO!”, I cry. “You can’t leave me”. I whine. I literally whine like a child to their parents.

“Girl, you better calm down and get off me”, she says trying to pull my arms away from her waist.

Let me backup.

Gigi is leaving for two weeks to go on a business trip. According to her the editor of the magazine was supposed to go on her own but then decided yesterday that she would be taking a few members of her team with her to Paris. My best friend is going to freaking Paris and I am going to be alone for two weeks.

I cannot even remember the last time we were away from each other for such a long period of time ever since we became friends and moved in together. We are joined at the hip. I remember this one time I sprained my ankle, Gigi literally slept next to me for the two days I was at the hospital.

That’s how attached we are to one another.

And now she’s leaving me.

I eventually release my vice like grip and lay on her bed as I watch her pack. I would have had enough time to process all of this happening if she had told me a few days ago, not when I have just gotten back from a long day and have her ambush me with such heartbreaking news.

I know I am being dramatic but honestly it’s too short notice. You don’t tell someone that you’re going halfway across the world and then immediately start packing because you’re leaving the next day.

Damn Gigi and her business trip. But honestly as much as I am being a big baby about this, I am happy for her. I know Paris has always been one of the places on her travel bucket list and the fact that it’s all expenses paid makes it even better for her.

“Who’s gonna keep me company?”, I look at her with sad eyes. I am trying to pull off the best puppy dog eyed look I can. But I think I just look like Theodore the chipmunk with my puffed up cheeks.

She looks at me with an obvious look as she folds a sweater and shoves it in the already full suitcase.

“Bryce”.

“Fine but who’s gonna sleep in the apartment with me?” I ask.

“Again, Bryce”.

I shake my head no. “That’s not happening”.

She sits on the suitcase, to get the clothes to fit in.

“Why not?” she asks.

I get up and help her to close the overflowing case.

“Because I think I am getting too close to him”.

“I think you guys already got too close”, she smirks at me.

“Ugh, whatever. He is not sleeping over while you’re gone and that’s final”.

“Fine”, she stands up to start packing her makeup, “We’ll see how you’ll get any sleep for the next two weeks”.

I groan into one of the pillows. We’ll really see how I am going to sleep peacefully alone in this apartment. At night. In the dark.

Sheeeesh.

I am not entirely scared of the dark, but I am scared of being alone in a dark place.

Show me someone who isn’t.

All of this stems from my childhood trauma of horror movies. I have this sadistic cousin called Kyle. Whenever I would visit my uncle’s place he would always make me and his friends watch horror movies.

I got so traumatised by Chucky so much that when I got home the following week, I asked my mom to throw away all my dolls and stuffed animals. I was always afraid that they would one day come to life and kill me in my sleep.

And now, years later I am still suffering because of that.

Morning creeps in so quickly and before I know it I’m already saying goodbye to Gigi as she leaves for the airport to meet up with the rest of her team. I quickly grab my stuff and go on to the mansion.

The whole day I have been on edge. I am really not okay with being alone. I keep thinking of how I am going to sleep and actually get some peace of mind while Gigi is gone. Even Ms June has been asking me if I’m okay and all I did was nod and tell her that I’m fine.

As if lying is going to get me out of this weird situation I’m in.

“You don’t like the food?”, Pierre says with a hint of sadness in his voice.

I look down at the chicken lettuce wraps he made me for lunch and then back up at him.

“No, the food is delicious, as always”, I give him a reassuring smile.

The food is good, it’s just that my anxiety is making it difficult to enjoy this meal.

“What’s wrong then?”, he asks.

I shrug, “Nothing”.

He pulls up a chair and sits next to me.

“Tell me”. He looks at me with his eyes filled with wisdom and his gentle smile.

As if I needed those two things, his two features to push me into telling him what’s eating me up. And I do.

I tell him about my fear of being alone and Gigi being away for two weeks. As I tell him , I feel relieved but also panicky.

“Why are you two so glum?”, Ms June says walking into the kitchen.

Pierre stands up to pour her a cup of tea and he proceeds to tell her of my situation.

“Well you can sleep here”, Ms June says without missing a beat.

My eyes widened in surprise, “What? No”.

She dips a biscuit into the tea, “Yes”.

“I can’t do that”

“Why can’t you?”, Pierre asks.

Because it’s weird, I mentally answer him. As if he can read my thoughts.

“You have an assigned room, don’t you?”, Ms June asks.

I nod my head, “Yes, but it’s for changing and when necessary”, I say repeating Harvey’s words to me.

“Well isn’t this a necessary time for you?”

“I think it is”, Pierre says with a grin to Ms June.

She looks at me with a smile and winks at me over the brim of her cup as she sips her tea.

Harvey is asked to drive me to the apartment so that I can pack what I need. The whole ride with him is quiet. It’s not an awkward silence but it’s not a comfortable one either. I gave him the directions and that was the only conversation we had throughout the whole drive.

I tear through my room like a tornado as I shove whatever I can into my suitcase. It’s not like Harvey told me to be quick but I am just feeling nervous about having him stand in our living room like some statue that’s silently judging where I live.

I’m not saying that he looks judgy but he looks out of place in our small space. We don’t all live in a mansion like Alexander Cain.

I walk out with a suitcase filled with clothes and a few pairs of shoes and my tote hanging off my shoulder with all my hair products, toiletries and makeup inside. Harvey takes the luggage from me and walks out to the car outside.

Before I leave I make a last minute decision of taking my laptop and some notebooks with me.

Closing off the door, I walk to the car and join Harvey.

My day has taken a weird turn. Just this morning I was freaking out about how I was going to spend the night alone with my creepy thoughts and now I am going to spend two weeks sleeping in the same house as the man that I am undeniably crushing on.

Life, didn’t I tell you to warn me when you’re about to throw a curveball at me?