Big Apple Dreams Read online

  “Allow me,” he said, opening the door and ushering me inside.

  He slid in next to me, close enough for our thighs to touch, but not creepily. He had seemed nice the other times I’d been with him, so I didn’t even mind his obvious lack of personal space awareness. It made me excited, heightening my interest in the outcome of our date.

  “So,” he said, after giving the cabbie directions. “Have you been to any other shows since you arrived?”

  “I haven’t,” I said mournfully. “I haven’t had the time, or the money.”

  “They have cheap tickets,” he laughed, wrinkles forming around his eyes.

  “I know,” I giggled back. “But those seats aren’t the good ones.”

  “They aren’t bad,” he said, lifting his arm and laying it on the seat behind me.

  “But they aren’t what the director pictured,” I said with a grin, adjusting myself, so I could better look at him.

  “I don’t follow,” he said, eyes sparkling.

  “When you sit in front of the stage, you see everything the way the director imagined,” I said, closing my eyes and picturing the inside of the only theatre I’d been in here. “There are no trap doors to give the tricks away, no lights shining where they shouldn’t be, and everything is clear, like if you’d been watching a movie.” I opened my eyes to find him staring at me, transfixed. “If you’re up above the stage, the show loses its magic. Things that should have remained a mystery are instantly given away.”

  “I’ve never heard anyone explain it like that,” he said, leaning in slightly.

  “Of course, not every show is that way,” I said with a soft smile. “But the great ones are. I wouldn’t want to see them from anywhere but the floor.”

  “You really love it,” he laughed, leaning back and pulling his arm from behind me, resting his hands in his lap.

  “I do.”

  “That’s awesome, if you ask me,” he laughed. “It’s nice to see someone with a passion for something.”

  “Lots of people have passion,” I argued. “They just aren’t as open about it as I am.”

  “That’s actors for you,” he laughed.

  “Tell me about your job,” I asked, interested in learning more about him.

  “There’s not really much more than what I told you before,” he said, glancing over at me again.

  “Why did you go into that field?” I pressed. “What made you want to put up with . . . what did you call them? Snooty?”

  “And snobby,” he laughed, nodding. “They aren’t all bad. I had a complicated day when I said that.”

  “Really, though,” I pressed. “What made you want to go into real estate?”

  “I love the architecture of this city,” he said simply. “I wanted to see every space of it and experience what it had to offer. You know, except for the ones I could end up dead in,” he laughed. “When I was younger, I actually wanted to be an architect, but it didn’t play out.”

  “Why not?”

  “As it turns out, I’m terrible at designing my own stuff,” he said with a grin.

  “I don’t think that’s true,” I laughed. “You didn’t chicken out, did you?”

  “No!” He laughed again, adjusting his position and turning towards me once more.

  The car rolled to a stop and whatever he was about to say was cut short as the driver told us our total. Chris paid him, leaving a generous tip, and slid out of the car, holding his hand out for me as I followed.

  The restaurant lights glittered through the windows in front of us, patrons seated close to the glass. The valet opened the door for us as we approached him, nodding his head as Chris thanked him.

  There was a pretty blonde at the hostess station, a smile and menus ready. Within seconds, we were seated at a table next to the street, the panes revealing the scenery outside.

  “Could I interest you in any of our evening wines?” the hostess asked.

  “Why don’t you bring us something sweet,” Chris said, smiling brightly.

  “Could I have some water as well?” I asked politely.

  “I’ll be right out with those,” she said graciously before leaving us with our pamphlets.

  “I didn’t even ask,” Chris said, a slight redness to his face. “Do you drink?”

  “Every now and then,” I said with a smile. “Not very much, though. We didn’t have it at home unless we were celebrating something.”

  “Home,” he said thoughtfully. “Where are you from again? Our flight was from Denver, right?”

  “It was,” I said, nodding. “I flew in from Phoenix, though.”

  “Ah. Hot,” he said with a laugh.

  “Actually, I lived in the mountains. It snows there and everything.”

  I settled back in my chair, crossing my legs and folding my arms, a smile on my lips.

  “You haven’t seen anything, yet,” he said, resting a hand on the table. “Hurricanes, snow storms, humidity—you’re in for a rude weather awakening.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  A waitress returned with the water and wine, introducing herself as Meg. I suddenly realized I hadn’t even looked at my menu, yet, and pulled it towards me, leafing through its contents. Everything looked good, and I had no doubt it was expensive—there were no prices listed. I knew that some fancy places only gave the prices to the person paying. I squirmed in my chair slightly, uncomfortable with the arrangement. It would be just my luck that I picked the most expensive thing on the list. Even if I didn’t, I’d still worry because I wouldn’t know for sure. I would have to pick something more like a side.

  “Do you see anything you like, Mara?” Chris asked, handing his menu to Meg. He must have ordered while I was panicking over food.

  “Um,” I said, looking up at him. “Can I have a salad?”

  “Of course,” he laughed. “Whatever you want.”

  “A salad,” I said with a smile, certain I hadn’t picked anything too costly.

  Meg scribbled down our order and took her leave.

  “Wine?” Chris offered.

  “Would you mind if I waited?”

  “Of course not,” he said, pouring a small amount into his glass. “If you’re from Arizona you must need water more than anyone here.”

  I laughed, blushing slightly again.

  “It’s a dry heat.”

  “So I’ve heard,” he laughed, raising his glass. “To the desert and its dry heat.”

  I clinked my water glass against his wine goblet and took a small sip, relishing in the refreshing coolness.

  “Have you seen any good places lately?” I asked, searching for an interesting subject to talk about.

  “Actually, I have,” he said with a smile. “It was a penthouse overlooking the Hudson River.”

  “Roof garden?” I asked, pretending to be skeptical.

  “No,” he laughed. “It did have several balconies that were finely decorated, though.”

  “Tell me about it,” I said with a smile.

  “It was bought by a foreign couple for their nineteen year old son who’s moving to the country to go to college.”

  “What?” I asked, my jaw dropping. “They just bought it for him?”

  “It’s very common,” he said before taking another sip.

  “But they didn’t earn it!” I said, flustered. “How do they know he will take care of it if he didn’t earn the money to buy it himself?”

  “He won’t, I’m sure,” Chris mused.

  “I can’t believe that. I saved everything I could and worked myself almost to death to get here. Even now, it’s looking like I might need to get a roommate to help with expenses.”

  “New York is not cheap,” he agreed. “I was actually surprised when I discovered you lived alone.”

  “I could probably keep it up,” I said. “But I wouldn’t have as much time for auditions. I’d have to work all the time.”

  “Choices, choices,” Chris laughed.

  “Wha
t about you, if you don’t mind,” I asked, raising my glass to my lips. “Do you live alone?”

  “I do,” he said, nodding. “I can afford it, though.”

  I rolled my eyes as I took a drink and he laughed. It did seem like he was very well off.

  Our food arrived shortly after that and my eyes grew wide at the size of my salad. Chris had ordered some type of pasta, obviously his favorite by the way he was looking at it.

  “Anything else?” Meg asked.

  “No, thank you,” I said with a smile.

  The rest of the evening was spent talking about our past experiences, including education. I wasn’t surprised to find he had a business degree. He listened intently to everything I said, laughing and joking along. I liked it very much. There was warmness in my belly that grew the longer we were together. I hoped I was making a good impression him as well.

  All too soon, our dinner was over and he offered his arm to me as we walked outside, the doorman hailing a cab for us. Chris tipped him before opening the door for me as he had at the beginning of the night.

  “What are you looking at?” he asked as he slid in next to me again.

  “The people,” I said, tearing my gaze away from the window to look at him. “They interest me. I wonder where they’re going and what’s happened in their lives. How did they deal with trials? Do they feel like they have a good or bad life?”

  “People watching,” he said with a playful smile. “Also known as an actress at work.”

  “I never thought of it like that,” I laughed. “I enjoy doing it, that’s all.”

  “Thank you for tonight,” he said, breezing over to what he wanted to talk about. “I had a good time.”

  “Me, too,” I said, smiling.

  “Would you . . . you know, be interested in doing it again?” He swallowed hard, like he was afraid I would slap him for asking.

  “Sure,” I said, letting a little laughter into my voice. “I think it would be fun.”

  “Awesome,” he said, the wide grin overtaking his face once more. “I’ll see what I can come up with.”

  “Don’t try too hard,” I laughed. “You don’t want to break your brain.”

  “So, what if it does?”

  “Then maybe whatever you think is wrong with your architecture designs will be fixed in the process.”

  “Ouch,” he laughed. “I see how it is.”

  All too soon, the cab pulled up to my apartment, and we walked to my front door. I hoped he didn’t want to go as much as I wanted him to stay.

  “Thank you,” I said, unlocking my door.

  “It was my pleasure.” He slowly began backing away, a smile on his face as always. “I’ll call you. You can count on it.”

  “All right,” I laughed, opening the door and stepping inside.

  “Keep your phone on,” he said, mock seriousness etched in his features. “I mean it. You never know when I could do it.”

  “Okay,” I giggled again.

  “Goodnight, Mara,” he said softly as I began to close the door, keeping my eyes on him.

  “Goodnight, Chris,” I said sweetly, letting the barrier between us finally close all the way with a soft click.

  Chapter Five

  Another shift at Olive Garden awaited me the next day, promising to be as busy as ever. People were flooding into the city to take part in the celebrations surrounding our nation’s birth. I didn’t mind it so much, because work went much faster when we were packed full, but I was always worn out by the time I made it home.

  “Hey, Lizzy,” I said with a smile as I locked my belongings into their cubbyhole. “How are you?”

  “Frustrated,” she said shortly, shoving her own things into their space and slamming the door shut.

  “Wow. Do you want to talk about it?”

  “I’m just trying to find a new place to live,” she said with a sigh. “My landlord refuses to hold up his end of things and I’m tired of living in a dump. The only problem is, I can’t afford anything! My old place was rent controlled and barely in my price range. I got a job here, so I could have something besides ramen noodles to eat every day.” She laughed and rolled her eyes, pulling a hair pin from the pocket of her black jeans and pulling her red, curly bangs back with it.

  I thought back to my conversation with Chris the night before and smiled.

  “Would you consider having a roommate?”

  “I have, but I don’t know anyone looking. Even my own brother doesn’t have room for me with all of the guys he lives with.”

  “Well, I know we don’t know each other really well, but I’ve been thinking about asking around for a roommate.”

  “Are you serious?” She spun around to look at me, hope in her eyes. “Where do you live?”

  “Harlem. It was the best deal I could find for what I had right now.”

  She bit her lip, seeming to think it over while she pinned her name tag to her white, button up shirt.

  “Can I come see it?” she finally asked.

  “Of course,” I said with a smile. “Anytime you want.”

  “Great! Thank you so much, Mara. You must be an answer to prayers.”

  “It’s no big deal,” I laughed.

  “Is tomorrow morning a good time?”

  “Sure.”

  “Awesome.” She smiled at me again and then rushed over, throwing her arms around me. “You have no idea what this does for me.”

  “Make sure you like it first,” I laughed, hugging her back.

  “I’m sure I will. Thank you so much!”

  The rest of the day went in mostly the same manner. I’d never realized how friendly Lizzy was. She had opened up at my offer, shocking me with her funniness and quick wit. Hopefully, she really would like the apartment. She reminded me of a couple of my friends back in Arizona.

  The next morning I put off going to the gym, deciding to wait for her to show up. We hadn’t picked a specific time, so it looked like I was staying in for the day until she arrived.

  I pulled one of my favorite movie musicals, Oklahoma!, out and turned it on, wishing I would either hear something back from my audition, or at least be able to go to another one soon. Things kept popping up whenever I thought I had a chance to get out there again. Determined to make it, though, I’d asked for a couple days off after the holiday, so I could really get into the swing of things.

  Just as the second act began, there was a peppy knock at the door. I paused the film, a cowboy and his girl frozen in their dance.

  As I expected, Lizzy was on the other side, jeans and a tank top hugging her fit form, her hair in a messy up-do. Her green eyes sparkled with excitement as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

  “Good morning!” she said in a sing song voice, holding out a coffee to me.

  “Same to you,” I laughed, taking it from her. “Come on in.”

  “Oh, it’s a studio!” She walked past me, taking in the space around her.

  “Yeah, I forgot to mention that. I hope it’s not a problem.”

  Walking towards the kitchen, I set the cup on the counter and took a seat in one of the chairs.

  “It’s fine with me,” she said with a smile. “I have one of those beds that fold up into a closet type thingy. It’s been a lifesaver to have. Is that okay with you?”

  “The place came furnished, so I don’t have a problem with anything. We can move whatever around if we need to as well.”

  “Awesome! I think it’s amazing. Let’s talk finances.” She strode over to me and plopped her purse on the counter, settling into the seat next to me.

  “It’s not too bad, actually,” I said. “Rent and all the utilities is only about sixteen hundred a month.”

  “I can totally afford half of that,” she said, nodding. “What about food and stuff?”

  “I don’t mind sharing,” I said with a shrug. “I’m bad about buying more than enough, anyway. With someone here, I won’t have to worry about eating the same thing three nights in a ro
w, so it doesn’t go bad.”

  “I’m so grateful for this,” she said, a hand over her heart. “You have no idea how much this will help me. And it’s nice! No mice or bugs. That’s a big seller for me.”

  “Me too,” I laughed.

  “So, when can I move in? Do you need a deposit or anything?”

  “As soon as you want and, uh, no. When you move out we’ll see if there’s anything that needs to be fixed. I already paid the full deposit, so I don’t see any reason in making you pay some, as well.”

  “This is fantastic!” she squealed, throwing her arms around me again. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can’t wait to call Evan and tell him.”

  “Evan?” I asked, chuckling at her excitement.

  “Oh, he’s my older brother. I tried to see if I could move in with him first, but he lives with a bunch of guys from work.” She pulled her phone from her purse and tapped out a quick message before I heard the swooshing sound that meant it was on the way to its destination.

  “That’s nice that they all live together,” I said nonchalantly.

  “It works well with their schedule,” she agreed.

  “What is it they do?”

  “They don’t all work at the same place, but they’re each part of the running crews for the theatres.”

  “Really?” I asked, my interest instantly peaked.

  “Oh yeah, you’re a theatre nut!” She grimaced at her words. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way,” she explained.

  “It’s fine,” I laughed. “Where does Evan work?”

  “I have no idea,” she laughed. “He’s always moving around. I think he likes all the shows and uses it as a way to see them all. He’s usually only with a company for a few months at a time. Except for last year—he spent eight months on tour with American Idiot. I missed him a lot.”

  “It sounds like you guys are pretty close,” I said with a smile.

  “Most of the time,” she said with a shrug.

  Her phone dinged and she opened the new message, scanning it quickly.

  “He says he can help me move all my stuff over in two days, is that okay?”

  “Isn’t that the Fourth of July?” I asked.

  “Yeah. I guess he has the day off. He’s doing something with his buddies the other days.” She slid her phone back into her bag, picking it up and tossing it over her arm once more as she stood.