8 XAVIER

8 XAVIER

Watching her smile at me, I can’t help the smile that crosses my own face.  

Her smile is enchanting. 

Everything about her is enchanting. 

We walk together into the apartment complex. 

When we turn to enter the door, I see Jennifer smiling at me with thumbs up. 

I laugh under my breath at her teasing. 

Well, it’s not really teasing. 

She genuinely seems to want me to hit it off with her new friend Lexie. 

Jennifer and I met three years ago when I first moved back to this town. 

She needed a place to stay, and was the first to apply. 

Her application was amazing. 

She was one of the top students from her school. And her home life was quite difficult, with her mother having had cancer for a few years. Thankfully, her mother was able to recover and has been cancer free for the last year. 

But during that time, Jennifer struggled significantly, both emotionally and financially. 

She was paying for her mothers hospital bills, as her father had passed away when she was a baby. 

She felt alone, and didn’t know what she was going to do. Her scholarship money would cover her school fees, but she would have no money to take care of herself. 

When she applied, she refused to take handouts. She didn’t want me to give her the rent free, which I had offered. 

I thought I was doing the right thing. 

I thought I was helping. But, truthfully, I made her look like a charity case. 

So I instead helped her. 

I agreed to let her pay the rent, which is only seven hundred dollars, if she was willing to take the two bedroom apartment. She could rent out the other side to any qualified applicant and they could split the rental cost. 

The two bedroom apartments were very few for this complex. Five of them were rented out to single mothers who attend the university. The sixth one was meant for me, so I could have a separate room for an office. 

I felt that she could do more with it than I could. 

And she did. 

She’s done so good there. 

She had a roommate for the first two years, while her mother was battling cancer. 

The roommate she had was very nice, and she and Jennifer ended up being great friends. She ended up moving in with her boyfriend last year. 

Since Jennifer had managed to finish paying off the rest of her mothers hospital bills, she didn’t need another roommate. Instead, we both agreed that her mother could stay with her for the year while she got back to working and what not. 

The entire three years that Jennifer has lived here, she has always begged me to settle down. 

She hates how I won’t commit to anyone, and says she wants to see me happy. 

She wants me to fall in love and get married and start a family. 

But I don’t want any of that shit. 

I don’t believe in any of that shit. 

How could I? 

After everything that happened with my parents. 

After everything that happened with their marriage. 

How could I ever believe in that shit? 

“So, what’s with all of those packets?”

Her voice is like a melody, traveling through my ears and warming my body. 

Warming my heart. 

I smile down at her as I hold the entrance door open. “It’s just some shit from work. I have a few things to finish for tomorrow. Though I do plan on procrastinating as long as possible.”

She laughs at my words as we walk to the elevator. I press the button to go up and we wait for the elevator doors to open before entering. 

“Just so you know, we are on the third floor.”

She smiles brightly at me once more while I press the button for the third floor. 

“So, how is it that you’re going to be procrastinating?”

I flash her a giant smile as the doors open and we walk out. “Well, I haven’t eaten anything since lunchtime, so I will absolutely be cooking dinner. After that, who the hell knows.”

She giggles as I direct her down the left hall to the very end of the hallway. 

“So you can actually cook? That’s a surprise. I heard that everyone in this town is dependent on personal chefs.”

I stop her next to the second to last door. 

“Personal chefs and personal trainers, actually. I’m not going to lie, I grew up with a silver spoon, for sure. But the last few years have changed me. Besides, I personally hate having staff around doing everything for me all of the time. I’d much rather have my own space.” 

I pause as she smiles brightly at me once more.