Back to Life by Danielle Allen Page B

night has been great. I just…have trouble sleeping.” I stammered.  He hugged me tighter.
    A few silent minutes pass before Ty kissed the top of my head and pulled away from me. “Let’s get you home. It’s really late.” I looked at the clock; it was 3:12am.
    “Wow, it is late,” I said as I slipped into my shoes. Grabbing my handbag, I stood and walked toward the door. Ty reached around me to open it and I walked out.  The building was completely silent. Our footsteps echoed in the welcome room.  Ty locked up and we walked to one of the three single car garage ports on the side of the building.  The garage door slid open to showcase a dark blue Mercedes Benz.
    “Nice car,” I whistled appreciatively.
    “Thanks,” Ty smiled as we climbed in the vehicle. “My grandfather kind of forced my hand. Don’t get me wrong, I love this car. But I was also quite fond of my 2008 Dodge Charger.” The engine purred alive when he started the car.
    “So how did you r grandfather force your hand?” I asked curiously.
    Pulling out of the garage and heading toward Libby Lofts, he explained, “He believed in rewarding hard work. After Motive, my Boston restaurant, became well established. My grandfather was on me to treat myself to a big purchase. I picked him up for a drive here one weekend last year and the entire 6 and ½ hour drive, he went in on my car—it pulls to the right, it has too many miles on it,” Ty laughed.
    I stared at his profile while he drove. His eyes were so bright as he reminisced about his grandfather.  He looked genuinely happy. “So I promised him that when I moved to Richland I would buy a new car. And I don’t break promises.” A look I couldn’t read passed over his face. The rest of the ride was quiet as we were in our own thoughts. Oddly enough, the trigger for my nightmares didn’t cross my mind. Instead, I thought about the concept of happiness.
    We pulled into the Libby Lofts parking deck and the Mercedes Benz eased into a parking spot.
    “Thank you. For the ride. And for everything,” I said as we climbed out of the car.
    “Thank you for extending your night with me,” Ty responded with a smile.
    Walking through the parking deck entrance, we passed security and made our way to the elevators.  Ty yawned and stretched as we stood waiting for the elevator car to arrive. I gave Ty a sleepy smile, “Tired huh?”
    “Just a little,” he returned my smile. The elevator arrived and we climbed in. He hi t the 9 button and turned to me. “Which floor?”
    “Nine ,” I said, turning to face him.
    “We live on the same floor?” he said incredulously, eyes widened.
    I laughed at his shocked expression. The elevator dinged and the chrome doors opened. We stepped out and eyed each other comically as we tried to figure out where the other lived. Walking past 9B, we reached 9E at the end of the hall.
    “This is me,” Ty opened the door and flipped on the li ght.  His loft looked very similar to mine, just bigger.  He had the original white walls and hickory hardwood flooring. His couch and love seat were a chocolate brown and cream checkered design.  The two oversized chairs had the same design.  He had a wooden book case with two boxes full of books in front of it. The large window had cream drapes drawn.  His kitchen mimicked my kitchen—except it looked completely void of food.  A huge box with the words fragile and photographs on it sat against an empty wall.
    “This is nice. Had I known the end units were bigger, I would’ ve jumped on this when it became available for purchase,” I joked while standing near the entryway. 
    Laughing, Ty said, “Is that so?” Walking to the kitchen, he looked over his shoulder and asked, “Can I offer you something to drink? I don’t have much in the fridge , but I have water and juice.”
    “No , thank you,” I said. Seeing in his refrigerator as he opened the door, I continued, “You definitely need to go to the store, Ty.