For the first time in her life, Savannah was going to live by herself. Until she turned the key and opened the door to her new apartment, it wasn’t a reality that had quite sunk in yet. She couldn’t even say that she’d ever thought about it as a realistic possibility until a month and a half ago, when she’d called Jake in a manic fit and asked him to guide her through a firsthand virtual tour of the hottest properties in Willow Creek, and even then, that night had been a fever dream she could have put down to her imagination the next morning if there wasn’t photographic evidence. When Sav had moved out of her dad’s apartment, she’d moved in with roommates; she’d sort of thought from there that she’d move in with her significant other, if there was a man who took enough pity on her, and in the completely likely chance that there wasn’t, her backup plan was to move into Courtney’s basement for the rest of her life.
Jake was supposed to meet her that day. Well, he was supposed to have met her there in three days when she was originally scheduled to arrive, but her travels had been hastened for the exact reason why he wasn’t. Sav tamped down the ache in her chest caused by that thought.
She’d rolled into town earlier that morning, but Sanctuary Terrace hadn’t been her first stop. She’d gone by the hospital first and as the afternoon unfolded, she’d checked off the McKenna landmarks while she made the rounds. Before she laid hands on a cardboard box, there was a lot of emotional unpacking to do. Knowing what a difficult time it was for her family was different than feeling them in her arms while she tried to offer comfort. There’d been a lot of time to think while she’d faced unyielding stretches of highway and she’d done what she could to mitigate the anxiety she felt, but seeing Jake lying in a hospital bed was just sad. Not hopeless, not by any means, but it cast a cloud over the day.
Unfortunately, driving around with a household attached to her caboose presented certain challenges and, in thinking about everyone’s best interests, Sav eventually decided to get to the leasing office before rush hour began.
The apartment was beautiful. It was warm and spacious and empty and hers and it was quiet and well-appointed and…
She was on her own. Not really. But kind of. It was…
If she ever wrote a memoir, Exciting and Terrifying felt like it a fitting title.
Pulling her phone out and setting it on the counter, she started one of her playlists and let the music flow through the space while she began the process of unloading. There’d been a methodical organization to the way she’d packed her things and bringing them out and up was almost therapeutic. Everything technological came first, everything else came second.
The boxes were heavy, but Sav’s cheeks weren’t flush from exertion as much as they were from the July heat. Strawberry blond tendrils were sneaking out from the messy bun she’d pulled her hair into and with her latest load, her arms were too full to brush them out of her face. When she heard the background noise of her new neighbor returning home, she was navigating the stairwell and hallway mostly through sound. When a disembodied voice offered a hand, she cheerfully responded, “Sure. I have a collection going.”
Walking through her doorway, Sav knelt down and set her things on the floor. Standing, she tucked her hair behind her ear and turned with a smile.
Which most certainly did not freeze when she saw the man standing in her doorway, even though he was so attractive, her joke about stealing his body parts had her flashforwarding six months to a 20/20 episode in which she was featured. Rubbing her hands on her jeans, her smile brightened. “You are so nice for offering, but I honestly don’t want to take you out of your way.” She paused, before adding, “Although I have been wondering how I’m going to get my couch up the stairs.”