Us

Chapter 1

A little over a year later…

“Liam, wake up sweetie, it’s time for school,” I say in my sweetest voice possible.

“I’m tired Brittany,” my little brother whines. Mornings have been a problem for us lately, I’m doing everything I can to make his life easier but it doesn’t feel like it’s enough.

After our parents died, I became my little brother’s guardian. I used the rest of winter break to get us all set up to move to New York. He is in kindergarten now and I am in my junior year of Colombia.

“If you get up you can have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.” And just like that, he has all the energy in the world. “Good, now get ready for school, and then we’ll have pancakes,” I tell him.

“Chocolate chip, right?” he responds.

“Yes, chocolate chip.”

After we both get ready for school and eat our breakfast. We head on out the door to get Liam to school. Finding a good apartment for the two of us near Colombia was hard and expensive, but thankfully our parents had a good nest egg set up for us and after selling our old house in Philly, I was able to afford the security deposit and a year’s worth of rent. I found a good job in the city, working as an assistant to a partner at a law firm. Hopefully, after I graduate I can start as a paralegal while I work through law school.

The only downside to our apartment is that it isn’t kid-friendly. Because it is so close to campus a lot of students live in the building, which means parties, loud ones. Just as the elevator doors are about to close we hear a voice call out, “hold the elevator.” Liam and I aren’t in a rush this morning and I think of myself as a polite and kind person, so of course, I hold out my hand until the owner of the voice can step inside.

“Thanks,” he says.

“No problem,” I respond while trying to keep my cool. It’s my next-door neighbor and the hottest guy I have ever seen in my life. We haven’t interacted much and I think this is the first time he has ever seen Liam.

Speaking of Liam, out of the corner of my eye. “Liam, No!” I say as I pull his hands away from the panel. Why do children have an obsession with pushing elevator buttons?

“Pretty please,” Liam whines as I give a look that screams “I am so sorry” to my elevator companion.

“No, Liam we don’t have time to stop at every floor, we have to get you to school,” I say, praying he doesn’t have a temper tantrum in an elevator in front of our next-door neighbor.

“Can I press them on the way home,” he pleads.

“Fine, but just a couple,” I relent.

Ding, Ding. Finally, we reach the lobby. Liam and I exit the elevator and I look back and give my neighbor a little smile and he gives one back to me.

When I turn back around I realize that this is the first time I’ve felt a connection with anyone in a long time and we didn’t say a word to each other. I’ve had my share of one-night stands and boyfriends, but I haven’t been with anyone since I started taking care of Liam. When I left for winter break I was in a relationship with a guy named Joey, we hadn’t been together long but I liked him. However, when my parents died, my list of responsibilities got a lot longer and after just a couple of weeks back in the city, I decided that I didn’t have time or energy for a boyfriend, so I ended it. I haven’t thought much about him or any guy really in the past year. But something tells me that my neighbor is going to be on my mind.