Citrus

Chapter 5

I unlock the door to my apartment after a long day of classes. I flick on a few lights as I head into the living room. I collapse onto the couch and take a few seconds to let my shoulders relax. I dig my phone out from my pocket, going to play music when a new notification catches my attention. The one event was just named, 'Dr. Phillis,' in bright red. I know this was a shared calendar between me and my mother, but I knew this one was for me. A large chill goes through me as I glance at the words. Without a second thought, I close the calendar event to open my email.

I take less than a minute to compose an email to reschedule the event, claiming a last-minute class project would keep me too busy to stop by. In reality, after emailing, I was completely free for the rest of the day. Blair had disappeared this morning before I woke up.

She had left a note that had said, "Going to live life. Be back before tomorrow starts," Vague and filled with an air of spontaneity, just like Blair herself. Eden would be preparing his first column, so he hunkered down in his apartment. I could call Glory, but even if we just started the semester, as a medical student she was probably already behind on the work assigned.

I heave a sigh as I stand in the silent room. It's too quiet in this room, too still, and it unsettles me. I immediately reach over for the remote and turn the TV on to a random channel. Only when it blares do I head towards the fridge, throwing my bag onto the counter as I pass. I throw it harder than I think and it skids across, causing a menu and a spoon to fall off before sliding to rest on the corner.

There on the counter was a little white dish. The bluebirds on the decorated dish seemed to mock me. I stare at the empty dish. I had forgotten all about it after I washed it. It blends seamlessly into the background of our kitchen. My fingers tap an irregular beat into the counter.

It's only when my phone pings, a familiar tone that I know is my mother's, I look away from the dish. I quickly pick it up and there is the first message I've gotten from her since I've been at Iverson. The first thing she's said to me in weeks, "Try not to reschedule with Dr. Phillis too much. It makes you look flighty,"

I feel suspended in time at the text message. My mother had always shown that she only cared about how she looked. The one thing she taught me was that my actions reflected onto her. It had been bullshit when she told me that, and bullshit now. I seethe as I shove my phone back into my pocket. Why else would Avery Sinclair talk to her daughter? To remind me I was a defective extension of her?

I yank the fridge open viciously. I roll my neck multiple times while glaring unseeingly at a bottle of hot sauce. I don't know what I expected from my mother, maybe a loving hand. A sign that she cared about anything other than her career. Maybe even a sign that she cared about me enough just to reach out and ask me how my day was.

When glaring into the fridge didn't make me feel better, I slammed it shut. The T. V was the only noise in the entire apartment, but it couldn't take my mind off the text and the reminder. As I turn to go to my room and ignore both my eyes snagged on the dish off to the side again.

Vanessa would probably want her dish back, I reason. It looks like a family heirloom. I quickly grabbed my keys and the dish before heading back towards the door. I quickly lock the door before walking down the hall, passing the numbered doors before stopping at the one with her last name on a plate to the side.

I quickly knocked on the door. It only occurs to me that she could be in class or anywhere else after I wait a minute. I raise my hand to knock one more time when the door swings open. There in the door is not Vanessa, but a young girl.

She only came up to my stomach. She looked about nine and her head was vividly red. Her brown eyes squinted at me, but what shocked me more was the glitter. It covered almost every inch of the little girl with glitter. Purple glitter was lobbed onto her cheeks and gold glitter was on her arms. Green glitter fell from her hair onto her shoulders if her head moved.

I blink down at her, shifting the dish on my hip. "I'm sorry. I must have the wrong apartment." I drawl. Even though there shouldn't be any children in this apartment complex.

"Who are you looking for?" She said with an accent. Instead of it being southern, it's a strong New York accent. I feel my confusion mounting the more I stare down at her puffy cheeks.

I crouch down low, onto the little girl's level. "I'm looking for Vanessa Colby."

"Yeah! She lives here," She sends up more glitter into the air as she nods enthusiastically. Her eyes, if possible, seem to get wider as she bounces up and down. "I'm Finn." She beams.

"Finn. What a pretty name."

"Thank you. I'm a pretty princess." She said gesturing towards her striped pink shirt and green shorts. Clearly the outfit of a princess. Ignoring that, I smile warmly at Finn.

"Could you go grab Vanessa for me?" I ask politely, still crouching. Finn grabs me by the hand and drags me into the apartment. I try to protest, preferring to stay in the hallway, but Finn is already fluttering her arms wide as she races down the hallway. I take the time to close the door behind me before making my way farther into the apartment.

The living room has the same setup as ours, the furniture is the only difference. There is a love seat with a pile of pillows on the floor. Finn must have been watching a fairy show before I knocked as it still played on the T.V. At the coffee table was a plethora of coloring books with a paint set and seven tubes of glitter lay open.

Overall, they decorate the apartment with a modern feel, but it doesn't lose the sense that it's in. I head into the kitchen, taking it all in.

Looking over, I can see at least two sets of shoes abandoned by the doorway, clearly kicked off with little thought. A pair of child sandals with butterfly wings on the back. Then a pair of large sneakers, clearly bigger than even Vanessa's feet. I assume they could belong to her brother. The clock ticks a few seconds before Finn squeals loudly from down the hall, followed by footsteps.

The steps coming from down the hall are heavy enough for me to know it's Vanessa coming, and I turn towards her to greet her. Only it's not the Vanessa I'm expecting.

There is Vanessa and she isn't in slacks. She stands there in a bright red pair of shorts and a tank top. Her hair hangs loosely by her shoulders with green glitter on it. Her face also has glitter on it, less than Finn, but enough to know Finn had a hand in smearing it on her cheeks. I'm sure Vanessa stopped her before she went overboard. Vanessa, who is laughing at whatever Finn has just said, stops dead when she sees me standing in her kitchen. I quietly enjoy that Vanessa is once again, nothing like I expected.

"Hope I'm not interrupting," I say, friendly and upbeat. I don't have to force a smile because it comes naturally.

"Jamie. What a surprise." Her tone is polite and slightly distant, which differs completely from the image she is presenting. Vanessa looks out of her element. I haven't seen her in anything other than sleek and stylish clothing since she came on campus. I guess you don't truly know someone until you see them in their home where they feel truly comfortable, and what a change it is.

I lift her dish as if to answer the question lingering in the air. "I'm here to return this." Vanessa rushed forward as if making me hold it while in her presence wasn't good hospitality. I carefully hand her the dish. Her fingers overlap on mine for a few seconds before I am sure she has a grip on it. I ignore my body, getting a tingly sensation where she touches me and leans casually against her kitchen counter.

"You didn't have to return it. I could have picked it up," She places it lightly into the sink, handling it with care. Finn, with an innocent smile and an energy that couldn't be contained, bounced in her spot. She turns to me, her arms flying wide by her sides.

"Are you going to play with us?" Finn asks. Her eyes are wide with excitement as they dart towards the tubes of glitter. She wants to dose me in orange glitter and is hatching a plot. I consider it for a moment, as it is a pretty shade of orange, but it wasn't what I came for.

"I can't today, sorry." When Finn deflates visibly at the news. I rush on, "Next time, I promise." It wouldn't be good if I upset a fairy princess. Finn bounces back quickly with the promise. She grins wide, displaying her missing teeth and glee. Her wings shutter behind her as she jumps up and down.

"You would look pretty in orange fairy dust."

"Fairy dust?" I question. Finn gestures to her body and the glitter on the floor that sheds from her shoulders. I hum my understanding, looking between her and Vanessa. Vanessa is wiping the glitter off her face, failing as it spreads. The green glitter did little to hide the small flush that attacked her cheeks.

"Finn," Vanessa, giving up on her task, crouches low to talk to her, "Why don't you go play with Damien." The idea was a good one because Finn gasps dramatically. She immediately flies down the hallway, squealing, throwing her hands into the air. She doesn't slow to skid around the corner and disappears from my sight.

I stare after her, silently laughing at her energy. Vanessa, without Finn to take her attention, shifts nervously before clearing her throat. "Sister?" I ask politely. I thought she just had a brother, but it's better to ask than to assume. Vanessa seems more at ease talking about Finn and takes the offer.

"Finn is my cousin. She and her brother are just visiting,"

"She's adorable." Vanessa nods along. I realize after a few moments that I was staring at her. The cool marble of the counter shocks my lower back as I lean deeper into it. The silence of the kitchen presses in as Vanessa looks everywhere but at me.

"I could have gotten it from you. Save you the trouble of coming all the way." Vanessa once again tries to apologize. I've noticed she has a way of apologizing without saying sorry, and I can't figure out why she does it at all.

I look back towards Vanessa as she shifts from one foot to another. I watch as her fingers reach up to tug her ear as if she doesn't know what to do with herself. She meets my eyes before they dart away to a spot behind my shoulder. I cross my arms and don't stop the smile that makes its way across my face.

"You seem to have a problem with me helping you out," I observe. Vanessa stops fiddling with her ears. Her eyebrows bunch together in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Her hair sways and more glitter falls from her cheeks.

"Well, between me buzzing you up and the dish, it seems you don't like it when I do you a favor." While I think Vanessa brought that pie because she wanted to be nice, a part of me didn't trust the kindness because it was so textbook. I had a slight suspension that she made the pie so we could call it even. It wasn't like I had a problem with either of these actions, but it would be fun to use them to tease more of the flush out of her face.

Her face becomes defensive, "I don't have a problem with accepting your help." I make a noncommittal sound, saying nothing.

"I don't," Vanessa argues.

"I didn't say anything," I defend, but I'm sure the grin on my face defeats the purpose. I hold my hands up in a placating manner.

Vanessa laughs incredulously. "It's just me repaying you for your kindness." Her hands settle onto her hips and she c***s a foot out subconsciously, raring up for a fight.

I think about my words to explain my thinking before slowly saying, "Not everyone likes when people do them favors, which is fine. Some people feel obligated to return the favor."

"I can accept help from people." Vanessa huffs and I light up. I've only talked to her three other times, and this was the first time I've seen her exasperated.

Suddenly, I wanted to know if she was hiding something more behind that nice posh exterior. I wanted to know more about Vanessa. From her pie skills, down to what she does for fun. If Vanessa Colby was a puzzle, I was now an enthusiast at finishing it. I label the sudden interest as a curiosity at the many sides she has shown me. She was a new person every time we talked.

"Alright. Then let me help you. You're new and I can show you all Iverson and the city has to offer," I come up with. The small hidden gems that put Iverson on the map, drawing attention from wealthy people across the globe. The city of New York only a little while out.

Vanessa seems to think the offer over. "The city? That would be too much to ask of you..." The fact that she's hesitating makes me think it's a fifty-fifty chance. That she is even considering going with me makes me bolder.

My lips twitch. "Look, if you don't want to accept the help then-" I bait her.

Vanessa immediately cuts me off, "Fine. I'll let you show me around. It'll be helpful," She throws down, sticking her chin higher, not wanting to lose this silly argument. I open my mouth to comment on just that when I hear footsteps.

Finn comes romping back down the hallway, dragging behind her a large figure. I can't stop jerking when I look at him because he is not what I was expecting. I was expecting another nine years old, but holding Finn's hand was a man. A very, very, very beautiful man. He was too tall to hold Finn's hand and stand upright, so he was bending down as she dragged him.

His face was almost bored, but it was still chiseled and pale like marble. His hair is one of the first things I notice about him. It is shaved close to his head on the sides, but long and floppy on the top where it flops into his eyes. His chin is firm and his eyes are hidden behind the long lashes. His lips are pouted.

He differs greatly from Colby's. While Vanessa is composed and her brother is relaxed, he looks like he belongs in a bar. Dressed in all black, with a metal band t-shirt. He has silver glinting in his ears and even a sliver piercing on one of his eyebrows. I can see tattoos going from his wrist to up towards his shoulder before it disappears under his shirt.

Finn brings him into the kitchen, declaring, "He won't watch King and the Fairy girls with me." She stamps her foot before leaving us all to race back towards the T.V.

"This is Damien, my other cousin," Vanessa introduces him, waving un-enthusiastically at him. Damien looks me up and down blatantly. The bold gestures surprise and I lift my eyebrows at him when he looks back at my face.

Damien lifts his chin. "Welcome." When I see that is all he is going to say, I realize that he is not the talking type. I smirk at the fact that I can relate to him, being more of the silent type.

I lift my chin towards him in greeting, "Jamie." I say before going as silent as him. Damien, who is watching my movements, smirks lightly. If I had been straight, it would have been a panty dropper move.

With Damien's presence, I know that I should probably head back to my house. I push myself away from the counter, taking a few steps away. Vanessa blinks as I almost brush against her. She steps back as if realizing how close she had gotten during our conversation.

I pick my phone from my pocket to set a reminder, "You should probably give me your number." I try to seem nonchalant about it, but my palms seem sweaty and my heart beats hard. I believed it was beating so hard because I was nervous to ask for any number, not just Vanessa's.

I know I'm throwing Vanessa off her rhythm. Because I showed up unexpectedly, caught her in pj's, and argued with her, Vanessa is blinking fast at me before she lists her number off in a daze. Damien, who was still standing off to the side, his eyes darting between the two of us.

I text her to confirm my number with my name. I tuck my phone back into my pants before smiling at her expression. It was caught in between being shocked and adorably confused.

I'm already planning the day. If Vanessa was going to like Iverson, she would need to see some off the road paths that only upperclassmen knew. Blair wouldn't say no to an adventure. "Let me know when your next free day is," Without waiting to hear her argue. I turn away from her and Damien and begin making my way to the door. "I'll see myself out," I offer.

"Jamie, wait!" Vanessa rounds the corner with me. Her eyes are wide and they show the shock at the events. Glitter flies off her cheeks again. I raise my eyebrows at her and her mouth works, but nothing comes out.

"Bye Finn, bye Damien. See you later." I lift my head at Damien, who was looking between me and Vanessa. Then, with Vanessa standing gaping in the entryway, I leave her apartment, feeling lighter than I did when I went in.

When I unlock my door and kick it shut, I take my shoes off, kicking them to the side. I head directly to my room and collapse straight on my bed, face first. I pull my phone back from my pants and open it. I leave the screen on Vanessa's contact. For a few seconds, I just stare at the number. The different areas code a shock, the name Vanessa Colby in bold. I wonder if Vanessa is more bold or soft. A fast responder or a text every three hours. I stare at the contact until I drift to sleep, clutching my phone tight.