Unbroken

I’ve always hated the rain. As soon as the clouds roll in, my senses begin to fog. The view from my apartment window grew hazy as the rain began rhythmically pelting the glass. I turned from the window and sleepily walked into my small kitchen. I instinctively went to the pantry and popped a bagel into the toaster oven. Deciding I had a few minutes to kill, I walked into the small adjacent bathroom to wash my face. I splashed the cold running water over me and stared at my reflection. My mousy brown hair fell in its usual wave pattern just below my breasts. I’ve always considered dying it, but the memories of my mom would never allow me to take the plunge. Every time I looked I the mirror I could feel her smiling. I really was the spitting image of her in her youth. The only notable difference was my eyes. My left eye was the same deep ocean blue as my sweet mothers but my right was a piercing green with amber reflective pieces close to my iris. My mother always told me it made me special but it more or less made me feel like a freak. In a world where I just wanted to be invisible, it always made me stand out. I must have been lost in my memories for too long when the smell of burnt bread started filling my nostrils. “Dammit!” I shout to myself running to the toaster oven to whip out my partially burnt bagel. Well if this is how my day was going to go at least I had a heads up. I begrudgingly scrape off some of the char and swipe some cream cheese on top. Burnt or not I’m not one to waste food, especially when I knew I had a long day ahead of me. I eat as much of it as my taste buds allow before heading to the small closet in my bedroom. I pull out a plain white t-shirt, my black rainproof pullover and a pair of black athletic leggings that hug my curves just right. The hotel I worked at was only a few blocks away and no car meant I had to get there on foot. I didn’t mind most days, I actually really enjoyed the feeling of being outdoors before a long day attending to guests. As I pull on my trainers and pull the waterproof hood over my head I hear a knock at my door. I trip over my untied laces just as I reach for the door handle. Well that hurt. Strike two for today. I began to laugh at myself while reaching up for the handle. As I open the door I see my neighbor Colby looking at me with concern. “Are you alright? I heard a pretty big thud.” He asked while helping me off my scratchy door mat. “I’m just peachy..” I laugh not hiding the sarcasm in my voice. Colby is my neighbor across the hall. He moved in about the same time as me last year. He is tall and thin but very muscular and so unbelievably handsome. Every shirt he wore seemed to be about a size too small but it was hard to complain when he looked like that. His big brown doe eyes were soft as he looked down searching for mine. He was about a foot taller than me so I had to raise my chin to look back into his. They always gave me these little butterflies when I looked too long. I looked away hoping my cheeks weren’t showing my worsening embarrassment. “I’m just having an off day I think.” I blurt out a little louder than intended. “Well I’m here to remedy that hopefully!” he says enthusiastically. As much as I was attracted to him, I always kept things strictly friendly with Colby. I don’t tend to stay in places long and I don’t have time for a relationship. “I’ve come bearing gifts” he states as he hands me a small paper cup with a white lid. The contents were hot and I could feel it warm my fingers immediately. I take a small sip, “Hot chocolate from Baker’s across the street!?” I close my eyes as I swallow the deliciously warm drink. At $7.50 a peice it wasn’t something I’d often treat myself to but it was my absolute favorite. “You definitely made today suck a whole lot less, what can I do for ya Colby?” Colby knew my boundaries after our one date about two months after moving in. He never pushed it and never made me feel uncomfortable for wanting to keep my distance. I appreciated that more than he knew. “I was just at Baker’s and thought I could catch you before you head off to work is all, no strings attached babe.” He winked as he turned and walked towards his door, placing his key in the handle and walking inside without looking back. “Thanks!” I mutter just as he’s closing his door. He always gets me flustered. Time to shake it and head off to work. I closed the door behind me and locked the handle and deadbolt. I walked down the two flights of stairs and out the side emergency exit. The sign claims an alarm will sound but it never does. I don’t know if I should be thankful or worried that it doesn’t work. I toss my empty cup in the nearby trash can and head towards work. On my way there the rain lessens and I can feel my mood lift. Thankfully I am able to take my hood down by the time I reach the employee entrance. As soon as I pop my head through the door I hear her from the staff changing room. “Girl, where have you been! Hurry up and change before he gets down here!” I must have gotten lost in thought on my way to work because I was almost 10 minutes late. Kaia was slowly becoming the best friend I’d ever let myself have. She was kind of stuck with me so our friendship was more by chance than by choice. She was on the shorter side like me about 5’4 I’d say thinking she’s about an inch shorter than me. Her coal black hair was always tied in a neat low bun. She always had it done before she got to work primarily because she had to spend and extra 5 minutes every morning fixing my hair into something manager approved. She runs to my side and helps me pull off my jacket while I hurriedly take my clothes of and hop into the tight black high neck dress worn by all room attendants at the Royal Alpine Hotel and resort. It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea but it could have been worse. Kaia starts running her fingers through my hair to get it into a low bun that matched hers. She pulled out a few face framing prices before softly saying “There, perfect!” As I clip on my name tag I hear him walking through staff room doors. I never truly hated someone until I met my manager Stephan.