Reservations

1. Rowan

A glance in a mirror in a poorly lit room almost always turned into hours of observation. Illuminated only by the few cracks of light creeping through her curtains, she tried to admire her features. The curve of her jaw, the way her hair fell to her lower back, the imperfections of her skin. All parts of her were equally beautiful, but she never felt in tune with the confidence that emanated from within her.

Today it was her forest green eyes that caught her attention. Her eyes were stark in contrast to the pale skin on her forehead, and flushed pink cheeks. How is it possible that these are mine?

She examined the skin of her cheeks, the sun kissed spots on her chin, and her long black eyelashes in the vanity mirror. Rowan, she thought, trying to connect a name with the stranger’s face she stared at in the mirror. She felt that something so beautiful could never have anything to do with her. A meow interrupted her thoughts, and quickly brought her back to reality.

“Hi Bug,” Rowan said, once she realized she had been sitting in front of the mirror for an hour and forgot to feed her cat.

After pulling her hair into a ponytail, she climbed down from the vanity and switched on the bedroom light to get ready for her morning walk. She chose to wear black athletic leggings, a black tank top, white tennis shoes, and a light jacket. It was starting to get cooler outside, especially this early in the morning. For now she and Bugs had the two bedroom apartment to themselves, so she hadn’t yet put away all the groceries she purchased yesterday. She grabbed a package of salted almonds off of the kitchen counter, and a water bottle from the fridge. Hearing another meow, Rowan finally remembered to pour some catnip into Bugs’ bowl. She grabbed her keys and headed out the door. Locking the front door behind her, she set off into the brisk morning air.

On a normal day, she would only have an hour to herself before going in to work at the local coffee shop. However, today she took the day off to clean and get the apartment in order before her new roommate moved in the next day. That means she can take the more scenic route.

Instead of being trapped inside her head with her thoughts, Rowan started paying attention to the trees. Pine. The scent brought back memories of visits to her grandma’s house. There was always what seemed like millions of pine trees engulfing the traditional one story home. Baby birds, mashed potatoes, dance parties, and the pine trees. As memories flooded back in, she remembered that’s why she moved here- to feel closer to her.

The move was a giant step in the right direction. Her parents were filled with unease when she first told them she wanted to move to Arkansas about two months ago, but she wanted to make a life of her own. With the way community college had treated her, Rowan knew going back was the last thing she wanted to do. So, she packed all her things and Bugs, and moved hours away from home to start fresh. Her apartment wasn’t impressive, but it suited her lifestyle. Until she realized it was just a tad too expensive to live there without a paying roommate. Mental note to apologize to Bugs for not having a source of income later.

Enter: Talia. Rowan had made a post on f*******: about needing a young adult female roommate who likes cats, and Talia was the first response she got. She didn’t know much about the girl, only that she has a cat too.

Rowan was about a mile and a half in to her nature walk at this point, butterflies fluttering everywhere. She was aiming to make it for the halfway point in under 45 minutes.

Finally getting to the resting point, she pulls out the package of almonds and checks her phone. Her mom texted her.

Rowan, I know you’re probably at work but please call me when you can.

She hadn’t talked to her mother much since she moved here. This wasn’t good news.