The Midnight Dwellers

Chapter 1

Elora sighed and tucked a loose strand of auburn hair behind her ear. It was 5:00 pm on a Friday, and she was nowhere near done with the article she’d been working on all week. She briefly considered putting in some overtime to finish it up, but pushed the thought away and closed her laptop. She had plans with her best friends, Lila and Ryan tonight, and she had bailed one too many times since starting her new job to get away with it again.

Five minutes later, she had hopped on the subway train on her way to the apartment she shared with Lila. The two had met on their first day of orientation at NYU and had been inseparable since. Once they’d graduated, they jumped at the opportunity to rent a place together. Their apartment was small and somewhat under furnished, but it was theirs. Elora had to admit that she was proud of it. As the subway pulled to a screeching halt at the stop nearest to her apartment, Elora popped in her earbuds, hopped off the train, and began the 10-minute walk home.

“You’re late,” Lila admonished as soon as Elora opened the door to their apartment. Lila’s hands were on her hips and she rolled her eyes at her friend.

“Hello to you too,” said Elora. “I didn’t realize I was on a schedule tonight!”

“Well of course you are! You’ll need at least an hour to get ready to go out tonight.”

Elora stiffened. She had been looking forward to a night in with her two friends, but she should have known better. Lila never stayed home on Friday night. With a sigh, Elora grabbed seltzer out of the fridge and turned to face her friend.

“Do your worst.”

An hour later, Elora gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Per usual, Lila had outdone herself. Elora’s hair, which was usually swooped up into a ponytail, had been curled to perfection. Her makeup was elegant and subtle, but made her green eyes pop and allowed the dusting of freckles across her nose to peek through. Lila had let her borrow a simple black dress and a pair of maroon heels. Elora had to admit that she looked pretty decent compared to her usual messy updo, cardigan, and jeans.

“Thanks, Lila.” She hugged her friend who was wearing a neon pink body-con dress that left little to the imagination and dramatic sparky makeup. Lila was born to stand out in a crowd and with an outgoing personality to match, Elora was grateful to hide in the background.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it! It’s probably Ryan.” Lila squealed enthusiastically. She’d had a puppy crush on Ryan since the minute she laid eyes on him and was not embarrassed to show it. Elora smiled. Ryan was certainly attractive. His effortlessly messy brown hair, bright blue eyes, and boyish charm made him a magnet for women. Elora didn’t feel that way though. She had always viewed Ryan more like a bother, and it was probably for the best. Ryan has a new girl every month.

“You both look great,” Ryan said as soon as Lila opened the door. “I’ll be fighting off men all night,” he said, and pretended to karate chop an invisible suitor.

Elora giggled and rolled her eyes.

“Maybe for Lila. I’m not interested,” Elora said with a dismissive wave of her hand. It was true. Elora didn’t have time for dating and, besides, she had never found anyone she’d wanted to pursue anyway.

“Eh, one of these days you’ll find someone, and he’ll sweep you right off your feet,” Ryan said, and with one arm, he twirled Elora in a circle. “Or you could just have a one-night stand.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“Not a chance!” Elora exclaimed and Lila doubled over in a fit of laughter. The thought of Elora having a one-night stand was clearly a gold standard bit of comedy. Although she felt validated, Elora couldn’t ignore the slight pang of sadness she felt. There was a small part of her that yearned for something more. She just didn’t think it was in the cards for her.