by Dawn Doyle
The guy’s expression changed when he heard Emily’s accent. His eyebrows lifted and his smile grew wider across his face.
“Well, um, we have two available but we need to see ID and you have to have a credit check before being accepted for a place. Have you lived here long?” he asked as he looked her up and down.
Emily felt self conscious as his eyes roamed over her and she didn’t like the way his tone implied that she wouldn’t have good credit.
“I’ve been here for a week. I’m living with family but I’m looking for my own place.” She replied, trying to sound pleasant.
“Well, we have to do credit checks and take the details of your employer, for proof of income. Also, we need to see some references.”
“I don’t have a job yet, but I’m looking. As soon as I have one I’ll be moving out. I haven’t had my own place before, so I don’t have any references.” Emily knew that it wasn’t looking good but she only wanted to have a look at the apartment to see if the size and layout was what she was looking for.
“Well they’re the requirements for the apartments, I’m afraid. Without them, I can’t give you an application form. If you try again in a few months, we may be able to help you then.”
“Can I at least take a look at them?” she asked, getting annoyed.
“I’m sorry, I can’t show you if you aren’t able to rent.”
Emily felt that the guy was being condescending because she wasn’t from the area, however the way he looked at her told her he liked that about her. He was getting on her nerves. She thought she would try one more time to get a look at the place.
“Look.” She said, leaning over the counter towards the guy. “I’ve just moved ‘ere, I need my own place, I’m highly qualified and I will have a job very soon. I’ll be able to afford the apartment, no problem, and I could even put down a deposit today. All I’m askin’ for is to take a look at the place and see if it’s suitable. If it is, great, I’ll put down a deposit and pay for the first month up front. If not, no worries. Is it going to be so much of a problem to take five or ten minutes for me to go in and look?” Emily had tried to curb her accent but she was getting increasingly annoyed with him and she didn’t care any more that he might find her aggressive. She only wanted to go in and out. Nothing more. The way his eyes kept travelling down to her chest only fuelled her anger further.
“Um…well…Ok. I’m really not supposed to but I guess it couldn’t hurt.” He said as he reached into a drawer for a set of keys. “The two apartments we have are identical so I’ll just show you one.”
“That’ll be fine.”
He showed Emily to the lift and pressed the button to the third floor. It was a little cramped and Emily felt uncomfortable standing there with him so close. Luckily, it was a short ride and the doors opened to a hallway with cream walls and orange carpet tiled floors.
Wow, they’re shocking!
The guy turned to the first door, number three-seven-oh, and unlocked it. He opened the door and let Emily past him. She walked in and noticed a musty smell. Like the windows hadn’t been opened for weeks. The walls were painted white and the carpets were beige. The kitchen was tiny and the bathroom too. The shower was inside the bathtub, which was right next to the toilet. So close that there was only a sliver of a gap between them.
Emily noticed something missing. A whole room missing.
“Where’s the bedroom?” she asked confused. All she found was a kitchen, bathroom and living space. She noticed the guy’s expression change at the mention of ‘bedroom’.
“This is a studio apartment. That means you put your bed wherever you want. You can have it in the living space or next to the kitchen. Your choice.”
No thanks!
“Well, ok. I think I’ve seen enough. Thanks.”
They made their way back to the lobby and Emily was thankful to get out of the claustrophobia inducing lift.
“Was that something you’re looking for?” he asked as he put the keys away.
“Actually, no. I need the bedroom to be an actual room on its own. Do you have any apartments coming up like that?”
“No, sorry. We don’t have anybody scheduled to move out as yet. Shall I take your number and call you if something comes up?” he said as his eyes swept over her again.
“Actually, no. I’ll keep looking, thanks.”
“Can I take your number for me?” he asked with a cheeky grin.
“No.” She said and turned to walk out, leaving the guy standing there with his mouth hanging open.
Emily hadn’t liked the apartment. It was tiny and didn’t have a bedroom. At thirteen hundred dollars a month she thought it was a bit steep for that. She’d told the guy she could put down a deposit and pay the first month. Truthfully she could, but she wasn’t going to. She just wanted to have a look first. As he’d said, they needed to see her credentials first anyway, of which she didn’t have.
On to the next place then.
Emily got back into the car and set her phone for Northgate. It was a longer drive than anticipated, but when she got there, she found a parking space and got out.
This building looked nicer than the last. It looked newer, cleaner and better looked after. She walked into the lobby which had black tiled floors, chrome fixtures and fittings, a black topped wooden counter and three lifts to the right of the front doors.
She wondered where all of the community things were. An activity room, cinema room and gym were advertised online.
They must be on a different floor, so only the residents have access.
“Hi, can I help you?” said a friendly woman from behind the counter. She looked to be no more than forty years old. Short blonde hair and brown eyes. She seemed friendly enough.
“I was wondering if I could take a look at the apartments you have for rent?”
“Oh, of course! Now, to actually apply for an apartment you need to have a credit check, references and proof of income.”
Emily was happy that the woman seemed to allow her to have a look without persuasion, even without her documents.
“Yes I know I need them. I’ve just moved here and I’m staying with family. I’m looking for a job and I want my own place when I do.”
“Well, that’s great! How long have you been here, have your family been here long?”
“A week. My family have been here for about seven months though. My Dad is originally from Seattle.”
The woman grabbed a set of keys and came round the counter as she spoke.
“Well, that’s great! I bet they’re glad you’re here.” She said as she pushed a button for the eighth floor.
“They are.”
The lift wasn’t as small as the other one and Emily felt better. Maybe because she wasn’t in there with the guy from the other place.
The lift was fast, the doors opened and they stepped out into the hallway.
The walls were white and the floors were wooden. Much nicer than the other place.
The woman opened the door to apartment three-two-two and stepped inside.
The bathroom was immediately to the right and it was more spacious than the other. Again, the shower was inside the bath but the sink was next to it with the toilet opposite. The kitchen had more room and the counters were wooden with wood block tops.
The bedroom was separate, thankfully, with sliding doors to the closet, which Emily still called a wardrobe. The living space was open and doubled as a dining area. It was a decent size and Emily liked it.
“This is nice. How long do these usually stay empty for?” she asked as they made their way back to the lobby.
“Well, apartments like this go within a few weeks of becoming empty. This is the only one we have left and there have been a few couples coming to look at it. Unfortunately, they’re from around here so they have all of the necessary documentation ready to go, if they want to apply. The only way to get this for definite, is if you could pay the deposit and the first four months upfront.”
Emily thought about it. The deposit itself was four hundred and the monthly rent was eighteen hundred. She didn’t have seven thousand six hundred dollars. There was no way she was asking her family for it. She would just have to wait until she got a job and hoped that nobody took the apartment before she did.
“I don’t have that amount of money. I’ll have to ring up in a few weeks and see if it’s still available.”
“That’s fine. Well, I’m sorry we couldn’t do anything for you, and good luck in your job search!”
She was nice.
Emily was a little sad that she couldn’t get the apartment. It was in a nice area, the price was acceptable and the size was ideal. The only downside was that it was in Northgate. It was quite a way away from her parents and sister. Even though she didn’t know the area, or any of the other areas to be exact, but she would get to know it quickly. She continued driving through Northgate and paid a visit to the shopping area that Holly had told her about. Pulling up outside Cal’s Café, she decided to go in and have a cuppa and a snack.
Emily walked through the door and to the counter, ordering coffee in a takeout cup, and a croissant.
Sitting at a vacant table, she got out her phone to send a text message to Holly, when she felt a shiver down her spine and goosebumps on her skin.
E: In Northgate. Saw an apartment and it’s really good. I’ll apply as soon as I’ve got a job.
H: Northgate?! That’s miles away! Can’t you look for somewhere closer?
E: The only one available was on Western Avenue. It was a proper dive. The lad behind the desk was a perv too. :/
H: Ok, maybe not there then. XD When are you coming back?
E: Having a coffee at Cal’s. It’s nice in here. As soon as I’m done I’ll be back. X
H: Ok. Be careful. X
E: I will. X
“Hello again.” A man’s voice came from beside her. Emily looked up and saw Big-Wig.
“Emily…right?” he asked as if he was trying to remember her name.
“Yeah…Um…”
Big-Wig.
“Harry.”
“Oh yeah, Harry, sorry.” Emily didn’t remember his name at all. She was sure he told her but it hadn’t stuck with her. She wasn’t interested in seeing him again so didn’t bother to even try.
“So, what brings you to these parts?” he asked as he pulled out the chair at the table and sat down.
Oh great, here we go again.
“Just having a look around. My sister told me about this café so I stopped in for a quick one before I go.” Emily was attempting to sound like she was in a rush and wasn’t staying long. The full croissant in front of here told a different story.
“Well, I’m only here for today and then I head back to Reading tonight. I’ve been meeting with a few investors. You remember me telling you about them?”
Oh for fuck’s sake, not again!
“I do. Have you found somebody?” Emily wasn’t sure she should’ve asked that question. It could either keep him there longer and talk about the business and what he had planned, or he hadn’t found an investor and he cut the conversation short. She hoped for the latter. Just him sitting there with his stupid grin and plastic looking blonde hair was already irritating her.
“Not yet. There have been a few interested parties and I need some time to consider my options. I may return within a few weeks to meet with them again.” He looked proud of himself giving her that information and he looked like he was waiting for some kind of praise. He was so sure of himself, it was almost obnoxious.
“Really?” Emily tried her best not to sound bored.
“Yes. If all goes well, I could be taking a move here myself. I’m actually hoping that will happen. I may get a chance to see you again.” His smile widened and his luminous white veneers almost blinded her. He leant forward onto his elbows, getting uncomfortably close to her.
“Well, I won’t be living around these parts. I was only passing through.”
“Where will you be living?”
Doesn’t he ever shut the hell up? Take the hint, cock’ed, go away!
“I don’t know yet. I might not even stay in this city. I’m keeping my options open.” Emily picked up her croissant in her napkin and decided she would prefer to drive somewhere to eat it, just to get away from him. “I need to get going now, so I’ll have to say goodbye.” She said as kindly as she could fake.
“I’ll walk you out.”
No! Just leave me alone!
Emily wanted to shout out her thoughts but the café was busy and she didn’t want to cause a scene. She walked to the door and Harry opened it for her.
“Ta.” She said as she turned to look at something she saw from the corner of her eye.
Nick.
He was smirking at her. Sitting there, alone in the corner, he would’ve heard every word that she and Harry had said.
Nick winked at her and her heart thundered in her chest. She wanted to smack him.
“Emily?”
Harry said as she’d paused in the doorway.
“Oh…” she said as she started to move. Emily walked out and looked through the window at Nick as she walked to her car. He waved at her and she scowled, which he laughed at.
“Would you like to grab dinner before I leave tonight?” she heard Harry say. She hadn’t realised he was walking along side her.
She turned to look up at him and saw that he looked to Nick before looking back at her.
“No, sorry. I already have plans with my family.”
Believe me, believe me.
“Oh. Ok. Well it was lovely to see you again, Emily. I hope to bump into you again sometime.” He looked at her as if he was expecting her to reply with the same.
That wasn’t happening.
“Bye, Harry.” She said as she got into her car. She didn’t look at him again when she pulled away from the kerb.
Thank fuck for that!
Emily needed a lie down after what had happened. Not just from Big-Wig approaching her, but from seeing Nick in the flesh again. She didn’t know why but him being there gave her flutters in her stomach. Possibly because of what happened when she last saw him outside Riss’ house, or it could have been when she’d FaceTimed Holly at school and he was sitting there with the group.
Whatever it was, Emily had to get away. She’d promised Holly that she would be nicer, and she was trying. Hell, she’d just had a conversation with an irritating tosser and hadn’t swore at him or called him names once! That’s why she had to leave and resist the temptation of going back into the café and… she felt like she needed to go back and confront Nick, which wasn’t a wise thing to do.
Emily drove around for a short while and when she found a quiet spot, she parked up and ate her croissant and finished her coffee. She took out her phone and programmed her sat nav to take her home.
There was no connection. She switched her phone off and then on. Still, it wouldn’t connect to the internet. She didn’t know where she was. She’d been redirected, because of road works, a couple of times and she’d assumed she would be ok because she had her phone to guide her back.
Emily began to panic. She didn’t know how to use the sat nav in the car. She blindly pressed the screen, hoping that she could, somehow, figure out what to do. No such luck. She called Holly to ask her what to do.
“Hi Em. What’s up?”
“Hol, I’m stuck. I was driving round and I don’t know where I am. My phone won’t connect to the internet, so now my sat nav won’t work. I can’t figure how to use the one in the car. Do you?”
“Yeah. Have you pressed the ’NAV’ button on the console?”
“Um…no. I was pressing the screen.”
“You have to press that button first to get it to switch to sat nav mode. The easiest way is to use the voice commands.”
Voice commands?
“Ok, what do I do?”
“Look at the steering wheel, just to the right of
the centre there’s a little button that has the outline of a head. Press it and then say ‘Enter address’.”
Emily did as Holly said.
“Now just say our address. Making sure you say the numbers singularly.”
Again, Emily followed Holly’s instructions and the display brought up a list and showed their address on the screen.
“Ok, it’s brought up a list. What do I do now?”
“Wherever it is on the list, say that number. So if it’s first, say ‘one’. Then say ‘start route guidance’. That should set it up and show you were to go.”
Emily did that and was relieved when the voice came through indicating which direction she needed to drive.
“Oh, thanks Hol. You’re a life saver.”
“Why didn’t you use that in the first place?”
“I didn’t want to bother you and I know how to work the maps on my phone. I didn’t expect to hit a dead zone for signal.” Holly and Alex had gone back up to her room and Emily didn’t want to interrupt whatever they were doing.
“Well, now you know so make sure you only use that one in future. What if your battery ran out and you got stuck then? You wouldn’t be able to call me.”