I lost him, now I want to forget him.
Chapter 3
Missing Chase is demanding. I think about him every day. He has no way to contact me and I haven’t tried to contact him. I need to give him time to figure out what he wants. Unfortunately, what we want are two different things and I can’t deal with it… yet.
It actually feels like someone is ripping out my heart. Really this is quite pathetic but he was my other half. How do you just chop that off?
Thankfully I'm paired with an awesome roommate, Samantha Renault, who I instantly connect with. Sam grew up in NYC and her Dad owns the largest investment firm on Wall Street, Renault Financials.
It’s the first weekend I’m in New York and I’m not too surprised that Sam demands I ‘perk the fuck up’ and that we go out in style. She tells me to clear my schedule for Saturday because she’s taking me out ‘New York style’.
A black Mercedes S63 pulls up to the curb and stops in front of Sam and I. A tall older gentleman with salt-and-pepper hair gets out of the car and smiles at us.
“James, this is my friend Luciana Stevens. Lucy this is my old friend, and driver, James Frank.”
Sam tries to explain that having a driver is the same as someone getting a car at the age of 16, but I think she’s off a little bit. Maybe having a driver is like being gifted an Aston Martin at 16?
She planned a full day at a spa unlike anyplace I could’ve imagined. When we walk in I can’t believe how magnificent it is.
We walk through the oversized solid wood doors. They alone are grandiose looking and we’re instantly greeted by Jodi, a whispering receptionist who’s dressed in all white. She ushers us into a private bungalow where we’re instructed to change into pristine white robes. The robe feels like a cloud around me and I instantly want to stay wrapped up in it forever.
“Miss Renault, we’re ready for you. Please follow me.” whispers Jodi. Sam looks over at me and winks before walking toward the door.
I take a minute to really look around at the luxurious area. It’s so comfortable I’d be satisfied sitting and waiting for her in here for hours. It was a sanctuary right inside of New York City. The city is so large and almost isolating, especially for an 18 year old girl separated from the life that had been planned for… ever.
They offer services I’ve never heard of and I’m so afraid I won’t know what to ask for. I was in a new world, one I never imagined existed.
We weren’t poor growing up. The reality was that I never thought about money and I never went without. But this was a whole new level of not going without.
This was the upper, upper, (the tallest you can get upper), class of Manhattan. I wasn’t prepared for this, but I was going to enjoy it while I had it.
I sat down and drew a deep breath pushing out the negativity that had suffocated me for the past couple weeks. I’m not a negative person and I don’t usually dwell on things, but this break up was getting to me. After a few deep, calming breaths I’m able to fully enjoy the soothing sounds from the waterfalls and music in the room.
The surroundings are the epitome of peaceful. There are streams of natural sunshine, waterfalls, fountains, and pleasant furniture all around me.
Jodi enters the room with a short older woman who she introduces as Patty. “Patty will be your tour guide today, Miss Stevens. The Renaults ask us to treat you as if you are part of their family. The Renaults are very important to us, so that means you are very important to us. Whatever you want, whenever you want it, Patty is at your disposal. We hope this is the start of a very long and lovely relationship. Is there anything else you would like at this moment, Miss Stevens?”
I couldn’t think of anything else, “No, thank you, Jodi.”
Patty is an older woman with a natural beauty that she wears effortlessly. She reminds me of an older version of Mary Poppins and I instantly relax with her.
“Now, Miss Stevens,” Patty starts to say but I interrupt her to ask her to call me Lucy. She finds this too informal so we settle on Miss Luciana. “Miss Luciana, Miss Renault has planned the day for you, but I’ll be sending you home with suggestions for next week based on what I see you enjoying and what each of your beauty therapists recommend for you.”
This isn’t a question, it’s more of an instruction, but that works for me.
We stop mid-day to lunch on the roof which boasts breath taking views of the city. Sam meets me up there and fills me in on the evening plans which will be our first night out together.
We’re going to her parent’s apartment where her stylists will meet us. Stylists are plural as one would assist with wardrobe, one with makeup, and the other with hair. It sounds a bit over the top, but I agree to ‘perk the fuck up’ and go with it.
I enjoy the second part of the day as much as the first, except for some of the waxing. I never imagined it would be so painful! Sam definitely could’ve told me to shave everywhere before we left this morning.
We leave with a lot of suggestions for what spa services I should receive in the future based on what Mary Poppins thought were best for me. I’m in heaven!
James is there when we finish our day at the spa and drives us up to a gorgeous building right on 5th Avenue. Immediately a man opens the door and we’re whisked into the building toward the elevator with the button already pushed for us. They seriously treated us like we’re part of the Royal Family or something like that. It was strange how we were so closely guarded.
The elevator doors opened up to the most magnificent foyer you could ever imagine.
“Miss Renault, everything is ready for you in your room,” said the short, perky lady who greeted us.
“Isabel cut the crap, will you? This is Lucy, my roommate.”
“Very nice to meet you, Miss Stevens. Miss Renault watch your mouth or I’ll get the soap!” With that Isabel is off with a smirk.
“Isabel is our apartment manager and has been here since I was small. Without her I’d seriously be messed up.” That’s all Sam tells me but I’m sure there’s more.
She walks me straight to her room and I’m just in awe as I walk through their spectacular apartment. If I was Sam I wouldn't be living in the dorms if I could live here instead.
She gives me a very tight, short black Olivia and Alice dress with orange and green Jimmy Choo sandals. Did I say the dress was tight and short?
My thick, long dark hair looks perfect and I can't wait to try and get myself to look like this on my own.
I learned today that Sam was a model who mostly lived on the road moving from show to show since she was 12 years old. She was home-schooled for most of her life and did a tiny bit of high school at a prep school in NYC.
Tonight she looks every bit the royalty that we were treated like all day. The luxuries she has will take some getting used to, but she seems so grounded and genuine and doesn’t seem the slightest bit crazy.
We pull up to our destination and I’m shocked to see it looks like we’re stopping in an ally way. “Um, Sam, are we at the right place?”
She laughs and tells me we’re going in a back way because the paparazzi would be all over us if we went in through the front.
“Yeah go ahead and laugh Sam because that is so normal.”
I can see by her frown that she knows I’m not used to this. She goes on to tell me that her dad owns a large financial company which makes her family newsworthy, and she doesn’t want to embarrass them. I feel like a giant ass. It’s not normal to me, but it’s normal to her.
We’re whisked into the club much in the same way we were whisked into her apartment. I really get this eerie vibe over how protected we’re treated, but I go with it anyway.
We move through the back kitchen like we've been there a million times. More like Sam has been there a million times. We pass through security with smiles and walk straight up to the VIP area.
“Sam how do you know this place so well?”
“My family owns it,” She answers very casually.
I meet some of Sam’s friends who are already there and I’m so thankful for my day, painful parts and all, and the clothes I borrowed. Everyone is gorgeous and I’m not out of place at all, thanks to Sam. Her friends are really nice and I instantly like them.
I’m handed a cocktail which Sam tells me is Berry Ciroc and Sprite. I had beer in high school but this is my first mixed drink. I take my first sip and it’s delicious. Sprite and Ciroc are perfect together and I now have a new go-to drink.
We’re not 21 yet, but we’re able to drink at her parents clubs without having fake IDs, which is quite convenient for me since I don’t own one.
I only have one drink because I’m not in my element and I need my wits about me. Sam, on the other hand, is right at home and had quite a few of my new favorite cocktail.
It’s late when Sam hands me her phone, “call Jax and tell him to come get us. He should be here somewhere, ok?”
I don’t know who Jax is so I take her phone and find him in her contacts. Instead of calling, I text him.
Sam’s phone: Hey Jax, can you please meet me at Club 6, VIP?
Jax: Who is this?
Uh, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to respond. I don’t want to try explaining who I am.
Sam’s phone: Can’t you tell by the name coming through?
Jax: Yes but it says Sam. I seriously doubt that you’re Sam.
Sam’s phone: What gave it away? I’m sorry she’s a little drunk and I’m her roommate.
Jax: It’s just that I’m looking at a gorgeous girl texting and it’s not Sam.
Oh shit, oops... I look around and don’t see anyone looking in my direction.
Sam’s phone: Thank You Jax, I’m Lucy. Can I meet you now since you seem to be near?
Sam’s on the couch ‘resting her eyes’ as a tall, built, extremely sexy man walks over to us.
Holy Shit! does not give Jax justice. He gives me this sexy smile and I hope to God my jaw isn’t in my lap. Jax looks like he should be in underwear commercials. Hell, Jax probably is in underwear commercials. He’s dressed very casually in a tight black Armani v-neck that clings nicely to his perfectly sculpted body with sexy jeans hanging on his hips.
“Gorgeous is an understatement, Lucy. It’s very nice to meet you.” he says as he shocks me and wraps his perfect arms around me. My mind immediately worries about what Chase will think of this. What a sobering thought as we recently broke up and I’m in someone else’s arms - A very handsome man’s arms to boot.
Way to go Lucy, ruin the perfect day you had.
“Nice to meet you too, Jax. How do you know our friend Sam?” I ask as I pull out of his unexpected hug.
Ignoring my question he starts speaking in a different direction to Oliver, our concierge for the night. “Oliver I’ll be taking Miss Renault and Lucy to the car. Call James to make sure the car is ready. Then call security to make sure they’ll sweep the dorm room before the girls arrive, and be sure James secures the room before he leaves.”
Oliver responds with a “yes sir,” and I’m left replaying the tasks that Jax just demanded Oliver take care of. Security sweeps? Why would we need security in our dorm? These are all questions I’m going to need to ask Sam when she sobers up.
Jax picks Sam up off the couch as I gather our purses. “This way, gorgeous,” Jax says as he leads me back the same way we came.
Silently we make our way to the car. I wasn’t drunk, but my mood was off the high I had during the day and is back on Chase.
Either Jax wanted to be sure Sam was going to be alright, despite her drunken state, or is unsure if he should leave Sam with me, because he stood there staring at me for awhile. I stare back uncertain of what he wanted me to do.
“Lucy I’ll make sure you girls get home safely.” He finally says, and I smile at him relieved that he could help me get her upstairs to our room.
Jax is on the phone the whole way back to the dorm and I don’t even try to listen to what he’s saying because I’m daydreaming about what opportunities New York can provide me. We arrive at our dorm and after a confirmation that our room is ‘all clear,’ Jax carries Sam upstairs and I follow.
I was really embarrassed the next day when I learned that Jax was actually Jasper Johnston, the supermodel and A-list Hollywood actor. I knew he looked familiar and I knew he was hot, but I didn’t put the pieces together.
***
Our friendship circle is complete when we meet Ana Greene during our first week of classes. Ana is beautiful with flawless skin, fire red hair, and a personality to match. She’s the firecracker in our group.
On the first day of class, Ana and I both walk in a little bit late to an early morning art history class. Luckily there are two empty seats near the back and it’s a large auditorium so the lateness wasn’t noticed. Bad first impressions avoided!
Class flies by as Ana makes crude remarks about each art piece shown giving them hilarious names which make it easy to remember each one. This art history stuff is going to be a piece of cake.
When class ends we start walking together and quickly realize we live in the same dorm. Unfortunately, Ana didn’t have the same luck with roommates as I did with Sam. Her roommate freaked out on the first day and moved out leaving Ana in a room all by herself. I guess having no roommate is better than a bad roommate, though.
We decide to meet that night for dinner and I was both excited and nervous to see how she and Sam would get along.
Ana is from Laguna, California and is petrified of the winters she hears she’s going to experience here in New York. She’s a real beach girl with an unbelievable eye for fashion. Manhattan is the fashion hub of the US and she’s here to network, gain experience, get her education, find a man, and then she’s going to take her warm blooded body back to Laguna’s fabulous beaches.
The three of us get along famously; especially when we figure out we can use Ana’s room as our closet and move her bed into our room. The added bonus is that Ana has an internship at Nordstrom’s and with that comes free clothes and ‘Intel’ on sample sales.
All I get from my internship is tickets to sporting events which Ana and Sam prefer I take others to.
I’m so glad Sam and Ana are my roommates.
I almost lost who I was, but thankfully I’ll never forget the lessons I learned.
Part 2
4 years later
Chapter 4
Today is moving day.
Sam’s parents gifted her with a nice little (not little at all) townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Sam is a lucky girl, but I’m equally as lucky because she wants a roommate and is demanding I don’t pay rent. It's a perfect arrangement for both of us. I ask her if I can buy the groceries and cook meals, but she already has plans for someone to deliver food who’ll also leave prepared meals. We've been living together, with Ana, for the past four years and we get along perfectly.
Ana was supposed to move in with us but a few of the designers she’s been working with asked her to move in with them and she accepted that offer instead.
This is a great move for Ana because living with designers will help her build contacts as a buyer. She’s moving to SoHo which isn't that far from us, so we’ll still be able to see her often.
I don't own much stuff, actually only clothes. I’m shocked at how many clothes I now own versus how many I came to NYC with. I don't think I've changed that much in the past four years, except that I have learned what a real friendship is. Oh, and my wardrobe has been significantly updated thanks to my friends. I like to think I had an impact on theirs as well. After all, I demand we go bargain shopping at places like Forever 21 on a monthly basis.
I’m wearing a cute Theory shift dress with sensible Jimmy Choo flats today. A reasonable outfit for unpacking our new place, if I do say so myself. I don't care what the name brand says on something, but between having a friend who’s a cloth
ing buyer and another friend whose family practically owns the city, the magnitude of free clothes we get is ridiculous.
I do in fact live on a budget. I graduated a year ago and work at NBC. I work with the sports team writing, editing, and analyzing who we expect to be the next great players. It will take me awhile to build up my career but I absolutely love working for such a huge network in sports. It's not because I've been keeping up on Chase’s baseball career, but it is a hazard of the job. Yeah right!
Sam and I have really grown close over the years. As with all friendships there are things we keep private. I respect her privacy and she respects mine. On top of her dad owning a large financial firm, her mom is an actress and they receive threats on a regular basis. Because of this, security is plentiful for us. We’re always surrounded or blocked whenever we go anywhere which definitely makes me feel protected.
It'd be easy for me to find out about Sam using ‘Google’ or ‘E! Entertainment,’ but I made an agreement with myself to never infringe on her personal life. For four years I've stayed away from entertainment news and read absolutely no gossip on the Renaults. (Or anyone else, a hazard of that agreement.)
Jax is coming over tonight to take us to dinner. Sam and Jax have been friends since their modeling days. They both traveled without parents at such a young age that they stuck together and took care of one another. Jax is very protective of Sam. He travels a lot when he films movies but his home base is here in New York. I've been able to get to know him pretty well over the past few years.
I can't find the batteries anywhere, Sam must have moved them. “Yo, woman! Where are the AA batteries I just bought?”
“Check my vibrator!”
Really, Sam? Thankfully we're the only ones here. “Nice, Sam, are they seriously in there?”
“Yea, I was out! What's more important, watching sitcoms or getting off? Come on, you should understand this better than me since you've missed out on 'man made' orgasms for the past four years!”
Almost Lost, Never Forgotten Page 2