"I have no idea what she's gonna do," Katelyn talked to Jess the night before Arianne was to leave for Seattle again, "where would she stay? The sorority was the safest place I could trust."
Leona, the owner of the sorority house had called Arianne a few days earlier. "Hi, Leona," she wondered what she called for.
"Hi, Arianne," she said, "how are you?"
"I'm fine. And, you?"
"I'm good. Listen, I called you for a reason."
"Of course."
"We're closing the sorority. I guess you need to look for a different place to live."
"What do you mean you're closing the sorority?"
"The college authorities contacted me a few days ago. They want that place for a new laboratory. So, they asked me to shut it down."
"Oh God! Why now? There's just a few more months left for the graduation."
"I know. They said they need to finish off with the work before the new session commences. Honey, I'm incapable of doing anything at all. I'm just calling everyone up and informing them."
"Oh God! Where are the others gonna stay? Did they say anything?"
"Most people do have their parent's houses nearby. They'll go or they would share apartments, some said."
"And Anu? That girl from India? She doesn't even know anyone here."
"She has a boyfriend. Her parents are going to let her stay with him. Why don't you ask Theresa?"
"I can't live with her parents."
"Dear, it's your decision now. I'm really sorry I couldn't do anything. I tried. You understand right?"
Katelyn had been furious ever since the phone call. "This is unfair," she had stated a million times that day and when Kendrick called that evening, she exaggerated the whole scenario in a typical mother-manner.
"Anne," he had talked to their daughter instead, "we can buy you an apartment. Is that a good idea?" "No," she stated, "I don't think so. It's just a few months. What would I do with an apartment? Plus, I don't want to live alone. You know I get the creeps."
"Anne, you need to learn to live alone. When you're out of college, you won't have a sorority. Your work plce won't give you a sorority or a hostel. You need to know how to be alone and yet not be scared."
"Daddy, think of something else. I have two days when I get back to Seattle before I have to move out. Leona said she'd give me a couple of days to take my stuff out."
Katelyn had shared the problem with everyone she came across. In her office, she told her colleagues and then, complained to David's parents and also to Vanessa's parents. She even called up her closest cousin and complained to her about the unfair happening at the WSU.
And, finally when Jess called to inform that she, along with Ira would be at the airport to pick Arianne up, she, even though Arianne told her not to, complained to her too. "Oh Jesus," she had exclaimed and left her mother to talk the rest of the conversation herself.
"What to do? Where will she stay? I'm so confused."
"That's really miserable. Let me think of something. Why didn't you call me earlier and tell me?"
"I was so occupied with this I didn't even think of you."
"Ira used to call her every day. He didn't tell me anything."
"Of course. You know this girl. Ira probably doesn't even know. Otherwise, he'd have surely come up with a proper solution to this."
"Hey! That gives me an idea."
"What?"
"Arianne can stay with Ira. At his apartment. That's even safer than the sorority. She'll almost be at home."
"Umm...you mean like a living-in?"
"Maybe. They're grown enough. They have lived and slept together already. Nothing new." The mothers chuckled at it like it was one of their inside-jokes.
"That's a very bad idea," Arianne almost hollered, "very bad, Jess. I can't live with him."
"I don't see why," Katelyn spoke from where she sat, watching her daughter talk to Ira's mother.
"Mamma, please. The last thing I want in college is people to talk about me living with a man before grad."
"You said someone else is living with their boyfriend too."
"People don't talk about her. They talk about me. Plus, I don't wanna be a burden to Ira."
"Arin, listen," Jess said, "I'll connect Ira. We'll talk to him. Let's see what he says."
"Don't tell him please." She knew, once Ira would listen to the problem, he'd come up with the same solution. He wouldn't let her be alone and homeless in Seattle when he could keep her safe with himself.
"Why didn't you tell me?" was his first question when he heard of it. She knew there were more to come.
"When did that lady call?"
"How many days do you have to get your stuff out?"
"Should I go there earlier to get your things out?"
"Ira," Arianne put her head in her hand, "I'm coming tomorrow. How earlier will you go?"
"Okay. So we'll get your stuff by Sunday. You're not gonna change your mind, you get that?"
"Why else do you think Mamma was exaggerating the problem to Jess so well?"
It was hard to have David separated from Melissa when they were to leave for Seattle at the airport. He constantly kept going back to her and whispering words of love to her whenever someone wasn't around or wasn't trying to pull him apart from her. "C'mon, David," Arianne finally gave up pulling him away and just stood and smiled at the juvenile couple. "You must go," Melissa smiled at him, still not letting his hand go. The sight of their separating hands hurt Arianne beyond her ability of explanation.
"Have a safe flight," Katelyn called out to them and waved, "call me as soon as you see Ira and Jess. She said they'd be on time. Call them if you need." "Okay, Mamma," Arianne said, "bye."
In the plane, she went through her conversation with Father Lewis right before leaving. He had put his hand on her head and uttered his prayers and prayed to God for her happiness and safety. Like always. Some things never change! And, she was thankful that they didn't.
"I think," he had said, smiling, trying to make the farewell worthwhile, "a few days later, you'll call me up and tell me that everything is alright. And, that young man, Ira, has told you his feelings for you and that that other girl - what's her name, anyway - doesn't count anymore." "You're too hopeful, Father," she gave him a mellow smile, "I'm not. I just wish I don't come in his way of happiness."
It pleased her to see David and Melissa like they were. She had never seen her best friend so happy before. So peaceful, so in love! As he dozed off in the plane beside her, she smiled at him and imagined a very happy future for him. He should be very happy all his life, she said a small prayer for him before deciding to take a flight-nap herself.
"The flight is about to land at the Seattle International Airport. Thank you for choosing United Airlines as your mode of transportation. We hope you had a great time traveling with us. Have an amazing evening."
"So we're back," David said as they waited for their luggage, "after such an amazing summer!" "Hmm..." she smiled, "who thought everything would turn out the way it did?" "Are you gonna stay with Ira, really?" he asked again. "Yes," she said, picking up her suitcase, "as long as that's not a problem for him."
"Even after that transit where you literally alienated yourself from everyone because of something he did?"
"He didn't do nothing." "Then?"
"Life did. "
"Where's your hair gone?" Ira looked extremely upset, looking at Arianne's half-chopped hair. The moment their eyes had met through the airport crowd, it had made him smile. But, the moment he saw what she had done to her hair in the last two weeks, his smile vanished.
"I chopped it off," she said, handing her trolley puller to him.
"For what explainable reason?"
"I wanted to."
"Did you go nuts? Your hair...it was...why did you?" He put his frown on as long as they took to get to the parking area. Where they had memories! Electric, arousing memories!
"We're heading to Theresa's," Jess informed the two who arrived, "you said you need your cars. Are you going to the sorority after that?"
"Jess, are you becoming best friends with my mother?"
She chuckled. "Why'd you ask?"
"You're sounding exactly like her."
"Anyway," Ira said as he hauked the car at a traffic stop, "why are you going to the sorority. You can just come straight off and start staying with me from today."
Arianne blushed as Jess gave her a sly look, trying to tease her about Ira's mysterious desire of staying with her straightaway. "I..." she stammered, "need to get my things packed. You can go and get some sleep tonight. You need to come help me tomorrow to...move the things, you know."
"I can come help you," Theresa accepted to help when they arrived at her place, "pack the stuff. I can come for tonight." "Really?" Arianne looked very thankful, "that would be great."
"So..." Theresa tried talking as the ex-roommates packed up Arianne's stuff, "when were you gonna tell me about you and Ira?"
"What about me and Ira?" she asked, plucking the photographs from the wall and wondering where to put then at her room at Ira's apartment.
"You're asking me? You're the one who knows well enough what there's to say."
"Yeah, there's nothing to say."
"Oh, there's nothing to say and you're going to live with him."
"I'm living with him only because the sorority is closing up. Nothing else."
"You guys are dating. And you didn't tell me. When...when it was me who like...you know...set you up."
"We're not dating, Theresa." She realized nobody knew about Savannah, except for maybe her and Dawson. She wondered why.
"Yeah, right. Tomorrow, when I meet Ira, I'm going to ask him."
"You're not."
"Yes, I am."
"Please, Theresa. Don't...embarrass me in front of him. I'd be so blushing if you ask." She lied to cover up for him but she didn't know why she needed to.
"Then, you tell me. What happened when he went to Miami to spend time with you?"
"Good things," she said and smiled, preparing to tell her all that happened except for his confession.
"It was great having you here," Leona hugged Arianne before she was to leave, "will definitely miss you, Arianne. All the best for finals and life ahead."
"You too," the younger girl hugged her back.
Driving and following Ira's car, she just wondered about the future. How would she live in the same apartment as his yet still be miles away from him? What made her think the most was how she would sustain herself when he'd go out with Savannah or not return a night or bring her home and make love to her in the adjacent room. She would simply die a little inside, knowing there would be more such deaths to come.
"You okay?" he finally asked when they carried her suitcases into the elevator. "Yup," she said, scratching her head, "I was just wondering whether Savannah would be cool about this."
"I think she will." She wouldn't even care.
"Wouldn't she be jealous or insecure? Or, are you tryna tell me she trusts you too well?"
"None of them. I've told her already. And, she doesn't mind. And, anyway, shake it off. She's going for a modeling tour. She wouldn't be here for the next few months."
"Months?"
"Yes. She's not returning before December."
"Oh! I was looking forward to meeting her sooner." She breathed relief.
Jess and Adam waited in the apartment for Arianne to arrive. They had come to help the young ones set up the house. "Hi, sweetheart," Adam hugged Arianne. It was eloquent that he was very fond of her. "Hello, Adam," she was fond of him too. Kissing him on the cheek, she dragged her suitcase into the room she was going to take, just beside the one Ira slept in.
"Oh, look at this," she said, looking at the room, "it's so clean and tidy. So like Ira." "Yeah," he followed her in, thinking of a reply to the sarcasm, "you'll be amazed if I told you it was me who cleaned it up."
The four spent the rest of the evening setting Arianne's books, clothes, photos, and other stuff across the room. "Here, your keys," Ira handed her a set of two keys after the cleaning and arranging were done, "this one the main door and this for your room...if you wanna lock it."
"Ira," she called him as he turned to leave, "you know I can leave right? Whenever you want me to. I don't wanna heave on you, you know." "We're not gonna talk about this anymore," he said, looking into her eyes, and changed topic immediately, "and, you know right, there's just one washroom and that too is attached to my room. So, feel free to go in whenever you need it."
"Hey, look at this," she was left stunned when she did walk into his room to use the washroom. A canvas was set up just beside the bed and it looked as if Ira had engaged himself in some sort of painting. "What are you painting this time?" she asked as he came in. Jess and Adam had left already, after dinner and the two were finally left to themselves to start off their lives together. Together?
"You remember I told you Mr. Grey got me in touch with Jeremy? He had asked me why I wanted to buy one. So, I told him and I showed him the ones I drew of you."
"What the...? Really? You showed him those paintings?"
"Yes. They were that bad? I shouldn't have shown?"
"They were lovely. But, it wasn't of someone spectacular. It was mine."
"Shut it! So...I showed him. And, he loved them. So, he wanted me to do one for his wife, Anastasia Grey. So, I'm doing one. Here." He showed him the photographs he was referring to.
"Wow," she admired, "she's so beautiful! Isn't she?" Ira smiled at her. Arianne, you are more!
"You have college tomorrow?" he asked as they brushed together after dinner. Together!
"Yes. Leave your door open. I bathe early."
He stared at her for a while as she kept brushing with sincerity. When she caught his gaze, she turned and asked, "what! Why are you staring?" As her fair cheeks went red, he pouted and asked, "why did you cut your hair?" She rolled her eyes and looking away, commented, "grow up, Ira. Seriously!"
Though at college, Arianne's mind kept going back to Ira and her new residence. The previous night, she had quite a sound sleep, feeling safe and secured. But, her conversation with her mother in the morning had been quite a mind-changing one. She knew she couldn't sleep one more night because of guilt if she didn't oblige her.
"Now that you're living with someone, Keira, you must learn to take up responsibilities, right?" her mother had said, "true, he's the man of the house and he earns well enough. But, independent women like ourselves don't let the man have all the credit of running the house. You know that. You're a grown up girl. I think you should share expenses with him. He'd appreciate that. Start small. Like, buy egg and milk on your way home for breakfast tomorrow. Then, share his bills. Split them into two. This way, you not just share your lives with each other, but seriously contemplate the meaning of that phrase."
Arianne did what her mother told her to. After her shift at the cake shop, she bought some fruits and a few more items of grocery on her way back home.
Home!
"What the fuck is this?" Ira expressed his surprise facilely at office the next day as he unzipped his office bag at his cabin. Inside was a tiffin box with cut fruits and well spud legume seeds and a note on it, that said, "Don't eat out. It's not that healthy, you know. Love, Anne."
He smiled, "this girl!"
When the colleagues he generally ate out with, came in the lunch hour to call him out, he, very frankly, said, "I have lunch from home. Why don't you guys go and have fun?"
"You brought lunch from home? What did you bring?" One of them broke into his cabin to see what his lunch box had, "fruits and sprouts? What, you got married to a health-freak?"
"Yeah, I bought that," Arianne informed him when he asked about the fruits, "and, I'm going to put that box in your bag everyday from now on. Except for maybe, Thursday or Friday, when you can eat out if you want."
"A replica of my mother you've become!"
"By choice!"
Life had become much peaceful that way. Ira found his solace in Arianne and she found hers in him. They shared their lives, their days, their happiness.
Jess visited them often. Sometimes at the apartment, sometimes at The Caketeers. And, usually had long chats with Arianne, where the two talked about Ira. Jess told her about his childhood, and Arianne told her about his present.
Arianne kept loving Ira and Ira kept falling for Savannah. Every time they talked on the phone - be it either to know which part of America she was in or a sex chat or his trial to talk romantic to her - he found himself falling for her. Even if she savagely insulted him on any of his habits or disrespected him, he didn't seem to mind at all. Like it had become a cherishable habit.
"How gorgeous," Arianne had said when he showed her a picture of Savannah he had on his phone, downloaded from her social profile. C'mon, Arianne, you are way more beautiful! He had put you on a canvas, never her! You inspire art in him, never she!
Some nights, when it didn't rain, Arianne and Ira pulled the pair of couches from the living area into the balcony of Ira's room and slept out. They stared at the stars in the sky and talked for hours on matters they had never talked to anyone else on. Arianne read out her favorite parts from the Bible and explained to him the meaning like Father Lewis had to her. He talked about his fantasies for art and how he desperately wanted to have a masterpiece by his name.
As days passed, they realized how some relations can matter much more than others. They wanted to find their lovers in each other but ended up finding their new best friends. It seemed much more than just the bodily attractions and desires. It was friendship, a strong bond. But, then again, love is, as it is, just a higher form of friendship.
It would be unfair to say that they never felt attracted to each other. Their once undone desires, forbidden by both to come to the surface, did flash up at times. Whenever Ira saw Arianne coming out of his room in the morning, looking as breathtaking as the fresh dawn Sun, her hair dripping water on the carpet, he recklessly wanted to push her back into his room and vice her in his strong arms and make love to her. Whenever she saw him the way she loved him - hard-working, sincere - she fell in love with the strong willed man she had already fallen for, again and again. She knew she could even sacrifice herself in lieu of his love, if that was all she had do to for it.
"How's Savannah?" she asked seldom, "did you call her?"
"She's fine."
"And, you both?"
"Fine."
After a pause, he usually started again. "Anne, you know, I'm very confused about what she really wants from me."
"Love, maybe." She said, looking away.
"I don't know. Really, I don't know."
"What do you want? Do you love her?"
"I think I do."
She had refused to cry in front of him when such situations occurred. But, later in the night, she buried her head in her pillow, and cried like Seattle rain in it. She especially listened to those songs which reminded her of the happy times when she had all his attention and all his love for herself yet wasted it. And, she cried. Cried till her breath choked.
And, a few days later, she again poked out information about Savannah from Ira. Why was she hurting herself intentionally? She loved the pain, maybe.
One stormy night, on her short way to the car from the cake shop, Arianne found a little kitten sitting underneath her car, trying to avoid the rain. It was too small, she noticed, and, too scared and seemed homeless. She couldn't help carrying the little thing home.
"Oh, look at that," Ira had taken it into his arms as soon as he opened the door for her. As she rested her umbrella against the shoe case, she noticed him already playing with the child cat.
"I found her under my car," she said, "couldn't help bringing her home."
"You did a great job. It's too cute."
"We should keep her, shouldn't we?"
"Of course. Though, how do you know it's a she?"
She smiled slyly at him and waited for him to guess the answer himself.
"Oh," it was a matter of a second, "Biology major!"
"We should name her," he said over dinner, as they watched the baby sleep peacefully on a bed made with some of Arianne's and Ira's handkerchiefs.
They spent half of the night thinking of names, and finally Ira came up with an idea.
"How about the first three letters of your name with my name? Cause, I only have three letters."
"What does it become then?"
"Arira! See, its even a palindrome!"
"Aww...I don't know if such a name exists. But, it's beautiful! Arira!"
The next day, a Saturday, Ira went out twice and when he came back the second time in the evening, he brought in a cute pink basket with himself. "What is that?" Arianne asked as soon as she saw it.
He laid it down on the floor and picked Arira up from where she was sitting, beside the door to Arianne's room and put her inside the basket. As she squatted down beside him, she noticed the girly basket, at a corner, had 'Arira' written in beautiful girly fonts. "It's for her," he said, petting its head, "the new one in our family!"
Our family!
She couldn't afford to miss those words!
On Monday, Arianne saw a notice on the college notice board. 20 top companies in Seattle, including Grey Enterprises Holdings, Helmsman Enterprises, Seattle Independent Publishing, Seattle Times, Coffee Shop Publishing House, some art galleries were offering internships to students of graduation. Anyone could apply either by choice or suggestions by professors.
She walked away, wondering if she should attempt for one. But, then she was already so engrossed with everything. College, studies, upcoming finals, the cake shop, Ira... Addition to that would be a headache.
But, she had to take up one.