Let Me In

XanderTen years agoI kept my sunglasses on, protecting my eyes from the hot San Diego sun. I was early and in no hurry to get to my next class at UCSD. In fact, I was dreading it a little. I knew it wasn’t going to go well. It never did. My professor had taken a strong disliking to me from the moment I darkened his door. I didn’t know why, and I didn’t give a shit. I just needed the damn grade.My book bag was slung over one shoulder as I walked along the cement sidewalk. I sipped the iced coffee I carried in my other hand. It was a gorgeous sunny day. As soon as I was done with class, I was going to the beach. A cold beer and some good music were exactly what this day needed.“Wait up,” I heard from behind me.I slowed my walk, waiting for Charlie Pugh to catch up. The guy was two years younger than me. We had met last year, his freshman year, and I had taken him under my wing.“I didn’t think you had class on Fridays,” I said.He grinned. “I don’t, but the hot chick I’m after does

EvieI loved Pinterest. It was such an amazing website. I could literally spend the entire day staring at the endless pictures and ideas. I didn’t like to steal anyone’s great ideas, but I liked to take what I saw and add my own special spin. It was what made me good at my job.I loved themed parties. They were so much fun. It gave me an opportunity to fill every fantasy. I could be under the sea, in Paris, or on the moon. I was known for planning parties that were ridiculously over the top. No detail was missed. When someone told me they had this idea, I took it and ran. One day, I would own my own business. For now, I worked for one of the top party planning agencies in the country. At least, that was what we advertised.I took a quick screenshot and saved it to my file of ideas that I didn’t need right away but was hoping to use eventually. I clicked off the site. I had to. It was too tempting to keep open. I pulled out the file for the party I was preparing a proposal for. It was

XanderI picked up a tool but I had no idea what it was. I examined it and put it back down on the table alongside Charlie’s workstation. I looked around the massive warehouse with various parts of cargo ships being manufactured or repaired. I knew exactly what I was looking at when it came to the bits and pieces of the ships.“This baby is almost finished,” Charlie said, lovingly patting an engine housing.I walked around the massive piece that would eventually be a part of one of the cargo ships I had designed. “It looks good.”“Of course, it looks good. I made it.”“I designed it,” I reminded him.He grinned. “Damn straight you did. And I’m glad you did. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t be working as much as I have been. Look at this place. We have work lined up for the next two years. Your fancy ships are the bee’s knees.”I rolled my eyes. “When did you turn ninety?” I asked, referencing his very old, outdated phrase.“Do you want a tour?” he asked.I shook my head. “Nah, once you’ve s

EvieI parked my car in front of the small antique store. I often shopped at the place when I was looking for that little something special to make a party theme complete. I had a good relationship with the owner and appreciated the many stories he had about the old days.I walked in, the bells on the door alerting him to my presence. The bells were a necessity. The shop was packed, wall to wall. In some places, things were stacked so high one couldn’t see more than a few inches in front of them.I walked inside, being careful not to knock anything over with my purse. “Bob!” I called out the owner’s name.I heard a muffled reply. “Back here.”I followed the sound of his voice. He was kneeling on the floor, unpacking a box of what looked like skeleton keys.“Those are awesome!” I exclaimed.He softly chuckled. “These are trendy right now,” he commented. “The rustier, the better. I’ll sell these in no time.”“They are very cool,” I agreed. I considered buying some just to have them. I w

XanderThe car pulled to a stop in front of the hotel. I could see Charlie pacing in front of the building. He was irritated. Pissed, judging by the flurry of texts he’d sent over the last twenty minutes. I was late. I could admit I nearly backed out. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of going to the stupid party. The only reason I was going was because of Charlie.I got out of the car, buttoning the suit as I moved toward him.“It’s about fucking time,” he said. “You need a better watch.”“I don’t need a better watch.”“You are late.”“I know. See? My watch works fine.”He growled. “Why didn’t you text me back?”“Because I knew what you would say. I was on my way.”He shook his head, clearly still pissed. “Can we go in? I need a damn drink.”“You could have gone in,” I told him.“No, I couldn’t. You are the one invited. I’m the plus one.”I nodded and moved to open the door. I gestured for him to go inside. “Let’s get a drink.”“I’m going to get a drink. And some damn good food.”“I’ll