Greta opens her door and steps out.
I grab my stuff from the back seat and follow suit, meeting her at the now-open trunk. Once I have all my luggage, I pause, not quite ready to say goodbye to this wise woman. I never would have expected I'd get attached to someone quite so easily. Greta feels like a gift from the universe, my own real-life guardian angel.
She puts her hand on my shoulder. “You got this, kid.”
I force a smile.
"My next statement is the most cliché thing ever, but…do what makes you happy. I'm serious. Life is too short to let people walk all over you." Greta closes the hatch and makes her way to the driver's side. "I believe in you."
And somehow, despite the words coming from a complete stranger, they spark something alive in me that had been dormant my entire existence.
It’s not at all strange when I find myself wrapping my arms around this woman I only just met, hugging her in hopes that she understands how much our short time together means to me.
“Thank you,” I tell her, the significance of my words deeper than she might know.
I sling my backpack over my shoulder, grab the handles of my bags, and head straight to the keypad. I punch in the numbers and the gate unlocks. It takes me a second to get the door open and maneuver my bags through, but I manage to make it work.
I’m adjusting my belongings and turning toward the courtyard when a body slams into mine. The strap slides down my arm, and I lose my backpack. My cell goes flying out of the pocket and lands face down on the stone pavers.
I make the briefest eye contact with my target. Dark green with full eyelashes. A black T-shirt hugging his broad shoulders. He's kind of tall, I think. From this angle, it's hard to tell.
“Fuck,” he says and keeps on going.
He doesn’t bother to say sorry. He doesn’t stop and help pick up my stuff. He simply keeps going on his merry way, not giving a damn that he just ran into me. Not a care in the world other than himself and whatever he’s in a rush to get to.
Great, the first person I meet my age is a complete asshole. This better not set the stage for how the next year is going to go.
At least with my brand-new outlook on life, I know with certainty that he’s the type of guy I need to ignore.