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    “Why the fuck are you doing this?” Robbie brought the moving truck to a stop in front of the depressing looking apartment. The sagging shadow colored building was a far cry from the fancy, downtown penthouse Dani just left. It was sad, tired and old, a direct reflection of how her life was going.

    “I need a fresh start so I can think.” Exhausted from a restless night, Dani was anxious to get out of the stifling truck. She rolled the window down, hoping for a cool breeze, but only got a faceful of stagnant air.

“It stinks here,” Dani said. She let her head rest on the stiff surface, wishing there was something else she could do. But she couldn’t. She’d already done the hardest part. All she had to do now was move in.

Robbie, her best friend, let down the driver side window and sniffed. “I think that’s just what the west side smells like.” He pushed his glasses up on his face. “Do you think I can leave the truck here so we can bring everything in?”

Dani took in her new neighborhood, the squat buildings with shuttered dry cleaners windows and hole in the wall eateries. The street noise, honking horns and squealing brakes settled her thoughts, but she hoped her apartment faced away from the busy street. 

    “I’m sure it’s fine. If we have to go around the block then we will.” 

    Dani didn’t want to be there anyway. If they were lucky, she and Robbie would get her few items out of the back, before anyone bothered them. She had moved out of Tim’s place so fast that she’d only been able to snatch and grab the most important things. The items that meant the most to her. Luckily, Tim was gone, so she took the thousand dollar mattress that she paid for so she didn’t have to sleep on the lumpy cheap one he’d bought.

     Robbie hopped out of the cab first, seemingly anxious to be done. Dani dragged herself out, knowing he didn’t want to be out there all day. By the time she made it to the back of the truck, Robbie had unlatched the metal hook and already grabbed the first box.

    “Next time we’re hiring movers,” he said from the top of the box he carried.

    “I didn’t have time or the money. I’m on a budget.”

    “You should have been planning your getaway, instead of disappearing into the evening like Catwoman. Make sure you plan better next time.” Robbie purred.

     “There won’t be a next time.” 

     They walked the stairs, leaving the truck unguarded. Dani didn’t have much to steal. She’d left all the jewelry and designer things Tim bought for her. Gone were the nights of luxurious dinners and gifts wrapped in red ribbon. 

     The main door to the building opened and an older woman shuffled out with a pair of glasses on her nose and another set on the crown of her head. The long flowered muumuu and faint scent of patchouli followed her waving arm. “Park down there, I’ll wait here for you,” she called to someone behind them. 

     She stopped her screeching, looked Dani and Robbie over, then touched Dani lightly on the arm, before yanking her hand back. “You’re going to marry that boy.”

     Dani side-eyed Robbie, who burst into laughter.  “Who? Him?” Dani pointed at Robbie the best she could, but the box she carried weighed her down.

     The woman shook her head. “Not him. The other one. I’m Marmie, by the way. Pleasure to meet you.” Marmie trotted down the sidewalk, leaving Dani and Robbie to gawp at each other.

     “It’s not too late to put your stuff back into the truck and go home,” Robbie said.

     Dani shook her head.

     “Then pull your keys out, it’s time to start this new life of yours. I can’t wait to see what you’ve done all on your own.” Robbie’s sarcastic tone stung. Dani shrugged it off, knowing there would be more barbs. She had asked Robbie that very morning to show up but she hadn’t told him what for. Just that he needed to dress casually and be ready to exercise. What kind of mood had she expected him to be in?   

     Dani decided one night that she was done, and started to pack her things. It had taken two days. Two whole days where Tim hadn’t noticed a thing out of place. Up in the six hundred square foot apartment Dani was about to call home, Robbie sneered. 

     “Well this is something,” he said.  

     “Don’t be shitty. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I couldn’t.”

     “Dani, we have been friends for ten years. I don’t know why you couldn’t tell me that you wanted to break up with him. I would have stolen more stuff from his place.”

     “Which is exactly why I didn’t tell you.” Dani hadn’t been concerned about Robbie's larcenous ways. Hell, now that he’d mentioned it, she should have said something sooner. Letting Robbie steal from Tim was the least he deserved. There was no reason to discuss with Robbie what she’d already decided for herself. If Robbie talked her out of it, she’d still be at Tim’s, pissed.

No, she had done the right thing. It was always better to move silently than to have a bunch of naysayers in your ear pulling you every which way. Robbie had shown up when she needed and for that Dani would always be grateful.

     They took a few trips up the dusty, narrow staircase to her studio apartment, instead of waiting for the slow, clunky elevator. Dani moved faster than Robbie, pounding up and down the steps, doing most of the heavy lifting. After two trips, Dani was sweating through her plush cotton hoodie, while Robbie sat on the back edge of the moving truck.

     “You know you have to help, right?” Dani wiped her brow, staining the gray fabric with her taupe setting powder.

     “Haven’t I done enough? I jumped when you said to come pick you up this morning and we haven’t even stopped for coffee. You’re worse than my asshole of a boss. At least he pays me.” Robbie winked, then returned to the social media he’d pulled up on his phone.

     “Come on Robbie. We gotta hurry, I have to get this truck back.” Dani pulled the phone from his grasp and dropped it in his breast pocket. 

     “You need a man.”

     “You are a man,” Dani retorted. She jumped into the back of the truck, despite the ache in her thighs.

     “You need a boyfriend.” Robbie accepted the box Dani offered. Dani picked up another, full of kitchen supplies. Robbie made them wait for the elevator, claiming he’d already done his cardio for the week. It took ten minutes to take the few boxes up to the third floor and return, and when they did, another moving truck was parked mere inches in front of theirs.

     “Fuck. How are we supposed to get our shit out now?” Dani stomped to the front of the cab, but finding it empty, turned to find Robbie in conversation with a tall, dark, and handsome man. 

     Robbie and the man were deep in conversation, by the time Dani arrived at their side. Robbie touched the man on the forearm, and giggled, flirting the way Dani knew he’d been prone to do.

     “Would you mind terribly helping us move the mattress and couch? We’ve pretty much gotten everything else.” Robbie’s voice trilled on Dani’s nerves. Of course he’d found time to engage with a man.

     “I’d love to help. I’m Leo. Leonidas, actually,” the man said.

     Dani avoided his gaze, indifferent to introducing herself. Robbie however, pulled her by the arm so she had to stand next to him. “I’m Robbie. This is Dani.”

     For the first time, Dani allowed herself to look at Leo. He was a foot taller than her, with perfect pecs only built after hours in the gym. His perfectly gelled hair sat back away from his light eyes and masculine jawline. Leonidas was the physical embodiment of everything Dani was angry about. Perfect men who were too stupid and inept to do anything on their own.

    “What apartment are you two moving into?” Leonidas smiled a white toothy grin, making Dani huff.

    “Oh I’m not moving in, only her. She’s going to 3B,” Robbie answered. Despite the death glare Dani sent his way for telling a perfect stranger her apartment, he kept talking. “Which one are you moving in?”

    “3D. We’re neighbors.”

    “Nice, who are you moving in with?” Robbie tried to pry, but Dani had heard enough.

    “Can we move this couch, before the sun sets?” she asked.

    Robbie purred and patted Leonidas on the arm. “Don’t mind her. She hasn’t had any coffee this morning.”

    Leo didn’t seem put out at all. Instead, he grinned. “Don’t talk to her until she has her coffee. Got it.”

 

~

 

    Together, they carried all the overly large items to Dani’s new place, until the truck was empty. Not once did Robbie complain or pull his phone out, deciding to chat with Leonidas in between heavy breaths. The men chatted like they were old friends, catching up on all the life events they missed. Everything Dani learned about him was against her will, from his creatine habit to his favorite restaurant, Uptown. As much as she wanted to complain, she didn’t because she needed their help. 

    After waving goodbye to Leo, Robbie settled into the driver’s seat. Dani laid her head back and closed her eyes. The rumble of the engine started, and the sway of the vehicle lulled her into an uneasy sense of security. 

    “Leonidas seems nice. And he’s so cute.” Robbie’s voice barely reached above the noise of traffic coming in through the open windows. But she heard him, no matter how much she wanted to talk about something else. 

    “He is. Did you ask him out to dinner?”

    Robbie cackled hard, swerving to stay in the lane. “Unfortunately, he’s straight. I meant he’s cute for you.”

    “I am twelve hours out of a four year relationship. Starting a new one is not an option right now.” 

    “I respect that, but a fuck buddy is not a relationship. It wouldn’t hurt to have your clam jammed. Very respectfully. Leonidas looks like a fantastic clam digger.”

     Dani laughed despite her reticence. Leonidas could be the best “clam jammer” she’d ever met. She wasn’t interested. The last thing she needed was someone else who would bother her. Leonidas was exactly the type of man who would bring ruin to her life. Dani wanted peace, more than anything. The deep, soul-calming peace that only Tibetan monks seemed able to enjoy.

     “The good news is that he lives right next to you. If you need anything, you can just knock on his door.”

     “What in the world could I possibly need from him?” Dani’s phone vibrated. Tim’s stupid, lying, face popped up. Dani swiped the screen, ignoring the call.

     Robbie pushed his glasses up, and looked at her for longer than necessary. “Are you going to tell me what happened? Was he cheating?”

     “Maybe. Who knows. Probably.” She couldn’t hold out any longer. At some point, she’d have to tell Robbie what happened. It might as well be then.

     “I got demoted.”

     Robbie sucked in a breath. “How?”

     “Because of fucking Tim. I should have known better, God.” Dani closed her eyes, once again trying to find comfort in the ride. She focused on the breathing exercise she’d learned, in for a count of four, then out for eight. It took her a few minutes to find the calming energy she so desperately craved.

     “He told everyone he was the one who’d come up with the specs.” The fucking project she’d been working on for a year. He’d stood in front of the team, listing every single detail. Details she’d told him over fine wine and filet, when she thought he was there to support her work.

     “How could I have been so stupid? I told him everything and he took it all. Night after night. I complained to him about the issues I was having and how I wasn’t getting along with Lindsey. He assured me that it would be okay, that everything would be a success.” Dani knew her wailing sounded childish, but damn it felt good to say. She wasn’t without fault–sleeping with a co-worker was a very basic rule–but this time it had spectacularly backfired.

     Now she was without a boyfriend and down a career that she’d worked tirelessly to craft.

     “They demoted you because Tim took your work?”

     “No, they demoted me because Lindsey told HR I was sleeping with him. He gets to keep his position because he’s ‘an integral part of the team’. I, on the other hand, am being reassigned.” Dani hated herself for doing air quotes with her fingers, but it’s what the HR agent had told her.

     “It’s fine. I should have known better than to trust him.”

     Robbie cracked his knuckles, a nervous habit. He wanted to tell her something. Dani tightened her stomach, wondering what truth he was about to drop on her. 

     “I don’t think Tim was the one for you,” Robbie said. Before he could start in on the ‘I hate Robbie’ train, Dani spoke up.

     “There is no such thing as ‘the one’. The sooner we all accept it, the easier our lives will be.”