Chapter Two

Annalise

I"m so glad that I left Connecticut. It"s not that I hate the city but I was in desperate need of a new environment, and I was super excited about starting my clinical psychology career. Everyone else thinks I"m nuts for choosing to "become a shrink", like my sister Tasha said, but nothing has ever given me more pleasure than helping people with their mental health and understanding how the mind works.

The taxi I board at the airport drives me to South Bay Boulevard, where I'd purchased a condo. Tasha couldn"t stop gushing about how beautiful the neighborhood was and I don"t blame her. The scenery is almost idyllic. Beautiful houses with perfect lawns sprawled on both sides of the road. The driver takes a right turn that leads to a gorgeous park. This must be where some of the neighborhood folks come to enjoy some air. But the air here is already so sweet.

I pull down the window completely and take in a deep breath. The air is perfect. It's freedom. South Bay Boulevard smells of opportunities. It's as though it's saying, "Welcome Annalise. An amazing life starts now."

We get to the apartment building and I marvel at the sheer beauty of the complex. My apartment is the one next to the penthouse on the top floor.

I get out of the car and look up at the building in wonder. The architect must have gotten his inspiration from the hanging gardens of Babylon. All the apartments have beautiful balconies decorated with flowers. Beautiful palms are dotted around the large compound.

"Is this all Ma"am?" The driver asks almost out of breath as he drops the last of my luggage.

"Yes, Jerry. Thank you so much."

"Would you like me to take them in for you? They"re pretty heavy."

"Thanks a lot, Jerry but I"m sure I can manage. Um ... here."

Jerry"s eyes grow wide and he profusely thanks me for the tip. As he drives off, I look at my luggage and realize I may have slightly overestimated my physical strength.

"Alright, Annalise. No need to stand here like a lost damsel. You can do this."

I pick up the huge boxes and walk them towards the lobby. I successfully get them all into the elevator and press the button to go to the last floor. Unfortunately, the smaller bags don"t seem to be cooperating as I try to balance them on the two large boxes. I wish everything I wanted to bring had fit into the large boxes. But the smaller boxes held my books and laptops. I couldn"t have left them in Connecticut no matter how much Tasha had insisted on it.

"You can always come back for them, Anna. You don"t have to take everything right now. Besides, they"re just books. What"s the big fuss over them?" Tasha had said the day she came over to help me pack for the move to California.

"First of all, they"re not just books. Secondly, I would feel a lot better if I had everything with me. Lastly, just tell me that you"re already missing me so much and that"s why you want me to come back for the books."

Tasha playfully shoved me onto the bed and continued with the packing.

Perhaps I should have listened to her and left a few things. As my older sister, whose 15 years my senior, I've always listened and looked up to Tasha. I usually take her advice on board, but I love having my books with me. It just gives me a weird sense of security. Right now, though, they're heavy as hell.

I step out of the elevator and try to drag the large boxes with one hand and balance the smaller boxes with the other. But I'm struggling and the smaller boxes fall off the larger boxes. I bend down to pick them up and hear an oddly familiar voice.

"Hi. Let me help you with that." The voice is soothing, deep and warm. The man's large hands reach down towards my boxes.

"Thank you so…" I freeze as I look up at the gorgeously handsome man in front of me. Looking into his face, I now instantly recognize him. He is the one person I have been told countless times not to have anything to do with. It was Hal Torres. And I could tell he recognizes me too; he looked as surprised as I do.

"Hal?"

"Annalise. Wha … what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing!"

"I live here. At the penthouse."

Well, this is just great. How am I supposed to avoid him now that he"s living next door? Is fate playing some sort of trick on me?

Before I can say anything else, he's picking up my boxes as if they're completely empty and carrying them over to my apartment.

I follow quickly behind, with the smaller bags, then open the door and step inside. He carries the boxes inside and places them on the floor.

"Nice place!" he says, glancing through the apartment. He steps back outside into the corridor.

"Uhh. Thanks a lot. Okay, by then." I say quickly, trying to usher him out of the apartment.

"Okay. Well, do you need any help?"

"Oh don"t worry, I've got it covered. Thank you." There's a long and awkward pause. Hal looks at me, and cocks his head to one side, questioningly.

"Ok … well, see you later then," he says, smiling as I close the door slowly in his face.

Once the door is firmly closed, I place my head on it. I shouldn't have been such a jerk. I"m not the kind of person to just consign someone to hell because other people don"t like them, but the things Tasha has told me are hard to ignore. Yet something tells me he isn't that bad. He was the perfect gentleman just now, helping me with my things. Besides, Tasha never answers the questions I ask her. She just tells me that he is a horrible person and I should avoid him at all costs.

I'll have to apologize to him for being rude, and also try to find out why Tasha hates him so much. Maybe I can get them to start talking again. I just need to hear things from his side.

Resolved, I make a mental note to check on him later, apologize for my rudeness, and possibly get a conversation started about the stuff between him and Tasha.