I’m sorry in advance for the lack of screenshots in this chapter – I’m trying to make the chapters a little shorter in an effort to not cover too many significant “sim life” events in one big chapter, and I’m still trying to find a good balance. Eventually I’ll get there.
“Yes. Yes I think this will do just fine,” Amity said to
herself as she stood in the middle of her freshly painted and newly
furnished/decorated living room. She had been steadily moving up the ranks at
her job over the past few months, just as her boss had promised. She’d recently
received a fairly sizeable Winter bonus and decided to finally give herself the
new living room she’d been saving for ever since she moved into her
all-too-humble home.
“New” was a relative
term, as she had purchased most of the furniture from the local consignment
shop. After much scrubbing and spraying
of Febreeze, Amity finally had a cozy (yet eclectic) space to entertain guests
in.
She had just enough left over to expand the kitchen and lay
new flooring. She didn’t have enough left over to put up the tile in the
kitchen that she’d originally picked out, but she found that she enjoyed the
raw brick look.
Despite feeling giddy about her new space, Amity also
couldn’t help but feel lonely. It had
been nearly a year since she’d arrived in Aurora Skies and even though she’d
made a few friends, they were all married with children. She felt like she couldn’t really relate to
their lives and they rarely had the time to go out or do anything that didn’t
involve children.
She’d been on a few dates with men she’d met via the online
dating website that she had signed up for, but they had mostly been duds as
well. Amity tried to remind herself that finding a boyfriend was not the only
important thing in life, but it offered her little comfort when she found
herself surrounded by happy families all the time. She was growing bitter and it only made her fret even more.
She sat alone in her living room and allowed herself to
brood for a little while.
A few weekends later Amity was given a new assignment at
work – a feature piece on the local rugby team. They’d just finished out their
season with a spot on the playoffs and the entire town was buzzing about it.
Normally this type of story would go to the sports writer on staff, but he was
out with the flu. Amity’s boss Rajita passed the task along to her.
“This could be your big break! It’s a huge story. The Huskies
haven’t made it to the playoffs since the 80s and all the critics are raving
about how this could be the year they go all the way. It’s definitely the best
team this town has seen in a long time,” Rajita explained.
Amity wrinkled her nose and tried not to look ungreatful.
She disliked sports and found them to be a waste of time and resources. She’d
also been past the sports arena during game day, and found that people are at
their absolute worst when they’ve been boozing all day in anticipation of a big
game.
“I appreciate the opportunity, Rajita. But I don’t think it’s for me. I’ve always
hated sports and I don’t feel like I could be objective when writing this
piece, much less do it any sort of justice,” Amity explained.
To her surprise, Rajita simply smiled.
“Think of it as a challenge,” she said. “Besides, you may
actually learn something and find that you enjoy it once you get to know more
about it.”
Amity had already decided that her mind would not be
changed. She woke up early the next morning with her pad and pen in hand and
set off for the arena.
When she arrived, she was greeted by security and issued a press
pass. She made her way through the dungeon-like maze of hallways under the
arena seating until she came to the team’s locker room. She was informed by the
coach that they’d just finished practice and she could take all the time she
needed.
The locker room smelled foul and Amity tried to put on her
best poker face as she approached the first player. Amity learned that his name
was Adam Birch, and he was something called a “forward” even though she had no
idea what that meant.
She was surprised by Adam. He was extremely charismatic
and…smart. Amity hated admitting that prior to meeting Adam, she wrote off all
sports players as simple and oafish. She found herself growing bashful the
more she spoke to him. She couldn’t help realizing how handsome he was, in
addition to his wit and candor.
She departed from the arena a few hours later, with a
notepad full of quotes and relevant information and a newfound respect for
athletes that she had certainly not expected.
She had also not expected the butterflies in her stomach
that seemed to linger even hours later, when she sat down that night to begin
writing the story.
A few days later, the doorbell rang. Amity was surprised to
see Adam standing on her porch, wet from the rain that had been falling all
afternoon.
“I know this is unexpected and sudden,” he started. “But I
was wondering if you would have dinner with me?”
Amity accepted and found herself situated in the front seat
of Adam’s car a few minutes later. The leather from the seats smelled rich and
sweet.
Adam chose a restaurant on the waterfront and they enjoyed a
wonderful evening together. They went for drinks after dinner and then spent
the rest of night walking along the beach and talking. Amity was surprised by
how easily she could talk to him – it felt like talking to an old friend. She
was surprised to see the first rays of dawn peeking out from behind the clouds
when they arrived back to her home.
“I had a wonderful time with you, Amity. You’re a very
special woman.”
Amity smiled and leaned closer to him. She’d wanted to kiss
him all evening but found herself too shy until that very moment, when she was
too overcome with exhaustion and excitement to care.
She slipped under the covers a few hours later and even
though she’d been up all night, she still felt like she could run a marathon.
Her thoughts raced and sleep did not come easily for her.
Amity finished her article on the Huskies a few days later
and it was a huge hit upon publication. She hadn’t seen Adam again but he had
called her almost every day. She knew his schedule was grueling with the game on the horizon, and she was surprised when even she found herself getting excited for the first round of the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the Huskies were eliminated.
Amity knew Adam would be disappointed. She planned to call
him after getting off work but was surprised when he called first and asked to
see her that evening. She accepted and was working on a painting when she heard
the doorbell.
To her surprise, Adam arrived with flowers for her.
“I just wanted to thank you, Amity. Not only for writing the
great article, but also for your support over the past few days leading up to
tonight’s game. I know sports aren’t your thing, so it meant a lot to me.”
Amity smiled and offered to make him something to eat. She
was walking through the living room when she felt him grab her hand. She turned
around and he pulled her close.
To her surprise, he scooped her up off her feet with little
to no effort.
“I appreciate it, but…I’m not all that hungry right now,” he
grinned.
She smiled back at him and felt instantly safe in his arms.
Perhaps her living room would be seeing far fewer lonely days.
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