Forever Enigmatic

Chapter 34

SIERRA WALKED OUT OF the facility with a spring in her step and a heaviness in her stomach. She had taken the first step. She started therapy once again.

It was nerve-racking, but she couldn't deny how elated she felt over accomplishing something positive for the first time in months. A weight started lifting from her shoulders over that one visit, so she couldn't wait to see her progress later on.

She smiled to herself as she saw her father's car waiting out front. After her incident, he had been more present in her life than ever before. She saw how different and happier he was when he wasn't with her mother.

"Guess what I got?" He said, smiling like a child with candy.

"What?" Sierra asked, then saw the yellow folder in his hands. "Are those the divorce papers?"

He nodded. "I'm almost free!"

Sierra shook her head, smiling. It was evident who the problem was in their family, and that was her mother. While Sierra wished she could patch things up with her, she realized that it was her mother's decision to do so. She'll be waiting for that time, but she wasn't so sure that would happen.

"When are you gonna give it to her?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "I never thought I'd get a divorce, much less divorce her. I always thought she was the woman of my dreams, but she was the one that manipulated me into seeing her as such just to use me. Sweetheart, take it from me, never settle for less. You deserve better."

They drove off to her new apartment. For the time being, she was without a car because her father decided to sell her "junk of a car" to get a better one. There was a new one in the picture, but they needed to go through the process of putting it in her name.

While all of that was going on, she managed to move out of her old apartment and into an adorable one-bedroom apartment. It was only a bit bigger than her last one, but it was well-maintained. Immediately, her mood shifted by just being there.

Change can be scary, but she saw how necessary it was to grow.

"Alright, sweetheart, I need to get to work. Are you having friends over?" Her father asked.

"Kyle is coming over later."

"No baby-making!"

"Dad, we're not even together," she grumbled, feeling her face get hot.

"You're too young to have babies," he continued.

"Bye, Dad," she jumped out of his car as he laughed at her expense.

He drove away and she walked into her new apartment complex in awe.

The outside looked like a hotel, decorated with fluffy bushes and flowers. Inside, the lobby was a modern beauty of neutral colors and sharp lines. There was a front desk, where a security officer sat making sure everything was running smoothly. The man was nice, but she often caught him streaming movies and television shows in his working hours. (Although she couldn't blame him, the job was so slow).

Sierra passed by and left to go to the other side of the complex. Since she couldn't afford much, her apartment was on the ground floor, which she didn't mind. The higher the floor, the higher the price, which was all because they got bigger with each floor. Seeing as she was living alone, she didn't need much space anyway, so she settled for the one-bedroom apartment.

When she turned towards her hallway, her heart thundered at the sight of Kyle standing by her door. He looked up at the sound of her steps and waved her over.

"Hey, I thought you were coming later," she said, pulling him into a hug.

"Couldn't wait to see you. I hope this isn't a bad time."

She rolled her eyes and invited him inside. Sunlight poured through her sliding doors that led to her small balcony. She saw a couple walk by with the dog outside, and smiled before locking her front door.

Kyle made himself comfortable on her couch, which was the same one. She chuckled at the size difference, like always, and went into her room. After changing into her usual sweats, she sat beside him, looking over at the zombies filling her television screen.

Ten minutes was enough for her to want to do something else. She tried to watch that show with him, but the violence and gore always got to her. Kyle sat there, unfazed by it, but she was highly sensitive to all of that. She preferred to stay away from it altogether.

She pulled her laptop from her coffee table to her lap, planning on designing something for fun. She liked creating made-up websites, doing random sketches, and daydreaming about a business she'd have that was her own.

She had no idea what she wanted in the future, but she realized she liked managing a business and everything that came with it. The design that had to be made, watching it come to life, making sure everything was in order. She liked the creativity that came with it. It made her feel alive.

"You've been doing that a lot," Kyle commented.

"What?"

"Designing and stuff. You're like a tech-y creative."

Sierra snorted at the humorous title. She had been taking more time to create more online designs, but her mind thought of designing businesses, having a shop about something she loved. She wished she was like Kyle who knew that he loved fitness, and, therefore, wanted to open up a gym.

She wished to have a niche where she could use her love for design.

"You should design my website for my upcoming gym."

Sierra whipped her head so fast she got a headache. "Upcoming?"

"I got the locale."

"You got the locale?" She squealed. He nodded excitedly. She jumped out of the couch like an excited child that learned they were going to Disney World. "Oh my God, you're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm signing the contract next week."

"Kyle, oh my goodness! I can't believe it!"

"So will you do my website?" He asked.

"Duh," she waved her hand, "but tell me when are you planning on opening? What else do you need?"

He smiled and bit down on his lips as she sat back down. His eyes were bright and excited as he told her about his plans. For the time being, he was going to continue working at The Gain until he graduated and finished getting the last bit of permits to have a business. Moreover, he still had a lot to raise to buy the equipment, decorations, and the website that would include all about his fitness programs.

Sierra protested getting paid, but he was adamant.

Once he had everything put together, he would start the marketing process.

"Everything's falling into place, huh?"

"Yeah," he grabbed her hand, "we just have to be patient. Life has up's and down's. We're finally getting our 'up' moment."

They stared into each other's eyes, like they have done millions of times. Sierra was self-conscious of how she looked in front of him, but thought about how he had seen her at her worst already. Getting a little flustered wasn't that big of a deal.

"I'm excited about the future." Kyle raised her hand to his lips.

She giggled. "Yeah, me too."