Favorite Mistake

The paint was peeling off of the siding of the modest apartment complex, but it was still home. Addison Meyers had moved into the apartment complex after her best friend suggested it. Her best friend, Hannah Russet, also happened to live in the same apartment complex on the second floor, thought it was a smart investment.

Addison was pleased with herself, she had finally finished unpacking her last box—it had only taken her three months to do it. She hefted the box up and began the trek outside to dispose of it. On her way outside, she took notice of her appearance. Her golden-brown hair hung in stray pieces about her face; it had come out of the loose ponytail nestled against her neck. Her green eyes looked tired, but were considered Addison’s best feature—she always made sure to have some sort of makeup on, never wanting an opportunity for them to be noticed to go by. Her pale skin was flushed from the work she had been doing, making her look healthier.

Addison kicked her door open and trudged her way up the stairs to the ground level where the dumpster was. The sun sparkled brightly in the sky, Addison liked this type of weather, but preferred cloudy and cold days better. She blinked rapidly in the bright sky as she tossed the empty box into the dumpster and turned back to her complex.

“Finally finished unpacking huh?” A voice called out to her. Addison looked up to see Hannah’s husband, Grant and a man that Addison had never met, standing at the top of the stairwell in front of their apartment. Grant was a stoic man who warmed to only those that were his friends and if you were considered a friend, you were considered family. His pale blonde hair was worn short and he had a ruggedly handsome face that could be viewed as cruel until you were invited into the fold. Addison had been lucky enough to get an invitation. His blue eyes sparkled on the darkest of days and Addison found herself quite take with her best friend’s husband on most of them. His 6’1 frame cast a long shadow down the stairwell to where she was.

Addison nodded her head triumphantly, “Now my life is complete.” She pushed the stray pieces of hair behind her ears and smiled warmly up at the two men, “What are you fellas up to?”

Recognition dawned on Grant’s face and he quickly turned to the man beside him, “Shit, sorry about that Addi, this is my younger brother Shiloh. Shiloh, this is Addison Meyers.” Shiloh looked like Grant, except he had dark blondish brown hair and he was taller. His body was wider, showing Addison that he had spent several hours of his life in a gym. He nodded his head to her in recognition, blue eyes like his brother’s glittered at her from the top of the stairwell.

Addison smiled at him, “Your parents fans of the Civil War perhaps?”

Shiloh chuckled, “Your parents want a boy?” Grant snorted in response, his eyes dancing mischievously at Addison.

‘Much smarter than he looks.’ Addison thought to herself before snickering at him, “Touché. But really, Addison is perfectly fine as a girl’s name. It’s just like Madison but without the ‘M’.” By the looks on the faces of the men she was talking to, she had rambled into dork territory. She shook her head, “Grant, is Hannah around?”

Grant replied, “No, she’ll be home at about 6:00.” He flicked his cigarette butt off the stairwell and turned back to Addison, “What are ya gonna do Addi?”

Addison started to walk back down to her apartment, “Probably finish fixing dinner.”

“What are you making?”

“Spaghetti and garlic bread with a side salad. Should I make food for four more?” Addison smiled slyly at Grant, she knew it was his night to cook dinner and he was always looking for a way out of it. She didn’t mind though, she thought of the Russets as family.

Grant started to tromp down the stairs, followed closely by Shiloh, “If you wouldn’t mind.”

Addison shook her head, “Not at all. Where’s Connor?” Connor was Hannah and Grant’s nine-year-old son. Hannah was his biological mother, but Grant had adopted Connor as his own when Connor was two. Grant loved Connor dearly. Addison had not heard a peep out of Connor all afternoon, an extreme rarity.

“He’s spending the weekend at Grandpa’s. Hey, would it be all right if we came down to play Halo?” Grant asked warmly.

Addison gave a dismissive nod, “You know where my X-box is, have at it. The door is always open.”

“No it isn’t,” Grant began smartly, “at 3 am it’s locked. I know, I’ve checked Addi.”

Addison rolled her eyes, “Stop being a jackass and come and play.”

“You don’t mind if we smoke some bud in your apartment do you?”

Addison sighed, “When have I ever minded? Get your stash and come on. That’s why God invented Febreze.” With that, Addison disappeared into her apartment.


***

Grant laughed at her parting comment and ran back up the stairs to get his papers and weed. Grant tucked them safely under his arm and joined Shiloh outside of his apartment. Shiloh arched his brows and motioned towards Addi’s apartment. “So how long has she been around?”

Grant thought for a moment, “She’s been a friend of Hannah’s for as long as they’ve worked together. She’s been here for three months, but she’s actually been in and out of our apartment for over a year and a half.”

Shiloh furrowed his brow, “How come I haven’t met her before?”

“Well,” Grant began as he trotted down the stairs, “you’re head had been so far up Jamie’s ass that you never noticed any other girl but her. Now that the bitch is history, you seem to notice things a bit better.”

Shiloh rolled his eyes, “Fuck you bro.” His attention went back to the subject at hand, “How old is she?” They had descended the stairs and were outside Addi’s apartment.

Grant stopped in his tracks, his hand on the door and turned to his twenty-nine year old brother, “Two words for you Shy: Off. Limits.” Without furthering the conversation, Grant opened Addi’s door and walked inside.

Shiloh chuckled, nothing was ever off limits to him. Matter of fact, no one was off limits, not even her...