I go downstairs and Mom hands me some keys. "The keys for the door."

I take them. "Thanks. Are we going furniture shopping?" I ask.

"Yes. Let's get it done before all of the shops close." She says hurriedly.

"I cant believe people shop this late." I shake my head.

"All people do around here is shop." Mom says.

All of the shops are walking distance so we walk a few blocks until we get to a string of shops. One being Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I wish Beyond meant beyond this place. That's where I'd like to be. Far beyond here.

We browse through the comforter sets and room decorations.

"Do you want any decorations?" Mom asks.

I shrug. "Not right now." I say flatly.

We get the comforter sets and place them in the cart. We walk over to the mattress section and all these brand names are hanging over the mattresses in banners. This is confusing. Plus, they are expensive. I frown when I sit on top of one.

"This one seems nice." I look at the price. "Is that how much our mattresses were?" I ask not believing the rip off.

"Angel don't start. You know this is nothing like back home. We have to bite the bullet and pay for what we want. I start my new job tomorrow so Im not upset about paying the price for what I want." Mom says assertively.

I cross my legs at the bottom and swing them a bit. This bed is pretty comfortable.

"That's one of the most comfortable beds you will ever sleep on." A man from behind me says.

I jump and hop off of the bed, startled by his voice. I hold my chest while looking

at him.

He smiles, putting his hands up. "Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. My name is Roman. I will help you with anything that you need. So, what are you looking for today?" He switches his attention from me to my mom.

I just stare at him. Suddenly, I have gone speechless. I look down, unable to contribute to this conversation because of my shyness.

Mom looks at me then back at Roman. "Uh yeah. We need two mattresses. We want the most comfortable one for the most reasonable price." She says confidently.

If only I was that confident around people. Around men.

"I can definitely help you with that. Right over here." He says equally as confident.

Wow his voice is deep. He must sound like a robot in the morning. I take a peek at him while we are walking and my gaze stops at his bun. His hair is pretty. It looks like Moms.

"Alright. These over here are the best because you can actually adjust them with a remote. They will support any part of your body that is giving you problems and also comes with a heated massager attachment." He says fondly.

Mom smiles at him and I look down. How can she be so comfortable around him? I stare at his all black work shirt. Wow his muscles are big. I can see his veins popping out. Why would you need to be this big working at a furniture store?

"That sounds really nice, but we don't need any attachments or fancy stuff. What is the best non-remote controlled bed?" She asks, hopingly.

He chuckles. "I understand ma'am. Well these over here have memory foam that contours to the body naturally. No gimmicks, no electronics. Just a comfortable mattress. Also, no springs. So no sound when thumping around at night." He says selling the product.

No sound. Wow this place is too fancy for us. I look at Mom and she looks back at me.

"That sounds good to me. How about you honey?" She asks.

I shrug and nod. "I like it." I whisper. I could kick myself for being so shy right now.

Mom gives me a look like she doesn't understand what's wrong with me.

"You okay?" She asks.

I nod and glance over at Roman who is smirking at me. I immediately look back down and I guess Mom drops it.

"Alright Roman. Can I have all of the equipment in different boxes?  We don't want to go through a lot to get it home and put it together." Mom says, knowing what happened the last time we switched beds.

Roman looks at her puzzled. "You cant put these beds together yourself. We order the bed and someone puts it together that day. If its paid off. Now, we can still send someone out to put it together today if you want, but it's a minimum payment to be due.." He makes sure to throw that in.

Mom waves her hand. "That is no issue, but I didn't know someone installs it. Okay, I guess that's fine." She says finally.

Roman nods. "Is there anything else you need?"

Mom looks at me. "Do you want to get a couch today?"

I shake my head no. I just want to get out of this store. I cant do anything around him.

Mom looks back at Roman. "I think we're fine for today. Thank you."

He walks us to the front of the store where he will process our order.

"You came just in time. We were about to stop with the installations for the day in thirty minutes." He explains.

Mom smiles. "Lucky us."

A lot of papers print and Roman hands them to Mom to sign. I look up at Roman while he is clicking away at the computer and typing. I stare at his large hands. I am surprised when I see his fingernails clean and cut down. Back home guys had rough hands. Even if they were rich they still had rough hands. It must be a California thing. I heard guys even wear makeup around here sometimes. What a funny thing to see.

"My nails are very white." He says, noticing my gaze on his nails.

I shake myself out of my trance and blush, looking down. "Sorry. Your nails are so nice." I explain.

"Thank you." He blushes a little.

I blush harder at that. Mom hands him the last paper with her signed check and he processes them through the computer.

"Everything is so technological over here." Mom exclaims.

I nod in agreement.

Roman smiles. "This area has more computers than anywhere else in California. It's pretty nice, but sometimes you feel like you aren't doing much work." He admits.

Mom nods. "I can imagine. Trust me, you do your job well Roman. Thank you for all of your help."

Roman blushes and nods. "Thank you ma'am. I really appreciate you saying that. Im glad I could help."

He hands her back her papers. "Someone will be out in about an hour. We are pretty efficient over here." He says proudly.

"Great. Thank you... can I ask, how old are you?" Mom asks out of nowhere.

I look at her, wondering where she is going with this question. Can we go home please?

"Im 22. I may look younger."  He says, smiling.

He has small teeth. It fits his face though. I hope he was being sarcastic because with all of that facial hair he looks 25.

Mom smiles big. "Wow. You know my daughter is 21 and I think-"

"Mom please we have to go home and unpack!" I say, cutting her off.

My heart is pounding nervously as Roman looks at me, clearly amused by my Mother's attempt at setting me up. Gah lee we've only been here two hours. I want to bury my face somewhere. Anywhere.

"Well your daughter is very beautiful. She gets it from her Mother, obviously." Roman says, flirting.

I hide my face in my hands and Mom laughs.

"Thank you Roman. We will be back tomorrow for more things and hopefully you will be there to help us." She says, waving.

"Im here anytime you need me. Have a good night." His voice booms in the distance.

Why Mom? Why are you doing this to me? You never embarrass your child in front of a very handsome man. You just don't do it!

As we walk out of the store I finally uncover my face.

"That was the most embarrassing thing ever." I say flatly.

"Oh please. He was gorgeous and you muted yourself. I had to at least try. He's definitely too young for me. At least you could get yourself a good man." Mom says, picking with me more.

"Mom please." I whine. "Im not his type anyways. Did you see his muscles?"

Mom chuckles. "I highly doubt muscular guys have different preferences than the average man." She explains.

I shake my head. "Mom please. No more about him. Please." I beg.

"Okay fine. No more." She agrees.

We finally get home and turn on the lights. It's so empty. I mean, not because the furniture isn't here yet, but it just feels like its missing something. I sigh.

"Im gonna call your Aunt and make some pasta." Mom says.

"Okay." I answer.

The Roman incident is over and Im finally normal again. I sit on the carpet in my room. This is the softest carpet I have ever sat on. Almost like grass. If only there was more grass around here. There has to be.. a park. It's too dark to go searching for one though.

I uncross my legs and lay back. I bend my knees and put my right leg over my left one, staring at the ceiling. I let my fingers roam the extremely fluffy carpet. It's an ugly brown color, but it feels good between my fingers. I am in a trance as I let myself slip into a daydream. Instead of a carpet I am laying in the grass next to my tree. Taking in the fresh air and feeling the wind on my face. I only hear the sounds of the leaves. Animals don't come past here often. That means that the earth around here is virtually undisturbed. Suddenly the scene is disturbed. I see deep brown circles above me and then a face, then hair, then... I am pulled out of my daydream.

I jump as I am startled by.. Roman? The guy from the furniture store. My eyes get wide and I cover my eyes with my hands.

"Oh my god..." That's all I can manage to get out.

He chuckles. "Im sorry. I keep scaring you. Trust me Im a nice guy." He defends himself.

I take a deep breath and uncover my eyes, feeling my shyness coming out again.

"It's okay." I whisper.

"You wanted a bed, too, right?" He asks.

I sit up slowly, pushing my hair back. "You are installing it?" I ask, surprised.

"Yeah. One of the guys called off and I figured I would capitalize on the extra cash." He says happily.

I look down. "Oh. Okay. That's nice." I manage to get out again.

"I hope Im not making you uncomfortable." He says genuinely.

I stand up and look up at him. "Oh no! Im just.. kinda shy." I whisper.

He nods. "Cool. I was just making sure you didn't think I was.. weird or anything. I didn't want to give you bad vibes." He reasons.

I shake my head. "No. It's just me. Im sorry." I say.

He waves his hand. "Don't be sorry. You're just bein yourself. I like that." He smiles.

I blush and start walking to the door.

"Oh hey where do you want the bed?" He asks me before I walk out.

I fold my arms across my chest and slowly walk back in, scanning the room.

"Umm.. In the middle would be fine." I say normally.

"Alright. I should be done soon. Thanks." He says while measuring.

I nod and walk out. I take a few steps past the doorway and think about peeking back in the room. Maybe he will think Im a creeper if I do that. Maybe I should just check to make sure he is okay. Of course he is okay he knows what he is doing. The nerves start building up inside of me as I am thinking about actually walking back past the room. I shouldn't be so nervous. He is just a man. Just a human being. Made from the same DNA and the same organs and everything. I take a deep breath and turn on my heels, headed for my new door. I walk past, peeking inside and I see him on his knees, measuring the space precisely. Its captivating watching him work. Just the way his body moves and responds to anything is amazing. He is a fine specimen. Maybe this is why he is so muscular. It makes more sense than him just being a store clerk.

The floor creaks underneath me and I put my hand over my mouth.

"Wrench." He says kinda loudly. It definitely makes me shake.

His voice is so deep and commanding its kinda scary. I don't even wanna know how he sounds yelling. I spin and end up flat on the wall next to the doorway. After a few seconds I decide to walk past the door again so he doesn't feel crazy for hearing things. I take a step off of the wall and walk past the door quickly.

"Sweetheart." He says trying to get my attention.

I almost explode from the inside out. He just called me a pet name I cant believe it. Maybe he calls all women that. Maybe its just his thing. I calm down so I can turn back around to answer him. I walk to the door, my nail between my teeth and I look at him with my heart pounding.

"Yes?" I whisper. Damn that shyness again. I was just getting normal!

"Hey, have you seen the other guy I came here with?" He asks.

I shake my head no. "Ive only seen you." I answer innocently.

He nods. "Okay. Thanks."

I smile internally. No, Thank you.

I walk to the door.

"Ya know, you can stay in here while Im working." He says as if I didn't know.

I really didn't know though. It kinda sounded flirty though. As if he was smirking.

I turn around and walk back through the door.

"I don't want to disturb you." I say honestly.

"Trust me, Im a great multitasker. So, your name is Angel?" He asks.

I suck in air quickly and lean on the wall, trying to salvage as much cool as I have left. The way he said my name. That tone of voice. His pronunciation and diction. Never has my name sounded so good.

"Yes." I manage to get out through my internal struggle.

"Beautiful name. Your personality fits the name very well." He smiles at me.

I blush and look down. "Thank you. I like your name too. Its... royal." I say, trying to one up his compliment. I think I failed.

He smirks. "Thank you very much. It is kinda royal." He says, now realizing it.

"Well this is the emptiest house I have ever been in. You must have just moved in. Why California? What was your old place like?" He inquires.

Wow he actually wants to talk to me about my old house? Usually, the men that come to do work on the house are hi and bye without any hint of conversation. This guy wants to know my life story and seems genuinely interested in it. Its.. strange.

"Umm, well it was a lot of grass and land. Not the country, but just a lot of nature. We didn't have a lot of malls and skyscrapers. We knew all of our neighbors and it was just a very relaxing, peaceful place." I say, reminiscing.

He is looking at me, seemingly envisioning it. "Wow. Sounds nice. Why would you wanna leave that to come here?" He doesn't seem to get it either.

I shrug. "My Mom got a good job offer." I say plainly.

"I understand." He says, now standing up.

"I'll be right back." He walks past me and I can smell his cologne.

It smells, husky. That is the only way to describe it. Husky, fresh, and inviting. I am not bold enough to accept the invitation though. I forget that there is another contractor down the hall from us doing my Mom's room when I throw those thoughts out of my head. That's the last thing I need to be thinking about anyways.

He comes back with planks of wood and small boxes of screws. I just noticed his blue jumpsuit. It has big pockets to hold tools and seems pretty comfortable. I just know he fills it out very well.

I run my fingers through my hair, trying to clear my head.

"Sweetheart, can you help me?" He startles me.

I really need to stop zoning out around him. I remove my hand from my hair and walk over to him, kneeling to where he is.

"What do you want me to do?" I ask ready to help.

"I got the impression that you and your mother know how to put these together and I know you don't want to wait too long to get some sleep so we could work together. Trust me I wont get in trouble unless I do it wrong. It's your choice though." He extends the offer.

"Sure! I mean, Im not doing anything." I collect myself.

He smiles. "Good. Watch me prepare the first plank and then you can do another one."

I scoot a bit closer to him, not wanting to be right in his personal space and I watch him.

He looks up at me for a minute and I meet his gaze.

"Is something wrong?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"You don't have to be so far away. I want you to see the measurements and everything. Don't be afraid." He says reassuringly.

Now he is making me nervous again. I slowly scoot my way next to him and try to keep my gaze away from his intense eyes. I focus on his perfectly manicured hands. He prepares and nails the plank and shows me the measurements.

"It's pretty simple. It's just getting the measurements right." He looks at me.

"Your turn." He says.

I pick up my wood and do the exact thing he did, measurements and all.

"I think this is right." I hold it up and show him, looking at him to make sure he approves and I didn't mess everything up.

He smiles lightly. "You're a fast learner. It's perfect. Couldn't have done it better myself."

I blush. "Thanks."

He looks at me as if he wants to say something, but he looks down and smiles a little.

"Im sorry." He says and looks back up. "You have beautiful eyes and a pretty smile." He admits.

I blush and my cheeks start to hurt from smiling so much. "Oh geez please." I say, trying to hide my shyness.

"Sorry. Bein honest. Let's finish this before I kill you with my kindness." He says laughing.

I finish the planks avoiding conversation. Ive always avoided guys that showed any interest in me. Maybe its because I didn't know how to handle the admiration and I didn't know how long it would last until they figured out I was a weirdo. I never let it get that far, but an incredibly handsome man that is kinda interested in me? Doesn't seem real.

He takes the wood and starts setting it up as the base for the bed. He finishes rather quickly and I smile at his work. My bed. He leaves and gets the mattress. He brings it in the room and places it on the base, making sure it is sturdy.

"There ya go." He says, smoothing his flyaways back.

I smile. "Thank you."

"No, thank you. With your help I finished in half the time." He smiles at me.

I look down and go to grab my comforter set. He leaves to check on his other worker and I put the blankets on my bed. It's starting to feel a little cozier.

I go into the living room and Mom is waving them off.

"Thank you so much guys I really appreciate it!" She says.

Roman sees me and waves. "Thanks for the help sweetheart. See you tomorrow." He winks.

I blush and look away. I cant believe he winked at me. At me.

Mom shuts the door and claps.

"Okay. The pasta is done and we have beds to sleep on tonight. I think it was a pretty productive day." She smiles and goes into the living room.

I walk into the kitchen, not being able to take my mind off of Roman. I really hope he is just being nice because I cant handle this sudden admiration. Its only my first day in California. I don't want to be hit on mindlessly for the rest of my life, granted I don't move again.

I fix myself a small plate of pasta and sit at the table, thinking up a million possibilities of how today could have gone better or worse. Well, it went the way it went. I finish up my pasta and put the plate in the dishwasher. We never had a dishwasher so I hope Mom knows how to use it.

I go to my new room and close the window. I hate having the window open all night, no matter how hot it is. The room finally smells like it wasn't shipped from some factory to this house. It smells fresh, ready to be lived in. I have been trying to be optimistic, despite the fact that I miss home so much. Tomorrow is a new day and Im gonna make the most of this new place.

~~~.~~~