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A new neighbourhood. A new apartment.
The sweet scent of blooming flowers and the warm glow of the sun filled me with calm and freedom. I couldn't wait to explore the neighbourhood but first, time to unpack my belongings.
I brewed a pot of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. Its pleasant aroma permeated my apartment. I smiled and poured a mug, ready to deal with the two boxes in my living room marked "FRAGILE". I couldn't remember giving the delivery company that instruction.
I shrugged and opened a box. Inside was a collection of Victorian art pottery from the early 1900s. I groaned. "No! This is not happening." This box wasn't mine.
I moved from Venice to the US to have a fresh start. Not to relive the incident at an auction where I almost died….
I was an antiquarian known for acquiring the best and rarest antiques. I was paid handsomely by a client called 'Rod' to purchase a Jihong Ming vase, a rare collectible made in the 15th century, at a private auction.
I outbid an English duke for the vase for £17 million. His goons, three bulky, masked men came after me as I left the auction. They chased me down a Venetian calle that led to my office and shot the security man.
Reality dawned on me. This was a life-or-death situation. I ran upstairs, collected the authenticity of the antiques in my possession and hid in the ceiling. The men came in and ransacked my office.
I was sweaty and could feel the thud of my heart in my chest. Then my phone pinged. Shit! It was an encrypted message from my client.
AN EXTRACTION TEAM WAITS OUTSIDE YOUR OFFICE. DON'T LOSE MY VASE.
What? How cold. Then I smelled smoke. The men had set fire to my office. I crawled on my hands and knees to a small outlet that leads to the staircase.
The loud siren of firefighters calmed me. I was rescued. The masked men were arrested. I lost some antiques in the fire but the insurance company took up the liability. The claims were settled and the Jihong Ming vase was safely delivered to my client.
I left Venice and moved to New Jersey to start a new life that did not involve antiques and dangers. Now, these antiques are in my new apartment!
I opened the second box and my heart stopped. It held the exact Jihong Ming vase I bought weeks ago. I gripped my hair and twisted it in frustration.
I gulped some coffee and tried to concentrate. I stood up hastily to call the delivery company and knocked over my mug, spilling coffee on the floor. "Shit!"
Then the doorbell went ding dong.
I gasped, remembering I was in possession of a rare vase. I broke out in a cold sweat.
"Who-who is it?" I stuttered.
"Miss Marchetti? I'm Rodney. I think you have my boxes," a deep male voice replied.
This could be a trick to make me open the door. "I warn you. Leave now before I call the police," I yelled.
"Don't Miss Marchetti. It's Rod, your client. Remember?"
I gasped. No one knew about 'Rod' except me and my client. I walked slowly to the door, my heart racing. I looked through the peephole.
Rodney Prescott, my high school crush, stood outside my apartment with all of my boxes stacked beside him!
"Willow?" He called.
I snatched the door open and stared at him. Rodney stood tall and confident. In high school, he was good-looking but now, he looked handsome. His eyes were a deep brown that sparkled with intelligence and humour. He always had a smile on his face, like right now.
"I cannot believe this. Rodney?"
"That took you long enough," he said and stretched out his hands. "Are you okay?"
I fell into his arms and we held each other tightly.
"How are you here?" I asked after reluctantly pulling myself away.
Rodney tapped the boxes. "I'd always wondered if I'll see you again after graduation. Then you came highly recommended for the antique job…"
"I did not know you were the client."
"Actually it was my dad you dealt with. He wanted the vase back in the family. We lost it decades ago…and uh, are these yours?" He tapped the boxes again.
I checked the label on the boxes. "Yes."
"There was a mix-up at the delivery company. They must have delivered my stuff to you. I cannot believe you are here in New Jersey."
"I only just moved here yesterday."
We stopped talking and stared at each other. I wondered if he knew I had a crush on him back in school.
"I smell good coffee," he hinted with a smile that displayed his dimples. My legs turned to jelly.
I moved out of the doorway in silence. Rodney moved the boxes inside and looked around. He noticed the spilled coffee on the floor, his opened boxes and some of the antiques laid out on the floor.
"I'm so sorry. I thought they were mine. I opened them before I realised…"
Rodney held my hands in his. "I'm only glad that you are safe. I quarrelled with my dad when I learned of the risk involved. I was with the extraction team that drove you away from the fire scene."
I gazed into his attractive eyes and was spellbound. "Now the delivery company chose to mess with me by sending me the vase….and you," I said thoughtfully.
Rodney pulled me down and we sat on the bare floor. "Do you know I've always admired you in school but was too gutless to tell you?" He said. I burst into laughter.
I felt a renewed sense of attraction towards Rodney as we talked, laughed and rekindled our relationship over mugs of coffee.