Kate peered into the rearview mirror, wistfully looking at the back of the sign that she knew was labeled, “Welcome to Florida: The Sunshine State.” She recalled, with great accuracy, the feeling she had when she first crossed the state line into the place that became her home for the past four years throughout her undergraduate career. When she had made the drive down to Florida from Pennsylvania initially, she never thought that she would one day be packing up her things to return to a life in the Midwest.

Kate wasn’t headed back to Pennsylvania, and for that she was thankful. She had enjoyed her upbringing and knew that she was fortunate for the childhood she’d had: a quiet life in a quiet rural neighborhood in the middle of the state, two loving parents, and an older brother who was equal parts loving and obnoxious. She had been involved in sports and was academically inclined, which had provided her with a full scholarship to UCF. That scholarship had been her ticket to living a bigger and better lifestyle.

Kate sighed, mentally ticking off the number of states left until she made it to her destination: Minnesota. She had never thought that she would be pursuing a graduate degree in the Midwest. She’d had a good group of friends, a fun pre-graduation job with a local sports team, and plenty of entertainment in Orlando. She would have been set to get a good job with her BBA, earn good money, and partake in events and activities that made her happy. Yet, when her grandmother passed away that spring, she realized that some things were more important than monetary success and entertainment. She realized that the lifestyle she was cultivating in Orlando, though exciting, was not the lifestyle that she wanted to pursue the rest of her life. She’d taken a few days to ensure that she was making a good decision, then put in an application for the Master of Business Administration program at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.

Kate didn’t know anyone in Minnesota. She had one connection through her boss that allowed her to easily secure a job that would allow her to utilize her business degree and receive a discount on tuition: a position in the athletic department at the university. She’d experienced several second thoughts, but quickly reminded herself that St. Cloud was going to feel more like home than Orlando ever would, and that she was ready to settle in and settle down in a town that moved a little slower. She was ready for that.

Kate had plenty of time to let her mind wander, and halfway through Georgia, she couldn’t keep her thoughts off of her previous “love life.” Kate had been in a few “relationships” during high school that had been nothing more than making out under the bleachers in her boyfriend’s football jersey, dates in the one local movie theater, and going to school dances. College had brought a few more relationships Kate’s way. Her freshman year, she’d met a cute Puerto Rican guy who helped her with her Spanish I class; they’d gone on several dates, including a few overnight ones, but had broken up mutually at Disney World after determining that they just weren’t that into each other. Kate had gone on a couple dates with guys she’d met on Tinder, but nothing had amounted to much. Until Jake.

Jake was handsome, charming, delightfully weird gentleman. He’d played for the team that Kate interned with, the Orlando Solar Bears, and had caught her after practice one morning. They became pretty much inseparable within a matter of a few weeks; when Jake was travelling for hockey, they texted and FaceTimed anytime he wasn’t on the ice. Eventually, when the team travelled, they invited Kate along. Her professors were fine with her missing classes for her internship, so she had nothing holding her back. Everyone could see that Kate and Jake were perfect for one another, including their families. They were young, and therefore taking things slowly, but everyone knew that they were committed for the long haul.
When Jake got drafted to play in the NHL, Kate was his biggest supporter. They were planning to move down to Miami together, Kate would finish online classes, they would get married, and eventually start a family. It would be the American dream, in the flesh. Everything was perfect.

Then Kate realized how challenging online classes would be in her final years of school, so they decided to do the long distance thing until she finished her degree. Jake was consistently supportive, encouraging Kate to do what she needed to do for herself, and assuring her that he would be patiently waiting for her in the spring when she finished classes. But Jake started getting jealous, making comments about Kate being around his former teammates as she continued with her internship. He stopped communicating as much, saying that he had to take a little time away from her to bond with his new team. They still talked and texted some, but Jake always seemed preoccupied. So Kate decided to take matters into her own hands and plan a surprise visit to Miami to see Jake, cheer him on at a game, and prove that he was the only guy for her.

Kate jumped when a mini van honked at her. She’d been so in her head that she hadn’t realized that she was about to cut someone off. Kate adjusted the radio to an upbeat station, forcing her previous thoughts from her mind. She didn’t want to think about the past. She needed to focus on the future.

---

It took Kate two days of solo driving (with one night spent in a slightly sketchy highway motel) to arrive at her destination. St. Cloud, Minnesota gave Kate a good first impression. It was cozy, clean, and seemed welcoming. She felt that the homey aesthetic would grow on her quickly. As she made her way down the somewhat quiet streets toward the address of her new apartment, Kate kept her eyes peeled for coffee shops and mom and pop restaurants that she hoped would quickly become new favorites.

When Kate finally pulled into the parking lot of what would be her new home, at least for a few years, she was relieved. The apartment building seemed nice enough, well-maintained, and had a similar cozy vibe to the rest of the town. It looked safe and calm, which was more than she could say for her previous living situation in downtown Orlando.

Kate’s apartment was to be shared with a girl who played on the women’s hockey team for SCSU. Kate had been hesitant at first to move in with a complete stranger, especially one who was three years younger than her, but after texting with her roommate, she felt they’d be a good match. Kate’s roommate, Taylor, was transferring in from a school on the east coast after a rough freshman year. Taylor seemed mature for her age, and assured Kate that she had no issue with keeping the house clean and quiet enough for Kate to study and occasionally work from home at. Kate felt they could at least be amicable roommates, if not eventually friends.

Kate arrived at the apartment before her roommate did. As athletic department staff, she would spend a couple of weeks getting oriented to her new job before any student athletes arrived for practices. She turned the key in the lock, which stuck slightly, as a new key normally does, and stepped into the apartment. It was neutral-colored, though not the bland eggshell that most rentals were painted, more like a soft gray. The entryway was small but adequate, with a couple of white built-in cubbies to hang purses and the coats that would be required soon. She set down her purse; she would bring in the rest of her belongings after exploring the home a bit. There was a welcome mat under Kate’s feet that said, “Welcome to this Happy Home.”

Kate continued through the apartment, grateful that it came fully furnished at that the furniture appeared clean, new, and stylish. The entire apartment resembled the photos that had been online very closely, which was something that she had hoped for but hadn’t expected. Kate moved to the bedrooms; there was a guest bedroom, and two master bedrooms. The masters were practically identical, both with large ensuites that consisted of a walk-in shower, soaker tub, and walk-in closet. Since Taylor had said that she didn’t care which bedroom she would have, Kate selected the room further down the hall with a nice tree out the window. If Taylor had friends over frequently, it would be nice for Kate to be a little more out of the way.

Kate tested the water pressure in the shower and tub with her hand, pleased at how quickly it heated up, knowing it would be an asset when the bitter Midwest winter struck again. She opened and closed each drawer in the dresser, pleased to find them spotless, and retreated back to the car to carry in all of her possessions.

---

“Oh, this is so sweet, look at how cozy it is! Just like the pictures,” a young woman’s voice exclaimed, breaking the monotony of the business-related podcast Kate had been listening to.

Kate quickly wiped her hands on the dishtowel hanging from the stove and took a peek in at the misshapen cinnamon rolls slowly rising. She loved baking and had been doing far too much of it for a single woman living alone for the past two weeks. Kate smoothed her hair, which she’d thrown into a messy fishtail braid, suddenly wishing she’d put a little more effort into her makeup to make a good impression on her new roommate; concealer and a little mascara was all she’d taken the time to do. She was at least grateful that the home would smell like cinnamon rolls to greet Taylor.

“Something smells really good in here,” a low voice stated as three people entered the kitchen/living room from the front hall.

“Hi, you must be Taylor!” Kate found herself exclaiming. She hadn’t realized how desperate for human conversation she was; for the two weeks of orientation, Kate had been stuck in a room to take virtual learning classes on SCSU and their athletic department. She’d spoken to three people in-person since her drive from Florida.

Taylor smiled widely. She had blonde hair and brown eyes that seemed kind, and she didn’t wear much makeup. She had on a pair of jeans and a pale blue t-shirt that was simple but fit her well. “I am Taylor, you must be Kate! It’s nice to meet you in person rather than just through text.”

Kate could make out a hint of an accent that didn’t seem to be Northwestern (although she couldn’t be sure, she’d only met a couple of people from Boston before). Taylor quickly introduced her parents, who smiled warmly at Kate, then Kate offered a brief tour of their new home. She left Taylor and her mom in Taylor’s bedroom to determine how to organize the suitcase of clothes they’d brought in, and Kate moved to help Taylor’s dad with bringing in more things.

“How was your drive?” Kate asked while pulling a heavy box from the backseat of the SUV.

“Long,” Taylor’s dad said. “We drove from Nova Scotia, so it took us a few days. We got to make some stops along the way to visit family and sights that we hadn’t seen before, which made it bearable. Fortunately, we’ll be able to fly out from now on, since we won’t have all of this stuff to bring.”

They worked mostly in a comfortable silence, occasionally speaking to coordinate who would take what, and warning of what boxes were really heavy. Kate left the heavy work to Taylor’s dad to remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven; she returned to find that nearly everything was inside. Taylor and her mom emerged from Taylor’s bedroom looking triumphant and announced that they had unpacked all of Taylor’s clothing.

Taylor, her mother, and Kate set to work on unpacking the kitchen items that Taylor had brought, which had been carefully coordinated with Kate to avoid duplicates.

“Kate, honey, I feel like we’ve been so rude today, we haven’t had much time to talk at all. Thank you for all your help unpacking and arranging,” Taylor’s mom said kindly.

“Oh, don’t mention it. I know how hard a move can be, and the sooner we get unpacked, the sooner Taylor can actually feel settled.”

They continued to work at organizing and unpacking until Taylor’s dad came in and clapped his hands together. “I am hungry. Let’s go grab some dinner; Kate, please join us. We’d love to get to know you a little bit before we fly out tomorrow morning.”

Kate quickly agreed and suggested a restaurant downtown that she’d seen while driving to and from the university. Fortunately, Taylor and her mom wanted to freshen up a bit, so Kate had time to change into an olive green sweater that highlighted her dark green eyes and some skinny jeans that hugged her slender frame, plait her brown hair into a neater fishtail braid, and lightly apply some eyeshadow. She pulled on some light brown booties and took a look in her full-length mirror; Kate thought she looked more like she was going on a date than going out with her roommate’s family.

On the 10-minute drive to the restaurant, Taylor’s parents sat in the back of the car furtively texting while Kate rode shotgun. She learned that the deep blue SUV belonged to Taylor and had been a high school graduation present from her older brother. Taylor had been playing goaltender for hockey teams for the past few years and had actually graduated from a private school in Minnesota and was happy to be back in the Midwest. Kate shared that she had grown up in Pennsylvania and craved adventure so she’d moved to Orlando. She glossed over the fact that she had been working for a hockey team in Orlando and completely omitted the story of her relationship with Jake, figuring that they would have plenty of time to share deeper subjects. To Kate’s relief, she felt that she and Taylor could really become good friends.

“Who are you guys texting? We’re here,” Taylor said as she pulled into a parking spot, casting a look at her parents suspiciously.

“Oh good, I’m so hungry,” Taylor’s mom said quickly, elbowing her husband, who said, “Yeah, really hungry.”

Kate closed the car door and pulled her Kate Spade satchel up on her elbow as she led Taylor and her family into the restaurant. Kate got in line at the hostess stand behind a dark-haired man with a sturdy build. As she turned to ask Taylor about her favorite food, the stranger turned and made eye contact with Kate.

As Kate stared into the dark brown eyes locked on hers, it was as if everything went black.

Notes

I know this one starts a little slow, but I hope it sets a good stage for what's to come! :) Thanks for reading.