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“Oh my… Fuck,” I say on a breath, my mind racing with how bad this actually is.
As the homeowner, I am sure they called my grandparents, so I return her call immediately.
“What’s going on, Av?” Parker asks.
“My apartment flooded,” I rush out as my grandmother answers the phone.
“Hi, dear, did you talk to Ben?” my grandma asks, steady reassurance in her voice as she continues without letting me answer. “Don’t stress. Grandpa and I will make sure this is fixed properly and safely.” I don’t even have the fight in me to refuse their help.
“He left me a message, but I called you back first. Is it truly that bad?”
“Honey, it sounds like there is two to three feet of standing water, and your grandfather said mold will start forming quickly with that much water.”
Poor Binx. My stomach plummets with the need to get to him.
“But don’t stress. I know you hate the thought of being near your parents, but you can stay at our condo until we can get this sorted out.” The thought of staying anywhere in the Upper East Side makes me cringe, much less in the same exact high rise as my parents. After I graduated college, it took a lot of convincing to get me to live in the apartment my grandparents bought for my aunt many years ago, before she moved to Paris. When they finally settled on allowing Quinn and I to pay part of the homeowner fees, I agreed. The other perk was that it was far away from the Upper East Side. I love my grandparents, but not even they could convince me to live there again.
“Grandma, I don’t think that will be necessary. I can at least stay at Sloan and Wes’s tonight. I’ll call once I see how everything looks in person.”
“Okay, if you insist, and Grandpa has already put a call out to someone who can come first thing in the morning to assess the damages before insurance sends someone out.”
“Thank you both. I love you and I’ll call soon,” I say, trying to sound less stressed than I am.
“So, what the hell is going on?” Parker asks, seriousness and concern coating his words.
I fill him in on what I know as we make our way toward my flooded apartment.
“So, if your grandmother offered you their other place to stay, why did I hear you tell her you are going to stay at Sloan and Wes’s tonight?” he asks.
“Because I refuse to stay anywhere near my parents,” I say bluntly, and I see his mind working as I continue. “Plus, I didn’t want to worry her more, but I’m hoping Ben is just being dramatic and I can stay at my place tonight.” I’m trying to put positive thoughts out there. Whether it's a reach or not, who knows.
“That sounds like the worst idea… They said there is standing water, Ava.” He practically growls that last part.
The car approaches my building, and I wave my hand. “Welp, I guess we are about to find out.”
“Ava, fuck no… This is unsafe.”
Parker’s voice booms through my apartment as I look around in shock. The amount of my things that appear ruined is hard to wrap my head around.
“This is definitely worse than I was picturing.”
I advance farther into the space, only truly caring about one thing.
“Binxy Boy… it’s okay. Mama is here,” I coo, knowing he is likely petrified from the tsunami that hit my apartment.
“Ahh fuck, I forgot about the cat. Is the thing okay?” Parker comes up behind me.
Binx pokes his head out of the cathouse, which is thankfully outside of the area that got the brunt of the leak. But I can tell by his matted hair, he was most likely curled up on my bed when it all started. My poor boy probably had no idea what was happening.
I pick him up, and he purrs into me. I can almost feel the relief in his little feline body as he melts into my embrace. “It’s okay, buddy. I’m so sorry,” I whisper and continue to walk around on what feels like a pool deck. Peering into my room, it is obvious this side of the house got the majority of the damage. I see the standing water throughout my bedroom and closet.
Of course, Quinn’s side was only touched by a bit of overflow water on the floor. With her half being empty right now, that would have made things so much easier if it had of happened on that side of the apartment.
“Looks like I need a thrift store and a cat-friendly hotel pronto.”
Parker takes hold of my shoulders, his tone oddly soothing and one I’ve never heard from him before as he eyes Binx with caution.
“Your luggage is still in the SUV outside. I’m sure you have some things in there that can get you through the night. Why don’t you just come home with me, and then figure it out tomorrow?”
