I wander to the window that overlooks the city, lights twinkling in the darkness. Five years in LA, and it still doesn’t feel like mine.Nothing does.
My lease is up next month. I could moveagain—new apartment, new neighborhood, maybe even a new city. Start fresh. Reinvent myself one more time.
The thought exhausts me suddenly.
I slide down to sit on the floor, back against the wall, wine glass dangling from my fingers. The apartment is so quiet I can hear the refrigerator humming.No one would know if I disappeared tomorrow.The plants are fake. The neighbors don’t know my name. Even the furniture feels like it’s just passing through.
My phone buzzes with a calendar alert:Luxury Living Charity Auction – 8PM.
I’d forgotten about the event—some industry thing where companies donate “experiences” and executives get drunk and overbid to prove how generous they are. Diana had“volunteered”me to represent the agency. I should shower. Change. Put on my networking face.
Instead, I take another sip of wine and stare at the empty walls of my not-home.
Maybe Abby is right. Maybe I am afraid of being stuck.
Or maybe I’m more afraid that I could stay somewhere forever and still feel this hollow.
Either way, I’m about to discover just how wrong a life can go in one champagne-soaked evening.
The Luxury LivingCharity Auction is exactly what it sounds like: rich people congratulating themselves for caring about the housing crisis while sipping champagne that costs more than most people’s monthly rent. The irony isn’t lost on me as I navigate Beverly Hills’ most exclusive hotel ballroom—a sea of designer labels and strategic networking disguised as philanthropy.
I spot Diana across the room, holding court with three men in identical navy suits. She catches my eye and gives me the subtle head tilt that meanscome here and be impressive.I pretend not to see it and make a beeline for the bar instead.
“Champagne, please,” I tell the bartender. “The kind that makes terrible decisions seem reasonable.”
He raises an eyebrow but pours me a flute of something bubbly. I take a generous sip and pull out the auction catalog, flipping through pages of luxury“experiences”donated by companies looking for tax write-offs. Weekend getaways at vineyard estates. Private cooking lessons with celebrity chefs. A yacht cruise with someone who was once onThe Bachelor.
“Authentic living at its finest,” I mutter to myself, thinking of this morning’s rejected pitch.
I’m about to close the catalog when a listing on page 17 catches my eye:
LOT #42: TINY HOUSE WITH RENOVATION PACKAGE
Charming 400 sq ft tiny house on wooded lot in Maple Glen, WA
Perfect starter home or creative retreat! This cozy tiny house needs TLC but includes a complete renovation package from local craftsmen.
Property features include:
Private quarter-acre lot with mountain views
Open concept living space
Potential for custom built-ins and expansion
