Текст книги "Elusive Love"

Автор книги: K. A. Robinson

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 12 страниц)

“Yeah,” he said.

“Well, are you going to text her back?”

He shook his head. “Nah.”

“Why not? Because I’m here, complaining about my sad little life, like always?” I said, suddenly annoyed with myself. I was also annoyed with the girl even though I had no reason to be. “That’s crap, Ethan. Text her back. I need to go home anyway.”

“You don’t have to leave,” he said as I stood.

“Yes, I do. You have your own life to live. You don’t need to be constantly caught up in mine. Besides, I got away for a while. I feel better now.”

He hesitated. “Are you sure? Seriously, it’s no big deal if you want to stay.”

“Nah, I’m good.” I walked over to my car. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, tomorrow,” he said.

I opened my door and climbed in. He was still standing on his porch, watching me, when I pulled away. I closed my eyes for a brief moment before opening them again and continuing down the road. I refused to hold Ethan back. He deserved better than that.

I clocked out and headed to the restroom to change out of my filthy uniform. Once I was in a decent pair of jeans and a plain black shirt, I tossed my soiled work clothes into my backpack and headed outside.

I waved at a few of the guys as I walked past the shop and headed to my car. I kept my pace slow and steady, but inside, I was nervous. It wasn’t just because I would be meeting with my new boss for the first time. It wasn’t even because I was running behind. No, it was because of her. I would be seeing her soon, and after today, I would be seeing her on pretty much every fucking day for the foreseeable future.

After these last few weeks, I should’ve been used to seeing her. It seemed that I was the first person she would run to when things got hard. I didn’t mind, not at all. I relished the fact that I could calm her troubled mind and ease her sorrows even if it was only for a few minutes. It made me feel as if I was taking care of her, protecting her, even though I knew that was a lie. I couldn’t protect her from the life she had chosen, the man she had married.

Married. God, I was a fool.

I’d kept stepping deeper and deeper into her life even though I knew it was wrong.

The way I felt about her was wrong. She wasn’t mine, nor would she ever be. I could see it in her eyes every single time she looked at me. There was no way she would leave her husband. She despised him, but she wouldn’t do it. In her mind, leaving him meant ruining her daughter’s life. I couldn’t grasp how she’d come to that conclusion, but I had never truly asked for an explanation for her reasoning. I didn’t deserve one. She had no reason to explain her choices to me.

I never should have agreed to take this job at her father’s shop, knowing that I would constantly be around her now. I could handle the small periods of time when she was near because it would usually be days before I saw her again, giving me time to regroup and remind myself that, no matter what I felt, it didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter.

But it did. I was falling in love with Caley, and I hated myself for that. The fact that she was married should have instantly shut down any feelings I had, but that definitely hadn’t happened. To make it worse, I knew how miserable she was in her marriage. Joey, the fucking asshole that he was, made her miserable on a daily basis.

I wanted to tell her that someone better was out there, someone who would really take care of her. I wanted her to know that her life could be so much more, but I’d kept my mouth shut. If I told her that, she’d laugh in my face, unable to believe that a man could care for her. I would never understand why she thought so little of herself.

When I’d first met her, I’d barely paid attention to her. I’d been wrapped up in my girlfriend at the time, Andrea. My mind had been too focused on her to notice anything else. Then, I’d started to notice Caley. She had been quiet most of the time, but when she opened her mouth, I always found myself laughing. Her smile had made me smile. When I’d stopped and really looked at her for the first time, I’d wondered how I could have missed how pretty she was.

Her face was round, her skin blemish-free. Her nose was cute, upturned at the very end. Her green eyes shone brightly, especially when she was excited. Her lips were full, almost too full to be real. I had caught myself staring at them more times than I could count. Her brown hair was smooth and hung around her shoulders, shielding her face a lot of the time, almost as if she were afraid of someone really seeing her.

By the time Andrea had been finished with me, I’d considered Caley a friend. I’d expected her to continue to be my friend even though we no longer sat together at lunch, laughing and joking. Instead, she’d all but ignored me. The only time she would even glance in my direction was when we passed by each other in the halls. She’d give me a tiny smile but would never stop to speak with me. I’d assumed she no longer wanted anything to do with me, so I hadn’t bothered with trying to keep our friendship going.

So, imagine my surprise when she’d randomly messaged me one night, years after the last time we’d spoken. In only a few texts, I’d realized the girl I’d once known was no longer there. The new Caley was broken and just plain sad. There was no joy left in her. Joey had taken that and so much more from her.

I’d never expected her to keep talking to me or that we’d once again become friends, and I’d certainly never thought I’d start to feel the way I did about her now.

I’d never cared about any woman. Hell, I wasn’t old enough to care about any of them, but I cared for Caley in a way that scared me. I wanted to put the smile back on her face. I wanted to be the one who gave her a reason to be happy again.

It didn’t help that time had only increased my attraction to her. Now, she was more beautiful than ever before. Her body had filled out in places that drove me crazy at times. I knew she thought she was fat after having Amelia, but I disagreed. Curves were beautiful on a woman, especially one who looked like her.

I forced my mind away from Caley’s curves as I pulled up in front of her dad’s shop. I knew there was no other way to put it than to say I was screwed.

I climbed out of my car and stared at the building across the lot. It was simple enough—a gray block building with a regular-sized front door on the right side. Display windows were on each side of the door, showcasing tires and rims. Next to the left window were two large garage doors.

I liked it already. It wasn’t flashy. It seemed that some shops tried to make their store pretty instead of actually doing what they were supposed to do—repair vehicles. I preferred a less flashy entrance myself, but that was just my opinion. What did I know about business? Nothing.

I walked to the front door and stepped inside to the small showroom. They had displays of oils, filters, wiper blades, and several other basic items. A counter was set off to the right with a computer sitting on top of it.

“I’ll be right with you!” a voice called from a doorway behind the counter.

Instantly, I knew it was Caley. I’d know her voice anywhere. I had all of two seconds to wipe any and all emotion off my face before she suddenly appeared from the doorway and stood behind the counter.

“Oh, hey!” she greeted me.

“Hey. Sorry I’m a few minutes late,” I said.

“I didn’t even realize it was time for you to show up yet. Come on back. I’ll take you to my dad’s office.”

She lifted a portion of the counter, so I could walk through, and then she shut it behind me. I followed her through the doorway and into a parts room. I looked around, taking note of everything they had, as she led me to a doorway in the back. She knocked once before opening the door and stepping inside. I followed her into what was apparently her father’s office.

The room was on the smallish side. A row of filing cabinets sat against the wall to my left. To the right was a table covered in mail and other papers. A wooden desk sat a few feet away from us. It was also covered in papers along with a computer.

Caley’s father sat behind the desk. I could tell he was a tall man even though he was sitting down. He was built like an ox. His hair had started to turn gray, but otherwise, he looked fairly young for someone who had a grown daughter of his own.

“Dad, Ethan’s here to see you,” Caley said. “Ethan, this is my dad, Ben.”

I walked over to the desk and held out my hand. He took it in his.

“It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

“You, too, Ethan. Why don’t you have a seat?”

I sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

“I’ll leave you guys to it then. If you need me, just give me a shout,” Caley said. She gave me a reassuring smile and patted my shoulder before turning and leaving the office.

Once the door closed behind her, Ben spoke, “I need you to fill out these forms. Bring them back with you tomorrow when you start your first shift.”

“I’m starting tomorrow?” I asked, surprised.

I had assumed I wouldn’t start for a few days. After all, Caley had just asked him yesterday about giving me a job.

“Of course. That won’t be a problem, will it?” he asked.

“No, not at all.” I took the file folder out of his hand and rested it on my lap.

Ben studied me for a few moments, sizing me up. I stayed still even though I wanted to shift in my seat, uncomfortable with his attention.

“I’ll have the guys show you the ropes tomorrow when you come in. Ted is our lead tech, and he’s in charge of the shop. If you have any questions or problems, talk to him. If he can’t help you, come see me.”

“Okay.”

“We’ll start you out with simple repairs and tune-ups. It’ll take some of the work off of my guys and show me what you’re capable of.” He paused. “I know you’re friends with Caley, but I want to be clear on one thing. If you’re unable to do your part, I can’t keep you on board. It’s nothing personal, but we have too much to do as it is without trying to teach a new guy basic mechanical skills. I’m giving you a chance because you’re a friend of hers, but the special treatment ends there.”

I grinned, unable to stop myself. Ben seemed surprised at my reaction. He raised an eyebrow in question.

“I assure you, I can do basic repairs and tune-ups with no problems at all. And I don’t expect special treatment. I’m just glad you’re giving me this chance. You won’t regret it,” I said. “And I admire your bluntness. I prefer people to be up front with me rather than tiptoe around stuff.”

He smiled. “Good. Then, it’s settled. I’ll see you tomorrow, Ethan.”

I stood and shook his hand again. “I’ll see you then.”

I left his office and walked back through the parts room. Caley was standing behind the counter, waiting patiently as the printer spit out paper after paper.

“Your dad seems like a decent guy. If the shop guys are the same, I think I’ll like it here,” I said as I stopped behind her.

Instead of answering, she shrieked in surprise. The papers she was holding in her hands flew through the air and rained down around us.

“Holy shit, you scared me to death,” she managed to gasp out.

I laughed as I knelt down and scooped up the dropped papers. “I gathered that.”

“Thanks.” She took the papers from me and started sorting them. “I take it that your meeting with my dad went well?”

I nodded. “Like I said, he seems like a decent guy. I start work tomorrow.”

“That’s awesome. You’ll be busy. I can promise you that. We have so much to do.”

“Good. I’d rather be busy than stand around, doing nothing. It makes the time go by faster.” I hesitated for a second. “You okay today? About Joey leaving, I mean.”

She sighed. “Yeah, I’m fine. He’ll be gone by the time I get home, so there won’t be any time to fight over it anymore. I’m just going to have to accept the fact that I’m basically a single mother until his job decides to bring him back or until he finds someplace else to work. I doubt if the latter will happen since he seems content with where he’s at.”

“Maybe space and time apart will help you guys,” I said cautiously.

“I doubt that, but who knows?” She shrugged. “Anyway, I’d better get back to work.”

“Yeah. Right. I’ll see you tomorrow then,” I said. “If you need something tonight, text me, okay?”

“You won’t be busy?” she asked, her voice so soft.

I almost hadn’t heard her words. “What do you mean?”

“I just thought you might be hanging out with that girl again, the one who had texted you last night.” She laughed. It sounded high-pitched. “I don’t even know her name.”

“It’s Danielle,” I said, wishing we were discussing anything but this.

“Danielle—that’s a pretty name,” Caley said. “Anyway, I just assumed you would be hanging out with her tonight.”

“I’m not. I didn’t hang out with her last night either.”

She seemed surprised. “Why not? I left so that you could.”

I shrugged. “I was busy the rest of last night. I forgot to even text her back until it was too late to do anything.”

I had texted Danielle back later that night, but it wasn’t because I’d forgotten. I was simply avoiding the girl. It wasn’t because I didn’t like her, but I knew bringing her deeper into my life would only cause more problems for myself. Danielle wanted more than I could give her at the moment. I was too wrapped up in Caley and the thoroughly fucked-up feelings I had for her to even consider bringing someone else into the equation.

“Well, text her now, and see if she’s free tonight,” Caley said, making it sound like the most obvious thing in the world.

“Why would I do that?” I asked, annoyed that she had even suggested it.

For someone who was so smart, Caley could be blind about things that were right in front of her face.

She rolled her eyes. “Nothing will happen if you don’t try, Ethan. Don’t you want to find out if she’s someone you’re interested in beyond friendship? Clearly, you like her, or you wouldn’t be texting with her. Take a chance, and see what happens.”

“Why are you so concerned about my love life?” I asked. My words had sounded harsher than I’d meant, but I couldn’t help it.

Caley had no idea how she’d thrown my life into complete turmoil, and now, she was trying to add more drama to the mix. Plus, it hurt me that she’d suggested that I get closer to Danielle. Clearly, Caley had no idea how I felt about her, and she certainly didn’t care about me the way I cared for her. If she did, she wouldn’t be sending me to another woman without blinking an eye.

“I just…I don’t know,” she said softly.

“Maybe I will get ahold of her,” I said, ignoring her words. “I could use a night of fun before I start working constantly.” I glanced down at my phone. “I need to go. I’ll see you later, Caley.”

“Bye,” she said as I walked away.

I didn’t look back at her as I left. Anger flooded my veins, and I found myself pulling my phone out of my pocket as soon as I reached my car.

Hey, I’m free tonight. Want to hang out?

I sent the text and started my car. I knew without a doubt that Danielle would respond with a yes. If Caley wanted me to give Danielle a chance, then fine, I would. And I’d push every wrong feeling I had about Caley from my mind.

Easier said than done, a voice whispered in my head.

But I ignored it.

I had to stop dwelling on impossible things. Caley was out of my grasp, and she always would be. I needed to pull my head out of my ass and accept that. I had to. There was no other choice. If I couldn’t find a way to get past what I felt, I would end up losing Caley altogether. That thought was physically painful. No, I’d much rather have her as a friend instead of losing her completely. Now that I had her back in my life, I wasn’t willing to let her go.

When I pulled into my driveway, I saw that Danielle had already texted me back.

Sure. Just let me know when and where.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment before responding back, instructing her to meet me at a local restaurant at seven.

There you go, Caley. I’m giving Danielle a chance.

I just hoped it wouldn’t all blow up in my face.

I couldn’t sleep. There was just too much going on in my mind, and my thoughts refused to stay quiet.

After spending the evening alone with Amelia, I’d put her to bed at nine and walked straight to my room to pass out. I was dead tired, but no matter how hard I’d tried, sleep wouldn’t find me.

I kept wondering if I’d been too hard on Joey. I hated to say it, but Ethan had had a good point. Joey was doing what he had to do to support our family.

Would I have been angry if he’d said no and lost his job? Definitely.

Honestly, I would have been more upset over him being unemployed than him working away all the time. No matter what decision he’d made, he had known I would yell at him.

I sighed as I rolled over and grabbed my phone off the nightstand. It was after midnight, but I dialed Joey’s number anyway. If he were already asleep, I would just leave a message for him. I waited as the phone rang. I was surprised when he actually answered.

“Caley? What’s wrong?” he asked as soon as he answered.

“Nothing. Why would you assume that?”

“Because it’s almost one in the morning, and you’re calling me. Why else would you be calling me this late?”

“To apologize,” I said feebly.

The line was dead silent.

Finally, he said, “I’m sorry. What did you say? I know I couldn’t have heard that right.”

I fought not to roll my eyes. “You heard me. I’m calling to apologize for getting upset with you last night. I know you did the right thing by taking this offer. It’s the only thing you could have done, besides quitting. I was too harsh with you, so I’m sorry.”

“I’m not sure what to say,” Joey said, sounding half-amused. “It’s so rare that you admit when you’re wrong.”

“Keep it up, and I’ll retract my apology,” I grumbled.

He chuckled. “Can’t have that now, can we? Look, I get why you were upset. If you had come home with that kind of news, I would have blown a gasket, too.”

“So, we’re done fighting over this?” I asked.

“I was never fighting with you about it. You were the one who wanted a fight. But if you’re asking if we’re okay, then yes, we’re fine.”

“I wouldn’t call us fine, even on a good day,” I said.

He let out an exasperated sigh. “Well, we’re as fine as we can be then. How’s that?”

“It’ll do.” I paused. “We’re falling apart, Joey. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

I waited for him to say more, but the line stayed silent.

“So, what are we going to do?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I’m sure that isn’t what you want to hear, but it’s the truth. I don’t know what to do or say to make everything right again between us.”

“I’m not even sure if we can make things right again,” I said, surprised at my own honesty. “I think that coexisting together might be as good as it’ll get.”

“Maybe,” Joey said. “Maybe not. Listen, I need to go, but we’ll talk more about this on Saturday night when we’re both home from work, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Night, Caley.”

“Night.” I said.

But he hadn’t heard me. He had already disconnected our call.

I put my phone back down on the nightstand and stared at the ceiling. I hated how sad our relationship had become. Even Joey knew we were barely holding on. He’d sounded as resigned as I did about the whole thing, as if it were only a matter of time until one of us completely gave up. I couldn’t help but wonder which one of us would cave first.

Then, you’ll be completely alone again, I thought to myself.

But no, that wasn’t true. I would never be alone again. I had Amelia. And my parents. And Ethan. Even if I were no longer married, I would never be alone. That thought comforted me. It also proved that I was finally growing up.

When I was younger—hell, even as recently as a few months ago—being alone had terrified me. It seemed I was starting to realize the truth. Being single wasn’t the worst thing in the world. After all the suffering Joey and I had caused each other, maybe it would be a blessing in disguise.

Still, I wasn’t ready to give up on Joey just yet. We owed it to each other to sit down and discuss everything even if it would be for the last time. The fear I felt about Amelia being raised by divorced parents was still there, enough so that I felt the need to fight for my marriage still, but it was no longer crippling me.

Something was changing inside of me, making me braver and smarter even. Part of me wondered if it was Ethan. Being able to confide in him was making my poor choices and messed up life all feel more real to me. I’d kept things buried deep down inside for so long, and now, I finally had someone I could talk to. Hearing my own despairing words had been more of a wake-up call than any screaming match with Joey could ever be.

I wondered if Ethan had taken my so-called advice and called that girl, Danielle. Part of me hoped that he had because he deserved to be happy. The other part of me, the selfish part, hoped that he’d lost her number. Selfish me wanted to keep him and all of his attention on me.

What would happen if he decided that he would rather spend time with Danielle than listen to me complain about my sad little life?

If I lost him, I would be back to my old self, and that wasn’t something I wanted.

Old me was terrified of change, of losing Joey, even though I wasn’t sure how much I cared for him anymore.

The new me was smarter. She was starting to realize that change might not be the worst thing to ever happen to us.

Whenever I thought of Ethan going out with another girl, I felt an edge of jealousy that I couldn’t ignore. The way my stomach clenched uncomfortably was definitely a sign of that jealousy. I wasn’t sure why I felt that way, besides having the fear of losing him, but it made me uneasy. I didn’t want to depend on him so much that I would lose myself again.

“I’m never going to fall asleep if I’m thinking about all of this crap!” I groaned out loud to no one.

One thing was for sure. It was going to be a long night.

The following day seemed to drag by, partially because I was lacking sleep of any sort and partially due to the fact that I’d kept glancing at the clock, waiting for Ethan to show up. I was nervous for him to start working here because I didn’t want him to fail. If it turned out that he wasn’t what the shop needed, then my dad would be forced to fire him. That would be awful for all of us. That was why my dad never hired friends down here. There was always a chance that things would end badly.

By the time Ethan walked in the door at a quarter to three, I had worked myself into a frenzy, sure that he couldn’t even change a spark plug, let alone do any kind of repair. My fear must have shown on my face because the moment he walked up to the counter and saw me, he frowned.

“What’s wrong?” He lifted the door portion of the counter and stepped behind it.

“Nothing is wrong. Why would there be something wrong?” I asked.

He gave me a strange look. “You look upset.”

“No, just tired,” I said, feeling like an idiot. “My dad’s in his office if you want to drop off the paperwork.”

“Cool. Thanks,” he said.

A customer walked in and stopped at the counter. I started helping the customer as Ethan disappeared to go back to my father’s office. By the time I finished ringing up the customer, Ethan and my dad were walking out of the office. They passed by me and headed into the shop. I was too curious to stay still, but I gave them a moment before following.

Not wanting Ethan to know I was watching him, I peeked through the glass windowpanes of the door that separated the shop from where I stood. My father introduced Ethan to Ted, our lead technician, and then the rest of the guys—Randy, Don, Sid, and Jeff. Ethan shook hands with each guy. I noticed all of them sizing him up.

Jeff, the smart-ass of the group, said something and smirked at Ethan.

Whatever it was, it made everyone laugh, except for Ethan. I had an inkling that Jeff had probably voiced his doubt about the new guy. I couldn’t blame him. Compared to the other guys, who were all between the ages of thirty-five and fifty, Ethan looked like a kid. I just hoped that he could prove them wrong.

My dad clapped Ethan on the back and started walking to the door. I hurried back to the counter and pretended to be deeply engrossed in a packing slip from a shipment I’d stocked earlier in the day.

Dad walked in and stopped next to me. “You’re not a very good spy.”

“What do you mean?” I asked innocently.

“I saw you watching us. Leave the boy alone, okay? Those guys are going to give him hell for a few days, just to see if he can deal with it.”

I opened my mouth to tell him that I wouldn’t let that happen, but he shook his head.

“Don’t interfere with them, Caley. It’s a guy thing, and if you go in there and try to be his defender, it’ll only make things harder for him.”

“They’d better not harass him too badly,” I grumbled.

He chuckled. “You’ve turned out to be very motherly in your old age, kid.”

“I’m not being motherly. I’m just trying to look out for him.”

“Well, don’t.” My dad walked away.

I stuck my tongue out at him as he disappeared into his office. My maturity level took a hit at the gesture, but it was totally worth it.

I spent the rest of the afternoon waiting on customers and trying to stay busy. I avoided the shop, worried that I would say something if I noticed the guys giving Ethan a hard time. If my dad was right, I knew I wouldn’t be doing Ethan any favors by telling the guys to lay off. I would never understand men and how they interacted.

When it was time to leave, the guys walked out to the counter to hang out for a few minutes as I closed out my register. Ethan stood with them but didn’t speak as they laughed and joked with me. He seemed uncomfortable, which made me worry. I forced myself not to ask him how his first few hours had gone while the guys were around.

Once everything was finished for the evening, we all headed for our cars. Ethan walked next to me, but neither of us spoke until we reached our cars.

“Your shop guys don’t like me much,” he said. “Either that, or they’re just dicks by nature.”

“They’re just testing you,” I said as I unlocked my door. “They’re all really good guys. Just give them a few days to adjust. Once they figure out that you’re okay, they’ll ease off.”

“Hopefully.” He frowned. “Anyway, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Night.”

“Good night.” I watched him walk to his car.

The rest of the week had passed in a daze. We had been so busy at work that even I had been struggling to keep up. I’d continued to keep tabs on Ethan, but I never let him know it. I’d heard the guys giving him a hard time, but he never complained or shot back at them. Instead, he’d been working in silence, getting all the tune-ups finished up in no time at all.

My dad seemed impressed by his work ethic, which took some of my worries away. As long as my dad was satisfied, that was all that mattered. If he approved, the other guys would have no choice but to fall in line with his decision.

We had been so busy that I barely had a chance to say a few words to Ethan each day. I’d had to settle for giving him an encouraging smile whenever he walked into the stock room to grab a filter or whatever else he needed.

Things with Joey were still the same. Besides sending me a text to let me know he would be home for sure on Saturday when I got off work, we hadn’t spoken at all since our late-night conversation. I’d been dreading the thought of him coming home. I knew we’d have to sit down and actually talk about our issues face-to-face. I feared it would cause more harm to our already unstable relationship.

I had been tense the entire week, anticipating the fight I was sure would come. I’d even withdrawn from Ethan, barely responding to his texts in the evening. I hadn’t wanted to throw my problems at him again, so I’d thought it’d be best to stay away from him until I knew what would happen with Joey. Besides, Ethan had enough on his plate with working two jobs and dealing with the shop guys.

When Saturday rolled around, I got a text from Joey, telling me to leave Amelia at my mother and father’s house instead of picking her up like normal. Instead, I was to come straight home after work, so we could talk. My stomach clenched into knots as I reread his text at least twice. Clearly, he had been thinking about our much-needed yet possibly disastrous heart-to-heart.

When I walked into our apartment just after noon, Joey was sitting on the couch, waiting for me. I tried to mentally prepare myself for whatever would follow as I sat down next to him on the couch.

“Hi,” I said, my voice soft.

“Go shower, and get changed,” he said.

“What? Why?”

“I’m taking you somewhere. Just go.”

I finally noticed that he wasn’t wearing his typical neon shirt and jeans. Instead, he was wearing a collared shirt with a pair of dark blue jeans. It wasn’t exactly a suit, but it was far more dressed up than he usually was.

“Okay…” I stood and headed back to our room.

After grabbing clean clothes, I headed into the bathroom and hopped into the shower. Once I was clean, I dried and straightened my hair. I applied a small amount of makeup and pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a pretty shirt.

I checked myself over in the mirror and frowned. I looked okay but not amazing. My stomach wasn’t flat, and my hips were far too wide for my liking. I didn’t dare turn around to inspect my butt. I feared I might decide to strap a Wide Load sign across it if I did.

When I returned to the living room, Joey was still sitting in the same place, waiting for me.

“Okay, I’m clean and dressed. What’s going on?” I asked.

He stood and walked over to me. He grasped my hand and pulled me through our apartment. He stopped long enough to grab his keys before he continued out into the hallway, down the stairs, and out into the parking lot. After opening the passenger door for me and shutting it once I was situated inside his vehicle, he walked around and climbed inside.

He stayed silent as he backed out of the parking spot and hit the main road. I impatiently tapped my fingers against my leg as the miles slipped by beneath us.

“Can I ask where we’re going?”