And yes, there was probably some small part of me that thought if she was cheating on him, it would free him up. To, you know, pursue other possible romantic entanglements.
But it was mostly indignation that anybody would want to hurt Tyler.
There was a staticky noise on my phone, like Shay was settling onto her couch as she spoke. “If you’re going to maybe commit a felony and invade someone’s privacy, the very least you could do is have the decency to keep up a running narration.”
“Nothing’s happening.”
“We will solve this mystery! All we need now is a Great Dane, a van, and a stoned hippie friend. Oh! Maybe Delia counts as our hippie friend!”
One of the servers dropped off my water, but I was too busy watching Oksana and her friend to take a drink.
Shay said, “Tell me about the other guy. What does he look like?”
“Older, silver-fox type. Handsome but definite gray in his hair.” Tyler was vastly better looking, but I could admit this guy was a hottie. “Maybe he’s her modeling agent.”
“Or her handler,” Shay offered. “Or her dad.”
Then Oksana climbed into the man’s lap. They started kissing and I said, “Oh! Oh! Not her dad unless she’s a Lannister from Game of Thrones.” I knocked my water glass over in my excitement at this turn of events. It clattered onto the ground, loudly. It didn’t break but everyone around me turned to stare.
I ducked my head and tried to clean up the spilled water with my linen napkin. Oksana stopped kissing the man and started to turn in my direction. Ack! She was going to see me!
Without thinking I slid under the table. One minute I was sitting in my booth, the next I was under a table, praying she hadn’t seen me.
My phone was still glued to my ear and I could hear Shay say, “You know I don’t speak nerd television! What does Lannister mean?”
“It means he’s definitely not her dad as they’re kissing and I’m currently under a table to avoid being caught because I knocked over my glass and it fell on the ground and it was loud and now I don’t know what Oksana’s actually capable of and what she might do if she finds me.”
“This evening in This Is Not Going To End Well . . .”
As if her words were prophetic, a pair of feet came walking toward me. Please don’t let it be Oksana, please don’t let it be Oksana . . .
The universe finally seemed to be on my side as it turned out to be my waitress. She stuck her head under the table. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Um, yes. There’s a couple across the room. Older gentleman, younger woman with black hair. They were kissing. Are they still kissing?”
She gave me a very concerned look but straightened up. A moment later she was back. “I don’t see anyone kissing and I don’t see the couple you’re describing.”
Had they left? Or was Oksana making her way over here right now to confront me? I debated the merits of staying put and getting out of this restaurant as quickly as possible. Would it be worse for them to see me walking by or worse to be discovered?
“Were you ready to order?” the waitress asked, her face back under the table. “I could tell you about the specials.”
“No, I think I’ll just take off. I wasn’t that hungry anyways. Sorry for being your weirdest customer this week.”
“Oh, you’re not even my weirdest customer today,” she told me with a grin. “Have a good night!”
I nodded and then slid back up into the booth, which was much harder going up than it had been going down. I didn’t look to see where Oksana had been and instead stood quickly, grabbed Tyler’s shoes, and headed for the exit.
“Now what’s happening?” Shay demanded once I was outside.
“I escaped without detection. I’m heading home to check on Pigeon and I’m hoping that she’s not throwing up leather.” I glanced behind me to make sure I wasn’t being followed. As if Oksana really were some kind of assassin. “And now I’m making sure that Her Royal Evilness isn’t following me.”
The light indicated that I couldn’t cross and I came to a stop. “I shouldn’t call her evil just because I don’t like her and am jealous of her. Maybe she’s not evil.”
“Maybe she is. You ever think of that?”
“Why does that cheer me up?”
I heard Shay laugh. “Because I’m your best friend and that’s my job.”
“You’re really good at it.”
“I know. Hey, did you get a picture of Oksana kissing that guy?”
The thought hadn’t even occurred to me. “No.”
“Why not? Wasn’t that the whole point?”
I wasn’t exactly sure what the point was anymore. I tried telling myself again that it was to help protect Tyler because he was one of the few good guys left in the world. That practically made him an endangered species and I should get a humanitarian award.
But none of this was my business, even if I wanted it to be. “I don’t know. I kind of feel like I crossed a line here.”
“Sometimes you have to cross the line to see where it actually is.”
“I don’t think that’s an actual saying.”
She sighed. “Regardless, tell Tyler. And while you’re at it, tell Brad to go away. Tell the men in your lives what is going on so that everybody can make their own decisions and move on to something better.”
I wondered if she was right.
When I got home, the first thing I did was put the new shoes in Tyler’s closet and throw the old ones (along with the shoe box and the receipt) down the garbage chute in the hallway. I also made sure that both his closet door and bedroom door were shut. I checked twice.
Pigeon was right where I’d left her: curled up in the corner of my bed.
To decompress from my day, I decided to watch one of the movies I had recorded on the DVR. I was a sucker for the sweet, cheery, comforting Hallmark romances but I also loved the women-in-peril suspense movies on Lifetime. Tonight I chose one of the high-octane ones, and it was about a former soap opera actress who was being stalked by an obsessive fan who thought the actress was her villainous character from the show and needed to be taken out. The actress moved into a high-security smart home in an attempt to stay safe, but her stalker was a computer genius who disabled the whole thing. After a drawn-out fight scene, the actress was able to push the stalker down the stairs, and the stalker died.
In the past I’d always gotten a bit of a rush from movies like that, imagining what I would do if I were in the heroine’s shoes, but this one felt like a bit too much. Like it had rattled my nerves in a way I didn’t fully comprehend. It wasn’t like I had anything similar happening in my life. I didn’t have any stalkers.
Maybe it was more of my guilty conscience because I’d been basically spying on Oksana earlier. It could be the universe was warning me that karma could be unpleasant.
I resolved to be a better person.
I decided I’d had enough excitement for one evening. I got ready for bed, putting on a tank top and shorts, something that had become a bit of a necessity lately. Even though it was winter and Tyler kept the thermostat a bit cold for my liking, Pigeon exuded a lot of body heat and when I wore heavier pajamas I would wake up in a sweat. I climbed in next to the dog, scooting her over slightly to make some room for me. As was my custom every night, I scrolled through social media and my in-box just to see if there was anything that needed my attention.
Usually the answer was no, but today there was an email. From Denny’s father.
It was short and straight to the point—he apologized for Denny’s outbursts and said that Denny’s mother had left the family and Denny was having a difficult time adjusting. He asked for my patience and said he’d be happy to meet with me after things had calmed down at their house.
I felt sick to my stomach for Denny. No wonder he’d been acting out. I put my phone down on the nightstand and began to think about what I could do to assist him now that I had this new knowledge. What did he n
eed from me to help him be more successful behaviorally?
At some point I must have drifted off because a loud noise woke me up. It was one of those heart-pounding-unmercifully-in-your-chest moments, where you woke up suddenly and weren’t exactly sure why.
I nudged Pigeon with my hand but she only grumbled and went back to sleep.
There was another noise, a shuffling. I grabbed my phone. It was three o’clock in the morning.
My first delirious thought was that Oksana had returned to finish me off. I got out of bed quietly, listening with each step that I took. My pulse was pounding so loudly in my ears that it was hard to hear. I slowly opened my door and looked down the hallway. I tiptoed to the kitchen, looking around and not seeing anything. I grabbed Tyler’s cast-iron pan, because he always left it out on the stove top. Gripping it in both hands, I continued my search.
No one.
I glanced at the TV and silently cursed it. It was that movie that had me all worried and scared. I reminded myself, again, that I didn’t have a stalker.
Although . . . there was every possibility that Tyler had one. It didn’t even have to be Oksana. It could have been another woman that he’d bewitched who didn’t know how to let go.
Wondering if I’d imagined the entire thing, I started back toward my room when I realized that Tyler’s door was open.
A door I knew for a fact that I had shut.
My heart leaped up into my throat, making it hard for me to swallow. I pushed the door open slightly and saw a large, looming figure. Letting out a shriek of terror, I lifted the pan to swipe at the person when the lights suddenly turned on.
I blinked several times, feeling blinded.
“Madison! It’s me!”
“Tyler!” I protested, letting the pan fall to my side. “I almost Tom and Jerry’ed you! Which wouldn’t have been easy because this thing is really heavy!” And expensive, I almost added, but caught myself in time. “I thought you were a stalker or something!”
That movie had seriously rattled me.
He took the pan from my shaking hands, setting it down on top of his dresser. “It would be really hard for a stalker to get past one of the doormen.”
I nodded. This made perfect logical sense. But my body was still feeling totally illogical. “I just . . . I feel really freaked out. I’m having a hard time catching my breath.”
“Hey. Come here.”
Next thing I knew, I was being enveloped in a warm, giant hug. It was like coming in from the cold to a roaring fire and a mug of hot cocoa. I leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his waist, letting him press me firm against him.
His hand ran up and down my back. “It’s okay. Everything is okay.”
I believed him. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so safe. Protected. I didn’t trust many people but right here? Right now? I trusted Tyler.
As my breathing calmed, I realized that I’d been so scatterbrained that I hadn’t even registered the fact that Tyler must have been getting ready for bed, as he wasn’t wearing a shirt. It certainly registered now as my hands curled against his strong back, the side of my face pressed against his warm chest. I turned my head slightly and my lips were now touching his skin and it was almost like I was kissing him.
Almost.
Now that I was much more aware of my surroundings, I felt bad that I was enjoying this hug so much. That my blood pounded slowly through my limbs while my pulse frantically throbbed. It felt like he rested his cheek against the top of my head, and my lower abdomen tightened in response.
Nothing about this was very friend zone–ish.
I should have released him. Stepped back and put some distance between us. Not enjoyed his warmth and wanted to snuggle closer. Because this was, quite possibly, one of the best things that had ever happened to me and I didn’t want it to end.
Where I’d been oblivious only a few seconds ago, now I was painfully aware of how smooth his skin was, of the sexy way his back muscles strained against my palms as he continued to move his right hand up and down my back to console me. Since he was just being nice, I probably shouldn’t have been finding all this super hot. I was either extraordinarily lucky or desperately pathetic.
I pulled in a deep whiff of his naturally attractive and enticing scent. His particular brand of pheromone would a hundred percent make me fly to my death by getting caught in his web. I was definitely leaning toward pathetic. Which made me feel like I had to justify my behavior.
“I’m sorry,” I finally said, my words going directly into his chest. “I watched a scary movie tonight and then you said you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow morning and my mind just went weird places.”
Which it was still doing.
“It is tomorrow morning,” he reminded me, and I loved how his words rumbled their way out of his chest.
“Yeah, but I thought you meant morning as in a decent hour . . .” I lifted my head to look at him and suddenly realized just how close our lips were. Like if I leaned forward just a micro-fraction of an inch, we’d be kissing.
My breath caught and then sped up. My head started to swim, making me a little dizzy. Which was the only way to explain what I saw next—it looked like he was checking me out, his gaze hot as one side of his mouth lifted, as if he liked what he saw.
Which reminded me of how little clothing I was actually wearing.
Was he breathing a little harder, too? And whose heartbeat felt so fast—mine or his?
“Madison . . .”
The way he said my name sent shivers through me. Low and seductive, almost as if he were asking a question.
And the answer to that question was always yes, yes, a thousand times yes! Fortunately, I managed to keep that inside, although it took great effort.
Was he going to kiss me?
While I wanted to wait and see if it had just been my imagination or if something was about to happen, I remembered his rules. And that I was completely broke and still needed a place to live. I didn’t want to jeopardize our friendship or our living arrangement.
“Thanks,” I said as I extracted myself, willing my heartbeat to return to normal. I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m glad you got home safe and I will see you in the morning.”
Not waiting to hear his response, I practically sprinted back to my room and shut the door.
I got into bed and Pigeon lifted her head lazily. I realized that the reason she hadn’t been worried earlier was because she’d known that Tyler was the one in the apartment.
“You’re a terrible guard dog,” I told her. She licked my face in response before laying her head back down.
And I was terrible at remembering that I was only supposed to be Tyler’s friend.
I hoped I hadn’t screwed anything up between us.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I didn’t exactly fall asleep after that. Instead I kept reliving every moment of what was an innocent and kind gesture on his part and turning it into something it was not. I worried about having to face him over breakfast, but his door was shut and he didn’t come into the kitchen.
Which left me the rest of the day to think about what I’d say to him the next time I saw him. I refrained from sharing the story with Delia and Shay since I already knew what they’d tell me. Shay would have lectured me about not taking advantage and pulling him onto his bed while Delia would have reminded me to just be true to myself.
Pigeon greeted me when I got home and I petted her head and the spot under her chin that she loved. Tyler’s door was slightly open, and a quick glance told me he wasn’t in there. Poor guy had to fly halfway around the world and then go to work the next day. That couldn’t have been fun.
I decided to just behave normally and do the things I would usually do. I’d wait to see how he acted toward me, first.
Which meant that after a quick dinner of noodles, I was in the living room watching my recorded television shows and working on the poms. While the process had gotten easier, I didn’t see
m to be getting any faster.
My heart skipped when the elevator doors opened and Tyler walked in. It was only five thirty. I paused the show I’d been watching. “Home already?” I asked.
“Yeah. I just wanted . . . to be here instead of there.” He paused when he saw what I was doing. “Why does it look like a present store threw up in here? I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much tissue paper all in one place.”
“Me neither,” I agreed. “Except for maybe my mom’s gift-wrapping room.”
He totally stared at me. “Your mother has a gift-wrapping room?”
My first instinct was to lie and laugh it off because I knew how weird it sounded. While it was strange to everybody else in the world, it had just been my normal, how I’d grown up. But I didn’t want to be dishonest with Tyler.
Well, more dishonest than I had been already in the name of self-preservation. “Of course she does. She’s not going to wrap her presents on some random table like a heathen.”
He laughed at that, but he sounded tired. “I guess that makes sense.”
I couldn’t have explained what possessed me to say to him, “I like your shoes.” It was like I wanted to get caught. As if now that I’d decided to choose honesty, my brain decided to be honest about everything. I wanted to dig a hole in the floor that I could crawl into. What was wrong with me? Why had I said that? When you were hiding something from someone, it was generally a good idea not to act like an idiot and draw their attention to it.
“Thanks.” He seemed distracted. “I’ve had them for a long time. But today for some reason they seemed really tight.”
“Well, I think I remember hearing once that when you travel your feet can swell. All that sitting.” I was so going to spend my eternity being the devil’s permanent houseguest.
“Maybe. I’m going to go get changed.”
Then he left and it turned out that I had no reason to worry about seeing him again because he acted just the same, as if we hadn’t pressed our bodies tightly together while barely clothed in his bedroom in the middle of the night.
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