Matter of Time: A Workplace Romance

by M. E. Carter

  “I’m positive. Now go home with your family and get some rest.”

  “Okay. But keep your phone handy. And call me if you need anything. And call 911 if he comes back even though he won’t if he knows what’s good for him. And—”

  “Good night, Paul!” I shout, cutting off his rant.

  There’s a short pause before I finally hear, “Yeah okay. Good night.”

  I listen as his muffled footsteps fade away and finally, I feel like I can relax. There is no one staring at me or asking how I am or trying to make decisions on how I should feel. I’m well and truly…

  Alone.

  A small wave of panic runs through me as I realize there is safety in numbers, and right now there are no numbers. Only me. By myself. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

  No.

  No.

  That’s what he wants. He wants me to hide in fear. I won’t give him that. I won’t backpedal. I will stay strong.

  I will also watch some television to stay distracted. There’s always some mindless comedy on. I can focus on that. I’ll be fine.

  Grabbing the remote off the table I turn on the boob tube and search through the list of potential options until I find what I’m looking for. I already watched The Circle, but there’s a French version I can try. That should do the trick.

  Except… it doesn’t. Even thirty minutes into it and some serious catfighting through the Circle Messenger, my mind is racing with thoughts. Wondering why mom would bring him here. Wondering why she doesn’t believe me. Wondering if she gave up and went home.

  I hate her role in all this. I hate that she’s chosen a side and it’s the wrong one. But she’s my mom. I don’t know that I can forgive her but I’m not sure how to let her go either.

  Giving up on TV, I head toward the bathroom to start getting ready for bed and freeze…

  My heart is pounding and it takes all my willpower to keep breathing normally. It’s so dark in there. Too dark. I can’t go in there.

  Logically, I know there is nothing to be frightened of, but I still can’t stop the fear that he’s hiding in the shadows. I know, know he’s not, but I can’t get the panic under control. Come to think of it, the light in the bedroom area isn’t on either.

  I’m standing in the dark in the middle of the room.

  I have no defense.

  My feet begin to move before my brain catches up to what’s happening. Soon I’m backed up against the wall, sliding over until I’m in a corner. I can see the entire room from this vantage point, even while sitting. Still, I have no weapon.

  Looking around I see an old forgotten baseball bat under the couch. It has to be Paul’s from when he lived here. He must have forgotten it when he moved in with my sister. Or, knowing him, he probably put it there on purpose so I’d have a weapon. I’m grateful for his overbearing ways as I quickly grab it and sit back in my hiding spot, bat in one hand and cell phone open and ready to call 911 in the other.

  • • •

  “You’re mine, do you hear me?” His face is right in mine, his breath hot on my face. My arms ache from how hard his fingers are digging into my skin and I can’t get away.

  “Say it!” he roars. “Say you’re mine!”

  “I’m yours!” I yell frantically, praying he’ll let me go.

  His eyes turn darker, the white of his eyes all but disappearing. He doesn’t just look evil. He looks like evil incarnate.

  Pulling me closer, he makes sure our noses touch “No matter where you run, no matter how far away you get, I will always find you. No one can save you.”

  He pushes me away and I fly across the room, slamming into a wall and… I startle awake.

  Breathing rapidly, I immediately pick up the bat that has rolled a couple of feet away from me and pull it up over my shoulder, ready to swing.

  My eyes search the room for any sign of Jeremy, but he’s not here.

  I sink back into the wall and breath in, two, three, four… hold, two, three, four… and out, two, three, four… hold, two three, four.

  It was only a nightmare.

  I dig the heels of my hands into my eye sockets and feel myself waking up more. I must have dozed off at some point. The last time I looked at the clock it was six? Seven am? It’s probably close to noon now. I can hear Kiersten’s dance class beginning down the hall.

  I feel terrible. My head is hurting and my body is aching. I’m sure it’s a mixture of very little sleep and all of it on the floor. But now that there is some light shining in on the dark corners of the whole apartment, I feel a little better. Or at least I’m not as afraid.

  Desperately needing to empty my bladder, I stumble to the bathroom, which thankfully has another small window above the shower so it’s pretty bright in here. I go through the regular chores of washing my face and brushing my teeth. Then, making sure all the lights are on in the apartment, I collapse onto the bed and pray for a couple of hours of rest.

  • • •

  “You thought you could just move and get away from me?” He bellows, his fist suddenly in my stomach knocking the wind out of me.

  “I own you. Own you!” And another fist, this one in my face. I hear and feel the cracks of my nose and blood sprays across the room.

  “You bitch! Look what you made me do!” He’s back in my face, screaming at me. “This wouldn’t happen if you weren’t such a whore!”

  I rear back as his fist comes toward me again and… I startle awake again, tears streaming down my face.

  He’s got me. He did it. No matter how determined I am to not live in fear, there’s no way to keep him out of my dreams.

  I allow myself to cry for what seems like hours. Once the tears finally dry up, I peel myself up from the bed and wash my face again. There is no way makeup is going to hide the brutality of this night. I have deep, dark circles and my whole face is puffy. I’ll just have to hope we’re busy tonight and no one has time to take a good look at my face.

  Wandering back into the small living room area, I grab my phone. I have two missed calls and three missed texts. Almost all of them are from my sister.

  Even worse, it’s only two in the afternoon. I didn’t even get a full night’s sleep and what little rest I did get, I was fighting off Jeremy in my dreams. This sucks.

  Plopping down on the couch, I curl my feet underneath me and call Kiersten back. It only rings once before she picks up.

  “Hello?” she sounds frantic. “Nicole, are you okay?”

  No. No, I’m not. I’m terrified of being alone at night and my nightmares are plaguing me no matter what time I sleep.

  “I’m fine,” I lie. I hate not telling her the truth, but if I do, it’ll turn into a bigger thing than it needs to be otherwise.

  “Are you sure?” She doesn’t sound convinced.

  “I’m sure. How was your class, anyway? Sounded like you were having fun. I could hear you down here.”

  “It was fine. Don’t change the subject,” she demands. “Did you sleep at all?”

  No. “Yes.”

  “Did you sleep well?”

  “Do I ever sleep well?”

  “Not my point but okay. I’ll drop it. Are you sure you’re okay? Tammy and Kade are working tonight. I’m trying to keep Paul from coming in to check on you but I’m having a hard time convincing him.”

  I groan, my head dropping on the headrest behind me. “Tell him if he comes in, I quit and I’m moving out.”

  That finally elicits a small laugh from her. “Will do. But really, if you need anything you promise you’ll call?”

  “Kiersten, you will always be the first person I call if I need something.”

  “Don’t let Paul hear you say that.” Now it’s my turn to laugh. He’s so good to us, but he’s also so fun to poke at. “I’ll let you go then. Good luck tonight. I love you.”

  “I love you too. Give Carson the biggest hug from me.”

  We hang up and I spend some time on my couch, trying to get into the French ve
rsion of The Circle but still to no avail. I finally give up and start getting ready for work. I know I’ll probably flinch every time the door opens tonight, but it could be worse. Staying here last night is proof of that. I’ll figure something out, though. I always do.

  Chapter Ten

  Kade

  Somehow, I’m managing the bar tonight. It was already on the schedule so that part isn’t a surprise. I just figured Paul would be taking over after last night’s surprise visitor. I’m sure he’s dying to be here. Unfortunately for him, Carson has some sort of school program tonight that neither he nor Kiersten can miss so they’re both off.

  I kind of feel bad for Kiersten. She’s the one who has to stop Paul from showing up here anyway. The thought gives me the slightest bit of amusement. Overbearing Paul is kind of funny.

  My biggest concern is I don’t want any more unwanted guests here tonight. I don’t like the idea of having to call the cops any more than I want to see Nicole collapse again. The look she had when that fucker was here haunted me all night long. I’ve never seen anyone that afraid, except in horror movies. I knew that’s what she was feeling—horror. I never want to see it again if I can help it.

  The only thing I’m looking forward to is Tammy waitressing. She’s entertaining enough to keep our minds off heavier topics. Case in point, for whatever reason, tonight she’s decided to learn all about gaming. I have no idea why, but unsurprisingly, she has very strong opinions.

  “I will never understand these video games you kids like so much.” She grabs an apron off the shelf and begins tying it around her waist while she rants. “What is fun about hunting a fake duck? That won’t feed you dinner.”

  I laugh to myself, knowing I have never played Duck Hunter before. She’d probably fall over if she ever found out what Call of Duty is about. Still, it gives me the opportunity to chide her a bit and I could use the laugh. “You’re telling me you don’t cook the ducks your husband hunts in real life?”

  She rears back and grimaces. “Hell no. Those poor things are riddled with disease.”

  I have no response except to shake my head as she goes off to continue setting up for the night. She’ll undoubtedly be back with more opinions later.

  I hear the apartment door close down the hall and look up to see Nicole practically dragging her way out here. She looks exhausted. Still beautiful, but also like she stayed up all night.

  Her hair, which is normally down around her shoulders, is tied up high in one of those messy bun things. She has makeup on, but it’s clear she’s trying to hide deep, dark circles under her eyes. She’s even wearing glasses, which I never knew she needed. I want to take her in my arms, turn us right back around, and go tuck her into bed with a kiss on the forehead. That’s not my place though. I greet her normally instead.

  “Hey. Nice glasses.”

  Her cheeks pinken just a bit. “Thanks.”

  “No contacts today?”

  One shoulder raises in a small shrug. “I don’t really need the glasses very much. It’s not like I’m totally blind without them. But labels will be hard to read otherwise and I’d rather not have to do twice the work because I keep screwing up drink orders.”

  “Smart idea.” I grab a stack of bowls to being filling with snacks. “How are you feeling anyway?”

  “I wish people would quit asking me that.”

  I fumble with the bowl I’m using to scoop pretzels as a wave of embarrassment hits me. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to pry into your personal life.”

  She sighs deeply and her shoulders drop in resignation. “No. Please don’t be sorry. I’m the one who should apologize. It was a rough night. You were there. You know.”

  I suspect there’s more to that statement than she’s telling me, but I let it go. “Nicole, there’s no reason to apologize. You’ve had a lot of people hovering over you for the last, well, eighteen plus hours.”

  She pauses our conversation briefly to clock in and slide behind the counter. “Everyone means well. It was just a long night and I shouldn’t take it out on you. You’ve been so sweet to me for months and I really like being around you. You make me feel calm.”

  Me?

  “I do?”

  Her lips quirk up and she nods. “I see the way you scoop up the crickets that get in the building and toss them outside so they can finish out their lives in the grass, instead of stomping the guts right out of them. I think you’ve got a good heart.”

  I’ve only done that once and I didn’t know anyone caught me in the act. That makes me feel good. But I also notice she didn’t say I was a good protector or an alpha male. I know I’m not either of those things but I wish she thought I was.

  “Anyway,” she says with another sigh as she pulls out the fruit to slice. “My sister and Paul are just getting on my nerves. I feel bad about it. They’ve done so much for me. Sometimes I think they have a little bit too much interest in my life, though.”

  “Be glad you have that. I don’t have many people who are interested in my life at all.”

  I didn’t mean to say that out loud but now that we’ve gotten over our awkward conversation stage, I find myself saying things I later regret.

  Nicole gasps, her eyes wide in question. “But why not? You’re such a great person.”

  She seems truly shocked but it’s not a painful thing to me. It’s my normal. “I’m a video game nerd and I’m not good-looking like Jaxon or athletic like Heath. I never really had any friends in high school and college is better, but still has a lot of cliques. I just don’t fit in anywhere.”

  “What about your family?”

  This is more than I ever wanted to share with her about what a loser I am, but if it makes her feel better about all the support she has, I’ll suck it up and tell her. “Let’s just say my mother loves partying more than she loves being a parent. And I don’t know who my dad is so I kind of grew up alone.”

  “Wait.” I know what’s coming. This is the part people always get stuck on. “I thought you and Jaxon had the same dad.”

  “We thought so for a while but the DNA proved us wrong. Jaxon just never told anyone the results when we found out. Doesn’t matter anyway. His dad died a couple of months before I was born so it’s not like I would have had the chance to meet him.”

  “Well, it’s all their loss,” Nicole says with conviction. “I think you’re an amazing human being and less time with them just means more time with me.”

  God, she’s beautiful. And so nice and sweet. I think I would fall over and die if she ever agreed to go on a date with me. Not that I’m going to ask. A girl like her can do so much better than a guy like me.

  I clear my throat and hope my face isn’t flaming red right now. It’s doubtful. I can feel the heat radiating from my cheeks at her compliment.

  “Thank you for that. Can you handle getting the bowls ready, too? I need to grab the money out of the safe.”

  “Sure. No problem.”

  I leave as quickly as I can, not because the money can’t wait. It can. The till isn’t usually filled until the last minute anyway. I just don’t know how much longer I can stay physically away from her. I need a second to regroup and breathe where I can’t smell the scent she uses. She’s the only person I know who wears it and it may very well bring me to my knees.

  Dropping down on the couch, I give myself a few extra minutes to get my bearings straight before getting what I need from the safe and heading back out to the front. It’s a good thing, too. Tucker Hayes is already hitting on Nicole. I try hard to not let it sour my mood and to maintain some form of friendliness.

  “Hey man.” I slide behind the counter and open the register to begin sorting the cash. “What’s going on?”

  It’s weird that Tucker is here sitting at the bar before we’re open, and I’m not sure why Nicole let him in early, but I have a feeling he’s not here for a beer.

  “I’m sorry for intruding like this, man. I know you’re not open yet. I just wanted to get
here before anyone else showed up and ask if you need help tonight.”

  I furrow my brow. What does he mean by help?

  “Like, with security and stuff,” he says answering my unasked question.

  That’s when it hits me. Tucker is here to make sure Nicole feels safe while she’s at work. It’s a blow to my ego to know yet another person doesn’t think I can protect her.

  On the other hand, I probably can’t. Setting my pride aside for a few seconds, I realize he probably is more evenly matched against that Jeremy guy if it came down to it. I hate it, but I care for Nicole more than I hate my own flaws.

  Nicole puts her hand on his forearm and I don’t think I’ve ever been more jealous in my life. “You don’t have to do that Tucker. It’s really nice of you, but I’ll be fine. Besides, I’m sure you have an early morning practice.”

  “No, wait,” I blurt out. I hate that I agree with him, especially since I see the way he looks at her, but I’d feel better if we had someone like him as an extra set of eyes. I’ll think about how much it hurts that he’s the kind of guy she deserves later. “Are you serious, man?”

  “Sure,” he says with a shrug of indifference, but I know he’s anything but. I can see it in the way his eyes keep darting around the room. “I thought about it all night. I know there’s not a lot any of us can do, but maybe just sitting here will be enough, ya know? Like a show of support from some guys who could do some damage to his face. Or better yet, his balls.”

  “Come on, guys. This is all unnecessary,” Nicole argues, smiling like always but it looks forced. Almost like she’s trying to convince herself more than us.

  “I have to agree with Tucker on this one,” I say as I close and secure the register. “If we get busy, we won’t even see him walk in. I’d rather have someone sitting at this bar who is specifically here for that reason.”

  “What reason? What’s going on with all this jibber-jabbering?” Tammy interrupts, probably expecting some juicy gossip. But I don’t know if she’s even aware of everything that happened last night yet. We’ll have to tell her soon, but her attentions are on Tucker right now. “And what are you doing here so early, pretty boy? Got lady problems and couldn’t wait for a few extra minutes?”