by T. K. Rapp
“There you are,” Callie shouted as we finally made our way through the mass of people. She and Dallas were standing with some friends in the same spot where they’d left me so they could dance. She pulled me into an awkward hug. “I was worried.”
I laughed and returned the hug before stepping away.
“Wyatt, you know Callie.”
He flashed a smile and nodded.
I pointed to Dallas, who hadn’t noticed my return because he was engrossed in some other conversation. “And that’s my friend Dallas.”
Wyatt looked down at me and dipped his face to my ear so I could hear him. “You really did make some friends,” he teased.
“I did,” I answered happily, my moment with the grabby guy gone from my thoughts. The alcohol was taking effect and I liked what it was doing.
“You’re smiling at me. On purpose. Is this what drunk Vi is like?” he asked, nudging his arm against mine.
“Shut up,” I laughed. “I had three shots. That’s it.”
“Viola,” Callie sang loudly as she stood next to me and gripped my hand tightly. “Let’s dance.”
“No way,” I laughed, shaking my head.
“C’mon…please?”
“Actually, I think I’m ready to get back home.”
“What? It’s only one,” she said as she stuck out her bottom lip. “I’m not ready to go yet.”
One? What the hell!
I pulled out my phone and was shocked that she was right. It wasn’t late by my standards and I knew I was lame for checking out early, but I was ready to go.
“Have we really been here almost two hours?” I asked of no one in particular.
“Yeah,” she laughed. “It only took thirty minutes to get into this place.”
“How much longer do you plan on staying?” I asked.
“What’s your hurry? You don’t really want to leave, do you?”
Before I could answer, Wyatt spoke up. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take her home. I was heading out anyway.”
Callie’s eyes went wide and I made a face, trying to silence her with a death stare, but she was too far gone to notice.
“Sorry, Vi’s with me,” I heard Dallas say from behind Wyatt. His friends were out of sight and I was grateful he spoke up. But when Wyatt turned to face him, Dallas shook his head and smiled. “I mean…she’s all yours. Take her.”
Thanks a lot, I mouthed, narrowing my eyes.
You’re welcome, he mouthed back.
I sort of wanted to hug him and kill him at the same time.
***
Wyatt walked me to my door and I was talking about anything and everything, but none of it was of importance. I pointed out where Dallas lived and told him that Callie lived further down. He smiled when I told him how I planned to sell my car because it hadn’t used it much since I’d moved to town. It was an endless ramble that made no sense, and yet he seemed to follow just fine.
I closed the door to my apartment and walked into the kitchen where he trailed behind me. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him to leave, for no other reason than I needed space, but he’d been so nice. I grabbed two water bottles out of the fridge and handed him one.
“Thanks for bringing me home,” I said, taking a sip of water. “Sorry you had to leave.”
He shrugged and opened his bottle. “I was ready to go anyway.”
“Do you want have a seat?” I pointed to the couch and walked toward it. I still hadn’t purchased much in the way of furniture, so seating options were limited. Bethany said the apartment had been painted the week before I moved in but the walls had remained mostly bare.
“I like what you’ve done with the place,” he teased as he sat down next to me and angled his body toward mine. Our knees were touching, but there was sufficient distance between us. Enough that I wouldn’t get in trouble.
“Yeah, I call it divorcée-chic.” I laughed softly, but Wyatt didn’t seem to think it was funny. “Sorry. Bad joke.”
He cocked his head to the side, grinning, and I wondered what he was thinking. It was then that I saw his eyes drop to my lips for a brief moment, and I didn’t need to wonder anymore.
“Did you ever call Charles about the job?”
“I did. I’m supposed to meet him next week.” I smiled. “Thank you again for that.”
“Happy to help.” His arm was draped across the back of the couch and he extended his hand as if he were going to touch me, but paused. “So…are you liking it out here?”
“It takes some getting used to,” I admitted. “When we were first married, Will and I used to… sorry.” I shrugged off the thought and took a long sip of water.
“Used to what?”
“It’s nothing. You don’t want to hear about my ex.”
“I want to hear anything you want to share.” There wasn’t a hint of sarcasm in his voice. And the more time I spent with him, the more I began to think he was a genuinely nice guy. Nice, and attractive.
I can kiss him.
I’m single.
Almost.
I would have done just about anything to not have to talk about Will. Or what went wrong. I wanted to forget that I was unhappy. But then it happened.
Word Vomit.
“Will and I used to talk all the time about moving to L.A. But his band was struggling and I was working, he was working…it just never happened,” I laughed.
Wyatt regarded me silently and I just kept rambling.
“You know, it’s funny, I was the one who loved writing music. Will’s talented, don’t get me wrong, but I can do it all. Did you know that I play guitar?”
Wyatt shook his head, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Yeah. It’s true. But damn if he isn’t an amazing guitarist too.” I smiled, thinking about happier memories. “This one time, we decided to have a contest—see who could learn a song the fastest. We each selected a song the other had never played and had two hours to memorize as much as possible.”
“Who won?” Wyatt asked, startling me. I’d almost forgotten he was there. It was the first time I’d talked at length about Will with anyone other than Jolie and Dani.
“He did.” I smiled but then it faded as quickly as it had appeared. I shrugged. “Probably cheated then too.”
I was thankful he didn’t say anything. I didn’t need consolation and I certainly didn’t need pitying eyes. Wyatt was giving me neither and I appreciated it.
I found myself staring at his hand that was resting on his leg. His hands were large and looked like hands that had done something in his life. Not those of the starving musician I’d helped support. And then I looked up at his lips.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I leaned over to kiss Wyatt.
Tomorrow I can blame it on the alcohol.
“Do you want to kiss me to forget?” he asked, when I was close enough to feel his breath against my lips. “Or do you want to kiss me?”
I froze inches from his face, feeling embarrassed and humiliated…mostly I felt needy.
“I’m sorry,” I said, leaning away as I pursed my lips together.
“I’m not complaining.” He smirked, touching a strand of my hair. “But I’d rather it be because you want me.”
Will kept taking and taking from me, and he wasn’t even around anymore. But the ghost of marriage past seemed to haunt my thoughts and paralyze me from moving on.
I wasn’t ready to exactly move on to a new relationship, but I was ready to move on to something else. Maybe let go a little.
I pulled away, mortified at what I had been about to do, and more than a little embarrassed that I was rejected. Wyatt moved closer so our legs were touching, but I knew he wasn’t trying to make a move.
“We can talk more about it…if you want.”
“My marriage?” I shrieked in horror. Only two seconds earlier I was attempting to kiss him, and he was asking about my sort-of ex? Granted, I’d just spent the better part of fifteen minutes b
abbling about him, but then I’d tried to kiss him.
“Yeah. The husband.”
“I really don’t.”
Wyatt timidly wrapped an arm around my shoulder and I leaned into him. As much as I wanted to pull away, I liked being in his arms. He tucked my head under his chin as he leaned back, pulling me with him. The innocent action must have been something I needed because I drifted off to sleep, breathing in the scent of his cologne without another word spoken between us.
Later, when my eyes fluttered open, I tried to adjust to the darkness.
Wyatt was here.
He held me.
We were on the couch.
I felt around and realized there wasn’t a body next to me, nor was I on the couch.
“Wyatt?” I whisper-shouted.
It didn’t matter that no one lived with me; I was more afraid that he would actually answer.
As my feet touched down on the worn wood floors below, I looked around as best I could and saw the time beaming on the clock next to me.
I’m in my room.
In a panic, I ran my hands along my body and exhaled heavily when I realized I was still in my clothes from the previous night.
I leaned over and turned the knob on the old lamp next to my bed, and glanced around since I was finally able to see. The bed was still made and I was fully clothed, but I hadn’t walked myself to bed.
There was a note on the nightstand and I picked it up, recognizing Wyatt’s handwriting from the other day.
I tried to wake you, but you wouldn’t budge. I took your key to lock the door and I’m going to leave it with Dallas. Call me tomorrow.
Wyatt.
P.S. You snore—it’s cute.
Will had told me once that I snored and I was mortified. He said it was so loud that he wasn’t able to go to sleep, so he crashed on the couch. Looking back, it probably wasn’t my snoring that kept him away.
Somehow, Wyatt sharing that with me didn’t bother me in the same way.
“How is he going to leave it with Dallas?” I asked out loud.
The last thing I remembered, Dallas and Callie were still at the bar.
Did Wyatt go back?
That thought didn’t make me happy, but what business of mine was it? I laid back down on my bed and stared at the ceiling before finally getting up to change my clothes. There was a dull pain throbbing in my head and I cursed myself for the tequila shots I’d had at the club. For many reasons.
I walked toward the kitchen, only the faint light from my room illuminating the way, and stopped in my tracks. There was a soft grumbling noise, and as I listened longer, I knew it to be snoring. Tiptoeing my way toward the sound, I prayed over and over.
Please let it be Dallas.
Or Callie.
Just. Not. Wyatt.
But I didn’t get the answer I wanted because it was Wyatt. He was on his back, one arm tucked behind his head, the other resting on his stomach. The distant light cast a soft shadow on his face and I looked down at him, admiring how attractive he was.
He’s sexy when he’s not running his mouth.
I almost chuckled at the thought, but knew better. I wasn’t thrilled about having him in my tiny apartment, but somehow I felt safer knowing he was there. I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a while and I hoped that would change. I turned on my heels and went back to my bedroom, deciding against the medicine I knew I needed.
As I reached the door, I heard the snoring stop when he moved on the couch, and I paused.
“Dallas and Callie weren’t back yet, and I didn’t want to leave your place unlocked,” he said quietly.
“Oh…thanks,” I whispered back.
“Goodnight, Vi,” he whispered loud enough for me to hear.
“Goodnight, Wyatt.”
I slept better that night than I had in a while.
Chapter 9
The next morning I pretended to be asleep until I heard the door close. Facing Wyatt and acknowledging what had almost happened was too embarrassing. That and I had a pretty serious hangover. I knew I should have taken some medicine.
“Vi,” Callie called from the other side of my apartment door. “Are you in there? It’s Cal, let me in.”
I crawled out from the covers and walked as softly as I could so as not to make my brain shake any more than it already was.
Stupid alcohol.
I opened the door to see Callie looking as wrecked as I felt. She was in the same clothes but they were disheveled, and her makeup was smeared. I started to worry and opened the door wider.
“Are you okay?” I asked urgently, stepping aside to let her in.
“Yeah. Great. Why?” she asked cheerily.
“Did you just get home?”
“Nah. But I just got back from Dallas’s,” she answered, wagging her brows.
“In your dreams,” I laughed and then grabbed my head from the sound. “I need to take something, and then you can explain.”
“Explain what?”
I pointed to her face and then the mirror hanging on the wall. “The reason you look like you took makeup tips from Alice Cooper.”
She walked toward the mirror and asked over her shoulder, “What are you….oh.”
Callie started swiping under her eyes, but it did little to fix her appearance.
“Bathroom. Cotton Balls. Makeup remover. Soap,” I said, pointing down the hall.
Callie smiled and disappeared into the bathroom while I located some pain relievers and water.
“You and Wyatt left early,” she shouted, and I winced before swallowing the medicine. She peeked around the corner while she wiped under her eyes. “Did you two kids have fun?”
I sat down on my couch next to the folded blanket and pillow Wyatt had used the night before. I leaned over, resting my head on the pillow, and could still smell his scent. Memories of my drunken rambling and subsequent attempt at kissing him clouded my mind and I felt the humiliation all over again. Luckily, I couldn’t dwell because Callie walked in looking refreshed and joined me on the couch.
“So?”
“So? What?” I asked.
“Did you and Wyatt have fun?” she repeated.
“He brought me home and we talked. That’s it,” I said.
“Anything else?” She grinned.
“You mean besides when I…fell asleep?” I almost divulged more. I was close to spilling the details of my lax seduction skills, but I decided against it.
“Boo.”
“Care to explain why you looked like a hot mess when you walked in?”
“Oh, that,” she laughed. “Dallas and I were watching The Notebook when we got back. I wasn’t tired and he’d never seen it before.”
“That sounds…fun?”
“It was, actually. I mean, I can’t watch that movie with any guy I’m interested in because then he’ll freak out at my crying, and let’s face it, no guy is Noah Calhoun. Am I right?”
I laughed and agreed. We sat in companionable silence for a beat when she looked at me again. Her concern was evident and I knew she was going to try to get more information out of me. Truth was, I was too exhausted to fight her.
“Were you able to have fun last night? Really?”
“I was,” I answered. And it was true. It was nice to get out and do something I hadn’t done in quite some time.
“But? You’re holding out… Did something happen?”
“Nothing happened,” I said, taking the pillow and holding it protectively in front of me. I didn’t mean to, but I sniffed the pillow, and the light must have gone off for Callie because her eyes were wide. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You didn’t sleep on the couch, but it sure looks like someone did.” She smiled.
“It wasn’t anything. I fell asleep before he left and Wyatt put me to bed.”
Callie continued to look at me with crazy, excitement-filled eyes until I shook my head.
“No. I put these on myself.”
&
nbsp; “Too bad,” she muttered, her smile waning.
“What time did you and Dallas get back?”
“About two. Why?”
Two? Wyatt said Dallas wasn’t home.
“No reason,” I lied.
Callie perked up and smiled. “Do you have plans today?”
“Well, I did have a date with a book, but it’s not set in stone.”
“Who knew all it took was taking you to a club to get you to loosen up,” she teased.
“I’ve been to clubs before,” I said. “Besides, you just met me. I am loose.”
“Are you now?” she teased and I rolled my eyes. “Then maybe it was just spending time with me, or maybe Dallas… Wait, is Wyatt the reason you’re nice today?”
“What?” I asked, shocked at her accusation. “I am nice.”
“If you say so,” she said as she stood up and walked to the door.
I looked at her over the back of the couch and watched her leave.
She was holding the door open and looked at me. “I’m thinking of going for a hike at Griffith Park. Wanna join?”
I groaned and waved her off. The idea of walking, let alone walking the way I felt, was not appealing.
“Fresh air. Beautiful view. It’ll do you some good.”
“Fine,” I mumbled into the pillow I was still holding. “Give me an hour.”
“You got it,” she said before closing the door.
“That girl is too perky,” I muttered.
***
“Knockity-Knockity,” Callie said as she thumped on the door.
I was glad she gave me more than an hour because I needed those extra forty-five minutes. I was showered and looked better than I had earlier, but still felt like shit.
“You know, most people just knock, they don’t actually say the word,” I said when I opened the door.