Grabbing a couple bags from the trunk, I head upstairs to the private apartment I’ll be sharing with Hope. When she doesn’t answer the knock on the door, I quietly let myself in, not wanting to wake her since it’s fairly early. I drop the bags in the bedroom she designated as mine on the brief tour she gave me and then head out to the main area where I find her.
With her headphones in, she sways silently to whatever music she must be listening to while cooking breakfast. I take a moment to just look at her; she looks just as beautiful as she did the night of the wedding. Her shoulder length brown hair is once again pulled back into a low ponytail and she’s wearing what looks like gym clothes if I’m not mistaken. I call her name a couple of times, but she doesn’t respond.
“OH!” She jumps the moment I touch her shoulder, the frying pan dropping to the floor and splattering everywhere.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to scare you,” I say once she removes the ear buds. “I tried calling your name—”
“I…I wasn’t expecting you so early.”
“I’m kind of a morning person, plus I didn’t have much to bring with me. Mr. Meyer was supposed to arrange to have some suits ordered and delivered for me.”
“Yes, they’re hung in the closet in your room.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m going to clean this mess up.” She fumbles in the drawer before finding a towel. I nearly groan as she tries to push the egg mixture off her fitted tank top. My mind instantly remembering exactly what she looks like under that shirt, how soft her skin felt when she laid against me, how perfect her breasts fit in my hand.
“Go get changed, I’ll take care of this,” I suggest.
Reaching over I take the towel from her hand, our fingers briefly touching causing our breaths to hitch. I grab the towel, slowly bringing it to her arm to brush off more of the omelet mess on her. She blushes and laughs before darting down the hall to her bedroom. As I try to clean up, I can’t help but think how different she is this morning from the other night. The little glimpse I just saw was of the woman I met at the wedding. The one who isn’t guarded, who isn’t…afraid. Suddenly I realize what the look was that I saw in her eyes; it was fear.
“Thanks for cleaning it up for me.”
She startles me when she returns to the kitchen a few minutes later. Gone is the thin tank top, replaced with a baggy short sleeve blue top.
“I didn’t know where the cleaning supplies were, so I did the best I could.”
“It’s fine, thanks.” She smiles. “Can I make you something to eat?”
“No, I ate already. Thanks though.” I sit at the breakfast bar across from her as she moves around the kitchen setting everything back up. I rack my brain with some way to bring up that night…and, well the next morning too. If she regretted what happened between us, I’d be fine with that if she just told me that’s why she left.
“Hope, about what happened—”
“Please,” she whispers. “I don’t want to talk about that night. I’d like to just put it behind us. We’ll be working together and well…sort of living together. I don’t want to make things awkward.”
“Will you just answer one question for me, please?”
She nods ever so slightly but otherwise doesn’t answer me.
“Did I…did I hurt you that night? Is that why you left?”
I ask the question that has weighed heavily on me ever since that night. I didn’t know until it was too late that she was a virgin, but I thought—I hoped—even afterwards, that I was gentle with her. We both had a few drinks that night, but neither of us were drunk. I didn’t think I was rough, but maybe she thought otherwise.
“No. I didn’t…I didn’t leave because of you.”
“Then why?”
“Please…I don’t want to…I can’t…” When her breathing quickens and she closes her eyes briefly, I know I’m not going to get anything further. If not because of me, then what caused her to run in the middle of the night?
“Okay.” I put my hands up, letting her know I won’t push any further no matter how much I want to.
Chapter 5
Hope
I wake up and find myself wrapped in a soft blanket, the magazine I was looking at earlier is now lying next to me on the couch with a piece of paper sticking out on the page I was on. I stand up, stretching my sore neck from once again sleeping on the couch rather than in a bed and look around the mostly empty apartment. Even though the large brown couch is comfortable, it’s not the ideal place to sleep. Seeing no signs of Garrett, I fold the blanket back up and place it on the arm of the couch. We’ve been living together for lack of a better word for a few days now, and surprisingly it’s not as bad as I had expected it to be.
“Oh you’re up,” he says as he walks into the apartment a short time later.
“Yeah. How long was I asleep for?”
“I was gone for about two hours and was here for about an hour after you fell asleep,” he confirms with a glance to his watch.
I usually don’t nap in the middle of the day and definitely not for three straight hours, but I guess the lack of sleep this week finally caught up with me. Garrett puts away a few of the items he bought in the kitchen cabinets. There’s a comfortable silence between us that wasn’t there earlier. I don’t know if something changed to cause the shift or what the reason might be. I’m trying to look at him differently like Abs suggested, as a coworker and not the man I lost my virginity to on what was the worst night of my life. I’m hoping after our talk this morning he can respect me enough not to push me any further. I want nothing more than to put that night behind me once and for all.
“I picked up a couple of subs for dinner, I wasn’t sure what you liked though,” he says.
“Thanks, I’m not very picky.” I’m both surprised and touched that he thought to pick me up something especially after this morning.
Over dinner, Garrett tells me about his time in the military after the wedding. He tells me how his friend Cole helped him get his job with Dark Water Security which ultimately landed him here. When it’s my turn, I focus on the last year rather than everything that happened since that night. I tell him about the different jobs I worked through the staffing agency before finally finding this one.
Afterwards, we sit on opposite ends of the couch watching TV. Once again, it’s not entirely uncomfortable, which I think is an improvement. I’m relieved that seeing him no longer sends me into a panic attack the way it did last week. I can only hope that it continues this way; the last thing I need is to have him witness one of my attacks.
“I’m going to head to bed,” I announce just as the show we were watching ends. “I’ve been keeping the door between the living spaces locked on the weekends as Mr. Meyer typically has guests. Would you mind locking the main door before you turn in?”
“I’ll take care of it. Are you concerned about the weekend guests?”
“No…I mean not exactly. Mr. Meyer has stated he won’t come into our space without requesting permission first. I just don’t know if his guests will follow the same rules. I know it sounds weird—”
“Not at all.”
“Anyway, if you could just double check that everything is locked before you go to bed, I’d appreciate it.”
“Hope, my job here is to protect not only Mr. Meyer, but you as well. You can trust me, everything will be locked up tonight.”
“Thanks,” I whisper and head to my bedroom, closing and locking the door behind me.
Checking the time I see I have just a few minutes. I quickly use the bathroom before my phone rings. Right on time, Abs is Face Timing me like most nights when she’s not working. Abs…Abby…even Abigail sometimes, has been my best friend for more than ten years now. We met in high school and became immediate friends. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have survived the last two years.
“How are you?” she asks as soon as her face appears on my screen.
“Good…how are you? How
’s Aspen?”
“Cold, but the mountain is great.” I glance behind her with a small amount of envy at the lit fire going in the fireplace. Abs comes from money; trips like this are a normal occurrence for her, but, despite all the money her family has, they have never treated me any different.
“Is there a lot of snow?” I can’t see any of the bedroom windows from where she’s sitting.
“More fell last night and they’re calling for even more tomorrow. Hopefully my flight won’t be delayed and I’ll be home in plenty of time for our dinner.” Even as she says the words I can see the doubt in her eyes. We both know that it’s very possible that her flight will be cancelled because of the weather.
“We can reschedule if you can’t.”
“No, I want to hear how everything is going with your new roommate. He’s moving in tomorrow, right?” She tries to look around my room and I can’t help but laugh at the idea that he would be in here with me.
“He’s actually here already.”
“And? Any more panic attacks?” she asks.
“I almost had one when he asked me why I left that night,” I admit.
“What did you say?”
“I told him I didn’t want to talk about it.” I sit back on my bed, letting the soft pillows prop me up so I’m not fully lying down.
“And?”
“He asked again, but I think he could tell it bothered me so he stopped.”
“And since then? Tell me you haven’t spent the day in your room hiding from him.” She knows me all too well. I tried doing that exact thing when I first moved in with her but she wouldn’t let me get away with it.
“No, we actually had dinner together and watched TV. Want to know the weird thing?”
“What?”
“Seeing him today it didn’t…” I can’t bring myself to say the words, but thankfully I don’t have to—Abs knows exactly what seeing him the other day did to me.
“It was probably because it was so unexpected the other night, whereas now you know he’s going to be in your apartment.”
“Maybe.”
“Do you think you’re going to be able to work with him?” she asks.
“I think so, as long as he doesn’t’ bring up that night…” That’s still my biggest concern. We don’t know each other very well, but I can’t see him just dropping it. Eventually he’s going to push me to know what really happened that night, to know why I left his room, and to know what happened after I left.
“You know. You don’t need to tell exactly what happened. You could just say you had a family emergency or something,” she takes a sip of wine from the glass I hadn’t seen until now.
“No. Then he’ll ask questions about what happened with the emergency.”
“It might make him feel better though.” She’s trying, I know she is, but no matter what it’s going to lead to more questions. I’m a horrible liar, always have been, and I fear he’ll see right through it.
“No.”
“Okay…” she looks away from the phone for a minute. “I have to go, we’re running to grab dinner before more snow comes in. As soon as I get back we’ll meet up for dinner and drinks.”
“Sounds good. Thanks for checking on me, Abby.”
“Always.”
Despite the nap earlier this morning, sleep finds me as soon as I crawl under the covers. Falling asleep is never a problem for me, it’s staying asleep that is. Tonight is no different, only a few hours later I wake up in a cold sweat remembering his hands tightening around my throat as my vision goes black and the pain becomes unbearable. It takes several long moments to calm my breathing and to remember that I’m safely locked in my bedroom.
With less than four hours of sleep, I strip out of my clothes and take a warm shower. By the time I’m finished, I’m wide awake. I know if I stay in here any longer I’m going to start thinking about that night and about my dad. But if I go to the living room and turn the TV on, I’m afraid it’ll wake Garrett. I don’t need him asking why I’m wide awake in the middle of the night. So, instead, I opt to head downstairs to the gym and run on the treadmill, something I’ve taken advantage of a few times since moving in here.
The gym is empty, for which I’m thankful. It’s easy to get lost in the methodical running, even with the music in the background. My mind keeps trying to go back to that night: to the phone call, to the bus station, to the hospital…I turn the music up louder and increase the speed of the treadmill which forces me to focus on what I’m doing, or else I’ll fall flat on my face. Another hour passes before my mind finally clears and I feel ready to start the day.
“Are you okay?” Garrett steps out of his bedroom as I open the apartment door.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I’m a light sleeper by habit. What time is it?”
“Almost five.”
“Where were you?”
“The gym downstairs.”
“This early?”
“Yup. Do you want something to eat? I’m going to change and make something.”
“I can make something myself, you don’t need to—”
“It’s no trouble,” I interrupt, thankful for the change in subject. “As long as I’m cooking for myself, I don’t mind cooking for you as well. It’s easier than us taking turns in the kitchen and making different meals. If you don’t like something I make just let me know, you won’t hurt my feelings.”
“After four years in the Marines, trust me, there is very little I won’t eat.”
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
When I’ve washed up and changed into clean clothes, I return to the kitchen and find Garrett struggling with the coffee pot.
“I got it.” I reach over and hit the button I know he’s searching for.
“Thanks.”
We move around each other with relative ease as I get everything out for breakfast. As I reach in the cabinet above the stove for a mixing bowl, I hear him groan. A quick glance over my shoulder reveals him staring at my ass. Immediately my thoughts rush back to the only part of that night I’ve ever allowed myself to think about: the way his arms felt around me as I fell asleep, warmly tucked into his naked body. I feel the redness rush to my face as I turn my attention back to getting the bowl down without it falling on my head. He comes up behind me, his body so close to mine I feel the heat coming off him. Barely stretching, he reaches above my head and quickly hands me the mixing bowl.
“Thanks,” I whisper as he continues to stand directly behind me, just close enough to not touch me.
I don’t know how long we stand like that, neither of us moving or saying a word, but eventually Garrett steps away and heads to his bedroom. He returns just as I’m taking the final blueberry pancakes off the pan.
“Are you ready to start working for Mr. Meyer tomorrow?” I try to break the silence over breakfast.
“I should be.” He shrugs. “I have his schedule linked to my phone and I’ve spoken with his office staff. I don’t quite know what I’ll be doing all day while he’s in meetings though.”
“I’m sure you’ll find something to do.”
“I’m hoping to work and find time to finish a few assignments I’ve been working on.”
“Assignments?”
“I’m enrolled in an online degree program and only have a few courses left to complete my degree in accounting.”
“I didn’t realize you were in school.” I’m surprised he didn’t mention it when we were talking last night. At the wedding he said he joined the Marines because he didn’t think college was going to be a good fit for him.
“I started two years ago,” he explains. “I’m taking a few of the harder courses now since it’s the end of the program…I’m sure you remember what it was like at the end.”
“Umm…yeah, I guess.”
How is it a simple question like that can bring me right back to that night? If I tell him I never graduated from college, his first question w
ill be why. There’s no way to explain why I dropped out without going into detail.
“What are your plans for today?” I change the subject hoping to not dwell on the past too long.
“Oh, I was thinking about setting up the new security system in the main living area. What about you?”
“I was supposed to meet my friend, Abs…Abby, you might remember her from the wedding?” He nods. “But her flight might be delayed because of snow in Aspen.” She texted me late last night letting me know it’ll be at least another day or two before she’s able to fly home.
“Do you want to help me with the cameras? I might need to adjust some of the current ones and it would be easier if someone was advising me from the laptop.”
“I don’t know much about the cameras, but I can try.”
“I just need you to tell me which direction to move the cameras so I can be sure they capture the entire area. I’m just focusing on the downstairs today since that’s the most important area, but eventually I’ll have to move to the ones upstairs.”
“Do you know if Mr. Meyer’s guest is still here?”
“I don’t know. That’s the main reason I need the cameras hooked up to the security system my company purchased. It would give me the ability to view the entire condo from here or through the app on my phone. I plan on setting up a small office area in my bedroom where I can check everything out.”
We walk into the kitchen of the main living area and I’m immediately relieved when I hear silence. Hopefully, that means Mr. Meyer and his guest aren’t home or at the very least that his guest has left. Garrett points out the two cameras in the room that until now I never noticed. There is one at each end of the room, allowing someone to view almost the entire room with them. He explains what he needs me to do and within a few minutes, the cameras are adjusted. We continue onto the living room, dining room and the office. Each time, Garrett explains why he’s changing the angle and what he hopes to gain from the new angle.
Garrett (Dark Water Security Book 2) Page 3