by Rebel Adams
Where is she? I have no idea where she could have gone.
I’m anxious to know that she’s okay. Someone could have easily picked her up and offered her a ride. But after years as sheriff, I know how goddamn dangerous that can be. Anything could have happened to her. There’s also the possibility of her going by foot to the closest phone. Either way, I have to know what to do next and which direction to start searching. We’re in the suburbs of Philadelphia, anything could be possible.
Anger begins to boil through my body. Frustration doesn’t even begin to described how thoroughly pissed off with myself I am. I rake my fingers through my hair and punch the side of her car. Had I not been the asshole I was to her last night, none of this would be happening.
Running back to my jeep, I hop in and start back down the highway. I will find her, no matter what I have to do.
Saige
My feet smack against the hard ground and a sharp pain begins to run down my back and into my legs. Of course, it’s the beginning of summer and I chose to wear flip-flops before running out of my apartment. Who wouldn’t? I shake my head at myself. I really am a hot mess of sorts.
It feels as though I’ve been walking for days, even though I know it’s only been an hour or so. My feet are killing me and the plastic bags in my hands are starting to dig into my fingers. I’d run to get to my designation faster if I could, but I can’t. I have too much shit to carry.
Hundreds of cars and trucks have flown by me as I walk along the side of the highway and not one has yet to stop and ask if I need help. Hell, I know if it were me, I’d breeze by too without a second thought. There are a lot of crazy people out there, and one can never be too sure what they’ll come across.
I look ahead and can see a green exit sign approaching in the distance. My only thought is that there will be a motel that I can call home for a few days. A hot shower and a warm bed are calling to me. I can’t wait to strip out of these clothes, clean myself of this grime and fall onto a mattress to sleep for hours.
A smile comes across my face at the mere thought of a bed and sleep…how sad is that?
The wind is picking up and the cool air feels good against my body. I’ve never been so tired and sore before in my life. My hands hurt; my legs ache and my back feels like a million pounds are pushing down on my spine. My stomach starts to growl and I realize that I haven’t eaten since yesterday morning. I have no nutrients to fuel my body, and if I don’t find a place to crash soon, I may be close to collapsing here on the shoulder of the road.
I don’t know what the next few days of my life will consist of, but I do know that I need some sort of a plan. I have no intentions of going back to mine and Ted’s apartment. There’s nothing there that means enough for me to go back.
Seeing him again would only bring back the hurt he’s caused me. If only there was a warning sign, maybe I could have taken the blow a little better.
I have a lot of shit to get sorted and I know that I’ll pull through; it may just take me some time to do it on my own. Once I get on my feet, I’ll purchase everything I need to survive. But first and foremost, I’ll need to get another cell phone. I don’t have that many close friends and family who will really worry about where I am, but I still need to get one and call my parents.
I don’t usually call them on a daily basis, but if I stay away out of contact for too long, I know they’ll start to wonder what’s going on. Shit, I don’t even know what the hell is going on. How can I begin to explain it to my parents?
How has this become my life?
I really wish I knew what I did so wrong. Ted has screwed me over by fucking my best friend, and Sherriff Jones cared so little about me that he left me stranded. Man, I really know how to pick ‘em.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I need to stop thinking about my situation over and over again. Nothing is going to change. It’s no use dwelling on the past. It is what it is, and I know nothing I do or say will change the past twenty-four hours. I’m just frustrated and wish I could understand where I went wrong.
If someone would have told me yesterday morning that this would be my life, I’d have laughed in their face. Things for Ted and I weren’t perfect, but I sure as hell didn’t see him cheating with my best friend as a possibility of what would break us. Then out of nowhere, the stranger of my dreams appears and is a complete asshole. He didn’t even care what had happened to cause me such distress last night. At first, he seemed willing to help me and then in the snap of a finger, his whole persona changed.
I mean come on, could things get any worse?
A navy blue jeep flies up next to me and slams on its brakes as it pulls off onto the shoulder of the road.
Oh, shit, I’ve spoken too soon.
My heart begins to race and my chest tightens as I watch the red lights blink on and off ahead of me. A lump starts to form in my throat and fear courses through my body. I plant my feet firmly onto the gravel of the road and freeze in place. I can’t move and I have idea what to do next.
My eyes watch as the driver’s side door swings open a few thousand feet ahead of me. A person steps out and turns to face me. I can’t make anything out except a tall frame; it’s too far away. For a quick second, I turn to look behind me to see if there could be a reason this man has stopped, but there’s nothing there besides a slew of cars coming in our direction.
Facing forward, I see he’s moving faster toward me. My heart rate speeds up and I drop my bags along the side of my feet. My chest begins to rise and fall as my breathing picks up an unhealthy speed.
Please don’t hurt me. Don’t let me die.
These are the last thoughts I can remember going through my mind before my body falls to the ground and I pass out.
Tyler
Determination floods through my thoughts. I have to find her. This stretch of the highway has only a few exit ramps and my only hope is that I’ll find her walking along the shoulder. That is, unless someone else had already picked her up.
As I drive down the long stretch of highway, I see a figure in the distance.
Hope, because that’s all I have at the moment, fills my soul. I hope desperately that it’s her. Once I get closer, I know it’s my beautiful stranger. Her long blonde hair is pulled up on top of her head and she is still wearing the clothes from last night. It rips my heart to shreds seeing her like this. Her petite frame is slouched forward and both of her hands are filled with bags.
Quickly slamming on my brakes, I pull off to the side of the road. Putting the gear into park, I throw on my four-way lights and exit the jeep. Anticipation streams through me as I turn to face her. Not knowing if she is going to run in the opposite direction, I pick up my pace moving toward her.
I watch as her feet stop moving and the bags that fill her hands fall to the ground. She stands still, her body completely frozen. What happens next, I don’t expect at all. I can’t get to her fast enough. In complete shock, I watch as her body falls to the ground.
Running in her direction, I stop before her crumpled body on the shoulder of the road. Kneeling down to the ground beside her, I embrace her into my arms. Her body is limp against mine and her breathing is growing shallower by the second.
I’m not quite sure why, but she has passed out cold. I wonder if I scared her, and that’s the reason why she’s laying defenseless before me. Was she that upset when she saw me that her body freaked out?
I need to try and wake her up. I shake her body as gently as I can without hurting her, but she’s not coming back to me. She looks like she’s been through a war and her small body is shaking. I need to get her somewhere safe, warm and a place to rest…fast.
Looking down, I see her lips are a shade of blue. Her skin is ice cold to the touch. I quickly remove my sweatshirt and cover her trembling body. Reaching my arms under her legs and back, I pick her up and carry her to the jeep. Once she looks comfortable in the back seat, I jump in and throw the gear shift into reverse. I quickly get out and race to her d
ropped bags, gathering her belongings.
My heart is racing and fear is running through my veins. Getting back into my jeep, I turn to look at her in the back seat. She seems to be only sleeping, but there is still so much I don’t know about what is going on with her.
I can guarantee she didn’t eat anything since I left her last night? When was the last time she had any water to drink? I’m a complete wreck not knowing what state she’s in and how I can help bring her back to me. I’m no medic, but I’ve seen enough catastrophes in my line of work to know she’s not well.
I know enough, through my years as a sheriff, that she needs a place to rest. If I take her home, I can watch over her, take care of her and tell her how important she really is to me.
Heading back to my house, I speed down the highway till I can get her somewhere I can take care of her. Until she regains consciousness, I’ll do whatever I need to make sure she’s well taken care of. There’s no way in hell that I’m going to let her get hurt again. I won’t leave her side.
Once I pull into my driveway, my breathing is more labored than before. My chest feels tight and my level of anxiety is through the roof. I turn to check on her before pulling into the garage. She’s still lying in the same position I placed her. I can see her body moving up and down from her shallow breaths. My chest aches at the beautiful woman in front of me. I shouldn’t have let this happen to her.
Parking in the garage, I turn off the engine and hop out. I open the rear passenger’s door and tuck my arms under her. Lifting her against my body, she willingly curls into my chest, but doesn’t open her eyes. A sigh of relief escapes me as she finds comfort in my arms. I carry her into the house and up to my room.
My first thought is to get her cleaned up and comfortable, but I don’t want to over step my boundaries. I can guarantee she’s going to go bat-shit crazy when she realizes she’s with me…at my house.
For the time being, I lay her down on the mattress and cover her with a blanket. She looks so peaceful lying on my king-size bed. I stand and watch her for a few moments. My chest aches from the pain I’ve caused her. If it weren’t for me, she’d be okay and moving on with her own life.
I try to snap out of my guilt and look her over one last time. Once I can see that she’s going to be okay for now, I head back down to the jeep to get her things. I don’t want to invade her privacy, but I do know that she needs a hot shower and a change of clothes. Living in a bachelor’s house, I don’t have any girly products and my clothes sure as hell won’t fit her.
Grabbing her things and taking them up the stairs, I peek back into my room to make sure she’s okay. I may be a bit overly obsessive right now, but since I’m the one who caused her this grief, it’s my responsibility to make certain she’s going to be all right.
There’s something about this woman.
Even the night we spent together as strangers, she pulled me into a world that I’ve never experienced before. She may be a stranger, but she makes me feel like a different man, a man who wants to be better…for her.
Climbing into my bed next to her, I pull the blanket that’s covering her over my legs as well. I rest my eyes, in hope of when I wake; she’ll be ready to come back to me.
Saige
My body starts to stir, and suddenly, I feel very hot. I try to move, but my legs are pinned down by something heavy.
My hands reach out and I can feel a blanket and a strong arm covering my waist.
Opening my eyes, I lift my head and try to take in my surroundings. The room is big and the sun is shining in through the blinds. It appears that I’m lying on a large bed, but I have no clue whose or where. My body is sore and there’s a pain running down my neck into my shoulders. The last thing I recall was wishing I wouldn’t die, and then I feel to the ground with a thud.
What the hell is going on?
I turn my head to see a man resting next to me with his arms and legs wrapped around my body. The only problem is that this isn’t just any man lying next to me.
His short blond hair is a mess on top of his head and his long lashes are fluttering as he sleeps. I know that when they open, bright blue eyes will be staring back at me. No matter how gorgeous he may be, he’s still the man who deserted me twice.
My instant reaction is to pounce off the bed, but then my memory comes back to me.
Before my body collapsed, it was him who was walking toward me, my perfect stranger. He left me, abandoned me, yet came back for me. I don’t know if I should be angry as hell or grateful that he found me when he did.
I try to pry my head up off the pillow, but it feels heavy and sore. Reaching my hand to my forehead, I can feel sweat sitting along my skin because I’m so warm.
Needing to get up and figure out what the hell is going on; I attempt to pry his arms off me. As soon as I think I’m able to break free from his bear hug, he begins to stir. I watch as he rubs his sleepy blue eyes and starts to sit up on the bed.
“Hey,” he says, looking down at me.
“Hey,” I reply. My throat is dry and sore; it hurts to talk.
“I was worried that you’d get up and run out of here when you woke up.”
“Is that why…” I can’t even complete my sentence. My hand reaches for my throat as the pain worsens.
He jumps off the bed and comes over to my side; his face is full of concern. “Do you need something to drink? When was the last time you ate? Did you drink any water since I saw you last night?” He fires a ton of questions at me and I can’t help but smile at the look of worry plastered across his face.
“Water,” I virtually screech.
He runs out of the room and down the hallway to what I can only imagine is a set of stairs. The pain in my throat throbs as a laugh escapes me. I really should hate him right about now, but there’s something that has me so drawn to him. Even after all this time, the effect he has on my mind, body and soul is crazy.
Within seconds, he’s running back up the stairs, down the hallway and back to my side. “Here,” he says, twisting the top and handing me a bottle of water. “But take smalls sips, especially if your throat is sore.”
I nod my head and purse my lips to the bottle. The cool water trails down my throat, and for a brief second, it feels so good.
“Are you hungry?” he asks, sitting down on the bed.
Actually, I’m famished, but I don’t know what I can eat if my throat is this sore. I nod my head towards him again and he gets back up from the bed.
“Give me a few minutes and I’ll be right back, okay?” He looks at me with the most sincere face.
I don’t know why or how this perfect stranger has been brought back into my world, but for the time being, I’m going to soak it up and let him take care of me…even if it does seem a bit weird.
No one has ever taken the time to watch over me, take care of me and make me feel the way he has. His touch heals me in a way I never knew was possible. In the short time we’ve spent together, my mind, heart and soul are falling for him.
Taking a few more sips of water, I feel the urge to find the bathroom. I set the bottle down on the nightstand and slide the blanket off my body. Tossing my legs off to the side of the bed, I move to stand. I instantly feel light headed and sit back down.
The sound of his footsteps draws my attention to the hallway. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing? You really should lie back down.”
I roll my eyes at him and look to see what he has in his hands.
“I heated you some hot chicken broth; it should help your throat a little bit. I’m not much of a caregiver, but I’m willing to do whatever I can to make sure you’re feeling better.”
I look up into his eyes and smile. “Thank you,” I croak.
He sits down next to me and hands me a mug of steaming broth. The smell of it alone has my mouth watering. I haven’t eaten in a long time and I know this is only going to ease the hunger for a short while. I bring the mug to my mouth and take a sip. “Mmm,” I purr.
“Good?” he asks in a sincere tone.
I nod my head taking in another sip. My throat is already starting to feel a bit better and I’m dying to talk to him and find out….well, geez at least his name. Turning to face him, I watch his face intently. He returns my gaze, and for a few seconds, we just stare at one another.
I don’t feel self-conscious for even a minute, even though I know that I must look like complete hell. I feel at home with him, completely comfortable. Does he feel the same or is he just being nice because he feels guilty for what he’s done?
Tyler
I sit back on the bed and relax while she finishes the mug of chicken broth. At first, I thought it would be quite unnerving to sit here in complete silence, but with her, it’s not awkward at all.
Thinking back through the past three years, I know that I may not have been the perfect man or husband, for that matter. But there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think of the night I shared with her. The few hours we spent together seem like so long ago, but having her here with me now, makes it as though it was just yesterday. I feel a pull to her, not just a sexual tension, but a real connection. Just having here with me right now feels right; it feels good.
A lot has happened to me during the years we were apart, but maybe there’s a reason for that. I used to believe that everything happens for a reason, and I guess it really does. My marriage with Tessa was good at the beginning; we seemed to be happy, but I get now that I was blind to something that only she could see.
Now, with my beautiful stranger, I don’t want to make that mistake again. I want to know her, to understand what she’s thinking and never waste a moment that we are together. I may be getting a bit ahead of myself here, but I never want to go through the pain I did after Tessa left me.
In more ways than one, it sucks that I don’t know more about this woman sitting here with me right now. In time, I’m sure I will get to know her, but I’m kind of worried that there’s a story she’ll tell me that will hurt me more, because it’s hurting her now. I want to assume that she’s not with anyone; I mean, who wouldn’t be out looking for their girlfriend or wife? Wouldn’t she have called him to come get her if there really was someone else?