My outburst was cut off by my intercom loudly buzzing.
Oops, maybe I’m being too loud and someone complained.
I got up and hit the button to answer. “Hello?”
The static crinkled before a guy said, “I’ve got a delivery for Greer Moore.”
Since I hadn’t ordered anything, my heart rate kicked up to a thousand as my eyes darted to the stalker flick on my computer. And then I rolled said eyes since it was unlikely a stalker would announce themselves from the very public lobby.
“I’ll be right down.” Grabbing my keys and phone, I slipped on my comfy shoes and took the elevator to the lobby. A guy waited by the door with a big paper bag in one hand and a plastic smoothie cup in the other.
Maddie.
I’m going to have to reiterate that we’re good and there’s no reason for her to worry.
Or bribe me with food.
Though maybe I’ll hold off on sharing that last part until I see what she sent.
Once I got the goods from the man and returned upstairs, I opened the bag to see cheese.
A lot of cheese.
Too much cheese for one person—a viewpoint I never thought I would have, especially while under so much stress.
Along with the cheese itself, there was bread, olives, nuts, spreads, and fruit.
Also too much fruit for one person.
I was about to text Maddie to see if it was a not-so-subtle insinuation that she wanted to join me when my eyes caught on the delivery instructions stapled to the bag. In the print, there was a message from the sender.
Study fuel.
-Tripp
If the movie didn’t already have him at the forefront of my thoughts, being a cheese provider would seal the deal.
I switched to my messages with him and stared at the screen. The people-pleasing part of me that tried to never be a bother or an inconvenience demanded I tell him the gesture wasunnecessary. But nothing about the way Tripp treated me had ever made me feel like I needed to shrink myself to fade into the background. He was one of the few people who made me feel seen.
Especially right then since I’d only mentioned once that I craved cheese when I was stressed.
So rather than put up a fight that I didn’t feel like backing up, I kept it simple.
Me: Thank you.
After fixing a small plate, I stashed the rest in the fridge for when I was hungrier and returned to my movie. And then I promptly forgot about the food, my smoothie, and everything outside of Tripp.
A Tripp who’d rocketed the psycho up to an eleven.
It said something about his natural charm that even as he torched his fictional ex’s cottage—with her current boyfriend in it—I was still rooting for him.
Or maybe it was the fact that said boyfriend was played by Chase Majors, so the fire seemed like a completely justified option.
Either way, it left me feeling very conflicted about my response. It didn’t help that my brain kept inserting the real-life Tripp from Gilded into the role he was playing.
Now I know why Maddie suggested I have my vibrator charged.
As the credits rolled, I sat back and let out a shaky exhale.
