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While I shouldn't have risked one more glance back, I did it anyway when I reached the corner.
Drew was gone.
Loss echoed through me. Loss and—surprise. She really had let me go. Saved my life and let me live. If I walked away now and never called her, I bet I'd never see her again. After the day I'd had, that might be the best option.
Right.
Best. Option.
You're calling her, Fletch.Don't bullshit a bullshitter.
Fuck if I wasn't whistling as I set back off for my place.
9
Merrick
I’d cleaned the entire place, wiping every surface down with pledge or whatever appropriate cleaning product I found under the sink. Which was a lot. The house was barely dirty, but it was more to keep my mind busy and not feeling quite so left out while Vienna was gone.
Every counter gleamed and the tops of the furniture sparkled. I’d even cleaned the windows until someone couldn’t even tell they were windows unless the light hit the glass just right. Not a fingerprint or smudge in sight.
One thing I didn’t want, was Vienna to ever regret letting me stay with her. And if that meant doing my part to make her life easier, I’d happily do that. Although, I couldn’t wait for the day that she let me into more of her life. My anxiety when she was gone would go down tremendously.
What if someone tried to attack her like in the alley? What if someone tried to crash into her car or tried to take advantage of her kindness?
I’d just started to really brood when my phone rang.
Vienna.
Happiness blossomed in my chest. Had she programmed her number in my phone when I wasn’t looking? Regardless, it was a fantastic surprise and I couldn’t wait to hear her voice.
“Vienna…” I grinned at my reflection in the front window. Warm beams of sunshine stretched through the trees, highlighting various sections of my face and torso.
“You are definitely a ray of sunshine, aren’t you Merrick?” I could just imagine her barely there smile as she greeted me.
“I try. When are you coming home? I didn’t want to start cooking dinner until I knew you were going to be home. I didn’t want it to get cold,” I said as I moved away from the window. Dropping down onto the couch, I focused all my attention on Vienna.
“I’m actually almost home. I had some unexpected business come up today and had to visit a few extra places, but I wanted to grab something for dinner. What do you like?”
“Oh.” That was extremely nice of her. “I’m easy. I could eat anything really. Chinese, pizza, burgers. There’s not really anything I don’t like.”
“Perfect. So, no allergies? I should have asked that earlier.”
I grinned. She was taking an interest in me and my wellbeing. That sent a thrill of satisfaction up my spine, before settling in my stiffening cock. I’d never met anyone more enticing than Vienna, and to know that she might be returning my feelings was intoxicating.
“Nope. None.”
“There’s a really good greasy spoon I’ll pass on my way home. It’s out of the way and the best takeout Chinese I’ve ever had. What do you want?”
“Hunan chicken, orange chicken, Mongolian beef, and general Tso’s chicken are my favorites. Anything else is just icing.” My stomach rumbled uncomfortably. I probably should have eaten something in the hours she’d been gone, but I had distracted myself too well.
“Got it. I’ll see you soon,” she said, then a click disconnected the call.
I sighed. Hopefully soon didn’t mean another a few hours.
And it wasn’t. Vienna pulled into the garage before an entire hour was up. Running to open the door for her, I was surprised to see an assortment of bags in her hands. The aroma of tasty food preceded her and my stomach growled even louder.
She quirked a brow as I took the bags from her hands, the twine handles cutting into my fingers from the weight.
