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Smoke
Iwent into the office Saturday morning after a relaxing breakfast with Lillian. I would have preferred to take her back to bed and stay there all weekend, but that wasn’t an option. That was the downfall of being a business owner. I always had to be available, which is what happened Saturday night. I had planned on being home in the afternoon and hoped that Lilly would want to have dinner with me. I’d take her someplace nice, bring her home and get her back in my bed. I knew that if I could keep her there, she would eventually get over this whole boss-and-employee thing.
Unfortunately, just before I went home, I got a call from a client that was in town and thinking of upgrading their system. It was a massive system in a three-story building, and I couldn’t pass up the chance for the work. Plans were made, and I considered bringing Lilly with me, but when I got home, I found her not there.
I almost texted her, but I didn’t want to bother her with whatever she was doing. I know she said she was going to look at other apartments and collect more clothes from her place. It would give me something to look forward to when I got home.
I liked the idea of coming home to her. Friday night had been nice to find her in my kitchen cooking dinner and then have her spend the rest of the night in my bed. I could definitely get used to that.
I’d like to say that it was weird to consider living with her, but it wasn’t. Kari had moved in with me only a few weeks after we started dating. Perhaps that should have been a lesson for me as things had ended badly with her.
But Lillian wasn’t Kari, I reminded myself. She wasn’t Kari by a long shot.
I went out to dinner without reaching out to Lilly, and I arrived home much later than I had anticipated. Greg wasn’t just a client; he was a friend, and we enjoyed our time together long after dinner was over.
On the way home, I couldn’t wait to see Lilly. Would she be up waiting for me? Would she be asleep in my bed? Would she mind if I joined her if she was sleeping in hers?
I pulled into my spot, smiling when I saw my other car there. I liked that she was driving my car. I knew she had a nice car, nicer than I thought she would have, but I preferred that she drove mine.
I let myself into the condo to find only the light in the kitchen, and my eyes immediately dropped to the counter. I frowned as I saw the keys there and retrieved the note.
Zack – thank you for your hospitality. It meant more than you know. I decided to go back to my place. I am sure the break-in was just a fluke, and I should be safe there. I cleaned it up more this afternoon and returned to get my things. Sorry, I missed you. I hope you had a good dinner. I will see you at work on Monday. Thank you again for everything. ~ Lilly
I crumpled the note and went straight to the guest room. It was empty, and the bed had been stripped. The comforter and blanket were neatly folded at the foot of the bed.
Unable to believe she had left, I went to my room and flipped on the light. My bed was empty too. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and started to type her a message but glanced at the time and saw it was after eleven. She was probably asleep.
Disappointed, I returned to the living room, poured myself a glass of whiskey, then took it out to the balcony and leaned on the railing. Why had Lilly left? She could have stayed. She might think the break-in was just a fluke, but my gut told me it was more than that. Why was she singled out of all the apartments in that building if it were just a fluke? She was on the third floor. You would think if someone were going to break in and steal something, they would go to another unit where it was easier to escape.
I think the part that bothered me more was that nothing was stolen. At least nothing that Lilly mentioned. Someone had gone there to destroy her property, which was a personal vendetta, not a random break-in.
I threw back my glass of whiskey and returned inside to grab my keys. Without another thought, I exited my condo and returned to my vehicle. Perhaps I shouldn’t be driving after the whiskey, but I was determined to get to her and make her see reason. I didn’t know what the reason was, but I was going to come up with one on the way.
There was no traffic on the way to her place, but I had difficulty finding a spot to park at this hour. I finally did, and looked toward her building. The neighborhood was peaceful, and I walked quickly toward her building and then took the stairs two at a time up to the third floor.
I stood outside her door, my hand raised to knock, and paused. Would she be upset that I came over? Would she yell at me and send me away? Probably, but I didn’t care. I needed to make sure she was alright.
I knocked loudly on the door and then waited. A few seconds later, I knocked again. The neighbor’s door opened, and she poked her head out. “Little later for a visit, isn’t it?”
I wanted to tell the woman to mind her own business, but the door in front of me opened, and I smiled at the woman and pushed the door open as Lilly’s sleepy face came into view.
“What are you doing?” She barked, coming more awake.
“You shouldn’t answer the door without asking who it is,” I replied as I closed the door behind me.
“Why are you here, Zack?”
“Because I came to bring you back.”
She laughed and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not coming back. Did you not see my note? My place is safe, and I’m going to stay here.” She turned and walked away from me.
I followed her into her living room, where she was looking around. She spun around and went past me toward the door but veered off into the kitchen and flipped on the light, blinking as her eyes grew accustomed to it.
“It’s not safe here, Lilly.”
“I beg to differ.” She replied and covered a yawn with her hand. “You know that I was sound asleep, right?”
“I’m sorry for waking you, and you might beg to differ, but I disagree with that. Someone broke in here for personal reasons, Lilly. They didn’t steal anything. They didn’t just ransack the place. They destroyed it and all of your belongings. You don’t even have any dishes. How can you stay here?”
