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Panic began to swell in my chest again, like something that had simply been playing dead all night, and I could see that the only way I was going to calm it was by going to the apartment myself to make sure she was okay, dragging her out by her “assignment-ready” hair if need be. Too bad if I embarrassed her by showing up.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed.
“Everything okay?” C.J. asked, stirring with one eye open.
I twisted around so I was facing him. “Yeah, but I should get going now.”
“You’re welcome to stay for breakfast,” he said softly.
“I’d really like that, but unfortunately, there’s something I need to take care of first thing this morning.” As I spoke, I tried to smile like I meant it—because Idid. I was hoping that he’d suggest meeting up at least once more while he was still in Boston. I had no expectation of a potential relationship, or even a short-term fling, but I craved at least one more night together—because one didn’t seem like enough.
Sliding out of bed, I located my jeans and sweater on the floor and slipped them on, then padded into the bathroom to wash up. In the mirror I saw that my hair was a mess, looking like an electric current had passed through my body, and I felt like it really had last night. As I splashed water on my face, a phone rang faintly from the bedroom. I startled, thinking it might be mine and wondering who would be calling at this hour. Could it be Chloe, finally making contact and in some kind of trouble? But as I reached for the door handle, the second ring was cut short. It must have been C.J.’s phone. He didn’t talk for long, and he kept his voice low, though not so low that I missed the tension and exasperation in his tone. Was he actually married or involved with someone and the person was now calling, demanding why he hadn’t been in touch? Could this be the moment when reality came crashing down on us?
I waited until I was sure he was off the phone before emerginginto the bedroom. He was out of bed now himself, dressed in jeans and a moss-colored Henley.
“Do you have work due for your classes?” he asked. It sounded a bit perfunctory, as if he had other things on his mind now.
I sighed. “No, just some family drama I have to deal with.”
“Nothing serious, I hope.”
“I don’t think so, but I can’t stop worrying. On Friday night, I took my younger sister to a party with me—she goes to school here, too—and I haven’t been able to reach her since then.”
“So the last time you saw her was—?”
“At the party, at around ten or so. She was prancing around this huge suburban house with a guy’s sweater around her waist—she’s a pretty big flirt—and when I went looking for her later so we could leave, someone told me that she’d gotten a ride to someone’s apartment back in the city. Supposedly her phone is broken, and that’s why I haven’t heard from her, but I woke up feeling a little—I don’t know—unsettled, I guess.”
It was probably much more than he wanted to know, a violation of the unspoken ground rules for a one-night stand, and I felt my cheeks redden. I turned quickly away and scanned the room until I located my mules and slid my feet into them.
“Has she done this kind of thing before?” C.J. asked from behind me.
“You mean is it just Chloe being Chloe? Maybe—I mean, she can be thoughtless at times.”
My purse was all I needed now, and I spotted it on the floor, too, by the side of the armchair.
When I turned back to look at him, C.J.’s sleepy, handsome face was pinched. I appreciated his concern, but things felt suddenly awkward. The rumpled bed behind him and the bedside tables littered with dirty plates and glasses made it seem as if all the magic had now been sucked out of the room.
“I’m sure she’ll turn up,” he said. “Sounds like she might just be besotted with someone.”
“I think you’re right,” I said. “Well, goodbye. Thanks for a lovely night.”
“Take care, Skyler... And yes, it was very special.”
He stepped forward, cupped one of my elbows lightly with his hand, and kissed me on the forehead before walking me to the door. His face was a total blank. It was now clear he had no interest in seeing me again.
When I reached my room, the corridor was still deserted, though as I unlocked the door, I heard the low drone of a TV from the room across from mine. Once inside I took a moment to brush my teeth and grab my duffel bag, then headed out. Thankfully, there was a coffee station in the lobby, and I filled a disposable cup before speed walking to the T stop, chugging coffee every time I paused at a crosswalk. I’d decided to take the train back to my neighborhood to retrieve my car. Traffic would be light on a Sunday morning, and if Chloe was ready to split, she’d probably want a ride home anyway.
The drive to Allston was quick, and once I reached Carlton Street, I slowed to a crawl, checking the numbers on the front of each building. The triple-decker at 747 turned out to be the only one on the block that had shingles—salmon-colored ones—instead of wood siding, which meant it had to be the place I was looking for, and miraculously I found a parking spot a few doors down. I slid out of the car and hurried back to the house, which, like every other triple-decker in Boston, resembled a layer cake.
After mounting the steps to the porch, I peered through the glass in the door. It offered a view to a small hall, with a door to the ground-floor apartment and stairs to the top two, so next I leaned over the porch railing and peered inside one of the bay windows as subtly as I could. All the lights were off, and there was no sign of movement.
Though it was ridiculously early, I was going to have to ring the buzzer. I found the one to the first floor and pressed, and even from outside I could hear a shrill ring pierce the quiet of the apartment. She’s going to kill me, I thought, if I’ve interrupted some hot morning sex, but so what. All that mattered to me was seeing her face.
I didn’t hear any noise from inside, so I leaned over again, squinting. Still no sign of life. I was just about to press the buzzer again when a back corner of the space flooded with light, as if a lamp had been switched on in an adjoining room. Okay, somebody was definitely home.
A few seconds later a girl with a bright blond ponytail emerged from a doorway at the rear of the living room, wearing what had to be a guy’s T-shirt.Chloe.She moved toward the front of the house, eventually ducking into the hallway. When I leaned back and looked through the window in the door, I saw her advancing in my direction with a look of irritation on her face.
“What is it?” she called out, seeing me through the window in the door.
