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Her eyes are filled with worry for Ava and she’s talking a mile a minute trying to catch me up to speed with what she walked in on tonight: Ava hugged herself tightly, tears stained her cheeks, and she was shaking uncontrollably.
Millie walks me through the apartment at a hurried pace, basically running down the hall on the right before opening the last door and angling just enough for me to push past her.
There, on her bed, her knees drawn tightly to her chest, is Ava. Her gaze is cast down, staring holes through her wrists, and she flinches when my foot hits a loose piece of wood. I lift my hands up. “It’s only me.”
Her stiff posture softens, but barely, and when I inch myself toward her she shakes her head uncontrollably. “My bags are on the top shelf in my closet, pack everything you can fit.”
I glance at the door she’s angling her head toward, then look back at her with a worried frown. Instead of listening to her, since I don’t know what she’s getting at anyway, I sit at the edge of the bed in front of her.
It’s instant. The moment my ass hits the mattress she flings herself on top of me and buries her face into my neck, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
I’m rubbing small circles along her back, not bothering to open my mouth just yet, letting her get everything out. Something has clearly shaken her up, and I intend to find out just what that is. Her arms tighten around me, clinging to me for dear life as if I’m her raft and she’s lost at sea.
“Ava, I need you to talk to me,” I say quietly, not wanting to upset her further. She pushes away from me slightly, but her hold is still as strong as it was moments ago. Her eyes are shining bright with tears and I use the moment to wipe tears from her cheeks. “What’s going on, baby?”
I add “baby” in there because I know Millie is standing in the doorway, not wanting to miss any of this. That’s what I tell myself anyway. I didn’t call her baby because I love the way it sounds on my lips. Even if I know that’s a lie, it’s something I’ll continue to tell myself until our deal is done.
“H-he just. Just c-came inside. H-hurt me.”
She’s stuttering so much I can barely understand what she’s saying. I press a finger to her lips, silencing her for a moment until she gets her breathing under control.
After a few deep breaths, she starts over. “Alex… he showed up here. Hurt me. He looked so different. Scary.”
I see red. My face is red. Everything is so goddamn red that I grip Ava a little too tightly and she jumps off me, her eyes wide in fear.
I curse at myself and reach for her, a more gentle touch this time, and ease her back onto my lap. She mentioned bags, but I’ll worry about those tomorrow morning. Right now, she needs rest and I intend on being here with her while she does that.
Millie clears her throat from the doorway, eyes focused on an exhausted Ava with glistening eyes. “Babe, are you okay?”
Ava only nods, which satisfies Millie enough that she tells us goodnight and retreats to her own room.
Ava snuggles closer to me as I lift her blankets and wrap them around the two of us. I’m still in my work clothes, but I’ll be damned if I make Ava move for me to take them off. One night of being uncomfortable is worth more than letting Ava go right now.
A small snore escapes her mouth and I inch my face to her forehead, giving it a soft kiss, before whispering, “I’ll always protect you.”
Sleep doesn’t come easy for me, mainly because of how angry I am at Alex for doing anything to hurt Ava. He better hope he doesn’t come near me, or he will regret it. I knew that he was unhinged, but so much so that he’s starting to become violent with everyone? I need to have a talk with my dad about firing him.
Ava’s face scrunches in her sleep, a frown pulling at her mouth, before she sighs and hugs my waist with a content smile. I finally fall asleep to thoughts of waking up to Ava for the rest of my life.
That’s all they will ever be though. Thoughts.
* * *
Rummaging from afar causes me to lift onto my elbows.
Who the hell is in my house? I glance around the room, noticing the yellow walls that are definitely not in my room, and the events of last night rush through my head. Ava.
I quickly rise from the bed, noting that I’m no longer in my suit but in my boxers. When did I get undressed?
As if I asked it aloud, Ava smiles sweetly at me. “I woke up, figured you would be uncomfortable, so I got your suit off for you. Hope that’s okay.” She’s carrying a suitcase in one hand and a small bag of toiletries in the other.
I cock my head to the side, studying them, and she lets out a nervous laugh. “I’m taking you up on your offer.”
My offer? She senses my confusion and gnaws on her bottom lip. “About moving in with you?”
Oh.Oh.That’s what she wanted me to pack bags last night for, so she could come to my place. Okay. I wasn’t prepared for this and I’m suddenly nervous about her seeing my home. My need for her to be comfortable is a lot to take in, so much so that my hands are starting to sweat.
I jump from the bed and walk over to the computer chair where my suit is neatly folded into a pile, then start putting everything back on. My phone rests on her desk, lit up with more than enough messages from my father.
