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I glance at the darkening sky outside the window and guess it must be five or six. All I’ve done is watch movies, nap, and eat whatever I wanted. That’s all. With the Motrin that Aden included in the bag of groceries, the painkillers helped so much I could even forget about my bruised ribs. It felt like I was in a dream life.
Or I guess it would’ve been if I hadn’t jumped at any sudden sound outside the door, or jolted awake from a nightmare that Nathan was standing over me as I slept.
I rise from the couch, turning off the TV before I head for the front door. A glance at the stainless steel refrigerator that I pass reveals a girl practically swimming in a pair of gray sweats, her long dark hair wavy from the shower, but clean and brushed.
Not great, but not terrible either.
I unlock the door and pull it open, backing up as Aden steps in, looking perfect with every hair in place, dressed in another tailored shirt, pants, and leather shoes.
He’s even wearing the expensive cologne from before, so he must have clothes in the bar because he took nothing with him when he left the other night.
His gaze searches my face. “I thought I’d stop by and see how your first night was.”
I smile. “Good, thanks.”
He nods, but I can tell he doesn’t believe me.
It’s been a little while since I last cried, but since then, I’ve showered, scrubbed my face with soap, being careful of the cut on my forehead that needed eight stitches.
I peeled the bandage off and stared at the cut for a long time. Not because it was ugly, but because I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it.
Will the stitches need to be cut out like when I didn’t dodge one of Dad’s bottles in time, or are they the ones that fall out like the ones I got on my wrist?
The stitches falling out suited Rylan perfectly. While he put up with the questions the hospital asked him and me about the cut that didn’t look like it was an accident, if they’d kept asking more questions, I doubt they’d have survived it.
Like Simon.
“Lily?”
I blink and I’m back with Aden, who’s studying me with his brow creased in concern. For a second, I think he’s talking to some other girl, then I remember the cat food. “Yeah?”
“It’s okay if you’re not.”
“I am,” I tell him. “Actually, I was thinking about what you’ve done for me, and I appreciate it, but I’d like to pay my way. I mean, if you don’t have a problem with me staying for a few more days?”
His expression turns blank. “I said you can stay for as long as you want, and I meant it. But how do you intend to pay your way?”
I really should have thought about this longer, I think as I scrabble around for a way I can prove I’m okay. That I’m not weak. “I can work in the bar.”
The bar, Saige? You mean a nice public place where Nathan can find you even easier than a fourth-floor apartment with a coded front door?
I open my mouth to take it back, but stop. Even if there was money lying around Aden’s apartment, I don’t think I could take it and run. Not now. Not after everything he’s done for me. But I can work.
And Nathan hasn’t found me yet. Maybe he tracked me down to the stinky dumpster and lost my scent there. It smelled foul enough.
Aden doesn’t speak for so long that I know it isn’t something he wants, because if it was, surely, he’d agree, right?
“It won’t be for long. Just a few days—a week max—that way, I’m not staying here without giving anything back. And I could earn some cash for a bus ticket.”
“Bus ticket?” Now his voice is completely devoid of emotion.
I nod. “I’d like to leave the city. Maybe start again somewhere else.”
He doesn’t speak, just observes me with that unreadable look in his eyes.
Is he working out how to let me down gently?
His cell phone rings, startling me, but all he does is tug it from his back pocket, glance at the screen, and end the call before sticking it right back in again. “I’ve said you could stay for as long as you want. There were no conditions attached to that offer.”
