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Walking through the hallways of Annie’s apartment building, I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose. The place smelled like piss and old garbage, and I wondered how the hell she lived here.
She and Julia lived on the sixth floor of a nine-floor building that looked as though it wasn’t fit for anyone to actually live in. When I finally made my way to their door, I shook my head. There were about six different locks, which I guess was good considering that the neighborhood wasn’t the safest, and I was sure that I’d prosecuted a tenant or two from this address.
Raising a hand, I knocked on the front doing my best not to cringe at the sound. The door felt hollow under my hand, and I wondered once more how Annie could live here.
I heard rustling on the other side of the door, and I waited patiently for it to open. I hadn’t told Annie that I would be stopping by today; I’d been interested in seeing the surprise on her face when I showed up. Plus, I wanted to know how Annie really lived.
“Ezra?” Annie asked, surprise all over her face.
“Good morning,” I said, thrusting a coffee towards her. “How are you?”
Annie looked back behind her and stepped outside. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she looked back into the apartment.
“I came to see you,” I said.
Annie’s eyes went wide. “Why?” she asked.
I was taken aback by the question, and for the first time, I wondered if what Annie was hiding from me was the fact that there was someone else in her life.
“Can I come in?” I asked, stepping forward.
Annie didn’t move from her spot. “Why?”
My eyebrow rose. “Why don’t you want me to come inside?” I asked. “Is there someone else in there?”
Annie’s eyes went wide, and for a moment, I wondered if she was about to tell me that yes, there was someone else in the house. I didn’t know what I would do. When we’d signed the contract, we’d talked about what I could do for her, and what she wouldn’t do with me, but we’d never discussed if there was a man who she was seeing.
But then, Annie laughed. “The only person in here is Julia,” she told me.
I breathed out a sigh of relief. I wouldn’t have been upset if Annie had had a man in her home, but it would have made things incredibly difficult moving forward.
“Julia likes me.”
Annie shook her head. “I haven’t told Julia about any of this.”
“And you can’t,” I told her.
“What do you mean?”
I sighed. I had thought that this was obvious, but I was starting to realize that there were a number of things that I hadn’t made clear with Annie before she signed the contract. “You know that you can’t tell Julia about the contract. I can’t risk anyone learning that we aren’t a real couple.”
Annie rolled her eyes. “Julia isn’t just anyone,” she said. “She’s not going to believe that we are just suddenly starting to date.”
Julia was a wild card. We’d only met once, but I knew that she had been on my side. She’d wanted Annie to have fun. But I didn’t trust that she was going to be able to keep her mouth shut.
“I don’t have anyone to confide in, and Julia is my best friend. She’s not going to do anything to hurt me.”
Annie’s soft words cut to my core because she was right. I had Marcel who was helping me spin this wild tale, but I expected Annie to lie to her best friend.
“Fine,” I said. “But you need to make sure that Julia keeps this to herself.
Annie nodded. “She will.”
Annie and I stood across from one another, and I felt as though we were in a standoff of some sort. “Are you going to invite me in?” I asked, pressing forward slightly.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” she said. Her back was pressed against the wall, and we were so close that I could smell the vanilla scent of her lotion. We’d never been this close before, and I could see the bright blonde streaks in her hair.
