AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I grab my portfolio off the ground and walk over to his car. I get into the passenger seat, and he gently closes the door. I can see him walking over to the police officers, he gives them a card and walks back to the car. Once he gets back into the car, he looks over at me. Nothing is said and he starts driving away from the scene. I look down at my designs to take my mind away from what just happened for the rest of the drive.
When we arrive, the house is extremely modern, it must have been recently built. The outside walls were mostly glass. Yet you could not see the inside which was a nice touch.
He gets out of the car and opens my door. I step out and he grabs my portfolio, holding it for me as I walk with him to the front door. The closer I get, the more detail I see of the house.
“Your home is beautiful,” I comment. He smiles and sets the portfolio down on a nearby table. “I am sorry to inconvenience you.”
“You’re not. Please do not think that way. I have a guest house that you can sleep in. So, that you don’t feel uncomfortable being under the same roof. It’s not lost on me our…predicament.”
Greyson being our predicament.
“I understand Mr. Wén. Please do not let Greyson know that I was here.” I beg.
He nods, “Of course.”
The air in his home was beyond cold. Not that I want it to be hot but damn he lives like a penguin. He gestured for me to follow him to his guest house, it’s such a beautifully decorated one-bedroom. I wonder if he would rent this out to me until I can find a new place. No, what am I thinking?! I cannot live with my ex-fiancé’s father. But then again, it’s technically not under the same roof.
No. I can’t.
“Please make yourself at home. If you need to stay longer, I don’t mind. Are you hungry? I am worried you’re in shock.” It feels like he’s walking on eggshells.
Was I in shock? My home just burned to the ground and the only thing I can think about is my next plan, but then again, it’s always been that way for me. I never get a chance to react to things, because I am always having to be the responsible one between my mother and I.
My father’s letters were in that house. When I was a child, my father was sick and spent most of his time in the hospital. When he died, he left me letters for every year he would miss me. I have read them all many times, but to know they are physically gone, was destroying me. The last of his handwriting…
It felt increasingly hard to breathe. That tightness in my chest returned. I was completely afraid of finding out what caused this fire. I can’t even contemplate it being something that was my fault. I don’t own a straightener and I never use the blow dryer before I leave the house. I didn’t even cook anything that morning. My fear is thinking about who did it and why. There it is again, that tightness, the uncertainty, and that overwhelming feeling that I’m going to suffocate.
I also don’t want to make him uncomfortable and so I just sit down on the couch and take a few breaths. It helps for a while, but the tightness doesn’t go away.
Mr.Wéncrouches down in front of me, “What do you need, Taurus?” His words came out incredibly smooth.
“Just give me a minute, I’m fine,” I respond. “It's just cold in here, it’s triggering my asthma. Do you mind if we put the heat up?”
“Do you want to go to a hospital?”
I shake my head. “I'll make an appointment with my primary to get medicine for my nebulizer.” I pause and sigh, “Which is now burning in a fire… I will have to get a new nebulizer.”
“Alright. I’ll take you tomorrow then.”
I clear my throat, “I…I am sorry about your date. She must be pissed.”
Mr.Wénlooks up at me with those warm brown eyes, “It wasn’t a date. She’s an old friend of mine.”
“Shit, you better make a move before it’s too late.” I try to lighten the mood.
He squints his eyes, but his smile stays. “I mean it. If you need to stay you can. Something horrible just happened to you, please take the time to do what you need.”
He is right. I need to take advantage of this opportunity to figure everything out. “How much?”
“Nothing. Consider it a gift.”
“I am sorry Mr. Wén, but I will not live here for free. I appreciate it, but I can’t. If this is about Greyson, it’s not your fault.”
“I am not pitying you right now. Iwantto do this for you.” He stresses.
I smile but shake my head ‘no.’ “I can’t, please charge me.”
He sighs, “Well, how about you come to work for me.”
