AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Maybe. But no one's called out sick."
"But if they do?" I push.
She laughs and pushes her door open. "Then you'll be my third call. Maybe second."
"Wench," I mutter, smiling. She smiles back, then steps into her dark apartment. Cara must be at Declan's or the club tonight. I almost offer to stay and hang out with her, but that seems like a disaster waiting to happen. I'm catching feelings, and I doubt spending more time with Bree is the solution.
But I really, really want to.
No. She'll be fine. It's just my imagination that her eyes look a little lost, or that her hand tightens on the door just before she closes it.
She'll be fine.
22
BREE
I am not okay.
I'm actually freaking the fuck out, but not okay feels a little more manageable at the moment. Not okay feels closer to fine than freaking out. See, it'll be okay. I just need to breathe.
I pull the covers up over my nose and force my eyes shut. They pop open immediately, completely out of my control. It's too dark in here.
I flick the lamp on. It adds a warm glow to the room and feels way better than relying on my nightlight alone. Here, in space just before midnight, I don't have to be embarrassed about needing a night light.
Cara's not here tonight, and I'm realizing I've been depending on her even more than I thought. I desperately want to climb into her bed. But she's not there, and an empty bed is no comfort.
I planned on weaning myself off of her. Of acting like a grown up. And I was succeeding. Just knowing she was in the apartment was enough to let me feel safe in my bed. Sure, I haven't been sleeping as well as I do with her, but it's a step in the right direction.
This is the first night in a week that she's gone though, and I'm not okay.
I throw back the covers and turn on the overhead light. I can do this. This building has Fort Knox level protection. Nothing is getting to me. The guys assured me of that the night we moved in, and pretty much every time I've seen them since. I am safe.
I don't believe it though. In my bones, danger is lurking just outside every door, in the shower, down a hallway. I can't escape it, and I'm exhausted.
I snatch my phone off the nightstand, pulling up Cara's contact. I so desperately want her here. But instead of calling, I toss the phone on my bed. I won't do that to her. I'm supposed to be letting her live her life, and calling her right now would set everything back.
There's only one other person I feel comfortable calling for help, who knows how bad it is, but he's probably fast asleep by now. Besides, that would be crossing a line, wouldn't it? We're friends. I shouldn't be going to him in the middle of the night. I shouldn't use him.
I'm deep breathing, pacing, reminding myself I'm fine when a huge gust of wind howls outside my windows. My feet are moving before I even realize it. I'm out the front door and running up the stairs to his floor.
I knock quietly, then cross my arms over my chest. Then I knock louder. I know I should give him more than two seconds, but I'm still flipping the fuck out. I slap my hand on the door. "Please," I whisper. Please open the door. I need you.
The door falls away from my palm, and I tuck my hand under my breasts. I don't look up as Nick crowds into my space.
"Dios, Bree. Fuck. What are you doing? You're barely dressed." He's scolding me, but his tone is so soft, so caring, that the stiffness in my shoulders immediately starts to fade. His warm arms wrap around me, and he pulls me into his dark apartment. A few hours ago, I walked into my own place with a sense of foreboding. Now, a man is pulling me into his lair, and I couldn't be happier about it.
He pushes the door closed and looks down at me. His face is lit by hall light. Everything else is dark. I've only ever been in here in the dark. I wonder what it looks like in the daytime?
"Bree, Mi Carino, what's wrong. Who do I need to kill?"
He startles a laugh out of me. "Nobody. Jeez."
"Good girl. Breathe again for me."
I suck in a shuddering breath, realizing for the first time that I'm lightheaded. "I think I was holding my breath the whole way up here."
"I think so too," he murmurs, brushing the hair away from my face. I should apologize, I should go back to my own home, but I do none of those things. Instead, I stand in the warm circle of his arms and let him fuss with my hair. Finally, he seems satisfied with the way it's laying, and his warm worried eyes lock with mine. "Bad dreams?"
