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“Thanks for this evening. It was so lovely getting to know Declan a bit better outside of our meetings.”
“He's a good guy. And you're welcome.” I meant it. “Are you mad at me if I head straight to bed? I'm dead on my feet,” I said when we arrived at her, our home.
“Why would I be mad? Go to sleep, you need it.” Inside the front door, she wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, squeezing me. “Sweet dreams, Roy. I'm glad you're here.”
A few simple words, yet they made me choke up. “Good night, Kat. Me too,” I muttered, hugging her back.
***
Not having to be on my toes all the time was way more exhausting than it had any right to be, and I barely managed to leave my bed for the entire weekend. Kat checked on me every couple of hours. She got me food and drinks, and asked me if I needed anything else. I felt bad, worrying that she felt compelled to care for me.
When I said as much, she shut me down gently but with firm intent.
“You've been through a lot.” Sitting down on the bed, she smoothed out the fur back on my forehead. “And you've been carrying this all by yourself. Let me help you carry it for a while, okay? Besides, I like playing nurse Kat.”
It was a sign of my bone-deep exhaustion that my cock didn't perk up at that.
“Best nurse I ever had.”
At that, she actually pulled the blanket up to my neck, tucking it in around me. I was out again before I'd even had the chance to thank her.
When I was no longer dozing off, it was late on Sunday afternoon. I needed a workout and a shower, preferably in that order, but I stayed put. The gym would still be there in the morning; a couple hundred push-ups would do the trick
My mind wandered to Kat. ‘You've been through a lot,’ she had said and she was right. I'd spent years blaming myself for Abbie’s treatment, and had considered going back to her immediately after making up my mind to leave. But once I had seen it, there really had been no way for me to ignore it any longer. Kat validating that just because I had been able to take it didn't mean it was right for Abbie to hurt me was like balm for my aching soul.
When she had stepped up for me at that supermarket, I'd begun to feel less alone. Meeting her weekly had given me hope. It wasn't normal and it hadn't been my fault. I knew it would be weeks, maybe months until the rest of me would catch up with what my brain already understood. But it helped having her in my corner. I'd blocked Abbie's number and all her accounts, and I would never ever go back.
Heaving myself out of bed, I stripped down to my boxers, then lowered myself to the floor.
Ten push-ups per pound weight later, I was dripping with sweat, every last muscle in my body was burning. It felt fucking fantastic.
I was back.
Chapter Seventeen
Kat
Roy had left the flat before I’d woken up and returned late in the evening, laden with his gym bag.
“Hey.” Lingering by the door, he waved at me. “Uh, is it okay if I start a wash? I know it’s late but—”
“Sure. Have you eaten? There’s leftover ramen in the fridge.”
“Oh. No, I’m not—” He broke off, looking pained. His chest expanded with a deep breath, stretching his navy blue APEX shirt almost to breaking point. “Actually, I haven’t eaten. Are you sure you don’t want to eat the soup yourself?”
“I’m sure. Want me to warm it up while you do your laundry?”
“No, I can do that, it’s—”
“No big deal,” I finished his sentence, setting aside my phone and getting up from the couch. I’d been sitting allday, working on the shop page and preparing Madeline’s welcome-to-Beta package. Moving around felt nice.
I heard the door to Roy’s room open and close, then he handled the washer in the little laundry nook in our hallway.
When he came back, he wore comfortable sweatpants and a fresh t-shirt, and had a large folder under his arm that he set down on the dining table.
“Care to join me?” The timid smile on his beautiful face had me grin back like an idiot.
“Yeah, sure.” I nodded.
