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Chapter Sixteen
TRISTAN
This evening was brutal. Cathartic but exhausting. By the time we get back to the apartment, I have no choice but to call out of work. I feel terrible about it but there’s no way I can handle more rude customers or dirty looks right now. Kim and Iz must understand, because neither of them chastise me when I hang up and escape to the bathroom to shower. Once Kim leaves for her shift, I’ll be crashing early. Like every other day this past week, this one feels endless.
The hot water drains me even more, and by the time I leave the bathroom, I’m practically limping from fatigue. Kim is gone when I return to the living room, and I’m surprised to find Isabel standing there with a steaming mug.
“Here,” she says, handing it to me.
I sigh and shake my head. “Thanks, but I can’t. No coffee. I just want to sleep.”
She shoves it further toward me. “It’s chamomile tea. You’ve had a really hard day. It will help you relax.”
Stunned, I take the cup and stare into the fragrant liquid.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
I don’t know how to answer that as warmth and sadness flood through me. I can’t remember the last time someone took care of me like this. Not since I was a kid. Damn, I must be exhausted because my throat is closing up.
“Tristan?”
I lift my eyes to hers and force a weak smile. “It’s nothing. Thank you for this.”
I take a sip, pretty sure I won’t like it, but the devil himself couldn’t keep me from drinking it. I start toward the couch, but a firm hand lands on my arm.
Isabel shakes her head when I look back, her fingers sinking into my elbow.
“No,” she says softly.
“No?”
She starts toward the hallway, pulling me behind her. “You’re not sleeping alone tonight.”
My heart speeds up, even as my stomach drops. “Iz, I… It’s not a good night.”
“Not for sex,” she grunts while dragging me toward her room.
Confused, I stay silent as she leads me to her bed and takes the mug from my hand. After placing it on the nightstand, she shoves me to a sitting position.
“Lie down,” she says. “On your side.”
“What?”
Her eyes narrow at me. “Can you just listen for once without arguing?”
I bite back a smile. “Like you do?”
She rolls her eyes, but I obey. There’s no point in fighting her. We both know she could make me do anything she wants.
I follow her instructions and immediately melt into the soft sheets. Man, this feels good. Fatigue is already taking over. I’m not sure I’d be able to get up again if I wanted to.
The mattress shakes when she climbs in behind me.
“What’s this about?” I ask once she stills. “Everything okay?”
“No.”
I try to turn, but she braces her palm against my shoulder, and I relax again at her touch. Her fingers drift along my shoulders sending chills over my skin. Up and down, slow and steady, until they move to the wide, ugly scars at my lower back.
