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LAUREL
Yawning and stretching, I notice a note next to the bed from Hudson saying he left for work early. Well, that gives me time to get a shower in, so I head next door to my place and get clean. My doorbell rings. It must be Hudson.
“Back Already?” I say, swinging open the door. To my surprise, Shawn is standing in my doorway. How did he find out where I live?
“What are you doing here?”
Why would he just show up here after months?
“I wanted to see you.” He tries to kiss me, but I jostle him away. “Why are you acting weird?”
“You show up at my apartment, which I have no idea how you figured out where I live, and expect me to just smile and invite you in? Are you out of your mind?”
He tries to caress me, but I swipe his hand away. “Get away from me. You need to leave.”
“Leave? You said you didn’t want to be long distance. I’ve missed you. I’m moving here,” he says, his face flushed.
Until now, I didn’t realize I’m still in just a towel. “Don’t you think you should have called me first? I could have saved you the trip,” I say.
“Well, you thought I was someone else. That hurts. Moving on so quickly.”
Is he unstable?
“You’ve been sleeping with everyone in the city, haven’t you?”
The moment it leaves his mouth, I punch him.
“What - the - fuck?” he yells.
I can tell by his face he is going to make me regret that. Never in a million years would I think Shawn would act this way. He has never raised his voice or laid a hand on me while we were together. “What’s going on with you? You’re not yourself,” I say, trying to figure out exactly what is going through his mind.
“I want you and don’t understand why you don’t want me anymore? We were happy.” His face goes dark. “But you’re probably too busy fucking your boss to be worried about me. A paycheck and getting laid. Perfect combo!”
How did he know about Hudson and I? That he is my boss? Something isn’t right here, and my instinct is telling me to shut the door and lock it now, but he gets me up against the wall before I have the chance. His hand is around my neck. “Tell me what is happening. This isn’t you.”
In return, he looks sharply into my eyes, and something is lost. This is not the man I dated and have known for years.
“It’s my parents… They…” He can’t even finish his sentence.
“How did it happen?” His hand drops from my neck, and I take his hand.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to put my hands on you. I have no one. You’re all I have,” he says sincerely.
“I’m not going anywhere. We can be friends, as long as you understand, it can’t be more.
He shakes his head. “How about we go for breakfast? Anywhere you want.”
“I have to get into work. I’m already pretty late now. Another time? Maybe I’ll come by and see you later and we can talk some more,” I say.
He nods and heads down the stairs to leave.
I hurry up, get dressed, and head into work. Hudson’s name pops up on my screen as I’m going up in the elevator. “Hey, boss, on my way up now.”
When I step off the elevator, straight into his office, I shut the door.
“What happened? Since when are you late?”
“An old friend stopped by without warning.”
