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And the time goes on and on, lots of little good things happen, but it just doesn’t ever feelright?
I’d found that proverbial perfect moment.
So, I reacted in the best possible way. I turned around, dropped down on the table, and began howling like a newborn baby.
The men, still naked, looked at each other, alarmed. Then, they rushed over to me and soon, their hugs and caresses enveloped my face, hair, and back. Each crooned words of comfort as I kept bawling.
“Rory, darling, we’ll do anything to make you feel better.”
“No.” I finally hiccupped.
“I’m crying because I feel amazing and I never thought it could be all this and I’d written my own eulogy where I get eaten by rogue dogs and neighbors find me four days later and I’m still a fifty-year-old virgin and oh, God, look, I’m crying again...”
Noah looked like he didn’t know whether he should laugh or not, but he did the next best thing and held me in a tight hug. There was so much protection in his embrace. It felt like I was safe, like I’d never not be safe.
So there I was, surrounded by three hulking dudes who looked like they could bench press a truck, and for the first time in my life, I felt safe.
Like a bird coming home to its cozy little nest after a long day of flapping its wings and dodging predators.
I gotta admit, it was a weird feeling. I had become so used to being the one in charge, the one who had to fend for herself in this crazy city.
But with these guys around me, I felt like I could finally let my guard down, take a breather, and enjoy the fact that I wasn't gonna get mugged or murdered anytime soon.
Noah had that New Yorker wit, that dry, sarcastic humor that only came from living in this city for way too long. I was sure he’d begin busting my chops once he got more comfortable seeing me cry when I was happy, and laugh hysterically when I was losing my shit.
Elijah looked and sounded like the kind of man who would help me find myself again and again. And Benjamin— I could see myself opening up to a whole new world of discoveries because of the way he spoke and touched me. It was music. It was perfect.
It’d just take a bit of getting used to.
It was like I had found my own little bird's nest right there in the studio, and these guys were my family. They weren't just bodyguards or protectors, they were... they felt like secret agents who’d helped me come into myself.
That sounded corny as hell, like I’d just made up three private detectives who’d solved a great fucking mystery—how to make Rory lighten up and live a little—and aced it.
It was just... I’d been lost for so long. No dad. Crazy mom. Just a best friend to hold on to. Though she was great. Amazing, in fact.
But now, I felt like I was finally part of something bigger than myself.
That’s when Professor Taylor’s phone started ringing.
He turned around to answer it, and I wasn’t great at eavesdropping on conversations, butI knew what I’d heard.
“Hey, Elijah. Your kid’s been an angel, as always.”
Of course, the fairytale had to have a hitch.
20
Elijah
It was well past midnight.
I sat by a window overlooking the college district, nursing a glass of Scotch in my hand.
Sweet, cold night air brushed my face. I watched figures outside, young and in love with themselves and the city that they wanted to make their home.
It would never be easy. New York lured folks in like a seductive dancer, swaying her curvy hips in the dark of the night, dressed in a red dress, swaying just enough.
She called and tested, broke and nurtured. Only a few made it to the stage where they could stay and call her their own.
