Setting my bag on the floor, I pull out my phone and head back toward the living room. Putting this stuff away is a problem for later. I still need to figure out what furniture I need to get in order to fit my meager belongings. It’s something I can’t wait to do, though. Buying stuff for my room will make it feel like mine, and also offer a permanence. A step in building a life here. The one thing that excites and terrifies me all at the same time. I don’t think anyone realizes just how much. I’m pretty good at fake it ’til you make it in that regard.
Just as I’m settling in on the sofa, with room idea images on my phone screen, the lock on the front door clicks. What the hell? Eric said I was the only other person with a key. I slowly get off the couch and rush toward the kitchen. It takes me three drawers until I find something I could potentially protect myself with.
Tiptoeing toward the door, I wait until the door opens so I can get a look at who is coming through. The door opens in so it gives me additional cover. Slowly, it opens and it takes a few seconds for someone to emerge through the gap, and I can’t see who it is.
I jump out with the knife held in front of me at whoever my would-be attacker is. Eric stumbles back and puts his hands in the air. “Woah, there. It’s just me.”
“Oh my God.” I drop the knife and cover my mouth with my hands. “I am so sorry.” And I am. He’s probably thinking I’m bonkers and wants me to move out immediately after this little display. “I thought you were in your room asleep. I could have hurt you.”
“First off, you probably shouldn’t try to attack a person who is coming into the house.” He picks up the knife. “Secondly, you’re gonna want to take the blade cover off the knife before using it.” He walks past me and sets the knife on the high bar that separates the entry way from the kitchen. “And lastly, I doubt a burglar would be breaking in with a key.”
I. Am. Mortified. It’s a good thing nobody else was here to witness that little scene. They would never let me live it down. “How was I supposed to know?”
“I mean,” he shrugs, “it’s common sense.”
“I really am sorry.” I walk back toward the living room, and sit on the sofa. “Being up earlier than normal and all the coffee I’ve had this morning has me jittery.”
“It’s okay.” He laughs and sits on the opposite side of the sofa. “At least I know you’ll come to the rescue if there’s ever an intruder.”
“Not that I’d be much help since I couldn’t even tell it had a cover on it.” I reach for a blanket on top of the sofa, but he doesn’t have one. It’s so instinctive since Delilah has them on hers. We’ll have to remedy that. If only so I have something when I’m in here. We should also probably bring in some sort of arm chair. “Where were you, anyway?”
“Running.”
“On purpose?” That’s insanity to me.
“Yeah, I get up and run every morning. Unless it’s raining. That’s the only time I don’t.”
“But, why? And, how after working so late?” I will never understand people who don’t need hours and hours of sleep to function. The few hours I got last night will most likely be a problem for me later in the day. I really need to work a nap in.
He stands and heads to the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of water, he cracks the lid and takes a drink. Finally, he answers me. “Running helps me clear my mind. It’s why I ran track in high school. And I’m one of the few people I know that is able to get up early with little sleep. I don’t get tired and I can still keep going.” When he notices the death glare I’m shooting at him, he shrugs. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”
“It’s not fair is what it is.”
“I take it you’re not a morning person?”
“Not even close. That’s why I like working at the bar. They don’t open before ten, and I can sleep.”
And that is the main reason I’ve always worked at bars. I’m a night owl by nature. I never understood the whole early bird thing, and I don’t care to.
“So.” He sits on the sofa again and leans against the arm rest. “Where were you last night? Being a party animal?”
“I was with Devin.” I hope he doesn’t try to give me his be careful speech. I know what I’m doing, and I want to be with Devin. I appreciate the concerned friend approach, but I have no need for it.
“I’m glad y’all are working it out.” My mouth hangs wide open and I’m taken back. Did he really just say that? I’m almost tempted to reach across the sofa and feel his forehead. Any other interaction where Devin is concerned has been approach with caution. Now he’s all in?
“Really?”
“Yeah. I shouldn’t have stuck my nose where it didn’t belong. I barely know the guy aside from the fact he’s Delilah’s brother and plays music at the bar.” He grins and picks up the remote. “I’m perfectly capable of admitting when I’m wrong.”
Clapping my hands together, I laugh. “Congrats. You are one of the few people I know who can do that. Even Carlos has a hard time saying someone else is right.”
“You’d be surprised. Caroline and David have changed him a lot.” He turns on the TV and flips through the channels. It’s Monday morning so it’s mostly news shows, and I do my best to avoid news at all costs because it can put me in a bad place. “Not in a bad way, but I’m shocked you haven’t noticed.”
I have noticed. Joy that he’s found someone who makes him happy fills me. He became a sort of honorary father figure for me, or at the very least favorite uncle. I’m not sure what I would have done without him talking Angie into giving me a chance at the bar. Even though everyone sees him as a gruff and grumpy person, he was never that way toward me. It’s one of the reasons I found everyone’s attitude toward him so weird.
“What time do you go in today?” I may need his help when I get back if I can find a bed frame for stupid cheap.
“I close tonight. So later this afternoon.”
