That excuse, he didn’t seem to have an issue with. A few more days, just a few more days until the damn holidays were done and I could get back to some level of normalcy in my life.
Chapter thirty-one
The Phoenix
October 10th 2023
“Two more days, just two more days, girl, and then you’re free,” I called Kendi as promised first thing this morning. She sounded a lot better than she did yesterday when I left.
“Two more days and then we’ll be starting to train for the marathon in April too.” I laughed at her persistence, even though I was wholeheartedly looking forward to beginning to run with her.
“I haven’t forgotten about the training either. Have your parents gotten your apartment ready?”
“Mom said last night they were going over today to clean it up a bit. It shouldn’t be that bad, just where I haven’t been home in so long, she wants to at least vacuum and dust.”
“Your mom is really sweet to take the time out to do that.”
“That’s what family does,” I didn’t make a rude remark to that statement. The most my mother ever cleaned off any surface was lines of cocaine off our kitchen table with her nostrils.
“I can’t wait to see you,” I said, changing the subject, “Michelle said she hopes you’re a fan of Mexican food because that’s where we’re going out to eat when you get out.”
“Queso and margaritas are two of the major food groups, right?” She giggled.
“I’ve always thought so.”
“Then yes, that sounds like a wonderful evening to me.” She sighed heavily, “I’d better get off here, they should be getting ready to come round us up for breakfast here in a few minutes.”
“That’s fine, I’ll call you tomorrow, Kendi.” We said our goodbyes. My spirits were always lifted a little higher after talking with her.
The weather was perfect today. Crisp, fresh fall air lingered underneath a cloudless sky. Heat gently blew out from the vents in my house, helping to circulate the pumpkin scent I had placed in my wax warmers the night before. As much as I would have loved to put on a classic horror movie and snuggle up on the couch with Riley all day, I promised myself the night before I would get out.
So I laced up my running shoes, which had been hidden in the back of my closet for longer than I’d care to admit and pulled on a warm sweatshirt over my black athletic leggings. I spent an hour the night before making a new playlist and charging my headphones so I wouldn’t be able to use that as an excuse to back out. Kendi wanted to train for a marathon, and I didn’t want to disappoint her.
I also decided to torture myself a little more and force myself to run the distance to Daxton’s office. Technically, I had therapy today at his office downtown. The distance wasdoable; I wasn’t looking forward to it, but it was only four miles, so it shouldn’t completely kill me after neglecting my physical health for so long.
If I was going to torture myself with exercise, then Riley was going to suffer through it with me. Although when I grabbed his leash and he started bouncing around my feet while whining, I had to wonder exactly how much suffering he would actually be doing with this activity.
Starting my playlist, I skipped warming up and went straight into a jog down my street. Riley was always full of energy, trotting along with his massive tongue flopping out of his mouth. His leash was also unique, wrapping around my waist instead of one that required me to use my hands, leaving them free to steadily pump at my sides.
One of the best things about running was feeling free from my own mind. Maybe it was the fact that it made my thighs cramp, which distracted me enough from putting too much thought into anything specific, but it was still nice. The suburbs through my hometown were magical this time of year. All the streets were lined with beautiful mature oak trees, their leaves at the peak of their color change. A few houses even had giant piles of the fallen foliage just waiting for their kids to come home and jump right into.
The other best part was getting to spend quality time with Riley. I was lucky compared to most dog owners; he was able to come to work with me daily and rarely ever stayed at home by himself. Hewas still cooped up inside most of the time. Now that I was free from Craig, I wasn’t going to let that happen again.
My feet pounded the concrete sidewalk as I made my way out of the suburbs and into downtown. The town was small, Main Street only spanning a few miles with locally owned shops littering either side. Hay bales, scarecrows, pumpkins, and Halloween decor decorated almost every store as Riley and I gently ran by. It was paradoxical. I had grown up here my entire life, as had Daxton; I’d even driven past his office almost daily as I went to my own job, and never once had our paths crossed until now.
His office was located at the far end of Main Street, on the corner across from probably the most underrated restaurant in town that served the best Cajun fries I’d ever tasted. Last night on the phone, he had offered to come pick me up for my session, vehemently denying that he was trying to give me some sort of VIP treatment, even though I had a perfectly decent car in my driveway. I was curious as to how Riley would take to him and how Daxton would handle my dog showing up unexpectedly.
In the confines of the clinic, he had claimed that he loved dogs, that he admired my dog for defending me and risking his own life, and I wanted to put that claim to the test. As much as I wanted everything that Daxton was offering, everything in this life we would face together, if my dog didn’t like him, then I needed to detach myself and fast.
As we ran down the last stretch of Main Street, carefully avoiding the pedestrians doing their shopping, we slowed to a brisk walk just before reaching his office. Before we reached the door, a young boy stepped out, who couldn't have been older than ten, with a young woman behind him. Given the resemblance of sandy blond hair, high cheekbones, and a petite nose, I felt safe assuming they were mother and son.
I slowed down significantly, dropping my pace to a leisurely walk, taking in how the boy turned to look back at Daxton's hulking frame leaning out of the doorway. He smiled at the therapist, unafraid of his towering height and massive build, and Daxton, in the moment, looked like a gentle giant as he smiled back at the boy. It was a different side to the softness I was becoming privy to in our more intimate moments. It was a reminder of how fiercely protective he was over those who couldn’t defend themselves.
The mother turned and waved goodbye to Daxton, who returned the gesture before heading back inside. As he turned, however, his eyes found me walking down the sidewalk, and a different look overtook him. The protectiveness still lingered, but there was an insatiable hunger in his eyes that should have had me running in the opposite direction, not waltzing toward him.
He waited in the doorway, the door propped open behind him, as I said good morning and brushed past him with Riley at my heels. I heard him click the lock into place as he closed the door behind us. The office he used for his clients was open conceptwith only two doors at the back of the room. One with a unisex bathroom sign hanging, and the other with a no entry sign. I assumed the no-entry door is what led to his apartment above his private practice.
More color adorned the walls here than at his office in the hospital. Nothing bright or overwhelming, just photos of local views decorated the space instead of mundane prints you could pick up at any chain store in the ‘trying not to show that I'm a millennial’ aisle. His chair looked much more comfortable here, dark brown, worn leather that looked well-loved, plush, and big enough to accommodate his tall frame. Riley went over to the couch without preamble and made himself comfortable, not giving Daxton a second glance.
