“I suppose that is a good way to go about it. Tell me about Clay,” Cassidy said.
“He’s great,” she said, her voice drifting into a melody that had her friend laughing.
“I bet he is. Are you in love?”
“It’s crazy to say I think I am. He’s nothing like who I am normally attracted to or end up with.”
“Which could be why it’s working or is so fast. What makes you think you are though?”
She leaned back in her chair. No way she’d talk about the camera and all the other things Clay did to make her feel safe.
Walking in her place and looking around for signs. Checking in on her each night.
“I’m in this cloud of wonder,” she said. “As if I’m walking in a haze. One minute I go to do something and the next it’s done and I don’t even remember doing it. My mind is always on him. I’ve never been this way with anyone.”
Cassidy was fanning her hand in front of her face. “That’s awesome. You deserve it.”
“I never thought I deserved things before, but this time, I do. He’s such a great guy that few get to see sides of I am.”
“Are you going to share those sides?” Cassidy asked.
She sighed romantically. “He’s caring and protective, but I would have never guessed that months ago when I ran into him again. He’s always saving me from myself.”
“Which is a full-time job in itself.”
She laughed. “It is, but he’s good about it. I’ve been going to his place on Friday night and we will stay for two nights. Saturday he had an event to work and I came to town and did my thing, then he came to my place when he was done.”
“So you can’t stay in his house without him?”
“I can and I have. It’s not that. But I had things to do, got some shopping done. Did some wedding planning work. Things like that. We had dinner with my parents yesterday.”
“Wow. Moving fast. How did that go?”
“Great.”
Her parents told one too many stories about her klutzy childhood than she wanted shared, but it wasn’t as if it was a secret either.
“What does he think about you shrieking every time a bug comes near you? I’m assuming there are a lot on his property.”
“There are, but I’m actually not too crazy about it now. I told him why I had that fear.”
“You did?” Cassidy said. “You don’t tell many that.”
She wouldn’t tell a soul the reason she shared it. To get Clay to open up with her.
“I know. I wanted him to understand. But now that he knows, he’s almost slowly getting me to realize that if I don’t react, the bugs don’t react. I mean, he can’t go around killing everything in front of me so I don’t jump.”
“He could,” Cassidy laughed. “But again, it’s a full-time job if you’re on his grounds.”
“Very true,” she said. “But when I’m around him, I just feel so safe. I don’t want him to feel that burden, but it’s this internal thought in my brain. He’s by me, nothing can harm me. Not even a bee.”
“That’s kind of sweet,” Cassidy said, her voice sappy. “I’m happy for you. Are you going to tell him how you feel?”
“No way,” she said. Talk about a load to carry! “He’s not ready for it. I’m not sure what is going through his mind.”
“Yikes. Do you think this is just sex for him?”
Her head went back and forth.
