He was insanely good looking, like so hot you want to scream it from the rooftops and tell all your friends.
He looked at me like he wanted to eat me for breakfastanddessert.
Maybe a date or a kiss wasn’t such a bad idea…
But before I could say another word, the officers came back to the car. A half hour later, we pulled into the police station, and one officer took me by the arm while the other escorted Barrett. Female booking was separate from male booking, and they took us through different doors. I waved goodbye, doubting I would ever see him again.
I shouldn’t care.
Yet the thought of never seeing him again filled me with dread.
And suddenly, I no longer wanted to go home alone.
After being booked in,they threw me in a holding cell with several others, a mix of both male and female. But Barrett was nowhere to be seen and whenever the door opened, I looked up hopeful, only to be disappointed once again.
As the hours passed, I saw no sign of Barrett.
I tried to doze, tried to keep my mind off of shit, but it was no use. I was staring, my wrists throbbed from where the handcuffs used to be, and all I wanted was a long hot shower and my bed. Thankfully, I was off from my job as a receptionist at the local hospital for a couple of days and I could go home and sleep this whole bad nightmare away.
When the door opened at just past four in the morning, an officer shouted, “Skylar Ritter!”
I jumped to my feet. “Here.”
He waved me over. “Let’s go. You made bail.”
“I did?”
“Do you want to question me, or do you want to leave?”
“Yes, sir. Sorry.” I slid my shoes on and hurried out the door. There was no way someone paid my bail. I didn’t have any family, and my friends couldn’t help, which is why I never asked them. My grandmother, the woman who raised me, couldn’t pay for a bail, which left me wondering…
“I did it. I paid your bail,” Barrett said from where he stood waiting in the lobby for me.
“What?” I choked on the word, my body going numb. “Why?”
“I wanted to. It’s my fault we’re here.”
“But...um, wow…I don’t know what to say. Thank you. I’ll pay you back.”
“You don’t need to. I called my lawyer, we’re good to go. We’ll have a court date later on, but overall, nothing major.”
I stood there, dumbfounded. This guy had a lawyer?
“I’ve put aside money for a long time, so when emergencies come up, I’ve got solutions. Now c’mon, our Uber is waiting outside. They’ll take us back to our cars.”
“Thank you, Barrett. I truly mean it.” I said as we walked outside into the freezing cold, side by side.
“You’re welcome. I still think I had my hand on the laptop first but let’s call it a truce.”
“What? You did not!” I said, this time more in a teasing tone.
“I kid, I kid. But honestly, truce?” He held out his hand.
“Okay. Truce.” I placed my hand on top of his and he closed his around my fingers, but instead of shaking my hand, he gently tugged on my arm and pulled me towards him, my body now up against his.
And then he kissed me.
Right there in the police parking lot, our Uber waiting on the curb, with small snowflakes falling from the sky, Barrett stole my heart and claimed it as his.
