I brought the wipe to the cut carefully, anticipating a flinch that never came.
“What happened?” I asked. Not that me knowing would make a difference but it would be nice to know how he got the injury in the first place.
“Slipped,” he mumbled.
“Slipped? From the fire escape?”
Apart from the slightest quirk of his brow, his face remained still as I cleaned the dried blood from his face. It wasn’t until I noticed his scowl had softened, and his breathing had deepened, that I realized he had passed out.
“Romeo?”
No response.
“I don’t think you should be sleeping,” I whispered, applying the gauze and tape to his eyebrow before prodding his shoulder.
When snapping my fingers didn’t cause a stir, I pursed my lips and headed into my room to grab my phone. After a quick Google search, I discovered sleeping with a concussion was okay as long as there weren't any extreme symptoms like vomiting.
I went about cleaning up. Again, I compartmentalized what I had done while trying not to overthink the rest of the night. Or what I was going to do in the morning, which was only several hours away.
When I finished, I hurried into my room and locked the door. Then backed toward my bed until my calves bumped the mattress and I sat down, staring at the door as everything fell silent. Even the sounds of the city seemed too far away from my window than usual.
“There is a man on my couch,” I murmured. And I was a small female who couldn't throw a punch let alone defend myself. What on earth was I thinking? “Oh god.”
I tried to rationalize it as I tucked myself under the covers, pulling them right up to my chin as I continued to watch the door like a hawk.
Maybe he will be gone by sunrise. Maybe he’s gay. Maybe this was all one big dream.
I flipped the covers off again and padded across the floor to my bag, retrieving my little can of pepper spray before I jumped back into bed and tucked the can under my pillow.
The lamp was staying on, and if the worst should happen, I had a detective for a father on speed dial. Sure, if I had to call him, I would never hear the end of how stupid I was for inviting a stranger into my home. But at least I knew I was safe with him a phone call away.
Kira would flip if she ever found out what I had done. And not in an I’m disappointed way, but a, I can’t believe you finally brought a guy home way. I didn't want Kira to think I had gone rogue and inviting random guys over was something I did now. She would get overexcited and never let me hear the end of how I brought a man named Romeo home.
But she was with Aiden right now, spending the night which would hopefully lead to getting a large breakfast together. It bought me time to get Romeo out of the apartment before Kira got home in the morning. If I was lucky, they might even spend the rest of Sunday away from the apartment.
The time on my phone said it was 3:52 AM.
I shuffled down beneath the covers until my eyes were peeking over the top, fixed on the door as I listened for any movement in the living room. But all was quiet, save for the sound of the garbage truck arriving to empty the dumpster in the street below.
Chapter 5
Lily
Filtered sunlight arched across my bedroom. Fading from the blue-white glow of dawn to a warm orange glow as the sun climbed further into the morning. The beginning of a brand-new day, a fresh start.
My eyes felt heavier than lead after spending the rest of my night restless. Every five seconds, I opened my eyes to check if the bedroom door was closed or if a figure wasn’t standing over the end of my bed. I hadn’t moved an inch from when I had buried myself beneath the covers and had begun scraping together the dregs of adrenaline still left from last night. I needed to build the courage to set foot outside my room again, as I wondered what I would open the door to find.
Please, let him have left already.
I quietly climbed out of bed and crept towards the door, heart in my throat, until I slowed to a stop with my hand hovering over the door handle.
“Everything is fine. This is fine,” I whispered, wincing at how loud the click of the lock was before I carefully pulled the door open ajar.
There was no sign of Kira being home yet. Her bedroom door was still open, and I could see straight into her room from across the living space. Her bed remained made from the day before.
I eased the door a little wider, eyes flicking straight to the couch where Romeo was fast asleep on his back. Head on the arm of the chair, one arm draped across his chest while the other dangled to the carpet. Proof he had woken up at some point but decided to stay put instead of leaving.
I chewed the inside of my cheek as I figured out my next move. Should I wake him? Would he want breakfast? Do criminals even eat breakfast?
