My gaze lowers to his other hand, admiring their manliness, the veins that crisscross under the skin, and his long fingers. The same hands that have brought me so much pleasure. The hands I miss when they aren’t touching me.
The trembling finds its way to my stomach and it’s like my organs are bathing in a pool of acid.
This is my reckoning for being the keeper of a dark secret.
My ribs rattle, all the lies and half-truths threatening to shake loose from where I’ve kept all this ugliness leashed tight.
He offers a warm smile. “I hate having to leave you, but I have to attend an important meeting.”
He’s going out. He’s actually leaving the house.
Kaz has been my care taker since the Universe decided to play a cruel trick on me, never leaving my side other than to get me food and water. No matter how unresponsive I’ve been, he never turned his back on me.
“I tried to postpone it, but for the past two days, one of my competitors has been insisting we meet,” he says. “This morning, he dropped information in my lap I can’t ignore. I’ll be out for a bit, but I’ll return the minute I’m done with the meeting. If you need me, you know how to reach me, but I’ll call you before getting back on the road.”
My heart kicks up a notch and a glimmer of hope sparks to life.
“Do you need anything before I leave?”
I shake my head.
“You’re sure you don’t want to try to eat something?”
I shake my head again.
“Harley, you’re wasting away. You’ve barely eaten in two days?—”
“You shouldn’t be late for your meeting.” My voice comes out hoarse from crying so hard.
His lips pinch.
A few beats tick away.
He sighs, stands up and saunters out of the bedroom.
I reach for my phone and set the timer to twenty minutes.
As I wait for the countdown, I work through a list of activities in my head.
When the alarm rings, I throw the sheet off and climb out of bed.
I tiptoe to the doorway. “Kaz?”
Nothing.
“Are you still here, Kaz?”
Silence.
He’s gone.
Chaos runs laps around my head as I set things in motion.
There’s no time to waste.
I rush to my room, plug in my phone to charge it. Then, I sprint to the bathroom in the hallway to wash my face, brush my teeth, and take a five-minute shower. With the white fluffy towel still wrapped around my body, I race to my bedroom, grab the two large duffle bags I came here with and like a madwoman, I torpedo around the room as I pull my meager belongings from the drawers and the wardrobe and stuff everything in the bags.
I feel like a spinning top.
