“We’ve got water or soda.”
“Um…”
He motioned for me to take a look, and I stepped into his personal space to peer into the fridge. Enoch’s scent sent a shock wave of nostalgia and familiarity over me. Lavendar laundry soap and earthy like a pine forest. Even though his body had changed from a teenager, some things had stayed the same.
I reached for a Ginger Ale, and he grabbed a Coke Zero. The snap of our cans opening filled the awkward silence. I took a sip of my drink before placing it on the large island. Enoch leaned his hip against the counter, following my movements, and placed his soda down.
He crossed his arms, drawing my attention to the muscles on display in his grey t-shirt.Of-fucking-course he only got more handsome in the last five years.
“So, for starters, I just want to reiterate that you can trust us to keep your identity a secret. I, um, kind of had to go with the story that you were an ex, what with my coworkers witnessingmy whole…thing. Is there anything that I should do ornotdo or…I don’t know,” he laughed to himself, “I don’t know what it means to be in Witness Protection. Um…when are you leaving?”
I shoved my hands into the pocket of my sweatshirt and contemplated my response.
“Uh…it’s still up in the air right now,” I shrugged. “Lots of…paperwork.” His relief was palpable. “My name’s Emory Crawford. So, there’s that. And don’t tell your family. And don’t post anything about me on social media. Especially no photos. But, um, the thing about us being exes is fine. I’ll stick to that story too if…well, if anyone asks me about that day again.”
He nodded, studying me and I couldn’t help shifting my weight uncomfortably.
“Emory. I like it.”
I nodded awkwardly. “Thanks.”
Fuck. I didn’t think things would be this fucking weird. But I guess we are basically strangers.
“So, you live here alone?” It was obvious that he didn’t by the use of ‘we’ and the amount of shoes downstairs, but I was fishing to see if he had a significant other.
“No,” he shook his head with a smirk. “Jae lives on the ground floor.”
“Oh. Cool.” I hoped he couldn’t tell how relieved I was to hear that he wasn’t living with a girlfriend or fiancée. Even if I should have been happy for him either way. “I didn’t realize he was living here. I thought…I thought maybe he was visiting.”
Enoch laughed, breaking the tension with the lightness of it.
“Why don’t we go sit, yeah? Catch up?” he offered with a tilt of his head in the direction of the sofa.
I nodded and took a seat several feet away from him on the sectional. It was a plush beige, with a blanket draped across the back and a couple of pillows that added pops of warm color to the space.
“Did you design everything?” I asked, looking around the room.
“Uh, well I can’t take much credit for the décor and such. That was all Jae and Eden. But I helped with the layout of the kitchen, and I picked the color of the cabinets.”
I swallowed at the mention of her name and pushed back the memories associated with it.
“I really like the green. It’s…cozy.”
Enoch smiled softly and nodded in agreement.
“When did you move to Anchorage?” I asked.
My stomach flipped in anticipation of his response. How long had we been chancing running into each other? How long had it taken before our paths crossed?
“Got here end of March. Jae moved out here shortly after I did, and we bought this place end of April.” He looked relaxed, his body angled toward me with his leg up and his arm draped across the back of the couch.
Three months. He’d been here for three months. All this time, while I’d been fantasizing about a life where we were together, and he was just fifteen minutes across town.
“How about you?” he asked.
“Uh, almost three years ago.”
His eyes bugged out, and he stared at me. “Wow. Huh.” He took a moment to think before speaking again. “How did-how did you end up here? Did you get to choose the city you were placed in?”
