“Sorry,” he apologized, noticing he startled her. “I tried calling. I…uh… I used the key under the fake rock you keep in the bush?—”
He cut his words short when he got a good look at her, because it was impossible for him to continue speaking.
She was beautiful as always, but her smile was missing.
A frown weighed her pretty lips down, but nothing could compare to her eyes.
They were sad. So very sad.
Puffy and red. And so not the Rylee he knew.
“Aw, baby,” he whispered, blindly setting the things down on the ottoman in front of her bed.
Her face folded into absolute grief as tears seemed to start pouring instantly.
Xander went to her, sitting on the bed beside her and pulling her to him.
She cried silently against him, and he let her.
It was on this same bed only a week ago she had let him do the same.
How could I have not known?he wondered.
Yes, Rylee hadn’t reminded him. Nor should she have felt like she needed to, according to him.
In that moment, Xander felt a pang of guilt for not knowing—or for not pushing just a little harder—for her to tell him what was really on her mind during their dinner date.
“I bought you a few things,” he whispered against her braids, leaving a kiss there. “That lemon thing you like drinking sometimes. Tacos.”
She said nothing. Just sniffed back the tears that hadn’t fallen.
“I even got that fizzy stuff you like putting in your bath,” he confirmed, a small smile pulling at his lips. “That cupcake-shaped bath bomb thingy.”
Rylee said nothing in response, and all her silence did was ache his heart just a little more.
Xander felt like he had to do something—anything—so he told her, “I think you could use one of those baths right now. I’mma go run the water for you. Cool?”
There was silence and stillness at first, until Rylee gave Xander just a glimmer of hope by nodding her answer.
The moment Xander stood from his spot, Rylee was back to being a ball in bed, pulling the covers over herself.
He glanced at her for another moment, forcing himself to step into her en suite to run the bath in the solo tub beside the stall.
How could I wait something like this out?he asked himself.
Seeing her like that and leaving her alone just didn’t seem like an option.
As soon as the water was running and at a temperature Xander felt was suitable, he dropped the bath bomb, watching it fizz and transform the bath water from clear to powder pink.
He set up the jasmine by her tub, going to her soon after.
“Aight, it’s set up for you,” he told her, gently moving the covers off her. “You ready?”
All she did was nod, sitting up with his help.
Xander scanned her face, sadness etched beautifully on it.
It both broke his heart and put it back together seeing her like that. He hated to see it but wanted to be there to make it right too.
