“And?” I questioned with grit in my tone. “What about you?”
“I indulge in something far more raw and honest, Miss Hudson.” I refrained from rolling my eyes since we were back to using my last name. “I give as much as I take. I have no problem biting and clawing my way to the things that tempt me. I have no issue dropping to my knees and begging when the opportunity is appropriate enough. When the person in front of me is worth my knees touching the ground for. That’s the difference between Lennon and me—he thinks everyone deserves his best, but Iknowthere are only a select few who are worthy of my time, my words, my attention.”
4
OLIVIA
Iwas speechless and a little hungry.
What felt like an entire hour passed, though I wasn’t exactly sure since I didn’t have my phone. I realized now leaving it in my car wasn’t exactly smart. In the future, I’d bring the damn thing with me no matter what.
Thinking back to when I returned to Taylors Security for Lennon’s party, the time spent in the conference room, and how long I’d been locked in this stupid room, it had to be close to eleven or so. Midnight was right around the corner, I could feel it.
Rain continued to come down, blanketing the windows in strips of water that slid down the glass panes. The one unfortunate thing about this side of the building was that you couldn’t see the parking lot. Instead, the view overlooked another business across the road. Beyond that, the thickness of trees acted as a barrier between a quiet business street and the highway.
The weather wasn’t as bad as it had been. That was one of the small blessings life was offering. It meant that line crewswould be repairing storm damage soon, so long as it didn’t pick up again.
I hoped it wouldn’t. With every cell in my body, Iprayedit wouldn’t be much longer until we could leave. Enough time had passed that Lennon was probably home by now, walking through his door expecting to see me on the other side of it. He’d call me after not being able to find me, only to be directed to my voicemail. And that would make him worry enough to act.
Lennon might have had a few flaws, but he cared about people, always wanting them to be okay. Despite the bumps in our relationship, he’d find me. I just didn’t know how long that would take.
My stomach rumbled, my hunger pangs making themselves known, but I stayed where I was on my chair that I pulled close to the windows. My head was propped against the glass, and I didn’t budge. Instead, I counted the droplets I could see and thought about how I was going to break the news to Lennon that I couldn’t be with him anymore.
I did that until my stomach grumbled in discomfort again and embarrassment colored my cheeks. Because, that time, it was loud enough for Weston to hear.
“Go feed yourself,” he grumbled from that initial chair he claimed. He didn’t do anything in the time I stared at the water on the window. Didn’t speak a word. Didn’t even move. For a little while there, I wondered if he had turned into a statue. A real life stone replica oftheWeston Taylors.
I didn’t bother responding, but I did lift my head from the glass. A swirl of dizziness set in, but I clenched my jaw until it faded away. It probably didn’t help that I had little to eat all afternoon. That, paired with the obvious, well…
I centered my thoughts back on Weston. What was there to say?
My stomach growled again, this time sounding hungrier than a person who spent the last three days of their life stranded without access to food. The only reason I hadn’t eaten yet was because I wanted to make sure I could keep it down. With my headache officially fading away, I was starting to feel like I could risk it. That I’d be okay.
When I didn’t get up and adhere to his demand, shoes squeaked against the floor. Weston’s body was all dark and mysterious in the dead of night, in the dead of this room aside from the flashlight. A little while ago he brought it over to the table and clicked it off to conserve the battery.
He didn’t turn it back on. It helped that his dress shirt was white. It allowed me to follow him a little closer, even though those dark locks of his blended into the shadows of the room.
Where Lennon was all light and took after his gorgeous mother, Weston was dark, broody, and unapologetic—a replica of his father who also came across just as cryptic until he opened his mouth and showered the room in that same enchanting warmth Lennon exuded.
Most of the office sidestepped Weston because they never knew what was going to come out of his mouth. He had this predictability about him that made people flank to the walls, back and hands pressed against them, when he walked down the hall.
He ventured to the kitchen area and opened a cabinet, then closed it before doing the same to the one next to it. He reached inside, grabbed something, and folded it into his hand. There was no way I could make it out, even with my eyes well-adjusted to the lack of light.
He tossed what was in his hand on the table nearest to me. It slid across and came to a stop right before the edge. An ounce more of force and it would have plummeted to its death.
I took in the beige wrapper and the bold letters printed on it. It didn’t take me long to realize it was a protein bar, one that Taylors Security kept on hand at all times for staff. They had a whole cabinet of goodies they kept well stocked. It was one of the reasons I loved being a part of the company—because they took care of those who dedicated their time to them.
As much as Weston wanted to hide it, I knew there was a heart underneath his hardened exterior. I knew it not just because he was thoughtful and kept snacks on hand for his employees but because I saw glimpses of it in those moments I spent time with Lennon’s family.
At their cousin’s wedding, he was the only one who sat with their handicapped grandmother the entire time so she didn’t have to spend a second of it alone. During family dinners, he always offered to stay late and dry the dishes after their mother washed them. And then there was his cousin’s baby. Whenever he was within reach, he cradled her and blew raspberries until her tiny fingers happily reached for his face.
I picked up the protein bar and looked at it, the wrapper crinkling. It was chocolate chip cookie dough. The best out of all the flavors. Lemon was my least favorite. I would have preferred drinking a half gallon of milk before indulging in it, which said a lot, because I also didn’t care for milk.
“Eat.”
For no other reason than wanting to be difficult, I decided against it and placed it back on the table. I realized how that probably wasn’t best for my body, but neither was being in this room with him. “I don’t want it.”
“You're hungry. I know it and so do you. Stop holding your body hostage and give it what it needs.”
