There are two hallways branching out from my living room. One end is my room and Lianna’s bedroom. Both have bathrooms. The other hall leads to my laundry room, office, and guest room. “Your room is down that hall. First room on the right. Blue walls. Don’t fucking bother me. Understand?”
He nods quickly, and I watch him swallow slowly. “Understood.”
“Stay the fuck out of my way. This is only temporary. As soon as I prove to my sister that I can do this alone, your ass is out the door. Don’t get comfortable.” I’ll tolerate this bullshit for now. I’ll make my sister happy, and then I can be blissfully alone.
FOUR
Felix
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
It’s fine. This is fine. I mean, anything is better than being back home, right? I can handle this. I haven’t seen Grey since he stormed into his room. I’m assuming he has a bathroom in there because he hasn’t emerged even once since this morning and it’s nearly four in the afternoon.
He has to be hungry, right? I know I am. I’m starting to get a headache. It’s nearly four now, so Steven won’t be home for another hour. I wonder what he’ll think coming home to an empty house. This isn’t the first time I’ve run away.
Part of me is afraid he’ll show up here even though logically it would be impossible for him to track me down. He’s at work now. I was careful. I need to relax. I’m safe. I have nothing to worry about.
I guess I have one thing to worry about, and that’s Grey firing me. I know he’s not happy I’m here, I get it, but it’s hard to remind myself that it’s not personal. It’s not, right?
I will make the best of it.
I want to show him I’m here to help. I know nothing about what he’s going through, but I do know injuries, and that swelling he has looks dangerous. I want him to rest. If he’s constantly moving, it won’t heal. Alyssa warned me that he was stubborn and growly, but she insisted he wasn’t violent.
I’ve walked on eggshells for a while now. I’m used to it. It’s like living with a rescue animal—you’re not sure whether they’re going to attack. Yeah, he’s angry and a bit of an asshole, but there’s this sadness in his eyes that I saw when his friends came over earlier.
I walk into the living room with my bullet journal clutched in my hands. It’s a nice size room with a wraparound couch and a recliner that he should probably make more use of. I’m not a medical professional by any means, but his knee looked really inflamed.
I’m hungry, and I’m sure he is too, but I feel weird about helping myself to his kitchen.
I know Alyssa assumed Grey would tell me everything, but he’s been content to just pretend I don’t exist. I can’t be afraid to do my job. So what if he yells? I’ve dealt with worse.
I’m done letting people bully me. This is my job, and I intend to do it.
I set my journal down and go to the kitchen. It’s spacious, with an island in the middle that has a sink and a butcher block to prep food on. Taking a deep breath I calm myself. I dealt with Steven for eight years; this is nothing. I can do this.
While this is a beautiful home, it is a bit of a mess. Everything looks very rustic. So, after I find the cleaning supplies under the sink, I unload the dishwasher and load it up again, then I clean off the counters before trying to figure out dinner. I look in the fridge, not seeing much. I wonder howoften he shops. Someone as big as him must eat a ton, yet there isn’t much here to speak of.
Steven and I used to get our groceries delivered. He’d give me money, which I’d have to budget well. I’d convinced him we needed to tip the drivers, but instead I stole the tips for nearly a year and a half. I’m not proud of myself, but I had no other way out. I had to save enough money to find a place to stay if I needed it. I wanted to save a little more, but as soon as I saw this job I knew I had to try. Now I’ll make my own real money. Alyssa is holding onto my first few paychecks until I can get a bank account.
Which means going into town.
I’ll do it soon. Just not right now. I don’t know if he’ll be able to find me, but I don’t want to take the risk.
Inside the fridge I find pizza dough. Okay, I can work with that. I pull it out and grab the block of mozzarella, and I find sauce in one of the forest-green cabinets. Cheese pizza it is. It’s the best I can do until I ask him about groceries. I don’t know what this guy’s deal is, but if this morning is how he treats his friends, I’m scared about how he’ll treat me if I’m around him for more than a few minutes.
With the dough on the counter, I go out to the living room and clean up the empty beer bottles, plates, and the few cups left sitting out, then I wipe down the coffee table, then I clean up and wipe down the dining room table. At the end of the hall, I find the vacuum. His rug could use it, but I don’t want to make too much noise. Instead, I make my way down to my room.
I peek inside. It’s a nice size, with navy-blue walls and a queen-sized bed.
A bed to myself.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, blinking away the sting in my eyes. This is it. I’ve done it. I never have to go back. I live here now.
What if Grey means what he says and kicks me out, though?
I just need to stay here long enough for a couple of paychecks. Alyssa is paying me really well—almost too much, I think. And how hard could this job be? If I save every dollar, I can look into moving far away. To do what? I have no clue. I’ve never really had a drive or passion like most people I grew up with. I had no dream careers and no real ambition other than living a quiet life.
The thing is, I actually enjoyed taking care of the home and the thought of Steven working to care for me. The first year was magic. I don’t know what happened, but the magic faded fast.
