But could I get him there without waking him? I wasn’t sure I could, but the daddy in me demanded I make him comfortable. We hardly knew a thing about one another, but his dino pj’s and distress when he got locked out shouted little to me. He either was one and knew it, was one and didn’t know it, or could be described as “little-adjacent.”
No matter which, he needed to be cared for—okay, I needed to care for him. Same result. So, I stood up and moved to lift him, the Minky blanket sliding free as I did. Ridge whimpered, and I shifted him in my arms and reached for the blanket, putting it atop him.
He sighed and cuddled closer, still asleep so far as I could tell. Entering the bedroom, I used one hand to pull the duvet down and fluff the pillows. Ridge’s limp weight in my arms moved me in ways I didn’t want to think too much about. Little or not, he did not belong to me and had done and said nothing to imply that he wanted more than someone to help him get back into the apartment across the hall.
But the fact he was so dead asleep told me that he was more tired than cat-sitting should create. And if so, waking him was completely off the table. When he woke on his own, he could take the keys and go across the hall.
For now, I covered him up, making sure the crocheted blanket lay under his hands where he could feel it. My sister’s gift had never been put to such good use.
After getting him settled in, I went out to the couch, reaching for the blanket that was usually on the back but now was on my bed with Ridge. So, I lay back and went to sleep.
Chapter Five
Ridge
I hadn’t meant to fall asleep, and I definitely didn’t mean to spend the night. I’d been so snug under the blanket, and there was this sense of safety when being with Memphis, like he’d protect me from any badness. One second, I was closing my eyes for just a moment, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in his bed.
My guess was that Memphis hadn’t minded because I fell asleep on the couch and woke up in his bed, wrapped in the blanket that his sister made, too. I wanted to stay there all snuggly and warm, but I had a ton of things scheduled for today, and the early morning ones had to be done in the early morning. There was no postponing the inevitable. It was time to get up and leave.
I climbed out of bed, looking around for Memphis but not seeing him. I wouldn’t have been mad if he had slept next to me, but I understood why he wouldn’t want to. I was a stranger he found in the hallway, and it was risky having me in the apartment in the first place. Stranger danger and all that. Although, the argument could be made that he didn’t let me in. He insisted I come in.
Why’d he have to look so good last night? There was no reason I couldn’t have waited in the hallway for building maintenance. If I’d done that, at least I wouldn’t be in his bedroom overthinking every second we’d spent together.
It didn’t take much for me to find my keys after leaving the bedroom. He’d even washed them from the looks of it. I could only imagine what was on them to warrant that. He didn’t so much as stir, his sleeping form on the couch. I took his lack of waking as a sign that I should let him sleep.
I found a piece of paper and scribbled a thank-you note for him, drawing two little cats next to it. They both thanked him, too. It was cute or weird, I wasn’t sure which. Then, I snuck out and went back to my cat-sitting gig.
The cats didn’t seem to notice me coming in, not until I fed them. It gave me my few moments of the morning where I was their favorite person, before they went back to ignoring me.
“I see how it is. I’m only good for feeding you.”
I got ready as quickly as I could and headed across town to start my first job of the day, which was running errands for an older woman who had a lot of money and didn’t want to bother with what she called “menial tasks.” It worked for me. I got paid to do her shopping, and when I needed things from those same places, it was almost like I got paid to do my own as well.
Today, she had a much longer list than normal, including some dry cleaning, which had me almost wishing I’d brought my car. Almost because parking in the city was one of my least-favorite things, so it really took a lot for me to definitively wish I’d brought my car. My bike had a basket, and I’d become good at balancing items. Paired with her dry cleaning only being a couple of blazers, I easily made it work.
From there, I switched modes to food delivery, keeping my radius small. When I first started using my bike for deliveries, people always questioned it. “Couldn’t you do more with your car?”
And I always answered, “Absolutely not.” I was able to get orders delivered faster, not having to worry about traffic or parking, and was even able to take shortcuts through parks.
As refreshed as I felt in the morning, by the end of the day, I was dragging. I opted not to do a full dinner shift, giving up at six, just when things were getting busy. It was also when a lot of the orders started, including alcohol. I didn’t care who did or didn’t drink, but having to check IDs slowed me down and madethe job less profitable, even though, on paper, it should have been more because the orders were more expensive. There were some days, I didn’t want the hassle and today was one of them.
What I longed to do was get another great night’s sleep, but I was pretty sure knocking on a virtual stranger’s door and asking to sleep in their bed wasn’t appropriate.
On the way back to the apartment, I passed a bakery that I went to quite a bit for deliveries. It was an Asian-European fusion place that had some really adorable pastries, including some that looked like cats.
A few days later, I couldn’t keep the place out of my head. Memphis needed a thank-you for that night, not from me but from the cats, and they were perfect for that. I thought it was the cutest idea ever and was excited to see the look on his face when I gave them to him. But he wasn’t home, so instead, I left it at his door, hoping it would make him smile.
When I went out to work the next morning, the box was gone. He’d gotten them. I was disappointed I hadn’t heard him when he came home so I could watch him through the peephole, but this was probably better. I was reading far too much into our short encounter and if I kept doing so, I was only going to lead myself directly into hurt city.
For all I knew, he wasn’t even into guys; he was just a nice man doing a temporary neighbor a favor. And who was I kidding. A man like him wouldn’t be interested in a guy like me, one who had no steady job and was content with that. He probably wanted the same kind of man my family wanted me to be…smart, successful, and rich.
And technically, I was rich. I had more money than I could ever spend. Always would, because I had no plans to use it…ever. Could I get a lawyer and fight them for access and win? Probably. Would I ever? No. At the end of the day, they were my family and, while I didn’t and never would agree with theirmethods, in my heart, I knew they were doing it because they thought it was best for me.
I couldn’t say the same for me getting a lawyer. Besides, I liked my life now. I had two besties, my life was never boring, and I didn’t have to answer to a manager.
The only thing missing was a daddy. Most days, I was fine with being alone, but meeting Memphis had me wondering all the what-ifs again. Why did he have to be hot, nice, and all care-giver like?
Chapter Six
