Me:
Send me your location and then stay put.
There’s a beat before she responds.
Kia:
Are you serious?
Me:
Dead serious. Send it now.
A few seconds pass that are nearly enough to take years off my life before she sends her location with a pin. I’m already messaging the car service I use. It’s so damn tempting to pick her up myself, but I can’t leave Elody alone.
Me:
A driver is on the way. He’ll be there in five. I’m calling you, and we’re going to stay on the line until he arrives.
I hit the call button before she can argue.
She answers on the second ring. “That’s not?—”
“Yes, it absolutely is.” My voice comes out gruffer than I intend. “Just stay put.”
Kia goes silent as the noise of the city fills the space between us. There’s traffic, distant music, and the shuffle of someone walking by.
“Are you okay?” I ask, gripping the phone tighter and pacing the living room, unable to keep still.
“I’m fine,” she mutters. “Just embarrassed. And cold.”
“Get near a building entrance,” I tell her. “Somewhere well lit.”
There’s the sound of feet moving and then an exhale from the other end of the line. We stay on the phone until the driver arrives, only hanging up when she’s safely tucked inside the car and the door is closed behind her.
Even though I know she’s safe, the tension doesn’t drain from my muscles as I continue pacing, glancing toward the elevator every thirty seconds.
What the hell is taking so long?
It’s been approximately…
Five minutes.
Why does it feel more like thirty?
When the elevator finally dings, the sound jolts through me as I stalk toward the entryway. The doors slide open, and she steps out. Her cheeks are flushed from the cold, and a few more strands of golden hair have escaped her bun.
A part of me settles and unravels at the same time as my gaze combs over her, making sure she’s all right.
“You shouldn’t be walking around alone in the city at night,” I snap. “It’s not safe.”
Her eyes widen as she stutters to a stop. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.”
I don’t tell her she did. Nor do I tell her that my heart has been lodged in the middle of my throat since the second I realized she wasn’t at Oliver’s. And I certainly don’t tell her that seeing her step out of the elevator is enough to weaken my knees with relief, making them feel rubbery.
Instead, I jerk my head in a nod. “The next time this happens, you call me.”
When she blinks, I have the strangest urge to eat up the distance between us and tug her into my arms. That’s the moment I realize just how fucked I am where this woman is concerned.
