The mangled, dark blue sheets underneath me were unfamiliar, but their wonderful scent was one I recognized right away. I lifted my head, peering around to study my surroundings. I was in a king-sized bed that sat against a grey, cinderblock wall. The alarm clock on the night table read nine o’clock in large, red numbers.
My eyes drifted to a metal frame beside the clock, and I blinked to bring it into focus. It was a black and white picture of me. It had been taken from an indefinite distance, zoomed in on my face. It was from a high angle, and it reminded me of the surveillance photos I’d seen in the Port of Providence file.
Rolling over, I hugged the pillow next to me. It smelled like Jared, and I took in a deep breath. His scent was incredible—like line-dried laundry, soap and something else…the way it smells when it’s about to rain?—I couldn’t put my finger on it.
The only rooms upstairs were his bedroom and a closed door to what was likely the master bath. The far wall beyond the end of the bed wasn’t a wall at all, only a metal railing.
I heard Jared’s voice speaking to someone else in French downstairs. His company’s voice was distinctly female. They argued in hushed tones, and in my limited knowledge of French I thought I heard Jared reprimand the woman for waking me.
This piqued my interest, so I tiptoed to the railing to steal a glance at the woman below. When my fingers met the metal bar, I saw that Jared and Claire were both looking up at me. I waved sheepishly and bit my lip, feeling foolish for trying to sneak up on celestial beings.
“Good morning, sweetheart.” Jared said, almost crooning.
Claire’s expression was the polar opposite of Jared’s. She glared up at me with ice blue eyes, as if she wanted to scale the wall with murder in mind. I recoiled, suddenly feeling out of place.
While avoiding her eyes, I noticed crisply folded bedding at the end of the couch. Jared had slept downstairs.
“If you’d like to shower, fresh clothes are on the dresser. You’ll find everything you need,” Jared called up to me.
On the dresser sat a neatly folded stack of clothes, and beside them a pair of boots. My eyes darted to the opposite side of the dresser where my toiletries sat. They were all from my dorm room.
“Where did you get these?”
“I had Claire bring them,” Jared explained, making his way up the stairs. When he reached the top, he pulled me to him and kissed my neck.
I glanced down to Claire, who hadn’t ceased her death stare. It was clearly more than intimidation. If Jared hadn’t been near, I would have been afraid for my life.
“Don’t worry about her. She won’t bother you,” he assured me as he pulled me away from the railing. “Did you sleep well?”
His face was positively lit up; I couldn’t recall seeing him quite so cheerful.
“I must have. I don’t remember anything after we sat on the couch.”
I ran my hands over his light blue t-shirt, letting my fingers glide over the perfect highs and lows of his chest and abdomen. He was incredible. I’d seen plenty of physiques like his on posters, commercials for exercise equipment and movies, but never in person; certainly never within my grasp.
Jared tightened his arms around me. “I was careful not to wake you. You’re so peaceful when you sleep.”
“You slept on the couch?” I said, letting my disappointment show through.
“I reconsidered…several times,” he said, his lips brushing my neck when he spoke.
“When did she bring my things?”
“Earlier. She’s been in and out a lot,” he frowned. “She’s not happy about our conversation last night. I assume it has something to do with that.” Chuckling at my inevitably worried expression, he kissed my forehead. “Breakfast will be ready soon. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
After my shower, I reluctantly crept down the stairs. Claire and Jared watched me approach the table with equal but conflicting focus.
“You’re beautiful,” Jared whispered before he kissed my cheek and pulled out a chair.
Claire continued to glower as I sat across from her.
“Claire….” Jared warned. Her irritation turned to him, then. I felt a brief moment of relief.
“Thank you for bringing my clothes, Claire,” I whispered. As soon as the words left my mouth I thought better of it. Her icy blue eyes shot back at me and I sunk back into my chair.
Jared stared at her until she shifted uncomfortably. “You’re welcome,” she grumbled, looking down at her plate.
“Ham, mushroom, green pepper and cheese omelet…toast,” Jared pointed out each with his butter knife as he spoke, and then shoved a forkful into his mouth.
I stabbed the eggs and took a bite. He was an incredible cook.
Everything he had made for me was exactly the way I liked it.
“Mmmm…that’s good. I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” I hummed.
The fork clanged against my plate as I chewed the last bit of egg, and Jared rested his chin on his hand, amused at my shameless appetite.
Claire sighed in irritation. “You should be aware that Cynthia knows Nina spent the night here last night.”
With indifference Claire watched Jared’s face morph into anger.
“And how does she know that, Claire?” he seethed.