Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
PIPER
I t’s strange to be in a person’s home alone when I only met them the day before. I guess technically I didn’t know my roommates before I moved in with them, but they were women.
Garfield hops around and tries to catch a ball that rolls on its own. There’s a feather sticking out of it, and he’s desperate to catch it. Somehow I’ve gone from living with two girls to two boys. Wait, Landon isn’t a boy. He’s all man, and that man kissed the heck out of me.
Everything with him has come naturally. It was probably a terrible idea to kiss him back, but I couldn’t deny my attraction to him.
The man not only made me safe, but there’s a calmness that surrounded me when I was close to him.
Even now I’m missing the peace he brings, and I’ve only been without him for a few hours.
When I woke up, Landon was already fully dressed for work and in the kitchen making us breakfast. I felt bad because I should have set an alarm and made him breakfast. I am, after all, his temporary house manager.
Temporary, I remind myself. I need to keep in mind that this isn’t a fairy tale. Life might try and trick me into thinking I’ve found something special, but it never lasts. The bottom falls out of everything.
"What are you doing, silly butt?" I laugh when Garfield tumbles over the ball, missing it completely.
Scooping him into my hand, I put a kiss on his head and smile at the memory of the kiss Landon gave me before he left for work.
It was a quick kiss on the lips, but again, it felt totally natural.
Like he’d done it a hundred times before.
When he got to the elevator, I could have sworn the man didn't want to leave.
He even asked if I was sure he didn’t need me to stay, then he offered to move a meeting.
It was sweet, but he has a life, and I don’t want to come off needy.
Landon is used to being alone, so I worry that my presence here will annoy him.
If I’m the temporary house manager, I’m supposed to make his life easier, not add stress to it.
The room I picked last night was the one closest to his. Landon tried to persuade me to take his room, but I was adamant that I didn’t want it. I knew it would make me feel uncomfortable, especially after all he’s done for me.
What I have noticed is that whenever I push back, Landon backs down. I’m guessing this isn’t typical behavior for him because I’m betting a lawyer would push until they got what they wanted.
Last night there was part of me that wanted to share his bed, but I didn’t dare tell him. Besides being incredibly shy, I didn’t want to put him in a weird spot. All he did was kiss me. There was no reason for me to try to get into his bed. No matter how safe he made me feel.
That’s what I keep coming back to, even now. The idea of sharing a bed with a man who is practically a stranger should freak me out, but it doesn’t. I slept like a rock when I fell asleep in his lap and he had his arms around me. I can’t remember the last time anything felt so good.
Putting Garfield on the bed, I go to the bathroom to gather my clothes from yesterday. Landon gave me one of his shirts to sleep in, but if I'm going to be staying here, I need to go back to my place and pack a few things.
I do my best to get myself ready with what I have, and once I’m finished, I turn to Garfield. "Are you going to be okay for a couple of hours?"
I don't want to leave him, and if I were only going out for something quick, I would take him with me. I’ll need to carry all of my belongings with my hands, so like it or not, he stays here.
Once I set up the bathroom with everything he could possibly need, I also make sure there is nothing that he can get into that might hurt him.
Now I understand why people have baby cameras with apps they can view when they are away from them. I realize I'm being ridiculous, so I give him one last kiss on the head before I find my cell phone to head out.
The elevator takes me down to the lobby, but it’s not until I step off and the doors close behind me that I realize I don’t have a way to get back in.
“Crap,” I mutter to myself, pulling out my phone. I’m not sure what I’m going to do.
I’d forgotten to ask Landon for his phone number, but I suppose I could call the law office.
I dismiss that thought because he’s working, and I don’t want to interrupt him.
Waiting in the lobby until he gets back might be tacky, though.
A girl in worn jeans and dirty sneakers sitting in a fancy lobby with overstuffed trash bags sounds embarrassing for Landon. They might also call the police on me.
I hurry out of the building and to the bus stop down the block. While I’m getting on, I ask myself what the heck I’m doing with Landon. The man lives in a whole other world than me, and no matter how hard I try, it’s one that I’ll never fit into. The thought is depressing.
I’m trying not to let my mood spiral as I hop off one bus and run to catch the next.
It takes a total of three buses to make it back to my apartment building, and when I get there, it somehow appears more rundown than I remember.
It’s silly because I was here yesterday. I guess Landon is already ruining me.
I find my key to the building in the bottom of my bag as I make my way up the sidewalk.
Turns out I don't end up needing it since the lock is busted. Sadly, it’s not abnormal for it to be broken, so I take the stairs, not trusting the elevator.
When I get to my apartment, I try the door, and it’s unlocked.
I go to push it open, but the chain on the door stops me from entering.
"Hey," I call out.
"Hold on!" Ciara shouts back in her usual annoyed tone. She’s always in a bad mood, which is the complete opposite of my other roommate, Angel. She hardly ever speaks at all, but I don’t think she likes anyone.
I stand there for over a minute before she finally comes and undoes the chain. "We need a new lock,” she informs me as I enter. “So use the chain."
"What's wrong with it?"
"It's busted. You can turn it, but it doesn’t lock."
"The entry one is busted too."
"Yeah, I think it might have been the same person." Ciara rolls her eyes before going to the futon we have in the living room and plopping down.
“Someone broke our lock?” That’s a big deal, and she’s saying it so casually.
“Yeah, but it didn’t look like they took anything.” She shrugs.
“Did you check my room?”
“No, you don’t have anything to steal.” I ignore her and go straight to my bedroom.
Ciara didn’t even notice that I didn’t come home last night. I could go missing for days, and no one would notice. I bet alarm bells would only go off when I didn’t pay rent. That’s a sad thought.
I flip on the light and look around. Ciara isn’t wrong, I don’t have anything of importance to steal except for my laptop. I keep it tucked under my twin mattress, and when I reach for it, it’s still there.
Nothing appears to be taken, but I get the sense someone was in here.
The cap is missing from my body spray, and a few of my drawers are partially open.
It’s only a couple of small things being out of place, but with the size of my bedroom, I’ve made it a habit to keep everything organized.
Maybe I was so worried about the meeting with Mr. Wilson that in my distress I didn’t put everything back in its place.
I go to my closet and grab the one and only bag I have.
I thought about using a trash bag for some of my clothes, but it will be way too embarrassing if I have to sit in the lobby and wait for Landon.
As I shove my things into my bag and really look over everything I own, I wonder if I'm making the right decision. I can’t see all my worn-out stuff in Landon’s home. It doesn’t fit with his nice place.
No matter how hard I tried to get to know my roommates, I never felt like I belonged here. We don’t talk, and most of the time it’s like I’m intruding on their space. Now I’m not sure I belong in Landon's world either.
I walk over to my bed and flop onto it, feeling overwhelmed.
Where do I really belong?