Chapter 14
ANNA
My wet hair is dripping onto the floor, creating tiny puddles every time I pause to gather my panicked thoughts.
I had no time to dry it or put it in a towel because Jenny had blown up my phone with egregious news.
“You still there?” Her voice crashes through the chaotic shouting in my head.
I pace our apartment from the entrance through the living room and kitchen and down to our bedrooms and back up. Every so often, I struggle to breathe and not lose my shit again and have to stop. “Yeah, here. I’m…thinking.”
We just got an email from our landlord, Jerry, stating he’s raising our rent again but this time by five hundred dollars.
He wants to renovate the building to make sure the tenants get the best living experience, among other things.
It’s a load of bullshit. They gave that exact reason last year, just worded differently.
Jenny went to see her grandma again, so she’s not here to freak out with me.
I know I have the money Sylas gave me, but after giving half to Jenny as promised, I planned to save the rest for culinary school and bills.
“I don’t know how we’re going to manage,” she breathes out.
We’re barely hanging on as it is. “We could…” Her voice wavers and she murmurs something under her breath.
“We could…This is bullshit,” she grumbles, then goes silent.
I drag my phone away from my ear to make sure she didn’t hang up. “I have an idea.”
The hesitation in her voice has me on edge. “Yeah?”
“We could move in with my grandma.”
“You moved out for a reason,” I remind her.
Jenny’s grandma lives with other family members who know no bounds of personal space. They hardly have space as it is; I don’t want to be the reason they have less of it. She also lives an hour from here, so commuting would be a nightmare.
“I know.” She sighs. “That’s the last place I want to go back to, but it’s the only option that comes to mind.”
My socked feet squelch with every step I take, the puddles larger than I had realized.
I compile a list of apartments we’ve looked through before, but I know they’ll either cost as much as we pay now or more. They’ll also be smaller, but that’s the least of our worries. I don’t know if they’ll even be available this time of year.
“I don’t know what we’ll do.” Dread pierces her words.
“I—I,” I stammer, tipping my head back and staring at the brown water stains on the ceiling.
Tears prick my eyes and my nose burns, but I refuse to let myself cry.
If I do, I’ll do the stupid thing and call my parents, and that’s the last thing I want to do.
My head throbs as I try to think of something, but nothing comes to mind.
Except for not wanting to stress out Jenny more than she already is.
“Let me think it through. You just worry about your grand—”
“No, I can drive back and—”
“No,” I insist. “Stay with your grandma. She needs you and I know you want to be with her. Let me think it through, and once I come up with something, I’ll call you. Okay?”
Jenny is the most selfless person I’ve ever met. She has gone above and beyond for me, and I want to do the same for her.
She goes silent again, but I know she hasn’t hung up. She’s thinking it through and at her groan, I know she’s going to concede. “Okay, but I’ll be thinking too. We’re going to be okay.”
“We are. We’ll be okay.” I force a smile despite her not being here to see it. “Say hi to her for me.”
I hang up, stop at the kitchen, and drop my head on the laminate countertop.
I have no clue what I’m going to do. I’m not tutoring anyone because we’re on winter break. I make good tips at the restaurant but not enough to cover a rent hike. Cleaning is going okay, but I’m not doing it as much because of the break. My business is doing okay, but I’m not making hundreds.
It’s the holidays, so surely someone will hire me. They have to. I’ll drop to my knees and beg. That’s how desperate I am.
“Fuck you, Jerry!”
Just as I push off the counter, my phone vibrates in my hand. When I look at the screen, I’m stunned.
Sylas: I need a favor
I have no idea what he could want from me, but that doesn’t stop my heart from racing or the stupid flutters in my stomach from erupting. My gaze dips to the tattoo on my arm, my regret now tenfold.
My fingers twitch to reply, but I stop myself. Would I look desperate if I answered him right away? I shouldn’t, but curiosity gets the better of me.
Me: Not sure if I should be offended you didn’t greet me or happy you’re getting straight to the point
Sylas: You want me to greet you?
Me: Obviously! Where are your manners?
Sylas: Left them somewhere in the corner of Salt where I made you come
My jaw drops, and a disbelieving laugh slips past my mouth. We haven’t talked about it much, and I figured we’d continued to ignore it.
A towel is the only thing wrapped around my body, but it feels like I’m wearing thick layers because I’m burning up thinking of that night.
Sylas: I could make it happen again. Just say the word
Do I want it to happen again? Do I want that? Should I say something? No. Stop being horny. You have bigger issues than thinking about orgasms.
Me: What’s the favor?
Sylas: Hi, Anna. How are you doing?
My lips stretch in a way that makes me anxious. Why am I smiling?
Me: Hi, Sylas. I’m okay. How are you?
Sylas: Better now that you’ve answered
It’s so corny but I’m smiling so big, my cheeks ache.
Me: Stop
Sylas: Stop what?
Me: Whatever it is you’re doing
Sylas: What am I doing?
Me: You know exactly what
Sylas: I don’t. Tell me
Me: You’re trying to be cute or whatever because you need a favor
Sylas: Or whatever
Me: Please don’t send me that emoji. Are you going to tell me or what?
Sylas: Come meet me
That kills everything inside me. It’s eleven p.m. The last thing I want to do is go out. It’s brutally cold outside.
Me: NO! I just got out of work and I’m exhausted. Tell me now or I’m blocking you
Sylas: Come meet me. I promise it’ll be worth it
Me: Nothing is worth going out at this time of day. Especially to see you
Sylas: You’re breaking my heart, meu bem
Me: That sounds like a personal problem. I’d have to have it to do that. And what does that mean?
Sylas: Now you have it. It means my dear
Oh God, my heart. Stay still, calm down, I tell it.
Me: You’re so lame. Please don’t tell me this is how you flirt?
Sylas: I’m not flirting
Me: Then what do you call this lame attempt at whatever it is you’re doing?
Sylas: My attempt at getting you to smile. Did it work?
My lips could be touching my ears from how big I’m smiling. I’m fucked.
Me: No. I’m not easily impressed
Sylas: But easily convinced. Easily…
Me: Easily what?
Sylas: Oops. Meant to say easy* At least you were that night, right? Be easy for me. Come meet me. Please, meu bem
I should block him, but instead my body has the audacity to easily react to that. My core tightens as do my nipples and a throb grows between my thighs.
Me: No. You come to me
Sylas: I can do that
My fingers hover above the keyboard.
Me: You can? You’ll come?
Sylas: I’m here. Open the door
My gaze jumps to the front door then down to the towel wrapped around my body and the trail of puddles I left.
Me: Have you been here this entire time?
Sylas: A few minutes now. You really think I’d make you come to me? What kind of asshole do you think I am?
I’m stuck in a stupor. I don’t immediately reply until a few knocks on my door echo around my apartment. “Hi, Anna,” I hear on the other side.
My pulse quickens, but my body freezes in place. I glance down at the towel then the puddles again.
Me: The kind of asshole that doesn’t warn me
I grab a wad of paper towels and clean up the mess I made. Then I run to my room, throw something on, and wrap my hair in a towel.
When I pick up my phone again, there’s three messages from him.
Sylas: I wanted to surprise you. Surprise!!
Sylas: I’ll leave if you don’t want me here
Sylas: I should’ve warned you, but that defeats the purpose of a surprise
Me: You must be desperate for this favor
My reply is nonchalant, but I feel everything but that. It’s embarrassing and probably pathetic, but I’m happy that he’s here. I shouldn’t be, but I am. I tell myself to chill out as I open the door.
He stands on the other side wearing a beanie, a thick black jacket, and light gray joggers. The tip of his nose is faintly pink as are the apples of his cheeks. When his eyes land on me, his dimples appear and his eyes brighten.
“Very…desperate.” His gaze sweeps over me in a long, slow motion. I’m not wearing anything cute, just an oversized graphic T-shirt and sweatpants. “Were you surprised?”
I keep my face blasé but my lips twitch, tempted to rise. “You showed up unexpectedly. How else am I supposed to react?”
“Ecstatically. Jumping for joy,” he delivers wryly. “It’s me we’re talking about.”
I don’t mean to, but I laugh, and that makes him chuckle. “You think too much of yourself.”
“I do.” He shrugs indifferently like he doesn’t care about how that’ll come off. It should be annoying, but I find it hot.
Stepping to the side, I welcome him in and exhale quietly as I stand behind him, getting myself together.
“What’s so important you decided to show up now? You know, it’s close to midnight.” I motion for him to sit on the other end of the sofa.
It’s weird having him here. He’s so tall, taking up so much space I struggle to breathe. Just a few weeks ago we knew nothing of each other; now we’re talking as if we’ve been friends for a while and getting matching tattoos. But as odd as this is, it’s strange how comfortable I feel around him.
“I do. That’s why I’m here. It’s important.” He shifts so he’s facing me.
We’re sitting on opposite ends of the sofa, but we could be sitting miles away from each other and it still wouldn’t feel far enough. He feels so close, chills run down my body and it tenses with anticipation.
“Okay, I’m all ears.”
“I need you to be my girlfriend again.”