14. Christian
christian
As soon as we landed, I texted Sage insisting I watch Arlo while she was at work tonight.
I was glad my parents were there to help, but I missed my dog.
I was exhausted from traveling, my body in need of a massage from being tossed, but I was bound and determined to stay awake on the couch while we waited for Sage to come pick him up.
Arlo wasn’t about to wait up for her, already curled up in the dog bed I had for him.
He was sound asleep, his feet twitching as he ran after squirrels in his puppy dreams.
A soft knock rapped at the door a little past two thirty in the morning and I went to open it. Sage looked up, her face ashen and her mouth pinched, like she was holding herself back from vomiting.
“What’s wrong?” I immediately asked, my shoulders stiffening.
“Nothing.” She shook her head, but her eyes didn’t meet mine.
Arlo rose at the sound of her voice, slowly getting up and stretching, his tail wagging before coming to greet her.
“Hey, buddy,” she said, leaning over to scratch his head.
But her hand was trembling.
“Sage?” I reached out to her, taking her hand. It was ice cold and she didn’t pull back like I expected her to. “What happened?
“It’s nothing. It’s almost three and we should probably get going.”
I took a step toward her, Arlo shifting to sit on her feet. He could read her too. Something was wrong.
“You look like you’re about to pass out. Are you feeling okay?”
Her throat bobbed like she was trying to swallow a lump. I ducked my head trying to catch her gaze, but she avoided eye contact. I took her other hand, warming them between mine.
“I—I—” She scanned the apartment as if to make sure her brother was nowhere in sight.
I hadn’t seen him since ten when he disappeared in his room. Pretty sure Betty kept him up way too late before we had to leave for the airport.
“I think I just need sleep,” she managed to say, but her voice was strained, like she was holding back tears.
“Sage, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?” I was fighting to keep my voice low so I didn’t wake Kale.
She swayed a little on her feet, tearing her hand from mine to cover her mouth. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she said from behind her palm.
It was then that I saw her eyes, brimming with tears, fear reflecting in their depths.
“Come on, let me get you to the bathroom.” I guided her away from the front door, shutting it behind her, and walking her to the hall bathroom.
She rushed to the toilet, dropping to her knees. I didn’t skip a beat, pulling her hair away from her face as she retched into the toilet bowl.
“Shh,” I soothed, rubbing her back while she heaved. “Get it all out.”
Believe it or not, I’d done this a time or two for her brother after partying too hard. It had been awhile though.
“Ugh.” She groaned. “I hate throwing up.”
“Don’t know anyone who would disagree.” I continued rubbing her back while I held her hair back. Her thick wavy hair was like silk under my fingers. It was rare for her to have it down, tonight she had a red bandana tied into a headband to keep most of it out of her face.
After a few beats with her trying to steady her breath and make sure she was done vomiting, I helped her back up.
I reached beneath the sink for my mouthwash, pouring some into the cap and handing it to her. “Here. Get that taste out of your mouth.”
She took it willingly, swishing it around her mouth and spitting it out.
I took it from her, rinsing the cap and returning the bottle beneath the sink. “Come sit down on the couch and I’ll get you some water.”
“Okay.” Her voice was small and I hated to hear it, making my heart clench. She wasn’t fighting me on it either, which was making me even more worried.
I went to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water and returned to the couch where she sat with Arlo. Her eyes were glazed in a blank stare while she aimlessly stroked his fur.
Something was definitely wrong.
“Here,” I said, offering the water to her. She took it, but she still didn’t break her stare. Color had yet to return to her face. I untwisted the cap for her. “Drink.”
Her eyes flicked to mine, but now they looked tired and dazed while she brought the water to her lips.
“Just little sips,” I advised, not wanting her to vomit the water back up. I waited for her to take a few sips before asking her, “Are you sick?”
Her thumb picked at the bottle label. She shook her head.
“Did something happen tonight?”
She glimpsed over her shoulder as if to check that her brother was still in his room asleep, her eyes briefly met mine, before returning to the bottle in her lap. “My ex showed up at the bar tonight.”
My brows shot up and my body went rigid. If she had this much of a physical response to running into her ex, then this wasn’t going to be good.
“Did you know he was in town?”
She shook her head. “He found me. I’m not sure how, but he did.” Her voice was low, trembling with emotion as she held back tears.
“Is he staying in town?” I asked, trying to control my rising anger that was like a fist in my gut.
“I think so.” Her head whipped up to look out the dark windows where you could only see the parking lot lamps of our apartment complex.
It was a quiet complex, especially in the early mornings.
It was silent. Not even the sound of a car driving by or a door closing at this hour.
“He could have followed me after work. I—I—I don’t know if he knows where I live. ”
“Shit, Sage.” She was trembling again. I didn’t even need to ask if it was a bad breakup, because it obviously was. This was far worse than that. I inched closer, but Arlo sat between us, a paw resting on her leg as if he knew she needed his comfort. “Has he hurt you?”
She sucked in a shaky breath as if to steady herself. “He did, when we were together.” Her head turned to me then, her eyes pleading with me. “You can’t tell my brother — please promise me — or anyone for that matter.”
“Sage, I don’t think—”
“Please, Christian.” Her please nearly broke me.
I inhaled a deep breath and reluctantly nodded. “You’re going to need to stay here tonight, then. I don’t feel right letting you drive home when you’re sick. And this guy could be out there waiting for you.”
“But Kale, he’ll—”
“Let me worry about Kale. Drink some more water.”
She obediently tipped the bottle to her lips.
“Come on, let me get you set up in my room.”
Sage shook her head. “No, Christian. I’m not sleeping in your bed.”
I helped her up off the couch, drawing her to me. I could feel her heart thumping through her chest, her body trembling with fear. This wasn’t good. I was torn between wanting to provide her with comfort and wanting to go find this guy and have him meet my fist.
“I’m taking the couch. Let me get some fresh sheets and I’ll text my parents so they don’t worry.”
“Christian, do you really think this is a good idea?”
“Do you really think I’m going to let you leave here when there may be a psycho ex waiting for you out there? I don’t think so. You’re going to have to deal with my bossy side.”
A hint of a smile twitched at one corner of her mouth. “You’re annoying.”
“But it secretly turns you on right?” I teased back, hoping I could pull out a slightly larger smile and help break the tension.
She scoffed and gave me a little push away from her before following me to the bedroom.