12. Chapter 12 #2
My thoughts stray to Daria. How her dark eyes flashed with annoyance at the reception until I offered her a place to live, and even then, she still glared at me like the very earth I tread on offends her. Now she’s moved in, and she still would rather scowl at me than offer a kind smile.
“She doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
Max’s eyebrow hitches. “But she moved in with you.”
“Yeah. Because she didn’t have any other options.”
Max blows out a breath. “Looks like you’ve got yourself in a pickle. But don’t you think she’ll soften some after living with you for a while? You’re a great guy and she’s bound to see that. Maybe eventually you could try again.”
“No. She’s made it abundantly clear that if I ever make a move, I would be taking advantage of the situation. And…” I shrug. “I agree with her. I can’t pursue a woman who’s living under my roof.”
“You and your noble ideals.” Max scoffs before getting to his feet and pacing a few steps in front of me.
“Well, if you still have feelings for her but are committed to being a monk while she’s living with you, the least you could do is get her to see a different side of you.
Let her get to know the soft, squishy teddy bear you are underneath all that muscle. ”
I stand and turn my back on Max, head shaking.
“What?” He laughs. “You’re a teddy bear !”
“Whatever. I don’t have time to sit around and girl talk with you all night.” I finish the rest of my drink, then toss it in a nearby trash can. “How’s Lexi?” I ask over my shoulder.
“She’s all right. Her last treatment is on Wednesday.”
“That’s good news. How’s she taking it?”
I turn in time to see him lift one shoulder in a shrug. “As good as can be expected. She's ecstatic to be cancer free, but also nervous. Says it feels too good to be true.”
I nod, feeling for Max’s sister. Lexi’s been going through chemo for the last six months to rid her body of the cancer the doctors found last year.
“Tell her I’m praying for her, will you? And you too.”
He dips his chin with a sniff and turns away. “Yeah, man. I will. See you on the deck, yeah?”
“Yeah. See ya, Max.”
Leaving the crew lounge, we part ways. I’m heading to Chicago tonight, while he’s headed to Denver.
We’ll both meet up in Nashville the day after tomorrow and fly back together.
I’ll be gone for the next three days flying in and out of major cities.
Right now, I’m glad for the time away. I’ll likely need it to clear my head.
It’s the hours in the air where I sort out the things I can’t seem to get a handle on in my life.
The days away will give me time to mentally work through how to approach this weird new relationship I’ve found myself in with Daria.
Yeah, we’re roommates. But friends? The possibility of more?
It seems hopeless. Especially now that we’re living together.
There are times I think she’s starting to warm up to me, then it’s like we take ten steps back and she’s cold all over again.
Ah, well. It’s just four weeks, right? I can do anything for that long. Said the most na?ve optimist ever.
“I’m ready for bed,” I tell Max as we head out of the crew lounge. Jet lag is a very real thing, even for pilots who experience it on a regular basis. The past few days flew by quickly, but I’m feeling every single hour now.
“Yeah, me too.” His voice is weary, almost like he didn’t get enough sleep.
“You good? You sound more tired than usual.”
He rubs a hand over the scruff on his jaw before his mouth spreads into a slow smile. “Yeah, I’m good. Might’ve met someone in Denver.”
I tilt my head and deadpan, “Really. Another someone?”
“Listen, man. I know you like living like a monk over in Hicktown, but that’s not me. I’ve got to spread my wings, see what’s out there.”
I scoff, unable to stop myself. “There’s nothing wrong with commitment. Playing the field isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
Max’s expression turns thoughtful. “Is that what this is with your new roomie? The start of a… commitment ?” I open my mouth to tell him no, but he doesn’t give me the chance.
“Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just saying, you invited the girl to live with you, a girl you’re attracted to.
That sounds an awful lot like playing house to me. ”
He’s got it all wrong, but there’s not much I can say to convince him he’s wrong. I did offer up my apartment to a woman I’m attracted to—a woman I once tried to pursue. But he doesn’t understand the depths with which she despises me.
“It’s not like that, Max. She has nothing to do with my desire for a long-term, committed relationship. It’s a totally separate issue. Just helping out a mutual friend.”
“All right,” Max says with a shrug. “So you say. But if you walk in here in a few weeks talking about rings and cake, you owe me fifty bucks.”
I slap him on the shoulder. “You’re on.”
As soon as we near the exit, a familiar head of auburn hair at the bar across from us catches my eye. I freeze.
It’s been months since I’ve seen Laura. Thankfully, she didn’t notice me the last time, and I was able to skirt by unseen. Just when I think I’m about to get lucky a second time, she turns and spots me.
I swallow past the sudden constriction in my throat and avert my gaze. “Max.”
My friend stops immediately. “You all right?”
My pulse kicks up and sweat instantly collects on my lower back.
The restraining order ended months ago, but that doesn’t mean all’s forgiven.
In fact, it probably means I need to be even more careful about avoiding her.
Which has been easy for the most part. After I pressed charges, she lost her job with the airline and moved, but judging by the flight attendant’s uniform she’s wearing, she has a new position with a different airline.
I meet Max’s eyes with a warning. “At my ten o’clock.”
His cold stare finds Laura almost instantly. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.”
We’re not ten paces away before a familiar feminine voice calls out, “Dane!” I don’t turn around, and we pick up our pace.
“Isn’t she supposed to be so many yards away from you?” Max hisses.
“The restraining order expired a while ago.”
Max glances behind us, then leans in close. “I can’t believe she has the nerve to approach you in public like this.”
“Better in public than private,” I say, barely meeting his eyes. We’re just about to clear the exit when she calls my name from right behind us.
“Dane, please. Wait.”
I grit my teeth and stop. Max does too, blinking at me with a hardened expression.
“What are you doing?” he asks in a harsh whisper. “You don’t have to speak to her.”
He’s right. I don’t have to entertain this woman. I shouldn’t . Not after the harassment and stalking. But I’m not a callous person, never have been. It feels…wrong…to completely ignore her. Against my better judgment, I turn.
She looks exactly the same with bright hazel eyes surrounded by pale skin and freckles. To anyone else, she’d look like the sweet girl next door. But to me, she’s the nightmare that’s taken me months to recover from.
“Hello, Laura.” My tone isn’t friendly. Not in the least.
Her mouth flattens, pinching into an almost grimace as she glances between me and Max. I give him a look that he quickly deciphers, and he steps away, giving us a moment of privacy. True to his protective nature, he doesn’t go far. I don’t miss the way he watches us.
“Listen, Dane,” she says almost timidly. “I know I’m the last person you want to speak to right now, but…” She inhales deeply, forces out a harsh breath. “But I wanted to apologize.”
“You already did,” I say. “In your letter.”
With a wince, she rushes on. “I know. I know I did, but we haven’t had the chance to talk since then, and I still feel just awful about…well, everything.”
Her apology sounds sincere. But she has to know that I don’t need, want, or expect this from her. She’s nothing to me. Nothing but a woman I used to fly with, a girl I took on one meaningless date, a bad memory I never again want to relive.
“All right.” It’s all I say. All I can say when the fear of what’s going to happen next grips me like it does.
A flicker of indecision crosses her face before she smiles. “Thank you for allowing me to say that. If you ever want to…you know, catch up—”
I start to back away. “I’m good, thanks. You have a nice night.”
She dips her chin in what appears to be acceptance, but I’ve seen that look before. And it doesn’t do a thing to settle my rapidly thumping pulse.
“Goodnight, Dane,” she says on a sigh. “See you around.”
As I spin toward the exit with Max at my back, a full body shiver courses through me. If Laura thinks she and I can have any kind of friendship after everything she did last year, she’s more delusional than I thought. And if she intends to just show up—
A fearful thought strikes me, forcing me into a jog. If Laura tried to show up at my apartment now while Daria is living there, it could be disastrous.
“Dude, wait up!” Max’s footsteps pound the pavement beside me. “What do you think she’s playing at? Approaching you like that?”
“I have no idea.” My voice comes out way shakier than I’d like. “But if she shows up at my apartment while Daria’s there alone—” I break off, unsettled. I can’t even think of something happening to someone else because of me. It was bad enough with Parker being there.
“She couldn’t be that clueless,” Max assures me. “Not after you went to the authorities the last time.”
I hope he’s right. I really do. Because I can only take one feral female in my life at a time.
“I’ll keep an eye out too,” he says. “If I notice anything suspicious, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, man.”
He squeezes my shoulder and heads to his car. “See you in a few days, buddy. Get some rest.”
I wave him goodbye, then slip into the driver’s seat, more anxious than I’d like to admit.