21. Chapter 21
Daria
Dropping Dane off at the airport wasn’t romantic or memorable or anything like the short social media videos portray. It was mostly just...awkward.
He insisted I drive up to the pickup location. Said he’d walk the rest of the way so I wouldn’t have to park the car. For that, at least, I was thankful. Airport parking lots rank right up there with root canals.
But when it was time for him to leave, he lingered. Looked at me . Waited as if he was waiting for something.
When I couldn’t take it anymore, I smiled and shooed him out of my car with a “Well, off you go!”
He licked his lips in true hot guy fashion and grinned. Grinned . “Ready to get rid of me, huh?”
My heart practically screamed words that sounded a lot like no, don’t go, please stay , I’ll miss you, but of course, he couldn’t hear them. And I’d be dead before I said them. So I just shrugged and made a quip about how I couldn’t wait to have the bathroom all to myself again, and he left.
Smiling like an idiot, but still, he just...left.
Now I’m back at our apartment, lounging on the couch with nothing to do until my shift at Gail’s. I could get started on his outfit for the fashion show. I could use the time to straighten up the place before I head into work. I could even do some much-needed laundry.
But all I want to do is lie here like a useless potato and sort through my sudden feelings for my roommate.
The doorbell rings, jolting me from my weird inner dialogue, and I sit upright.
“Who the heck would that be?” I ask absolutely no one as I walk to the door and peek out the peephole. A dark and handsome stranger stands on the opposite side of the door.
I hesitate only a second before opening the door, letting the chain remain in place in case the guy ends up being a creep. Foregoing any pleasantries, I blurt, “Can I help you?”
The man smiles, making him even more handsome with a flash of his perfectly straight white teeth. “I hope so. I’m Max.”
“Max...?” I shamelessly look him up and down, waiting for an explanation.
“Morretzi. Dane’s friend. I used the security code he gave me to get inside the building. I came to pick up his car.” He leans forward a little conspiratorially, as if imparting a secret. “Something about his hot roomie getting sick in his car last night.”
Embarrassment threatens to swallow me whole, but me being me, I force it away with the strength of a MAC truck. “And you’re now standing at my door because...”
Although it shouldn’t be possible, his smile widens further. “Because I need the keys to his car.”
“Ah. I see.” Picking my pride up off the floor, I close the door, unhook the chain, and open it for Dane’s friend, Max.
He looks like he’s the complete opposite of harmless with broad shoulders, thick arms, and barbed-wire tattoos peeking out from under his sleeves, but I know Dane, and he’d never knowingly put anyone in harm’s way.
Not even me.
“Come on in, and I’ll grab the keys.”
Max only steps far enough into the apartment to glance around the open space. “You must’ve really done a number on him.”
I grab the keys off the hook by the fridge, then turn and face Max. “What do you mean?” Not really in the mood for small talk with a stranger, I hand him the keys, hoping he’ll take the hint and leave.
He doesn’t, of course, and just stands there, smirking at me.
“Before you came along, my guy hadn’t given a woman his number in ages.
Not since he was stalked by the chick from work.
” Confused, I narrow my eyes at Max as he continues.
“And look at him now. Living with you. Letting you put your feminine touch on his place.”
I’d laugh if that thought wasn’t so ridiculous. Dane hasn’t so much as let me put a baby succulent out in the open. I won the throw pillow battle but lost the way. But back to the stalking...
“He was what now by the chick from work?”
Max’s expression sobers. “He didn’t tell you?
” When I shake my head, he says, “He was stalked. For months. By a girl we worked with. She was showing up everywhere he went. The gym, his parents’ house.
She even showed up here once. Left him notes all over his apartment while his brother slept in the other room. ”
A chill races down my spine. “Yikes.”
“Yeah.” Max nods. “It got so bad, she was scaring off any woman who blew a whiff of interest his way. We even thought she might’ve hacked his phone once when pictures he took with mutual friends came up missing in his gallery.”
I rear back. “Hacked his phone?”
“Wild, right? Dane had to go to the police with it once he knew she’d been in his apartment. Had to get a restraining order.” Max looks back at the door. “I’m glad he updated the security system with you being here.”
Stunned by all the information he just threw at me, I fumble for a response. “Uh, yeah. Me too.”
Max sets his hands on his lean hips. “He mentioned the restraining order ended a few months ago, and while I think Laura got the message, you just never know. It wouldn’t hurt to add a doorbell cam or something similar.”
“Right, yeah. We, uh, we can do that.” I cross my arms, suddenly chilled.
“Well.” Max holds up the keys, gives them a little jingle. “Thanks for these. I’ll take the car to get it detailed, then drop it back off sometime tomorrow or the day after.”
“Great. Thanks.”
“Sure thing.” Max heads for the hall but stops abruptly and glances back at me. “Oh, and it was nice to finally meet you. Put a face with the name and all that.” With a wink, he saunters off, leaving me more off kilter than ever.