13. Chapter 13
Chapter thirteen
— HARD TO SLEEP BY GRACIE AbrAMS
I feel something thrown against my body before a voice permeates my ears.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty. It’s time to wake up.” When I open my eyes to see his bright, smiling face, I silently curse myself. He’s never going to shut up about this.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I rub my eyes, the light in the hallway too much for my eyes to handle. I note the magazines next to me, and a familiar face looks back at me as I grab one of them.
It’s Bree. She and Alex are on the front page of a few different magazines, all of them from their last few outings as an official couple.
That word leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
“What the fuck is this?”
“I grabbed them at the grocery store this morning, but what I really want to know is why you’re sleeping in front of her door?”
“It doesn't matter,” I say as I get up, walking back to my room. I try to slam my door and avoid this conversation, but Nico stops it with his foot.
“Actually,” he pauses to chuckle at me, “I think it does, Vince.”
Vince. He used my name and not that stupid nickname, which means he’s serious. One thing about Nico Wilder is that when he wants to have a conversation, the conversation will be had. He’s an annoying fucker in that sense. He always seems to get all your secrets out, even when you don’t want them revealed.
“The other night, I woke up to her screaming. I’m a few rooms down from her, but it felt like that scream was right next to me. It was guttural, terrifying. She was fucking petrified. So I ran to her room, my knife from under my pillow in hand, but there was nobody in her room. I don't even think she clocked me when I came in.”
“Fuck,” is all he can say.
I sit on the edge of my bed, my body unable to hold itself up as I recount the memory. “She was having a nightmare. She yelled for whoever was in her head to get off her.” I’ll never forget hearing Bree scream a few nights ago. It scared the fucking shit out of me thinking someone was in her room, that someone had gotten past me in the night.
And I’ll never forget the split second of relief when I walked in and saw Bree by herself, shaking where she sat on her bed. The last time something like this happened, cold water seemed to help, so that’s what I did.
“You thought someone got past you.”
“Yeah.”
“And now you…” He trails off.
“Yeah. I sleep in front of her door to ensure that if someone was to try and get in, they wouldn't get past me. And if she had another nightmare, I’d get to her quicker, too. I don't know why I can’t seem to fucking sleep in my room, either. My bed feels like a rock, and the only way I fall asleep is when I’m sitting in front of her door.”
When I meet Nico’s eyes, he just smiles at me, a thought crossing his mind that he doesn't dare say out loud. If he did, he knows I’d punch him for saying it.
You’re breaking all of your rules .
Well, not all of them. Most of the physical contact I’ve had with Bree is necessary in my eyes. I’m helping her through her panic attacks. I’m calming her down somehow, and that’s not technically breaking that rule.
“So much for no personal attachments, huh?” Nico’s unabashed grin breaks through my thoughts.
“I’m not personally attached. She’s just a client.”
He chuckles as he fully shuts my door, not wanting what he’s about to say to leak into the hallway. “I’m gonna tell you something you don't want to hear.”
“Are you going to leave after?”
“Yes.”
“Then fucking say it.”
“You’ve been personally attached to her since you came back here. Vince, in all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never handed a case off, but for her, you did. That tells me a lot, and if you can’t see it, then maybe you are a fucking idiot.”
“I’m not an idiot. She’s my fucking client, Nico. Our client, technically. I’m doing my job, and I’m doing it well.”
He nods at me. “I know, dude. You’re great at your job, but you’re the one who says feelings cloud your judgment. From my perspective, you care about her, and not just because she’s our client.”
“I can’t listen to this right now.”
“Because you know I’m right.” His pearly white teeth shine in my direction, and I’m fighting the urge to punch them out of his mouth.
“Okay, fine. Is that what you want to hear? That it pisses me off that I can't do anything to help her? That I can't take her pain or nightmares away? That I feel this fierce urge to protect her from anything and everything that could harm her? It’s my job , Nico. My job is to protect her, and that’s what I’m doing. ”
Nico doesn't say a word as he steps toward the table, picks up the magazines, and throws them at me. “Just be careful. The media attention isn't going to make this any easier. I can try and get some of it taken down, but a shitstorm is coming, and you need to be ready. You need to be on your A game, Vince.”
“And I will be, asshole.”
“Good. I’m glad we’re on the same fucking page. I’ll get out of your hair. Just think about what I said.”
“See you later, Nico.” I sigh heavily as the door shuts, and I’m finally alone.
That fucker might be right, but nothing will ever come from digging further into whatever my feelings are concerning Bree.
Not that I have feelings for her.
She just gets under my skin in a different way than most. When I sat in front of her and saw the tears leak from her eyes, her body trembling, I had to force myself not to hold her until she came down from it.
She didn't pull away from my touch when I ran my hands up and down her arms. She didn't flinch, which means she wasn't scared of me. She feels safe with me, and that’s all I could ever hope for.
I just wish I could fix her, even though she’s not broken in the first place.
I groan as I stand up and head for my shower, but not before one of the magazines Nico brought catches my eye. It’s a picture from that first outing; Alex is gazing at Bree from across the table, looking completely enamored with her as she laughs at something he said.
The words across the picture are what make me pause.
The headline reads, “New hot couple alert! But how does Lily feel about her long-time beau moving on so quickly?”
God, I don't have the energy for this. I knew the media attention would be bad, but I don't understand why people are so obsessed with celebrity relationships. I don't get the appeal of it, but I guess some people prefer to live vicariously through parasocial relationships rather than actually live their own life.
The next headline reads, “Bree Hart and how she can’t find the love she reads about, but maybe Alex is the one!”
Jesus Christ. What the fuck even is this? I rip the magazine in half and throw it in my garbage can. This shit is so fucking ridiculous. I can’t stand it.
I turn my shower onto the hottest setting it can go, and as I step into it, I hope it will burn away any remnants of the rage I feel.
But as I turn the shower off thirty minutes later, I know it didn't work.
I sigh again as I close the door to my bathroom, towel around my waist, but stop in my tracks when I see blonde hair turn around and meet my gaze.
Her eyes bug out of her head as she notices I’m practically naked. Her eyes roam down my body, stopping for a beat longer than they should on the area my towel covers before she meets my eyes again.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“Did you need something?”
She clears her throat before answering. “Sorry, uh,” her gaze is shooting all over the place, “Nico texted me. He told me he left something for me in here, and I was trying to find it before you got out.”
“Nico texted you?” That sly motherfucker.
“Yeah, he told me he left a book in here that he thought I would like.” Of course he did. “I-I can leave. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Bree. Just give me a minute.”
“I’ll just be in the hallway, then.” I see her swipe her tongue across her bottom lip before she turns and leaves my room.
I grab my phone, ready to call Nico and give him an earful, before I see a message from him.
Nico: Check.
Nico: Your move, Vinny.
Nico: ;)
I swipe my hand down my face, pissed off that this was clearly a calculated situation by him. I throw some clothes on, not before I remember Bree’s eyes swiping over my body when I was half-naked in front of her moments ago. Was she turned on? There’s no way. She would never look at me that way, so I must be imagining things. Plus, that’s a line I’d never cross, especially with her. She deserves more than me.
I look around my room, and when I see the book Nico placed on my bedside table, I grab it before I open my door. Only Bree must’ve been leaning against it because she falls right into my arms before she can hit the floor.
The moment her skin touches my hands, my fingers feel like they’re buzzing. “Are you okay?”
Her breath hitches as she looks up at me. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
I lift her up, my hands lingering around her waist for a second too long before we break apart. “Here’s the book.”
She grabs it from me, holding onto it with both hands as if it’s a shield. I sweep my gaze over her outfit because it looks like she’s going out. I don't remember anything being on the schedule for today. Her black skirt is swallowed up by a long and flowy…blouse? I don't even know what to call it, but it’s white and the sleeves are huge. Her black boots go up to her knees, and when she walked out of my room, she had a big black bow in her hair.
Bree looks magnificent, and the smile that graces her lips makes her look even more radiant.
“Uh, Vince? ”
“Yes?”
“Did you hear what I said?”
Shit, she said something? “Yes, I did.”
“Great. Then I’ll have Alex’s bodyguards send over the information you’ll need about the fashion show next week. I know you want the layout plans and everything, so I’ll be sure they send it all. Does that sound good?”
“That sounds great. Are you headed somewhere? I thought today was a content creation day?”
Her smile grows even larger when she realizes I have her schedule memorized. “It is, but Teags wanted to go for coffee. Is that okay?”
“It’s perfect. I’ll grab Emerson and we can head out in ten minutes.”
“Great. I’m just going to put this in my room. Can you tell Nico thank you for me?”
“Yeah, I’ll let him know.”
And as her heeled boots click as she walks away, it hits me that Nico was fucking right.
I’m way more invested in this girl than I thought, but I know I can’t fucking have her.
Fuck .