Oakley #2
“Mhmm, yup,” I answer absentmindedly before grabbing my coffee and taking a steadying sip, then watch as the liquid sloshes up the sides of the mug as I set it back down in front of me. “What did he say?”
He pushes the phone in front of me. “Take a look for yourself.”
With shaking fingers, I pick up the phone, taking a quick moment to scan the texts.
It’s strange in a way. I’d taken to deleting the litany of previous texts without reading them, not allowing myself the satisfaction of giving that man another ounce of my attention.
But reading them now doesn’t have my insides twisting in crippling fear like they did before, when I’d first started receiving the messages.
I’m not sure if I’m becoming more numb to it, but that small voice inside my head tells me that it has everything to do with the person sitting across from me.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have read them.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” I dismiss his apology with a wave of my hand, truly meaning what I say.
“I would have done the same thing if I was in your position.” My forced laugh causes the crease in his forehead to deepen.
I want to lean forward and smooth the wrinkles out with my fingertips.
“I know you mentioned only staying the night, but I think you should reconsider.” I open my mouth to protest but he holds a hand up between us in a silent plea to hear him out.
“Before you say no, just… fuck, just think about it. If those messages aren’t just a ploy to get you to talk to him, if he really is in town, I don’t think it’s safe for you to be anywhere else. ”
“I can take care of myself,” I state, defiance rearing her head.
“I know you can,” he placates, and I can tell that he means it. “But just because you can, doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.”
He’s right. The logical part of my brain knows this.
Knows that I can’t do this on my own, no matter how determined I am to try anyways.
Maybe accepting help when it’s offered isn’t the worst thing.
If it was Travis that broke into my motel room—who am I kidding, he literally admitted it—then he knows where I’ve been staying, and that tiny slice of heaven I cut out for myself is no longer an option for me.
There is every chance that he’ll come back, and I know I won’t get away unscathed next time.
It was pure luck that I was out when he broke in last night.
Having walked to the store to meet Jessie before the hike, my car was still parked outside my room.
He probably expected me to be there, but when he didn’t find me, he took the next best thing.
I swear Levi can see the war raging in my head right now, but he sits quietly, patiently waiting for me to come to a decision.
“Okay, I’ll stay.”
Relief floods his features, and he graces me with that half smile I’ve come to love.
“Attagirl,” he murmurs, and fuck if that damn word doesn’t have my insides twisting for an entirely different reason. Pushing back from the counter, he brings his now-empty mug to the sink, giving it a quick rinse before placing it in the rack.
“I need to get the rest of my things. And my car.”
He nods his agreement as he stands on the other side of the island. “When you’re ready, we’ll go and get you checked out of the motel. I’ll call Justin and have him meet us there, and he’ll drive your car back here.”
“I can drive my own car.”
“I know you can, darlin’. But I’m not taking any chances. If your ex is keeping tabs on the motel, I don’t want him following us back to the house. When do you work next?”
I do the math quickly in my head. “Tuesday night.”
“I’ll have Justin bring the car to his house then. We can park it there for the next few days until things cool off a bit.”
“What if he thinks I’m staying there and tries something? I don’t want to put anyone else in danger.”
“Do you think he would? You know him better than I do.” His question isn’t condescending, but that of someone trying to objectively examine the situation from all angles.
“I’d like to think he wouldn’t. I’ve never known him to be physically violent towards anyone else. Only towards me, and only when he’s on a bender.”
Levi’s eyes flash at the admission. At what I’ve revealed to him.
I should be ashamed, embarrassed at admitting this to him, but his protective nature, and sheer determination to keep me safe, has me throwing caution to the wind and rethinking my feelings.
“It’s settled then. I’ll give Justin a call and have him meet us there. And Oakley?”
I turn to face him from where I’ve moved to head upstairs and get dressed for the day, a question in my eyes.
“I won’t tell him anything. He doesn’t need to know what’s going on.
Yet.” He moves to stand in front of me, and I peer up at him, his eyes holding mine as I stand in rapt attention, soaking in his every word.
“But the minute things take a turn for the worse, I will do whatever I need to do to keep you safe. Consequences be damned.”
He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to my forehead, and I melt under the intimate touch. Tears threaten at the corner of my eyes as I turn away from him and head for the stairs.
Back in the bedroom, I dress quickly, leaving my sleep clothes in a pile in the corner. I throw my keys in my purse and slip into a pair of flip flops before descending the stairs again.
I find Levi waiting for me by the door, his keys in hand. Bandit lifts a sleepy head from the couch at my arrival, and I give him a quick scratch behind the ears before following Levi out the front door.
We circle the block when we get into town, the truck moving slowly down the streets, Levi’s eyes alert and scanning the sidewalks and parked cars as we drive.
When we’ve completed our third circle, he parks the truck next to my car in the motel parking lot, seemingly content with whatever he did or didn’t find in his search.
Honestly, this whole situation is fucked, but there is so much gratitude in my heart for this man.
He’s obviously taking this very seriously.
It’s an unfamiliar feeling. God knows the police never took it seriously the handful of times they were called by concerned neighbors over the short period of time my ex and I were together.
Justin pulls up next to us a moment later, a goofy grin plastered to his face as he climbs out of his truck and pulls open my door for me.
“Good morning! Hear you’re moving out.”
His boyish charm and easygoing words make me laugh and bring a levity to an otherwise shitty situation.
“Yeah. Getting an upgrade, apparently,” I say, gesturing to the dingy motel before us.
I’m seeing it in a different light today, noticing the rundown nature and general wear and tear I’d so easily overlooked in my desperate attempt to find anywhere to stay after losing out on the apartment.
My cheeks pink in embarrassment as I take in the outside of the motel.
I’m embarrassed at the fact that I allowed myself to live here, and that Justin is now seeing this side of things, but his face holds absolutely no judgment.
“I’ll warn you though. This one,” he throws a thumb over his shoulder at Levi, who’s rounding the front of the truck to meet us, “is a grump in the mornings. My advice? Get the coffee brewing early.”
“She’s not a housekeeper, asshole. I can make my own coffee,” Levi interjects with a light shove to Justin’s shoulder, who cackles in response.
I can’t help but grin at the exchange as I walk towards the motel room door.
Levi and Justin follow close behind me, still bickering in the way that only years of friendship can make look effortless.
The dejected number on the face of the door greets me as I slide the key into place and push my way through.
It’s funny, really.
The room looks no different than when I left it yesterday morning. The only thing that’s changed is my knowledge that this space has been violated.
I’ve been at Levi’s for less than twenty-four hours, and already this motel room feels like something out of a long-forgotten memory, Levi’s house feeling more and more like home the longer I stand and take in my surroundings.