Chapter 19 - Riley
I arrived home to find the house quiet, except for the TV playing in the living room.
I slipped my shoes off and turned into the living room.
I found Janella fast asleep on the new couch we purchased just a couple of days ago.
She had a blanket draped over her with an open book next to her.
I watched as her chest rose and fell, even telling me she was in a deep slumber.
The book was propped open on her chest like she'd just been reading it a moment ago.
We had painted the living room a light green. The windows were drawn, giving the room a dark feeling, minus the lamp in the corner, which she had set on dim.
I walked further in and bent over, shaking her slowly. “Janella.”
She groaned as she moved slowly, rubbing at her eyes. “Just five more minutes.”
I was tempted to let her continue sleeping, but I knew that she’d spent the entire day out.
She had a couple of job interviews and a lunch with her parents.
I knew she also made a trip into the woods with Kyla to do some more looking for the cauldron.
I had no idea if she’d eaten dinner, but I wanted to make sure she did.
“Janella, I just want to know if you had dinner or not? If you have, I'll let you go back to sleep.”
Her eyes slowly opened, and she rubbed at her forehead. “No, it’s only a little past three. It's too early to have dinner.”
I frowned. She must have been sleeping a little longer than she realizes. “It’s seven.”
Her eyes widened, and she sat up. She turned, looking at the clock that we had hanging across the room. “I fell asleep. Shit.”
“You’re tired. It’s understandable. You’ve been busy, and you need your sleep.”
“I was going to cook dinner. It was my turn to cook dinner.”
“We can just order in.”
She shook her head. “We’ve ordered in for the past three days, Riley. We can’t eat out like that. It’s bad for your body. It's not healthy.”
“We’ve both been busy.” I reached out, rubbing my thumb under her eyes. I could see bags forming. I’d found her sleeping more often, and I knew it was just because she was so busy and stressed. I wanted to help here, and if letting her sleep was the way, I would.
“How about this. We ordered something in tonight, and I’ll cook for the next couple of days. We can have nothing but healthy food.”
She frowned. “But I should be cooking if you're working late.”
“I don’t mind. And maybe it will let you catch up on your sleep.”
She moved, and I caught a sweet scent coming from her. I could smell her magic more often, and I found myself missing her. I wanted to be near her, but I knew she was busy and I didn’t want to be needy.
I shook my head, reminding myself that this was all still new. “I'll go order.”
We ate dinner and caught up on each other's day before Janella went up to bed. I sat on the couch and decided to watch the weather before heading to bed myself. I froze when I heard my phone vibrating.
I pulled it free, seeing that it was Philip calling. I answered.
“I was just calling to say that I was leaving the infirmary for the night. Everything was handled, and everyone is being taken care of.”
I nodded, remembering we had another attack this afternoon. I’d been so excited to get home with Janella that I hadn’t called Philip to check in.
“Thank you for stepping in. I’ll be there right away tomorrow morning.”
“Sounds good. By the way, how is Janella feeling?”
I paused, confused by his sudden question. “She’s fine, why do you ask?”
“Oh, the gals said she stopped by and looked under the weather today. So, I thought maybe she caught the bug that's been going around.”
I frowned. “She was at the infirmary today?” She hadn't told me she was there when we were chatting for dinner. But it could have just slipped her mind.
“Yeah, one of the nurses helped her. The receptionist asked if she was feeling better. She left with a bag of stuff, and she was out before she could ask if she needed anything else.”
“She’s fine. Just been tired is all. She's been running herself ragged. nothing a little sleep won't fix. Thanks for stepping in.” I hung up and stared at the stairs. I couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't mentioned it. Even if it was something simple, she could have said something.
Maybe she just had a sudden headache, and Advil wasn’t helping. Or she was asking for something to help her sleep.
I brushed the thought off and headed up to bed. I pushed the door open and found Janella fast asleep. Ever since the other night, we'd been sharing a bed.
I brushed some of her hair back and felt my stomach twist up, feeling like there was something she wasn't telling me. I tried to brush it off, but the gut feeling stayed.
I woke up early and made breakfast. Janella came down a little before I was getting ready to leave. She looked pale, and I suddenly wondered if maybe she was sick.
“How are you feeling?”
She froze as she reached for the coffee. “I’m fine.”
“You just look tired, and Philip called last night and said the ladies at the infirmary were asking how you were feeling. I didn’t know you stopped there.”
She shrugged. “I’m just getting a cold, I think. Nothing serious. I forgot I even stopped there with everything else I did yesterday.”
I watched the way she fidgeted and realized she wasn’t telling me the truth. I crossed my arms. “Oh? And what are your plans today? Resting, I hope.”
She nodded. “Yeah, not even going to leave the house.” She threw me a smile before she took her coffee into the living room. I watched her climb onto the couch, throwing a blanket over herself. She grabbed a book and sank into the cushions.
I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t believe her. My gut was telling me something was going on, and I needed to figure out what. It was clear that she wasn't going to tell me either.
So, when I left the house, I stopped and parked a block away.
I sat in my car and waited. An hour went by, and nothing happened.
I started to wonder if maybe I was being paranoid.
Maybe it was a new part of the bonding issue, as if the answer and the horniness weren’t enough.
I could have just been letting my head get ahead of me.
But then I saw her coming out of the house. She hurried into her car while she was talking on the phone. My stomach clenched up.
I followed her. I knew it was wrong, but I needed to know where she was going. What was she hiding from me? Who was she talking to on the phone?
Janella drove over to the infirmary, and I stayed parked inside. I wondered if maybe she decided to come in and help this morning. Or maybe she decided she needed something for her cold. Or was there something going on?
My head was spinning with ideas, and I rubbed at my eyes, knowing I was going down a rabbit hole.
I watched her get to the door. I expected her to say her good mornings to the gals working the front, but then I watched her take a clipboard with papers that they gave to patients.
Janella was inside the infirmary for about half an hour before she slipped out. I expected her to head home. But I was once again surprised when she didn’t go to her car but headed around the corner into the downtown strip.
I sat and stewed in the car for a moment. My mind is going everywhere. Was she sick with something serious? Why wasn’t she telling me? She was planning to leave when this was all done? Even after we were getting along so well?
A thousand questions went over and over in my head, and the more I sat, the angrier I started to get. I had done nothing but open up to her. I’d been offering her every chance to grow and settle her roots here. So why was she still holding the truth back from me?
I got out of the car, slamming the door shut. I headed down the sidewalk, searching through the windows of the stores. I kept walking until I found her checking out of a small boutique.
I pulled my phone out and called her. She grabbed the phone, looking a little surprised, before answering. “Hello?”
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“I'm lying on the couch resting still.”
I ground my teeth together and hung up. I watched her pull her phone from her ear and stare at it for a second. She shrugged and shoved the phone into her purse before she turned. I watched her freeze as soon as she saw me.
I stood waiting as she slowly made her way outside. She had several bags in her arms, and she still looked so pale. It was clear that something wasn't right with her.
“This looks worse than it is,” she said as the door shut behind her.
“What are you hiding?”
She stammered for words. “I..”
“You know, I’ve done nothing but be there for you, and you just lied to me. What is it? Are you sick? You planning to sneak out in the middle of the night? What is it that you're hiding from me?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not planning to sneak out, Riley.”
“Really? That isn't your plan? Is it something else?”
She shook her head. “Please, stop yelling at me. You're giving me a headache.”
I moved closer. “Then maybe you should be at home like you said you were. You are my wife, whether you like it or not. So, don’t think I’m going to figure out what you're keeping from me. I don't appreciate the lies.”
I expected her to bark back or to do something. But tears welled in her eyes, and she started crying. She dropped the bags and started to run in the opposite direction from me. I stood frozen, my eyes going from the bags to her in confusion.
“Shit.”
I ran a hand through my hair and groaned, knowing I’d fucked up. This was not how I should have spoken to her.
I grabbed the bags and started heading in the direction she ran. I could smell her sweetness as I went, finding that she went through the park into the woods. I set the bags on a picnic table before heading into the woods.
“Janella? Where are you?”