Chapter 11
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
ELODIE
I groan, rolling over onto my side so I can reach out and slide my thumb across the screen of my phone to turn my damn alarm off. It’s six thirty in the morning, which usually wouldn’t bother me, except I am so sore that I think I might have pulled every single muscle in my body.
And I’m not even hungover. I know I’m not because after we got showered, dressed, and shuffled our asses down to Fat Boys last night, Alex and I each ordered the quadruple appetizer platter, then four beers.
We each had two beers, then, once our bellies were full and we had a light buzz, we walked home. I stripped down to my panties and poured myself into bed. I don’t know what Alex did, but I assume it was the exact same thing.
Now I hurt.
And I have three jobs to do today.
Sliding my legs over the side of the bed, I force myself to sit up. I need to make a coffee, take a shower, and then attempt to get myself to job number one by eight. I can do it. I know I can.
Forcing myself to stand, I shuffle toward my robe that is hanging on a hook on the wall next to my bathroom. Each move I make elicits a whimper from the back of my throat. As I move through the minuscule studio, I wonder if coffee is really as important as I think it is.
Then, I yawn and realize that indeed it is, even if it’s the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt in my life as I make my way toward said coffee. There is a knock on my front door, and I don’t even have to ask who it is. I already know.
“You’re on your own!” I call out.
Slowly, my door is unlocked, and I watch as Alex gently shuffles into my studio and toward me.
Well, toward my coffee machine. He doesn’t have his own.
Between our two kitchens, we probably have enough to outfit one single kitchen, so we do a lot of sharing back and forth when we need something, but coffee has always been at my place.
I whimper as I pour water into my kettle and set it on the little base. When I touch the button, it begins to warm up, then comes to a boil, giving me enough time to groan as I scoop coffee into my pour-over drip thing, then place it on top of my cup.
I don’t know what got me hooked on making my coffee this way, probably because I couldn’t afford a coffee maker. But I love it, and I’m not sure I would want to make it any other way, even if it means waking up a little earlier than I have to.
Alex must not hate it, either, because he’s standing right next to me, watching and waiting for his own cup.
“I feel like I was run over by a truck,” he mutters. “I don’t think we’ve done a job that big in a long time.”
“Or ever,” I snort
He smiles, then grunts before he groans. “I don’t know how we’re going to get through the day. We have three jobs today,” he says, reminding me of something I’m very well aware of.
I’m so aware of it that I want to burst out into tears just thinking about it. But I don’t. Instead, my coffee is ready, and I pass everything over to Alex to make his own while I put creamer in and whimper as I stir it all with a spoon.
Shuffling over to the small two-person table that I found at a secondhand store a few years ago, I sink down on one of the mismatched, used chairs. Then I place my coffee cup in front of me and close my eyes as I attempt to breathe.
Holy freaking shit.
“Here.” Alex places something down on the table in front of me. Flicking my gaze down, I see that there are two pills sitting on the table, unmoving yet seemingly intimidating. Knowing Alex, they could be anything.
“Calm down,” he groans as he sinks down in the chair across from me. “They’re anti-inflammatories. It’s the only way we’re going to even think about getting this shit done today, and honest to God, I would give you something stronger if I thought it would help or if you would be able to handle it.”
I cannot handle it. No drugs of any kind. Anything I’ve ever tried, and Alex has attempted to get me to try them all at one time or another, has only made me sick. Everything from weed to acid. It’s all a no thanks for me.
Reaching for the anti-inflammatories, I pop them in my mouth and pick up my coffee, taking a swig to swallow the pills. The warm liquid slides down my throat, and I close my eyes as I allow it to really hit. And when I do close my eyes, I see his face in front of me.
Wrath.
I don’t want to admit that I’m beyond attracted to him. The fact that he gave me a huge bonus is just icing on the sexy cake. Alex clears his throat, and my eyes pop open, finding his, and I see the smile playing on his lips.
“Who were you thinking about with that look on your face?”
“How do you know I was thinking about a person?” I ask.
A laugh bubbles up from his mouth. I frown as I stare at him—though it hurts to do so, and unscrew my face as soon as possible. Trembling slightly, I let out a sigh. I wait for him to give some bullshit reasoning on how he knows I was thinking about a person.
“You don’t even have to say his name, but he’s dangerous. They all are. Even if they’re like sexy big grizzly bears.”