25. Cassandra Walker
Alexa Play: Come Away With Me by Norah Jones
For the first time in ages, I left the office before nine pm.
Well before nine pm.
If I were being honest with myself, I’d wanted to leave at five, but that didn’t feel fair considering I’d told Theo I would be home at seven, and I expected her to already be there waiting for me.
If I was going to set rules, I couldn’t change them on her without notice. That wouldn’t be fair.
And I wanted to see if she really would follow my instructions like she’d promised she would in the cafe that morning.
Though I’d been able to successfully avoid Nolan all day, he’d relentlessly harassed me over Teams messenger, complaining that I was ignoring him and that we were supposed to be working this case together.
Well, after digging into the good reverend’s background all day, I wasn’t convinced I wanted to work this man’s case at all, let alone with homophobic fucking Nolan.
So, I’d muted his chat and done my best to put him out of my mind.
As I parked my Audi in the underground parking lot of my building, it was easier than it had ever been to turn off the part of my brain that was programmed to always be thinking about work.
All I seemed to care about right now was how thrilling it would feel to walk into my condo to find Theodora there waiting for me, just like she’d been told.
Alyssa had confirmed the move had gone without a hitch, but I’d resisted the desire to text Theo to ask her if she was settled in.
Something about the anticipation just made me… I don’t know.
This was the most excited I’d ever been about anything.
Maybe next time I’d tell her to wait for me on her knees.
Smirking to myself, I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for my floor, watching the numbers change as I practically vibrated with the suspense of it all.
When the doors dinged, signaling my floor, I held my breath as the doors opened.
And… there she was. Right where she belonged. On my couch, waiting for me like the good girl I knew she was.
She had her socked feet up on my coffee table and a backwards ballcap on her head as she played what looked like some sort of video game she had hooked up to my TV.
Her head turned as the doors opened, and she snapped a sharp bubble from the gum she seemed to be chewing, before giving me a wide, easy-going smile.
“Hey, princess. Welcome home. You have a good day at work?” she asked, and the easiness of it all settled deep in my chest.
For a minute, all I could do was stare at her as I tried to regulate.
So many feelings I didn’t recognize or understand were warring inside me.
My monster was pacing yet purring at the same time, and that steady chant of mine, mine, mine, was echoing through my mind.
This felt so right.
It felt so… permanent.
I must have taken too long to answer because Theo’s smile faded slightly. She snapped her gum again, giving me a curious up and down before cocking her head to the side.
“Everything alright?” she asked, and suddenly, it was like the sound came back on and I could move again.
Giving her a warm smile back, I nodded.
“Everything’s perfect,” I hummed, and my heart did a weird flippy thing it had never done before as Theo’s entire face lit up in response.