Page 18 of Need

On second thought, be bad. I'll punish you when I getback.

– Jonathan

As I folded his note and slipped it back into the envelope, I couldn't stop myself from smiling. Why did it feel like I’d just received a note from the most popular boy in school asking me to the prom? It was a silly thought but I couldn’t helpit.

Debbie was right.

Jonathan Drazen III was not like the others.

He was better.

* * *

I spentthe following week moving what little possessions I owned into my new apartment that I almost missed the news about Sebastian. I’d been channel surfing but not really paying attention to what was on TV when I heard his name mentioned on a local news channel. I positioned myself on the floor in front of the TV, waiting for the commercial to finish, wondering if it had been my imagination.

But it wasn’t.

Sebastian’s nonprofit had made it to the top of the list of the worst landlords in the city. They even mentioned his name–twice. The same man who made it his business to shame residential and commercial owners for every sewage leak or busted water pipe had over 400 open building violations himself for two of his properties. As I listened, I lost track of the details, of who owned what and where. What mattered was that even though his advocacy group owned the properties, it was only Sebastian’s name they mentioned and no one else’s. It was him whom they declared was responsible. And he wasn’t available for comment. His representatives claimed he was stepping down until further notice.

As the announcers moved on to the next item, I found myself staring at my phone, feeling the need to talk to Jonathan and ask him if he had anything to do with what just happened. Surely it was a coincidence, had to be. But I couldn’t think clearly. All I could do wasfeel.

For the first time since I fled my apartment and left everything behind, I felt protected. I felt safe. I texted Jonathan, not knowing what else to say but two words.

– Thankyou. –

My thanks could have been for anything–for the two nights I’d spent with him before he left for Asia, for the apartment with a view of the Bay Bridge, for the spending account to replenish the wardrobe I’d left behind when I fled…anything.

Or it could be for getting Sebastian out of San Francisco so I wouldn’t have to be paranoid about showing up for the next photo shoot or look over my shoulder every time. But then, did it really matter what it wasfor?

Jonathan wouldknow.

Five minutes later, his answercame.

– You’re welcome. –

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