Page 72 of Brassy Bigwig

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHLOE

Reed and Shelby are snuggled on the couch watching television when I walk through the door. I think Shelby is slowly moving him into our apartment. He’s here nearly every weeknight and usually every weekend, too.

“Hey!” Shelby calls.

“Hey,” I answer, locking the door behind me.

I pull out my phone and open up my messages. Typing out a quick message to D, I let him know I am home.

“How was your weekend?” Shelby prompts.

“Jeez… why don’t you let her get settled before you start in with the questions?” Reed laughs, looking at Shelby as though he forgot how overbearing she can be.

“Um,” Shelby’s eyebrows raise with both shock and annoyance. “Because I’m not wired to wait. Duh.”

“Have you met your girlfriend?” I tease.

“Good point,” he points to me and clicks his tongue.

“It’s fine, I’m used to it,” I overexaggerate my exhale in a joking manner. “My weekend was great, but I will save the details for when Reed isn’t around. I’m sure the last thing he wants to hear about is… well… any of it.”

Shelby scoffs and rolls her eyes.

“Whatever. So Reed installed a security system while you were having naked fun all weekend.”

“Really?”

A small amount of relief washes over me, hearing that we’re going to have a way to monitor what goes on in our apartment when we’re not around. I don’t need Blake showing up in my closet again. A chill rolls through me as I remember back to that morning.

I had just gotten out of the shower, and I was still wrapped in my towel. I grabbed my undergarments and then went to the closet to choose the outfit I was going to wear that day. The moment I opened the door, there he was. I was frozen in place, completely paralyzed. I couldn’t even call for help. His leering stare still haunts me from time to time.

Shelby was out all night, but thankfully got home right around the time this happened. She came into my room to say good morning just as he was trying to pin me down on the bed. She jumped on his back, pulled his hair, and was scratching at his face until they ended up on the floor. He got up and ran off after that.

I don’t know why he didn’t attack me in the middle of the night when I was asleep. He had to have known Shelby wasn’t there. But I don’t like to question it, and I can’t think about what would have happened if she hadn’t gotten there when she did. I picture him standing over me as I slept, and another ice-cold chill pierces me from the inside out. I filed a police report that day, but I never heard from him after that.

Until Friday night.

“Hey, are you okay?” Reed thankfully breaks me from my inner thoughts.

“Yeah, no. I’m good. Thanks.”

I’m grateful for the sincere, concerned look in his eye.

“So,” Shelby interrupts, “go get settled, and then we can show you how it all works. It’s pretty cool.”

“Okay, I’m going to take a quick shower, and then I’ll be out.”

I take my purse and what’s left of the clothing I was wearing on Thursday into my room. Looking around, I immediately miss being at D’s place. I feel safe with him. Not that I don’t feel safe here. Well, I did up until Blake came back into the picture.

And that apology he offered me? No fucking way do I think it was sincere. The look in his eyes on Friday night varied greatly from the one that stared back at me that morning. He appeared almost innocent, harmless, kind of like he did the night I met him. Which is exactly why I don’t trust him or believe he’s changed.

Closing and locking the door to my room, I get undressed and throw all of my clothes into the hamper in the bathroom. Turning the knobs in the shower, I let the water start heating up. Looking at myself in the mirror, I think about all the crazy fun I had with D the past few days. I run a hand through my hair and catch a whiff of D’s cologne on my thin, chocolate strands. Holding my locks up to my nose, I inhale deeply, breathing him in and exhaling with a sigh.

I won’t go so far to say that I’m in love with him. It’s still too early for that. But I can say I’m falling.

Hard.

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