Page 21 of Our Broken Pieces
She gives me a small smile and goes into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. I walk into the bedroom, setting Ethel downand grab fresh sheets from the closet. The sheets on the bed are clean, but no one has stayed in here for months. The last person was my brother when he visited last year from Maryland. I change out the sheets, taking the old ones to the washer. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and an extra phone charger and put them on the nightstand. Gigi walks in, wearing a t-shirt that’s probably three sizes too big and a pair of shorts that show far too much of her legs.
“It’s all ready for you. I’ll let you lie down. You know where I’ll be if you need anything.”
“Thanks.” She walks to the carrier, taking out the cat and setting her on bed and crawls onto the mattress.
“Light on or off?”
“On, please. I need to get Ethel settled.” Her lips pull in a tight smile. “Goodnight, prince.”
“Night, princess.”
I walk out of the room and shut the door behind me. I walk upstairs to my room, changing into pajama pants. I plug in my phone and sit on the edge of my bed. I’m exhausted. While I’m good in a crisis, they can drain me. I feel like I just ran a marathon. I take a few calming breaths, pull back the covers and lie down.
Chapter Thirteen
Gigi
The smell of coffee wakes me up. I glance around the dark room, a little disoriented, then I remember I’m at Marcus’s. I stare up at the ceiling, wondering what god forsaken time it is. Grabbing my phone off the charger, I see it’s 5:15 a.m. Why is he up this early?
I roll out of bed. Ethel doesn’t even wake up, so I leave her there for the time being. I walk out to the kitchen to see Marcus standing in front of the coffeemaker, in just a pair of navy plaid pajama pants. I slow my steps as I walk further, scanning his body from head to toe. I take in his tan skin, his sleeve of tattoos on his left arm. The muscles in his back and broad shoulders stretch as he reaches for a mug in the cabinet above. His dark curls hit the middle of his neck, somehow still perfect after anight’s sleep. He might be just a friend, but a girl can still appreciate a fine specimen of the male body.
I’ve often had to quiet my thoughts about Marcus over the past couple years. Being in a relationship, I never, ever let my mind see him as anything other than one of my best friends. He might appear grumpy to the rest of the world, but I know that’s his shield. When we’re together, when he’s around our friends, he’s one of the most caring men I’ve ever met. He and I are such opposites to the outside world, but we have always just vibed, sharing the same interests and understanding each other. Whether it’s watching a game or running around town, we’ve always been comfortable with each other.
How he is single is beyond my comprehension. He would treat any woman like a queen, I bet. And that body and those curls and tattoos. I just don’t get it.
Having had my fill and knowing I need to shut off all these damn thoughts, I shuffle my feet on the hardwood floors to create some noise so I don’t scare him. He turns and his brown eyes find me.
“I’m sorry, G. Did I wake you up?”
“The smell of coffee did. Smells really good.”
“Do you want a cup? It’s still early for you.”
I nod. “Yeah, I’ll take one. I won’t go back to sleep.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“I did. Slept like the dead.”
“Good.”
He takes another mug from the cabinet and fills them, then goes to the fridge for the almond milk and tops mine off before handing it to me. I take that first sip, and it feels like it’s coating my insides with happiness.
“So, you still get up at an ungodly hour every day?” I peer at him over my mug.
“I do. Might make me a horrible roommate while you’re here.”
“Doesn’t bother me. I just wonder if you get enough sleep.”
“I do some nights.” He moves to the dining table, waking up his laptop.
I sit beside him at the table. I can still smell a hint of his cologne. “Yesterday doesn’t seem real. Like I keep thinking, ‘did that really happen?’”
He stops typing and looks up at me. “I never liked him, Gigi.”
I scoff. “You don’t have to tell me that. You made that pretty clear over the time we were together.”
He looks back down at the screen in front of him. “You deserve better than some guy that gives the bare minimum.”
