Page 32 of I Knew You
I intended to wait for him to emerge from the bathroom to get my water and pills, but somehow, sleep found me first.
The second I woke up,I was acutely aware that I was in Bram’s bed in his bedroom in his beautiful house. My back felt rested, and my body was warm and cozy, snuggled under his soft, colorful quilt. Bram must have covered me with it.
I could only imagine the snoring mess I was when he came back with my water. I was probably drooling, too.
I peered through the glass of the nearest window. Seeing the Appalachian Mountains covered in autumnal colors made it one of the most breathtaking sights. The slightest bit of morning sun peeked over the ridge, the first few beams of light spilling onto the hardwood, soft and beautiful.
Back in Charlotte, I often yearned to see the thick forests and the rounded tops in the distance. Those geographical markers were home to me.
Lakey had abandoned her post, and I was alone. I looked around leisurely from my spot in the bed, taking the room in more thoroughly than I had the night before. Clothes were strewn about the floor, and shoes were in a pile beside a closed door that I assumed was the closet.A worn, navy robe hung on a single hook on the mystery door.
In the far-right corner of the room was a small bookshelf with history and nature books. I didn’t see any recognizable fiction, except for one worn novel near the bottom. It was a copy of Bram Stoker’sDracula, which made me smile.
A brown leather belt and shiny badge caught my eye on the dresser. I assumed these items were part of his work uniform. Thinking of Bram in a uniform made my heart flutter, but I pushed that feeling away.
There weren’t any pictures on the walls, but some photos in wooden frames were on top of his dresser as well. One of them was from a weekend trip Grams had taken us on, not long after Bram had entered our lives. We had visited a Wild West-themed amusement park located somewhere in North Carolina. I couldn’t believe Bram had a picture of me in his bedroom. It was a young, twelve-year-old me, but me, all the same.
He’d kept it in plain sight, even though I had no idea all these years later that I ever crossed his mind. It made me feel thrilled and angry. He’d been seeing me all this time, every dayon his dresser, and never thought to track me down? What had kept him from getting my phone number from Whit? It was enough to make tears form in my eyes.
The other picture was of Bram and an unknown woman standing in a tilled field, wearing sunglasses. His arm was around her shoulders. She was tall, like me, but slim. Her long, highlighted hair was pulled back into a high ponytail at the top of her head. They were both wearing outdoor clothing with bright smiles. The picture didn’t look very old.
Is she Bram’s girlfriend?
He had said he was unattached, but what if that was a lie? Something to make me feel more at ease about being around him? Was I sleeping in his room, behind the mystery woman’s back?
I felt like bugs were crawling over the surface of my skin at the thought. I tossed off the covers and pulled my pajama shorts into place. Cold air hit my legs, and I shivered, wanting immediately back under the quilt. But I had sobered up at the pictures and needed to leave the room immediately. I had to find out who the woman was.
I could ask him outright, but would he be upset I was snooping in his room? Was it snooping if the picture was on display?
No, of course, it isn’t. It’s fair game.Now, I was asking and answering my questions.Awesome.
I sprinted to the en-suite bathroom.
Every wall and tile was white, and the fixtures were matte black. It was a pristine space. I closed the door, used the toilet, and washed my hands. I looked at my reflection in the large mirror over the sink.
For once in my life, I wanted to wake up and not look like a bridge troll.
“Jules?” Bram’s deep voice reverberated from downstairs. I ignored his call. I scurried across the hall to the spare bedroomand looked around for my bag. It wasn’t where I’d left it by the guest bed.
“Crap,” I muttered, looking behind the door and finding nothing. I heard Bram moving up the stairs. I froze.
I don’t know why it felt like I was being caught. I only wanted my overnight bag. Yet I panicked and slammed the bedroom door shut before he could reach me.
“Julianna?” he asked, bewildered. I let out a big breath, my heart racing.
“I’m not decent!” I lied, trying to sound pleasant.
“What? Why? I put your bag in my room beside the bed. Did you not see it?”
I gasped. I didn’t think I was loud about it, but I heard him chuckle.
“It’s okay. Open the door.”
“No,” I squeaked out. “I told you I’m indecent.”
“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Humiliation crawled up my neck, and a hot tingle of something between my legs appeared that was most unwelcome.
