Page 11 of Damsel in Defense
Her head’s tilted slightly toward me, lips parted, with one hand tucked under her chin.Even asleep with a bit of drool in the corner of her mouth, she’s gorgeous.
I hate to wake her, but I don’t want her to feel disoriented in the rush to disembark the plane.My hand is outstretched, about to gently nudge her, when the plane jolts from turbulence.
She stirs with a small groan, her lashes fluttering open.It takes her a moment to understand where she is.Then she sits up straighter, brushing her hair behind her ears, and blinks at the cabin around us.
“Morning, again,” I murmur.
She groans.“Is it still morning?”Rubbing her eyes, she gently rubs at the rest of her face, pausing when she gets to her lips.“Was I drooling?”she asks in a lower tone.
“No.But you did make a weird snoring-chuff sound when we hit turbulence.”
She turns to look at me, horrified.I hold her gaze for a beat, then crack a grin.
“You’re lying,” she accuses.
“Maybe.”
She mutters something under her breath and shakes her head.I pass her a napkin.
“Thanks,” she says, taking it and dabbing under her eyes.“I can’t believe I actually slept.”
“You needed it.”
She pauses, then nods.“Yeah.I guess I did.”
We taxi toward the gate, and people begin standing too early, as usual, jostling for overhead bins like the plane might take off again if they’re not the first out.
“How are you getting home?”I ask, knowing the second the question is out of my mouth that it was a little too bold to ask.
She yawns again, covering her mouth.“Why?Are you my newest stalker?”
“I’m your newest friend, Victoria.I want to make sure you get home okay.”
“I don’t know if you should want to be my friend,” she replies, the sincerity in her voice making an ache form in my chest.
“I know I do.We may have only just met, but I have a good feeling about you.”
Her eyes dart back and forth over my face, trying to detect if I’m lying.After what feels like a full minute, her head dips slightly.“I’m probably going to grab an Uber.I moved to Toronto a week ago, and I’m still getting used to where everything is.I don’t trust myself to take the subway yet.”
“Good call.I’ve lived in Toronto for most of my life, and I still get turned around.What area of the city are you in?”
She names a part of the city that is very familiar to me.“My record label got the place for me so that I could begin working on my next album.”
“Where you’re staying doesn’t happen to be River Point Residences, is it?”I ask in a hushed voice, not wanting anyone to overhear us.
Her head whips toward me.“How do you—”
“Because I live there too.”
She blinks.“You’re kidding.”
I shake my head.“Penthouse.”
“Of course you live in the penthouse,” she jokes, her eyes rolling playfully.“I’m on thirty-six.”
“Small world.”
Her eyes narrow.“Weird world.”
