Page 47 of The Rules Of Attraction
Maybe it was seeing a familiar face, or just the fact of seeing his genuine concern for me but I just broke down.
“Please help me.” I could barely get the words out of my mouth. “There’s a rat in my apartment. It ran on my face. This whole day’s been horrible.” I shook my head.
“Come here.”
He pulled me into his arms and the strangest thing happened.
I felt… comforted.
I felt safe, but the kind of safety and comfort you feel when you had someone to look out for you. To take care of you.
It was reassurance.
I hadn’t felt like that since well before my father died. Before I knew what disappointment was.
His heart beat steadily against my ear, and the strength of his chest added to that asserted feeling that I was so desperate for and hadn’t realized.
“Don’t worry I’ll sort it all out.” He whispered against my hair as he held me.
His words seeped into my heart, speaking to the person who was screaming inside, begging to be rescued.
* * *
Forty minuteslater we were back at my apartment.
Alex took charge and walked ahead of me.
I’d left the door open in my escape. He frowned when he saw that.
I hung back as we went inside not wanting the dreadful creatures to suddenly run across my feet. I was wearing open toe sandals so that would have been a horrible feeling.
The fact that I hadn’t been able to wash my face yet was killing me and after my wearied babble it dawned on me that the thing I’d felt brush across my face when I’d woken up earlier was another rat. It was of course what must have fell on the ground.
So there were two or more of them.
I could already hear shuffling near the bin in the kitchen. Anger swelled in me at the thought that I’d left the door open and they were still inside. Couldn’t they have left?
Alex turned on the light and the shuffling increased. I yelped when I saw a mouse skitter around the bin.
Rats and mice.
“Oh my God.”
Alex turned to look at me and grimaced. “Where are your things? Place looks different.” He glanced around the place.
“I was robbed earlier, most of my things are gone.” I managed, pulling in a shallow breath.
Concern filled his hypnotic eyes as he widened them.
“What’s left is in that drawer.” I motioned to the little chest of drawers near the mess of the bed, and the crumpled bed sheet I left on the ground. I’d placed the rest of my stuff in there just so I could keep it together.
Without any further instruction he walked over to my suitcase, grabbed it and then moved to the chest of drawers. I watched him open my suitcase and the top drawer and started putting my things inside.
He was packing my stuff.
“What are you doing?” I was confused as to why he was packing, or how this would help get rid of the rat and mouse problem I currently had.
“Packing, angel.” He smiled when he came across my panties.
