“Yeah baby. I will. I promise,” I say into her hair.
She relaxes in my arms. “You’ve helped me work on a lot of my issues through your love, support, and strength. And baby, I wanna do the same for you. I’m here if you ever wanna talk about any of it. Okay?”
“Okay, baby,” I say.
***
“Violet?” I ask, an hour later.
She immediately lifts her head. I knew she wasn’t sleeping. Seems we’re both lying here wrestling with our minds.
“Can you do the thing?”
“The thing?” she asks. “Didn’t we just do that?”
I snicker. “Not the squeeze around me thing. The help me fall asleep thing.”
“Come here,” she says and as I roll closer, her fingers go into my hair.
“This thing?” she asks.
“Yeah baby. This thing.”
54
Violet
December 30th
I’m in the elevator, heading out to meet my mom, aunt, and cousins for an early dinner and some time this evening having a wander at the mall before catching a movie together. Killian is working from home today.
I hesitated to leave him alone, but he encouraged me to go, saying he was feeling 95% normal. I still hesitated because 95% isn’t 100%, but he got alpha-bossy with me about going and enjoying time with my family, especially my cousin Wendy who comes to town only once a year, and so I relented.
On the fourth floor, the doors open wide and Heidi, Killian’s employee wobbles unsteadily on her high heels, looking surprised, before she joins me in the elevator.
“We meet again,” I say. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, hey, Violet. Yeah, I’ve got a friend in the building. Just stopped by for a visit.” She presses the button for the lobby. “Do you live here?”
“I do,” I say.
“Great building,” she remarks, face bright pink. “I’m surprised you didn’t use your key for the express thingy the penthouses get to use.”
“Oh,” I shrug. “I always forget about that.”
“Great building, though,” she repeats. “My friend has a sweet apartment.”
“It is,” I agree. “How was your Christmas?”
“It was great. Just… great.” She smiles. “Big plans for New Year’s Eve?”
“I’m not actually sure yet,” I say. “How about you?”
“Dunno. Not much of a partier,” she says. “Might hang with some friends. You and Killian going to some fancy ball?”
I shrug. “Not a clue.”
“But it’s tomorrow,” she says, tilting her head curiously. “You don’t know your plans yet?”
“Yeah, things have been busy, so we haven’t figured that out yet. I’m not too worried about it.”
“Ah,” she says as the elevator stops and we’re at the lobby. She steps out and then looks over her shoulder. “You’re not coming?”
“Oh, I’m heading to the underground garage. See you around,” I say.
She sticks her hand in before the door closes. “Do you wanna go for a coffee or are you on your way somewhere?”
“I’ve got plans or I totally would. Some other time?” I ask.
“Sure. Let’s exchange numbers.”
“Absolutely.”
We pull our phones out and put one another’s numbers in our phones, then she waves and leaves.
I go down one more level and see Wesley is parked beside my SUV. When he sees me, he starts up his car.
***
Dinner is fantastic and the movie is great, as is time with my family. When I get home, Killian is asleep on the couch, television on.
I sit on the edge of the couch and reach out to cup his jaw, but his eyes bolt open and he grabs my wrist just before it reaches the destination.
I cry out in pain and he immediately releases it and grabs me, pulling me close to him.
“Sorry, sorry, baby; fuck, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I say. Ow. That hurt. I downplay it as he looks over my wrist.
He sits up and folds over, sifting his hands through his hair and then staying in that pose. It’s a pose of frustration.
“Having a lot of bad dreams?” I ask.
He blows his hair out of his eyes.
“About what?” I ask.
“You bein’ hurt. Ironic, right?”
“It’s okay. I’m okay,” I say, leaning into him.
He wraps his arm around me, putting his lips to my temple. “How was your night?”
“It was great,” I say with a smile. “Ate a bucket of popcorn, only left the theater three times during the ninety-minute movie to pee, and had lots of laughs with Mom, Aunt Sara, and my cousins.”
“Good. Glad to hear that.”
“I saw Shara at the mall,” I say.
His eyebrows rise.
“She was with another girl who looked a lot like her, a sister I’m guessing. She got out of line at the theater when she saw me and hurried the other way, pulling her friend or sister or whoever along with her.”
“Good. That’s what she was told to do. If she saw you, to turn tail and skedaddle.”
I roll my eyes. “So, tomorrow?” I say. “New Year’s Eve.”
He leans back on the couch. I lean back with him, kicking my shoes off and tucking my feet under me.