Animalistic (Tiger in Her Bed)

He never criticizes me. Never belittles me.

He respects my space and boundaries and he’s always there when I need him the most.

I would be crazy to let him go.

That man’s a keeper.

She pushed down the hood of her sweatshirt and looked up to the sky. The cloak of night still shrouded the new day, but at the edge of the horizon, a splash of dawn slowly made its presence known with every passing minute.

Beautiful, she thought. The day gets bright so early in the summer. When was the last time she appreciated the little things like she was now? She’d been so wrapped up in her problems, she’d forgotten to take a breather once in a while. And Trent had taught her to slow down and appreciate what life had to offer.

I can’t imagine life without him now.

The very thought scared her. No. She didn’t want to lose him. Just when she finally met someone who made her happy.

She took a deep breath and everything became lighter. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. Good lord, she didn’t even recognize where she was anymore. She definitely wasn’t in the Village.

She’d better head back.

But first, she had to call Trent. He must have been worried. Especially considering the way she left. She searched in her pocket for her phone and realized she had forgotten to take it with her. Geez. Why do I keep forgetting that damn thing? She walked around and found a pay phone by a bar at a small intersection. Come to think of it, pay phones were a rarity in the city now; she was kind of shocked to find one at all. Worst of all, she didn’t have a single dollar on her, so she was deeply relieved when the dial tone worked. After wiping the receiver on her jacket, she pushed “0” for the operator. Her heart leapt with joy when someone answered on the end of the line.

“Um, hello? I’d like to place a collect call to Trent Alexander, please. The number is…”

Chapter Ten

Trent brooded in the living room of the apartment. His mood was getting darker by the second since he got back. The suspense was killing him. Would she come back? Would she leave? Was she so repulsed by him that she wouldn’t want to see him again? Not knowing what would happen was slowly chiseling away his sanity.

He jumped when his phone rang and answered without checking the caller. “Yes? I’ll accept the charges. Arielle? Where are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said. “I think I’m lost and I forgot my phone.”

“I’ll come and pick you up.”

“No, you don’t have to do that. I’ll just hail a cab when I see one. Listen, Trent, I want to apologize for what I did earlier. I acted irrationally and that must have offended you, and for that, I’m sorry. I was so surprised, I freaked out.”

“I’m the one who should’ve apologized to you, Arielle. I should have never deceived you in the first place.”

“I probably wouldn’t have believed it if you’d just told me. I understand why you kept that from me. But I think we can work this thing out, Trent.”

A flicker of hope lit from the depth of his uneasiness. “So, you’ll stay?”

A quiet laugh. “Yes. I’m not going to give up on you that easily, Trent. You didn’t give up on me. You’ve been there when I needed someone, when no one else was there to help me. My world is better with you in it.”

At that very moment, the heavy burden in his chest vanished. She was staying. She wanted him! Trent felt like laughing out loud.

“Naturally, I have a lot of questions I want to ask you,” she added. “And I don’t know where to begin.”

“You need to come home first.”

“I know. I don’t see a taxi around…”

“I’ll pick you up; just tell me where you are.”

“Um, I’m not quite sure. I don’t see a street sign…”

Trent waited. “Arielle?”

He heard men’s voices in the background and the sounds of scuffling. Then, the sound of the receiver hitting the pavement.