21
LAW
It’s almost midnight by the time Anya’s father is settled in his room and it takes us another hour to convince her mother to go home and get some rest. After we drop her off, I pull up to Anya’s building. Her car is in her assigned space so I pull up right behind it blocking her in.
Anya climbs out of the car. She doesn’t have a coat so I shrug out of mine and wrap it around her shoulders. I was expecting an argument but I think she’s too tired to even question why I’m coming in.
When we open the door, Anya’s roommate, Jessi, looks up in surprise. She’s in the kitchen making a cup of tea.
“Hey! I thought you were in your room.”
Anya hands me back my coat. “No. Pop fell earlier so we were at the hospital.”
“Oh no. I’m so sorry. Is he okay?” Jessi abandons her mug on the counter and comes over to give Anya a hug.
“Yes. He’ll be okay. It was just scary. What are you doing home?”
“Got off early. I have an exam tomorrow and I really need to study.”
“I’m sure you’ll rock it.” A huge yawn interrupts her sentence. “Now I’m exhausted so I’m going to go to bed.”
Jessi gives her another hug and then waves at me. “Me too. I need to get all the sleep I can before class tomorrow afternoon.”
I follow Anya into her room and turn my back when she starts taking her clothes off. A few minutes later I chance a look and she’s wearing pink pajamas. So far she hasn’t protested me staying so I’m afraid to ask any questions.
She climbs into her bed. She looks so small buried in the midst of her huge comforter. As strong as she is, she’s vulnerable, too. She deserves to be protected. I lean down and kiss her forehead.
“Thank you for bringing me home. I can always count on you.”
“Good Ole’ James.” The bitterness in my voice is obvious.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course. It’s nothing.”
She’s been through too much tonight as it is. The last thing I meant to do was make it about me.
“Come on. We’ve been talking about depressing stuff all night. I need a distraction.”
“It really is nothing. Maybe I’m just tired of being quite so predictable.”
“You’re not predictable. You’re steady.”
“Boring. One of Liz’s favorite words.”
“Didn’t stop you from kissing her,” Anya mutters.
“That was you at the door!”
She rolls her eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Why were you there?”
“No reason.”
I seriously doubt she had no reason to be at my office door that late on a Thursday night. Especially when she’d already left the office for the day. My jaw clenches just thinking that Liz’s stupid stunt cost me a chance to talk to Anya. Now the moment is lost.
“That wasn’t what you think. Liz kissed me