Red Hot Night (Trick or Treat Collaboration)

“I’m sorry to hear that. Is she going to be okay?”

He runs his hands through his thick hair and then answers, “Yes. It’s a minor fender-bender, but she’s pregnant with our first.” Damn. My heart’s actually breaking for this guy. Normally, I don’t get emotional when it comes to other people’s problems. Maybe it’s my own emotional trip that is making me soft.

“Wow, congratulations about the baby.”

“Thanks.”

“But if she’s fine, then why are you so frantic?”

He waves his drink glass over at the flight attendant. “Because I can’t live without that woman. I shouldn’t have left her alone. Have you ever felt that way about a woman? Wonder where she was your whole life?”

“Nope.” Wow. There it is again. Another reminder of what true love looks like. “But now I’m not sure I should,” I chuckle, taking a drink of my scotch.

He grabs my forearm and says, “Fall hard. It’s the best thing to find a sense of happiness so damn profound that the slightest thought of losing it turns me into this lunatic bastard you’re looking at.”

The attendant is one row in front of us when he waves his glass up at her again. “Another?” she asks.

“Just one more. Then cut me off. Thanks.” He looks back at me and adds, “I need to calm down. I know she’s fine, but I take her well-being seriously and that’s the only reason I left her at home. Sorry to bother you with my troubles. I probably seem really fucking crazy.”

“Nah, I understand you. I’m on my way home because my grandfather had a heart attack. I’m Everett Williams, by the way,” I say, reaching over to shake his hand.

“Sorry to hear that. I’m Gavin Nicholson.”

“The owner of Granite Hotels?” I blurt out. I’d just stayed at one during my trip through Europe. I only remember because there was a mix-up that left me without a room for three hours. They mentioned how the owner would be disappointed and that someone would be fired.

“Yes, how did you know?”

“Well, I just stayed at the latest one in Milan earlier this week.”

“I hope it was to your liking.”

“Of course. It was magnificent.” I leave out the hiccup. He doesn’t need that stress right now. Besides, the staff made up for it.

“It’s my wife’s personal project. That’s where I met her.”

“A chance encounter…”

“Isn’t that how the best ones start?” He sighs.

For the rest of the flight, we make all kinds of small talk from his wife and how they met, to business matters and my grandfather. I don’t open up to people, but as we talk, I do give him some surface details of my life.

Chapter Two

Lena

“Come on. You have to go with me. I can’t go there by myself. I’ll look like a total loser. Besides, you need to get out of this dorm room. You don’t do anything but go to class and come back here,” my roommate whines. She’s practically stomping her feet like a little kid. It makes me want to laugh, but I hold back because that’s not going to stop her. In fact, she’ll use it to her advantage. We haven’t known each other that long since school only started in late August, but she acts like we’ve known each other forever.

“Well, I don’t really have money to spend, and I can’t go back to work,” I remind her. It’s been a month since my world changed, and I’ve pretty much run out of savings.

“I know. I’m sorry, Lena. I really am, but you need to live. If anything, what you need to take from this is that you’re alive and have a chance to live.” She’s right. I’ve been hiding away after nearly being killed. A bank robber held me up a month ago, and even after I gave him money, he shot me. I spent less than a week in the hospital, but now, I’m afraid to go outside.

Most people wouldn’t blame me, but my roommate is a pain in my ass. She thinks living is chasing men, or rather, boys our age. I don’t think a single guy in my college class is attractive or even mature enough to consider giving my virginity to, but Briana’s different. She couldn’t care less as long as she has a great time. Sometimes I wish I had that in me. Especially after what happened. I should be living my life to the fullest instead of wallowing in misery and fear.

She turns around and grabs my arm and I pull it free before she yanks the damn thing off. “Come on, Lena. I can see you thinking in that big brain of yours. Please. It’s not even in the city, so the likelihood of running into that bastard is not going to happen.”

“Not in the city?” I close my bio textbook because she’s piqued my curiosity. Besides, it’s not like she’s letting me study at all.