We all fail.
He’s no different.
Evil is everywhere.
I leave him where he’s at and grab my coat as well as Christopher’s.
I bolt out of the coat room without saying a single word and see Christopher exiting the elevator.
“Hey, where did you go? I’ve been looking all over for you,” he says with a look of concern—or maybe annoyance. I can’t tell.
“I’m ready to go home,” I say, lifting the coats I’m carrying to show him. “I was just going get you.”
“Is everything all right?” He approaches and takes his coat, puts it on, and then assists me in putting on mine as a true gentleman would.
A true gentleman who is taking secret trips with Marissa.
He leans in and kisses me on the cheek. His breath smells like Michael’s, and I cringe.
Christopher notices and worry darkens his eyes. “Did something happen? You’re acting differently than earlier.”
I can’t tell him about Marissa. I don’t want to tell him what Michael just did. What good would come out of either? I don’t want to face my demons anymore. I want to slink back into the shadows where it’s safe.
“I’m just ready to go home.”
22
Ember
“What’s going on with you?” Christopher asks as we sit in the back of the town car taking us home. “Did something happen at the party?”
I shrug as I watch the passing scenery whirl by faster than my eyes can adjust and take it all in.
“You went to the bathroom and never came back. Did something happen?”
I don’t know how to tell Christopher the truth. Do I just blurt out that I found out he cheated on me with Marissa and then was nearly raped by one of his best friends? Would he even believe me if I told him? And if I tell him what I know about Marissa, will he finally confess and tell me he’s been waiting for the right time to leave me? Will it be over?
I’m not ready for it to be over.
“I had a really good time.” Which isn’t a lie. I did at first. “I just got a little overwhelmed by it all at one point. That’s it. I’m not used to so much so fast.”
Christopher remains quiet for several minutes. I wonder if he’s believing a word I say.
“I have a surprise for you,” he finally says as we pull up to the house. “If you aren’t too tired, I’d like to show you.”
I want to crawl in bed and try to forget this awful night, but I can also see the excitement in Christopher’s eyes, and I don’t want to disappoint him.
“Surprise?” I ask, working harder than ever to paint a fake smile on my face.
He helps me out of the car and into the house. “Shh,” he says. “I don’t want anyone to wake up and be part of this surprise. It’s going to just be our secret for as long as we can keep it that way.”
Michael’s words flood in, and I feel as if I’m going to vomit. Our secret.
“Ember,” Christopher says, snapping me back into reality. “You okay. You seem… off.”
I give the fake smile again and hold his hand as reassurance for him as well as for me. I need his strength to get me to put one foot in front of the other.
Is this what it feels like when your life is crashing all around you?
Christopher leads us up the stairs and then down to the end of the hallways. He then pulls a string to a hatch in the ceiling, opening it to a staircase.
“An attic?” I say.
“Yes, but more.” He climbs the ladder and then turns around to extend his hand to me.
We enter the attic full of dust and boxes. We don’t stay long, however, as he leads me to double doors made of glass. When he opens the doors, we step out onto a rooftop terrace. Strings of lights are hanging above us from the tip of the roof to the railing. It’s like a curtain of stars.
“I know you’ve mentioned how you feel the walls are closing in on you a few times,” Christopher begins. “And I know we have this terrace that’s never been used, or at least in my adult life. So, I’ve been working on having it fixed up for you.”
He leads us farther out, and I can see patio furniture displayed around a fire pit, pots of flowers, and plants all around. Trellises of ivy cover the walls, and little animal and gnome statues are tucked away in the corners. There’s even a water fountain to help drown out the sounds of the city.
“I wanted you to have an outdoor spot that is just yours. A place for you to get out of the house. At least until I find us a place of our own. And I promise I’ll give you an outside environment just like this, if not better, when we do move.”