When I make it home, I notice the street is empty, no news vans or media outlets in sight. Maybe the story of what happened is already old news, or maybe the media realized I had nothing to do with what happened to Harmony while she was working at the hospital.
I grab my mail from the box at the end of the driveway then glance to the left to see Tom standing on his front porch smoking a cigarette. Seriously, he has to be a mobster. What other kind of guy wears tracksuits when they are hanging at home? I give him a wave when our eyes meet, not surprised when he doesn’t wave back, but his chin does lift in greeting. With a shake of my head, I walk into my house, turning on all the lights as I go. I drop the mail and my purse on the island, then head to my bedroom and change into one of my nightgowns, throwing my robe over it. I wash my face, then settle on the couch to watch some TV for a couple hours before going to bed.
With tired eyes, I watch the time on my alarm clock change from 12:59 to 1:00 a.m. I’ve been lying in bed, sleep evading me for almost four hours now. Or maybe it’s me who is avoiding sleep? I wish I could say I haven’t been waiting up for Cobi, but the truth is I have been.
I pull my blanket up over my head, realizing how quiet my house is. It’s not lonely, just quiet. I had a cat for a few years; I adopted her from the Humane Society when I rented my first apartment my junior year of college. Her name was Shy. She was old and needed daily medication, but she was also sweet, even-tempered, loved to cuddle, and never acted out. Right after I adopted her, I took her to the vet for a checkup, and they told me they didn’t think she’d live longer than two years. They were right, but those two years were good ones, not only for her but for me too.
I miss her now more than ever. Having another living, breathing being around made the quiet not so loud. Maybe tomorrow I’ll check out my lease and see if it says anything about having a pet. If it says pets are okay with a deposit, I’ll talk to Tom.
I’ve never had a dog. I’m not even sure I could handle the responsibility of having a dog, but I will totally be looking at dogs. Maybe one of those cute tiny ones I can carry around with me everywhere I go. I smile at the thought then jump when I hear my doorbell ring.
My heart starts to race and my body starts to feel like it’s filled with electricity at the idea of Cobi being at my door. When the bell goes off again, I toss my blankets off me, grab my robe from the end of my bed, and head through my still lit living room toward the front door, tying the belt around my waist as I go. When I see Cobi is watching me move closer through the glass at the side of my door, my stomach fills with butterflies. I don’t hesitate to unlock the locks and turn the handle, and he doesn’t hesitate to walk right inside my house and close the door. Seriously, he’s handsome. Just like yesterday, he has on boots and jeans, with his badge clipped to his belt. Unlike yesterday, he’s wearing a button down, black fitted shirt tucked into his jeans, a shirt that is molded to his frame, showing everyone with eyes just how the style of shirt he’s wearing is supposed to fit.
“You’re in your bed, yet you still got all the lights on out here,” he says while looking around, and I start to open my mouth, but before I can respond, he continues. “Baby, the only way you’re going to be able to deal with what happened is to talk about it. Being stubborn isn’t going to fix things.”
“Pardon?” I stand a little taller so I don’t feel so intimidated with him towering over me and looking down at me.
“You’re being stubborn.”
“I’m fine,” I snap, leaving out the fact that Brie and Kenyon have already convinced me that I need to talk to someone, and that I have agreed to do so.
“Sweetheart, you’re scared of sleeping in your own home. You’re not fine.”
My eyes narrow on his in annoyance. “You don’t know me.”
“No, not completely, but I do know you’re being stubborn about this.”
“For your information, I’ve never liked sleeping in the dark.”
I have never been able to sleep when a room is pitch black. I have always needed a little bit of light, which is why most of the time I have my sound machine on that also gives off a soft blue glow that doesn’t keep me awake but does give me just enough light to see the room around me.