Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
“Then I’m going to take my chances and go inside with you, sweetie.” He reached for her purse and easily plucked the keys out of the outside pocket before holding them up. “Last chance? Are you holding any hostages?”
She giggled again.
He pulled her in for a tight hug as he unlocked her door.
She held her breath, not wanting to see his face when he finally saw her apartment. Did it really matter? Who cared what he thought of her? She wasn’t going to live here much longer anyway, and she was too tired to care. Tired and worn out and exhausted and defeated. All the words for sleep deprived. They all applied.
She hesitated in the doorway, glancing up at him as he tried to usher her inside. He was looking at her, not the apartment. His brow was furrowed with concern. She knew that would change the moment he saw her space.
Theo nearly dragged her through the open doorway before shutting it behind them and then wrestling her purse from around her neck to set it on the small entry table.
She felt better being inside her apartment than out in the hallway. At least the only person who could see her crying now was Theo, but she really didn’t want him to witness what was about to be a complete pity party of maximum proportions.
He cupped her face again. He’d never touched her before today, and he’d done so a lot in the last ten minutes. In fact, he’d been touching her the entire time.
She had to tip her head way back to meet his gaze. She was only five-two. He had to be a foot taller.
“Show me where your bathroom is. Let’s get a cool wet cloth so I can wash your face and then a drink. After that, you can tell me what all the tears are about.”
She stared at him wide-eyed. “It’s okay. You can go now. I’ll be fine. Thank you for helping me get to my apartment.”
He smiled broadly. “Several full sentences. That’s an improvement.” He ignored the actual words, though, as he took her hand and headed across her living room toward the open door that was clearly her bathroom.
Considering the fact that he lived next door, chances were his apartment was a mirror image of hers, and he knew the layout.
Annie felt like she’d slipped into another dimension when Theo sat her on the closed toilet seat before opening the linen closet and grabbing a washcloth as if he lived there and knew where everything was.
She glanced around, holding her breath, taking in her surroundings through his eyes. Though he said nothing about her belongings, surely he was baffled or horrified by what he saw.
For starters, the washcloth was pink with a princess in the middle. The vanity was a mess because she hadn’t put anything away this morning. It held her pink princess brush, several hairbands—also pink—and her princess toothbrush in the princess holder.
She liked princesses, and this was her bathroom. No one ever visited her. She had decorated it the way that made her feel happy. She wasn’t even going to glance at the tub to remind herself it was filled with bath toys, bubble bath, and girly bath bombs.
Theo turned on the water, tested the temperature, and wet the cloth before turning toward her to tip her head back and gently wash her face.
New tears fell. She hadn’t been nurtured like this in a very long time. She didn’t even care if this was a dream. It felt good. Maybe she’d fallen in the stairwell and was actually lying at the bottom with a skull fracture. It could be causing her to hallucinate as she died.
That wasn’t likely because she wasn’t in any pain.
Her imagination ran wild with possibilities because the current reality wasn’t believable. Theo couldn’t be in her apartment gently wiping her tears away. He just couldn’t.
He rinsed off the cloth twice to continue patting her skin until she indeed felt a bit calmer than before. Not enough but maybe slightly.
Finally, he set the cloth on the vanity and took her hand. “Now, how about a drink of water. Do you like ice in it, sweetie?”
She was dazed as she let him lead her to the kitchen. Caught in a fantasy world. How many times had she envisioned Theo in her apartment? Thousands.
He kept his much larger hand wrapped around hers as he opened cabinets until he found what he wanted. Her favorite pink princess sippy cup.
Heat rose up her cheeks as he finally released her to fill the cup with water, including adding ice even though she hadn’t responded.
“Come.” He took her hand again and led her to the sofa before settling in the center and lifting her onto his lap sideways. When he leaned her back in his arm and held the sippy cup to her lips, she let him because it felt so good.