Vacancy, page 28
I shut the cabinet door, leaving the vodka on the shelf, and decided I was hungry instead.
“I’m going to make a sandwich,” I called over my shoulder. “You want anything?”
“No thanks.” Thalia heaved out a sigh, and the television turned off again, leaving me to believe she hadn’t found anything she liked. “I’m not really hungry.”
Furrowing my brow at her, I watched her tip her head toward the couch cushion and rest her cheek on it as she yawned. She looked worn down. “You do eat, don’t you?”
Thalia rolled her eyes and cattily shot back, “Only on full moons.”
“Funny,” I said sarcastically. She and her brother definitely shared the same dry sense of humor.
But thinking of him reminded me of our date we had planned and the fact that we were together now. Thalia would freak out if she knew we were a couple.
Except it felt worse not telling her.
I bit my lip as I opened the refrigerator and pulled out some mayo and sliced ham. Maybe I could just test the waters.
“Guess what? I’ve got a hot date tonight,” I announced as I hauled the pile of sandwich fixings into my arms to the island counter. “Any suggestions about what I should wear? I think we’re going somewhere fancy.”
“In that case, totally go with the little, black wrap dress that ties on the side with the matching two-strap heeled sandals. You’ll look like dynamite in that.”
“Uh…Okay.” I tipped my head her way, wondering when she’d ever seen me actually wear that outfit. I don’t think I’d put it on once since moving here, which would mean she would’ve had to have gone through my closet at some point.
Huh.
Distracted by the fact that I had such a snoopy, invasive roommate, I didn’t notice her standing from the couch until she was yawning loudly and stretching her arms over her head. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m beat. I think I’m going to take a long soak in the tub and then nap it out.”
As she began to lower her arms, however, I swear I caught a glimpse of a bruise on the inside of her elbow as if she’d had a blood draw go wrong.
I blinked, wondering if I’d seen it correctly or if it had been a trick of the light. “Okay,” I murmured distractedly. “Sounds good.”
But as she headed for the stairs to leave me alone down here, all my fears resurfaced, reminding me why I was so jumpy and scatterbrained in the first place.
And just as she reached the base of the stairwell, my curiosity got the best of me.
“Hey, Thalia…?” I said.
“Yeah?” She paused with her hand on the railing as she glanced back.
“Do you mind if I ask…when did your aunt die?”
Her eyebrows shifted in confusion. “My aunt?”
“Yeah,” I encouraged with a nod. “The one who used to live here, in this brownstone, before you did.”
“Aunt Iris?” Tipping her head in confusion, Thalia only blinked at me. Then, she said, “What makes you think she died?”
“I…” My mouth fell open, speechless for a good five seconds before I sputtered, “Uh, b-because…” I exhaled heavily to gather my senses, then I pointed at her. “I thought you said she left this place to you and…and Damien.”
“When she moved, yes,” Thalia explained, gaping at me as if I were insane. “She went to Florida and decided to just leave the apartment to us instead of selling it. Oh my God, she’s not dead.”
“Oh! I…” The way she was gaping at me as if I’d lost my mind made my confidence plummet, so I stopped trying to explain myself and simply settled for apologizing. “I’m so sorry. That was a really morbid assumption, wasn’t it?”
“I’ll say,” she muttered, shaking her head as if to clear it.
I felt like a massive idiot. Lord, but Thalia hadn’t said the woman had ever died, now that I thought back on it, or that she’d left them her place in a will.
I’d really stuck my foot in it this time.
“You are so weird,” Thalia announced before shaking her head sadly and jogging up the stairs.
I huffed out a deflated breath and glanced at my half-made sandwich, only to brighten with relief because this meant no one had died in my apartment at least.
Thank God.
The place Jaylani had heard about must be somewhere else.
But now, I was more curious than ever to know who’d been murdered in Damien’s family.
Unless…dammit. He hadn’t said it’d been a relative, had he? He’d just said it was someone close. I’d simply assumed—like I apparently liked to do—that it was a family member.
Hell, for all I knew, it could’ve been a guy—not a female—like a best friend.
There was no way I could ask, though. With something that traumatic, I was just going to have to wait—patiently—until he felt like opening up and telling me.
However, maybe there was something I could figure out on my own. Like where this supposed haunted apartment really was. Wouldn’t it be freaky if it ended up being, like, right next door?
Sandwich prepared, I settled myself on a tall chair at the island and took a bite before I pulled up my phone and clicked into an internet search engine.
But after looking up the university’s haunted tour on Bridleway, it just pulled up a flyer, advertising the time, date, and location of where it started. It didn’t give a map of the actual stops or mention specific people or places.
So I texted Raina to ask if she knew, but when she answered, she wasn’t any help because this upcoming Friday was going to be her first time taking the tour.
After that, I turned more general in my search. I typed in haunted, Westport, and Texas in my search engine. From there, I found a house for sale near Fort Worth that supposedly had nine ghosts in it. So I revised the search, adding the word apartment, but that only led me to a Hill House Manor in Gainesville.
I deleted haunted apartment and exchanged those words for ghost. But that brought up a story about a ghost hunter in Westport, Connecticut.
There was nothing paranormal suggested online about this town at all.
Which only made me realize just how paranoid I was being.
“I really am weird,” I muttered to myself.
I couldn’t believe I’d let one little rumor that my best friend might’ve heard get to me so strongly.
With a sigh, I tossed my phone down, only to jump when it buzzed with an incoming text as soon as it landed.
Gritting my teeth over my rattled nerves, I picked it up again, brightening when I saw that it was from Damien.
I got us a reservation at the worm village. But it’s for six. Is that too soon?
When I glanced at the time, I realized that gave me less than half an hour to prepare. “Shit.”
I immediately sat down what was left of my sandwich, not wanting to spoil my supper.
I can do six,
I answered.
Great. I’ll pick you up at a quarter ’til, okay?
I bit my lip as I replied.
Actually, can I meet you at your place? Thalia’s here, and I still haven’t told her that we’re together yet. That might be an awkward pre-first-date conversation if she caught you picking me up.
It took him a bit longer to answer, but finally, he said,
That’s fine. See you here.
From there, I rushed up the stairs to prepare.
When I passed Thalia’s room, I could hear the soothing melody of “Only Time” by Enya being played quietly inside, and I had to smile.
I honestly adored my roommate. Her style and flare for life was just so nice to be around. I hoped someday I’d be able to tell her about me and Damien. Hell, I hoped I could help the two of them reconnect.
Out of all the people I had met in Westport so far, they might be my favorite two. I didn’t want them to be at odds anymore.
I debated briefly on whether I should tell Damien about that bruise I’d seen on her. But, then…it might’ve been a trick of the light. And even if it hadn’t, that didn’t necessarily have to mean anything concerning. It really could’ve just been from a legitimate source. Or, hell, I got bruises all the time from simply bumping into shit. I didn’t want to worry him without any real evidence of anything bad actually happening.
So I turned my mind to our date and hopped into the shower before dolling up my face and making sure I smelled strongly of the peach scent he seemed to like.
Finally, I changed into the little black dress Thalia had recommended, and I slid on my shoes. By then, I needed to get my ass into gear and head toward Damien’s place.
My heels clicked loudly enough on the hardwood floor of the hallway that when I passed Thalia’s room, she called through the doorway, “Have fun.”
“Planning on it,” I called back. “Don’t wait up.”
She laughed. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”
Growing giddy about my night, I hurried to my car, unable to stop grinning as I climbed in.
When I pulled into Damien’s driveway ten minutes later, he must’ve been waiting at the window because the front door opened as I parked, and sexiness incarnate stepped out.
He was wearing a brown suit jacket and slacks to match with a leather belt and off-white shirt that was unbuttoned way too low, like, maybe three buttons had been left open. But, damn, it looked good on him.
As he strolled out toward my car to meet me, my mouth started to water. It was beyond miraculous to me that this stunning being had not only given me the time of day, but he actually wanted to be my boyfriend.
I had to be the luckiest girl on the planet.
My stomach jumbled with nerves, and I didn’t even know why. Everything just felt so suddenly real. I was with the most amazing guy, and I wasn’t sure what I’d done to earn this right.
Finally opening my car door, I whistled at him as I stepped out. “Whoa, Archer. You clean up…real nice.”
“Thanks,” he started with an intimate smile, only to slow to a stop when I shut the door behind me and pulled my hand purse to my waist in front of me. His eyebrows lifted as he took me in from head to toe.
“Fuck,” he finally breathed before his gaze lifted to mine. “Are you sure we really need to go out? Because I can order something in, and we could just—”
“Oh, hell no,” I told him in no uncertain terms and even lifted my index finger to show how serious I was. “I got all dressed up for my first date ever. You are not taking this away from me.”
Damien quirked up a single eyebrow. “First date ever?” he asked slowly.
“Yeah, well…” I shrugged lamely and motioned around me. “I’m more of a casual, hook-up kind of girl. Meet in a big group and then peel off from that with someone who strikes my fancy. Boyfriends and dating were never really my thing…until you.”
He heaved in a deep breath, and I could tell my response affected him.
Coming toward me, he reached out his hand. I accepted his fingers, and he squeezed mine warmly as he looked deeply into my eyes. “I’m the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet.”
“Funny,” I murmured, lifting my other arm to trail a finger along his hairline and simply enjoy the texture. “I was just thinking that about me.”
His whiskey eyes gleamed in approval. Then he hitched his head toward his truck and tugged on my hand. “Come on,” he invited. “I’ve got a girlfriend I need to impress with her first date ever.”
Hudson was working when we arrived at Villa de Gusanos, and he personally delivered our meal to us, something we let him choose that he called a cheese and beef crepe. After all the candlelight, and stringed instruments playing, and tiramisu dessert, I rested my head on Damien’s shoulder as he walked us out to his truck.
“Best first date ever,” I announced as I ran my fingers up his chest to play with the deep opening of his shirt, only for him to slip a hand around my waist and kiss my hair.
“Date’s not over yet. That was just the appetizer.”
From there, he took me to the beach, and we walked along the boardwalk until we came across an arcade, where we played some air hockey and ball toss. I was laughing over how soundly I’d thrashed him at the ball toss as we approached his truck afterward when he tightened his grip on my hand and whirled me to face him.
“Oh!” Not expecting the move, I gasped as my chest bumped into his, but all he did was curl his hand around to the base of my spine to anchor me there.
“Stay the night with me,” he entreated, lowering his face to mine.
I looked at his mouth, craving a taste, only to lift my eyes to his and tease, “I don’t know. Do I really want to be the type of girl who gives it up on the first date?”
“I bought your favorite French vanilla cappuccino K-Cups,” he coaxed.
And that was it. I was flat-out gone for this boy.
“Sold.”
But I didn’t just stay that night. I ended up staying over on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, too.
Damien was true to his word about not letting my schoolwork fall behind. We each had some textbook chapters to read in our respective classes, so on Thursday, we curled up together on his couch and silently read next to each other.
But when Friday rolled around, we had to have a night apart.
It was Keene’s nineteenth birthday, and Parker had this private room at some club reserved for just the seven of them.
Damien had invited me to go with him, anyway. But I had to work semi-late, readying the set for the broadcasting department’s monthly live report. Besides, I didn’t want to be the only girlfriend there.
Damien did talk me into going for a walk with him on the trail earlier in the afternoon before I clocked into work, though. And on our brisk hike, I actually got sweaty. I’d never gotten sweaty while walking with Jaylani before. But a walk with Damien obviously meant a faster pace, accelerated heart rate, and freaking sweat.
He looked happy as he kissed me goodbye at my door, though, so I decided a little sweat was worth it.
I grabbed the front of his shirt as I kissed him back and demanded against his mouth, “Don’t forget that you’re already taken while you’re at that club with a horde of desperate, drunk girls clamoring for this sexy body of yours, alright?”
“Never,” he promised before swatting me on the ass. “I’ll call first thing in the morning and check in.”
I pointed after him as he started away. “You better.”
He winked back, and I think I sighed dreamily.
But he was just so…awesome.
If I’d known having a boyfriend was going to be this great, I would’ve started going steady with them as soon as I’d hit puberty.
Except it was probably Damien himself that made it so good, which meant it was just as well that I’d waited until I’d met him.
Grinning over my luck, I let myself inside the apartment.
It’d been a few days since I’d spent more than five minutes here—which had been mostly just to rush in and back out again after grabbing a change of clothes—so the air felt almost stale as if the place was abandoned.
Thinking Thalia must be gone again to wherever, I flipped on a light and hurried up the stairs. I needed to shower, stat, before heading back to campus for work.
When I passed by my roommate’s door, however, I jumped in surprise when I heard her hard voice blare from within.
“I said no!”
Eyebrows shooting up, I slowed to a stop and totally eavesdropped, moving my face closer to the door.
“I can’t believe you’re blowing me off again, and no, I don’t fucking care if it’s for your wife. That’s actually worse. You said you were leaving her… Yes, you did, you lying sack of shit.”
My mouth dropped into a deep O as I lifted a hand to cover my lips. But holy shit, was Thalia seeing a married man?
This was juicy.
“Josh…” she growled in disgust, and I had to mouth his name back to myself.
But it definitely sounded like married Josh was going back on his word to her. The dirty, rotten bastard.
Give him hell, Thalia, I silently encouraged.
“Yeah, well… I’d like to see how many craft fairs she’ll want you to take her to when she learns you like fucking students in the backseat of the car she got you for your birthday.”
Oh…snap! He was a teacher, too? This was bad. This was really, really bad.
Unable to stop listening, I edged even closer to the door, eager to hear more.
“No…no…” she insisted hotly. “That’s not a threat. I don’t make threats, professor.”
Damn. This just kept getting spicier by the second.
Whatever answer the professor gave must’ve been bad because she barked out a harsh laugh. “Oh, well… Now who’s threatening whom? Look, asshole. You can’t do this to me. You promised…”
A sob echoed through the wood, making me press a hand to my throat.
Dropping her anger that quickly, Thalia’s voice broke as she pleaded, “Josh…please. I need it. I need it so bad; you have no idea.”
My brow furrowed in confusion. Well, that didn’t sound as much like a booty call as it did a drug addict trying to score her next buy.
Just what the hell kind of mess had Damien’s sister gotten herself into?
“No…” she sobbed before screeching, “Worthless dickhead,” and something—like her phone maybe—smacked against the wall near the door that I practically had my ear pressed against.
With a gasp, I reared back and heaved out a hard breath.
Inside the room, I heard Thalia crying.
Dammit. She was hurting. It no longer mattered what disaster she’d gotten tangled in, I couldn’t handle knowing she was in pain.
Fisting my hand briefly in indecision, I pressed my knuckles against my mouth before stepping forward and knocking softly on the door.
“Thalia?” I called gently. “You okay?”
In response, Carly Rae Jepsen blared abruptly from her room; her way of telling me to fuck off.
Well…alright, then.
