#Blocked, page 17
“Sounds like your whiskey got into her...and something else,” she murmured.
He shook his head. “Tomorrow I’ll talk to her and let her know how unprofessional that was.”
Winter realized her face was all screwed up, and she forced herself to relax. There has to be an explanation, she thought. It’s all a big misunderstanding. Maybe Sarah has a crush on him or something. You have to change, Winter. You have to trust. You have to stop running away from people.
Bo had calmed himself and carefully picked up both teacups. “Will you please drink some relaxing tea, and we’ll go visit the kittens?”
Winter swallowed. After a few seconds of contemplation she said quietly, “Yes.”
He handed her the tea, and they went into his bedroom. Both kittens were curled up on Bo’s bed, the pillows were on the floor and the blankets were hanging halfway off. Winter drank a few sips, set her tea on the nightstand, then sat down and lightly pet Edgar, then Elmira. Edgar curled tighter at Winter’s touch and Elmira put a paw over her eyes.
“They’re so adorable,” she said quietly.
“Should we get them up?”
“Oh, I’d feel so bad doing that.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Probably wouldn’t be too happy with us if we messed up their sleeping schedule.”
She nodded and smiled. He sat down next to her and put his hand on hers. They sat for a while together, watching the kittens sleeping, before Winter couldn’t hold it any longer.
“Why was she sleeping in your bed?” she asked.
He took a deep breath through his nose. “I had no idea she’d do that. I definitely didn’t give her permission.”
Winter nodded slowly, her eyes wandering to the floor. He nudged her playfully.
“She’s a stoner,” he said. “Sometimes she doesn’t even know what planet she’s on.”
“Okay, cool. So you’re not sleeping with your concierge manager?”
She asked this plainly without much thought behind it, expecting an obvious and immediate “no” from him. He put his tea down and tried to say something, but no words came out and Winter started feeling nauseous. She stood up and the kittens opened their eyes briefly, Elmira stretching, before going back to sleep.
“Wait…you’re sleeping with her?”
He stood up. “Not anymore. I don’t want to lie to you.”
He tried to grab her hands, but she wouldn’t have it.
“I think I need to go,” she said.
“Winter, she means nothing to me.”
“Oh, that’s supposed to make me feel better? It’s just really weird to have someone you’re…effing…just chilling at your home, sleeping in your bed, while you’re taking me out, convincing me you like me. It’s so—it’s so gross.”
She hurried out of the room and he followed her. As she put on her coat, he stood in front of the front door.
“Please don’t leave,” he said. “I heard some things about your previous relationship, and I don’t want you to be—”
“Heard what, exactly?” Her eyes started to well up and her weakness made her angry.
“I don’t have specifics. But I heard it was weird. I was hoping you’d fill me in on what that meant.”
“Why would I? I’m just another notch on your belt. You want me to tell you so you and your buddies can make fun of me?”
“Winter, I’ve wanted you for—” He sighed. “I slept with her because I was lonely. Because I couldn’t have you.”
“Oh, please.”
She reached around him to grab the doorknob. He reluctantly moved out of the way and she walked fast down the hallway, with him following close behind.
“Winter,” he pleaded. “It’s so late. Please just stay here tonight. You can lock the guest room if you don’t trust me. But I promise I’m not a bad guy. I don’t know what I have to do to prove that to you.”
She turned to him, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Why do you have to be like him? Why? I thought you were different. I really did.”
It looked like the wind had been knocked out of him. He approached her slowly and she could see his eyes were reddening.
“Like who?” he asked delicately.
“Like him! Like Lyle!”
“Your ex?”
She closed her eyes, and a tear dropped onto her hand.
“How am I like him?” he asked.
She opened her eyes and he gently wiped her cheek with his thumb.
“You,” she sniffled. “You’d sleep with other women and get a sick pleasure of dangling it in my face.”
He shook his head, bringing his eyebrows together.
“And I know what would happen next,” she continued. “You’d forbid me from going out and you’d accuse me of—” She spoke fast, and her words jumbled, almost collapsing on each other. “And you’d come home, and you’d think it was funny to—to scare me or—or to hurt me and—”
Somehow, Bo was already holding her. She was trembling and sobbing, burying her face in his soft sweater.
“And you’d—you would—force me to do things,” she whispered.
His voice cracked. “I’d never do any of that to you.”
And he just repeated those words over and over.
And before she knew it, she was drifting off to sleep in his guest bedroom. With Bo lying next to her. And the kittens curled up and sleeping between them.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Bo woke up first. He quietly stopped in his master bedroom restroom to brush his teeth and swish his mouth with mouthwash and try to tame his bedhead hair.
The kittens were already awake, using the living room as an obstacle course that involved chasing each other, taking turns using the cat scratcher set up in the hallway, and playing soccer with fish shaped cat toys stuffed with cat nip.
Bo selected the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on his phone and put it on speaker as he made eggs, hash browns, toast, and sliced fruit.
Curious, the kittens checked on what Bo was doing, repeatedly, and he had to shoo them away more than once when they jumped on the counter and got a little too close to the food. By the time Bo set the breakfast nook table with drinks and the plates, Winter had gotten up.
“Smells amazing,” she said, rubbing her eyes.
He paused the podcast and almost forgot how to breathe: She was a vision to behold in his black sweater, leaning against the hallway entrance, with her long, toned legs, beautiful, painted-pink toes, one bared shoulder, and messy ponytail. She knows exactly what she’s doing, he thought. In the back guestroom closet, Bo kept packs and packs of undergarments, t-shirts, and socks, as well as grooming toiletries for any guest that needed it. Though Winter happily opened a new pack of undergarments and a toothbrush/toothpaste package, she insisted on wearing Bo’s sweater because she needed something “warm.” He happily gave it to her, and she put it on over her outfit. Then, like a magic trick, her outfit and panties dropped to the floor. He had to get up and take a lap around his apartment after seeing that. He was only a man after all.
“Were you listening to JRE?” she asked.
“Wh-yeah? You listen?”
She nodded. “I’ve heard a lot of ‘em. You’re listening to the last one with Joey Diaz, right? I love when he’s a guest.”
“Yeah. His stories are so funny.”
“One of the best storytellers out there.” She laughed as the kittens ran around her. “Do you have any episodes you’d recommend?”
“Definitely Elon Musk,” he answered.
“Oh, my, that episode was marvelous. Some of the things he said though—it’s kind of terrifying. Just knowing where A.I. is headed. And how he answered Joe’s questions…he was so ominous.”
“Yeah. I think the future of technology is terrifying but also really fucking exciting.”
She smiled. “I agree.”
He watched her in awe as she walked over to the couch and picked up a feathered wand cat toy. She knelt down in the middle of the living room and waved the wand. Elmira immediately started chasing it. Edgar hid behind the ottoman, wiggled his butt, and then pounced, missing the feather by a few seconds before jumping into the air and clasping it between his paws.
“Damn, Edgar!” Winter laughed. “Did you see that?”
“I sure did. Guess we know which one will be an athlete when they grow up.”
Elmira had already lost interest and was clawing up a small throw pillow, thumping it with her hind feet. Winter played with Edgar a little while longer before he got distracted by the curtains automatically opening by the magic of the remote in Bo’s hand. Edgar jumped on the right side, just as it stopped. Elmira sniffed the left curtain first, but quickly made her way over to the right—to which her brother almost landed on her head.
“Still think you can handle two kittens?” Winter asked and walked over to Bo.
“Well, I have you to help me, right?” He winked at her.
She bit her lip and seemed to think about something, crossing her arms.
“Oh, shit,” he said. “You must be cold.”
He grabbed the gray knit throw blanket from the couch, unfolded it, and wrapped it around her. She stood there, looking away, as he rubbed her shoulders slowly to help her warm up. She uncrossed her arms and bit her fingernails. After a few long seconds, she finally looked up at him, stood on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
Then she turned to the table. “You cooked all this?”
“Mmmhmm. I want you to have a good morning.”
“Well…I already am.”
He gestured to the plate in front of the corner bench, and she sat down. He sat in a chair across from her. They ate and Winter gushed over the taste of her breakfast, and Bo regaled her with a very interesting story (not really) about how one of his teachers at boarding school insisted on teaching him to cook because he didn’t even know how to make toast back then. She laughed so hard she choked on her orange juice.
When they were done, Winter jumped up and insisted on washing their dishes, even though they were going into the dishwasher.
“Oh, I gotta feed them,” Bo said.
“Can I help?”
“Sure, can you refill their water?”
Bo put two elevated pet bowl sets on the counter. Winter filled one side of each with water, and Bo put half of the can in each of the other. The kittens, smelling their breakfast, were at their feet meowing. The meows stopped the moment the bowl sets hit the floor, however.
“Join me on the couch?” Bo asked Winter as he washed his hands.
She sat close to him, wrapped tightly in the blanket, except for her exposed legs outstretched on the ottoman. He wanted so bad to put his hand on her knee…run it up her thigh… have it disappear under the blanket and–Keep it together, Bo, he told himself.
“You need to call the cops and tell them everything you told me,” he said matter-of-factly. “You can use my lawyers and they’re gonna need you to gather any proof—like photos, witnesses, even the people you just told secondhand—”
She stiffened and put her legs down. “I don’t think I can. I never really told anyone. At least, not the extent of it.” Her voice trailed off.
“Why?”
“Because,” she said, shamefully.
He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. The kittens were still eating, and both tails looked like little black and white question marks from his view.
He looked back at her. “You know you didn’t deserve any of that…”
She nodded.
“No, really,” he continued. “I feel like you don’t know how smart and sweet and confident you are.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not confident.”
“Are you kidding me? You put your creativity out there in the world. Do you know how long it took me to even let people see some of my stuff? I mean, Blaine’s Lanes, for one thing, was like something I’ve been wanting to do for years.”
She nodded slowly. Bo stared into space, thinking about everything.
“That piece of shit,” he finally said, his knee bouncing uncontrollably. “He wanted you to believe you were worthless. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
She sucked on her bottom lip and her eyes started to mist.
“Will you at least get a restraining order on the guy?” Bo continued. “He’s stalking you. I’m your witness.”
“Yeah, but how can I prove he’s stalking me? He was at a coffee shop and I don’t even know if he saw me.”
Bo shook his head. “Okay then, I need you to give me his address.”
“Are you serious? To do what?”
“I’ll figure that out when I get there.”
She shook her head. “And risk you going to jail or something worse? No way.”
He started popping his knuckles and sat back to attempt to relax. Winter leaned against him and he put his arm around her.
“It’s okay, Bo.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
She nuzzled in the crook of his neck and a calmness washed over him.
“I have a meeting in an hour for the Lanes’ Halloween party. I really have to be there so—please promise me you’ll stay here until I get back and we can figure out what to do. I don’t want you being alone, especially at your house.”
She put her hand on his and his muscles slackened. Then she lightly kissed his neck and he almost melted into the cushions.
“Just…” He closed his eyes. “Just please…stay here, okay? I’ll be back in a few hours. There’s cameras here and security.”
“And the concierge manager?” She lifted her head up and smiled.
He made sure not to smile back though he really wanted to. “I’m just saying, you’ll be safe here.”
She nodded. “The kittens will keep me company.”
“Okay, good.”
He slowly pulled his arm back from around her to reach the remote, and pushed a button, summoning the ceiling projector.
“Fancy,” Winter said.
“So, you can watch Netflix, use any of the other apps, go on the internet, whatever, using this remote. And if you need a laptop, it’s in my office. Oh, and the wifi info is written on a piece of paper in one of the kitchen drawers.”
“You really know how to host somebody.”
“Oh, and if you wanna take a shower, make sure to use the one in my bedroom. It’s a lot bigger than the others. If you need anything just call the concier—the front desk.”
“A few hours?”
“I promise. It’ll only be a few hours. I have a meeting and then I have to show Jeremiah his work room.”
“Wait…Mia’s Jeremiah?”
“Yeah. I didn’t tell you? He’s working for me full time now.”
“That’s wonderful, Bo,” she beamed. “I love that kid.”
“He’s an alright dude. And damn talented.”
“He’s so good. Can’t even put into words how much he’s helped me and Mia with our posts and with building our brands.”
“Well, I’m really happy to be working with him.” He stood up, admired her for a few moments, and then said, “I’m gonna take a shower. I’d ask you to join me but then I’d never leave.”
She put her legs back up on the ottoman and he had to turn away quickly before he saw too much. This girl, he thought.
After his shower, the kittens were curled up again like the yin-yang symbol on the cushion next to Winter, who was watching Ex Machina with a blanket over her legs…thank you, lord.
“Damn, talk about a terrifying glimpse into the future of A.I.,” he said, looking at the screen.
Winter was seemingly startled out of a trance and paused the movie. She sprung up, wrapping the blanket around her waist. Oh, thank you, he thought. Elmira opened her eyes for a second to see what the fuss was about, then closed them.
“Have fun at work,” Winter said, in good spirits.
“I can’t wait to see you again.”
He caressed her cheek. They kissed, softly, closed mouth. Bo knew if her tongue felt his, he wouldn’t be strong enough to leave. And kissing her then…it was different—tender and earnest, but also…absolute—as if a difficult math equation had just been deciphered between them. And a strange sense of relief settled inside him that he’d never felt in his whole life.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Winter sat down in a daze.
“Wow.” She mouthed the words but didn’t make a sound.
The feeling was so foreign to her. She’d heard about it, read about it, but it never really clicked inside her until that very moment. Like many times before, she was dizzy, but for once it felt…good. She was floating, vibrating. She felt both a lightness and heaviness in her chest. And the taste of him lingered on her lips. She remembered his genuine smile as he left out the front door, and it brought on that magical, tingly chill that she’d only previously gotten when she heard really good music or watched a compelling part of a movie or TV show. She once read that those special tingles occur when one’s brain is flushed with dopamine for whatever reason, but she couldn’t help but think it was caused by something deeper. Something not so scientific. Something spiritual. She grabbed a throw pillow to bury her face in. She felt like a hormonal schoolgirl whose crush just asked her to prom. Where did he come from? she screamed inwardly to whomever would listen.
Her movements inadvertently woke up the kittens, causing Elmira to lethargically walk to the very end of the sofa and sit against the armrest. Edgar, however, sniffed the throw blanket before climbing onto the warm lap underneath it. Winter pet the kitten and scratched his chin and he thanked her with a loud purr and three, short, squeak-meows before turning himself into a mini loaf and closing his eyes. With a slow reach and maneuver as to not disturb the ball of fluff, she got the remote in her hand and started the film up again.
Possibly due to the fact that Winter had seen Ex Machina at least three times, her mind wandered. After wandering far enough, she came to a wonderful and satisfying conclusion: Bo was absolutely, unequivocally, nothing like Lyle. Had her ex-boyfriend ever comforted her when she cried? Had he ever asked if she was okay? Understood what she was saying even when her words didn’t come out right? Did he ever look at her with any semblance of compassion? Sleep in the same bed with her without expecting something in return? Nope. Nope. No. Nah. And heck no.
