Apart from low blood pressure and fatigue, I’m doing fine. Leonard assured the doctor that a psychiatrist would be evaluating me tomorrow and emphasized that my rest was his top priority. After the evaluation, Leonard walked the doctor to the door, leaving me with Claire.
- Well, Blair, I have some bad news for you. I’m going to have to leave.
- But you’ll come back, right?
- No.
- Why? That’s why you were talking to Leonard.
She sighs.
- Yes. You could come with me, but the fear that you might be unsafe is too much for me to risk. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to take time off or continue missing work. And I don’t want to let you down. Leonard assured me he’d take care of you and promised that, if you didn’t want him here, nurses and maids would come and nothing would be lacking. It’ll always be your choice. We’ll come here once a week, probably on Friday, and stay until Sunday morning. At least until we’re sure you’re really safe. Besides, the police want to talk to you and are coming to see you on Monday. Blair, - I look at her, sad and uncertain. – I trust him. And you trust me. I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but he cares about you. You’re safer here than the president himself!
I smile and nod. She’s right; Leonard won’t hurt me. He might be a lot of things, but he’s no rapist.
- He can stay.
- Mmm… - She starts that crooked smile of someone who sees more than she should. – I know… you’ve got a little crush on him!
- Shut up! I don’t have anything!
Yeah, right! - I slap her arm and she runs to the door laughing. She turns back and kisses me on the forehead, then hugs me and leaves.
Maybe I do have a little crush on him. Just a tiny one.
I take the pill the doctor left on the nightstand and lie down. I need to sleep.
I wake up with a start from another nightmare. I feel sweaty and my heart is racing. I try to control my breathing to calm down as the nightlight comes on. I look around; I’m alone. But I don’t want to be alone. I get up and leave the room.
I only hear the sounds coming from outside, nothing else. I look down a long, dimly lit hallway, illuminated by the ambient lights on each wall partition. There are floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the vineyards. On the opposite side, I notice there are three more doors. I remember Claire saying she was right next door, so I take a chance and open the first door. Empty. It’s a smaller room than mine, with shades of beige verging on green. I realize Claire has already left; I close the door. I take a few more steps and stop between the last two. Which of these doors is his room? He must be asleep. I turn to go back to my room, but I stop short; I don’t want to be alone and I don’t feel like sleeping, so all I can do is summon the courage to find him behind one of these doors.
I place my hand on the doorknob of the second-to-last door, opening it very slowly. It isn’t an old door, so it doesn’t creak, but my heart insists on pounding in my ears. I’m nervous. I peek inside, but all I see is darkness, so I don’t even dare to go in. I close the door and move on to the next one. The night is going to be long; I can tell. On an impulse, I put my hand on the doorknob and open it slowly; as I push the door, I see light—the same kind of ambient light I have in my room. I push the door open a little further and I am completely mesmerized by the sight. Leonard is lying on the bed shirtless, wearing only black sweatpants. His laptop is open, and he still has his phone in his hand. It looks like he fell asleep while working. He looks like a god; a perfectly defined body, a silver chain with a cross drapes around his neck and rests on the hair on his chest. Now I understand perfectly why they call him “Heartbreaker”—this man is gorgeous from head to toe, even when he’s asleep. I decide he deserves some rest and turn away.
- Blair!
I look back and see him getting up.
- Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.
- What’s going on? Is everything okay? What do you need?
Now I feel like a complete idiot. I see the concern in his eyes.
- Nothing. Seriously, everything’s fine.
I smile at him. He stops almost right next to me, but doesn’t force the closeness. However, his eyes give him away, and he looks me up and down, lingering, focusing too long on my chest. I completely forgot to put on my robe, and now I realize I’m standing in front of him in a long black silk nightgown, laced at the bust. Way too sexy, given the situation.
He realizes he’s been silent for too long and clears his throat.
- Tell me what you need, please. You didn’t come looking for me for nothing.
- Mmmm, well, I had a nightmare and woke up alone and…
- You need company.
I nod in agreement. I never thought I’d reach a point in my life where I’d rather be with someone than alone.
His smile is sweet. Who would have thought I’d ever see a smile like that on my boss’s face.
He extends his hand to me; I hesitate to take it. He senses my insecurity, and just as he’s about to lower it, I grab it. I have to trust him.
***
He gently pulls me inside his room. The walls are light gray, and the floor is black-and-white marble. A contrast that suits the person who sleeps here well. He has the same view as I do, but from the opposite side, and his bed is even bigger than mine. Now that I’m here, I feel uncomfortable. I walk over to the table to pull out a chair, not wanting to bother him.
- What are you doing?
He looks at me amused, while I feel terribly embarrassed.
- I’m going to sit here. I won’t bother you; you can keep working.
And, as if I’d been electrocuted, I hear a burst of laughter. I look at him in shock, kind of laughing too, not quite sure why.
- You’re not staying there, and I’m not going to keep working. Come on, come lie down. The bed is way too big, and I promise I won’t touch you. We can watch TV if you want.
I know I’m blushing—more than just blushing! I believe he won’t touch me, but lying down in his bed—won’t that be a little too… intimate?
- Mmmm… Maybe it’s better not. I… I’ll go to my room and stay there. Sorry for waking you up.
I get up, wanting to run out the door, but he’s too fast and I’m too slow.
- Nonsense! Come on, lie down. You weren’t going to stay in a chair getting cold. – He leads me to the corner opposite the door and pulls the sheets back so I can get in. I almost slip on them because they’re so silky. He covers my legs and goes to his side of the bed, while putting his computer and phone away on the table. He picks up a remote, presses a button, and, as if by magic, a TV slides down from the ceiling. I’m amazed, my mouth hanging open when I hear him laughing again. – Seeing you so shocked by technology is so funny.
He sits at the other end of the bed. There’s a huge space between the two of us. Two more people could easily fit right there in the middle.
- I’m not funny; we mere mortals don’t have that kind of god-like technology.
- Mere mortals? – He laughs again. I almost melt right there, but I keep up the act of a woman indignant at being teased. – So “you guys” don’t have a TV?
- Yes, we do, but we don’t have a TV that slides down from the ceiling!
He laughs again. He didn’t know I was that funny. He utters a “You’re the best” and starts channel-surfing. The ambient light goes out and the room goes dark, lit only by the TV. He avoids the news channels, and I quickly realize why. Whatever happened must not have been good for him or the company. He settles on a cooking channel, where they’re teaching how to make chicken stroganoff. We both fall silent, pretending to pay attention to what the woman is explaining. I sink deeper into the pillows. After a while, I snort in boredom.
- Can we play the knowledge game?
- The game of what?
He looks at me with a confused expression.
- The knowledge game. I ask a basic question and you answer, then it’s your turn. When we get to a question that one of us wants to answer, the other owes us a favor.
- So it’s like playing Truth or Dare?
- Yes, but this way it helps us get to know each other better.
- All right. Ladies first.
I start thinking, what can I ask her that the internet doesn’t already know? I also can’t just dive right in and ask overly intimate questions! I play it safe and start with the mundane questions.
- Do you have any brothers or sisters?
She answers promptly.
- Yes, I have an older brother and a sister who’s two years younger. The age gap isn’t that big.
- But why don’t they mention them in the magazines? They usually only talk about you.
- That’s already two questions, Miss Blair. Now it’s my turn. - I smile; you’re right. I let him have his turn. – Are your parents married or divorced?
He starts with a trivial but difficult question.
- My mother passed away many years ago, and my father’s whereabouts have been unknown for many years as well.
- I’m so sorry; I didn’t think that…
- Calm down. It’s been many years. It’s all right.
I give him my smile that puts people at ease whenever they ask me this question. They’re always flustered.
- So, who did you live with?
- Calm down, Mr. Parker. It’s my turn. – I tell him, playing along with his game. He smiles that magnificent smile.
- Okay. Go ahead.
- The wine business. Why?
We don’t look at each other. We both keep staring at the TV, pretending to pay attention and acting as if the questions were part of a casual conversation.
- Wine because my father was an alcoholic. I was so angry with him so many times that I promised myself I would own everything I could get my hands on that had anything to do with alcohol, just to make him feel ashamed. Fortunately, he managed to get sober before he killed himself for good. He’s been sober for over eight years. And I hope it stays that way.
I can tell from his tone of voice that his relationship with his father isn’t platonic, and that this was the most concise version he could give me. I accept it and ask no further questions.
- Your turn.
- What do you do in your free time?
- I read a lot! I cook, I walk around the park. But basically my life is always the same. What changes are the weekends when I’m off.
I yawn. His bed is too comfortable. I slide a little further in, covering the rest of my body.
He doesn’t answer me, and I assume he’s fallen asleep. I close my eyes, feeling his scent all around me, and fall asleep peacefully, feeling completely safe.
I wake up to the light that’s stubbornly trying to get in. I’m lying on my stomach with my face buried in a wonderful pillow. I just move my head. I look through my hair and notice that my hand is clutching Leonard’s arm. I don’t move. He’s still sleeping. I can tell I’m in the middle of the bed, so I must have moved closer to him. Seriously, Blair! I admire him as he sleeps, breathing in and out calmly, those full lips slightly parted, and the blanket covering only his lower half. This man is gorgeous. I know plenty of women at the office who’d kill just to be in my place. But here I am, not for the best reasons, unfortunately. And he kept his promise—he didn’t touch me. He stayed on his side of the bed, didn’t try a thing, not even a touch. I can trust him. I feel like I can.
As if he sensed I’d woken up, he turns and takes my hand. As soon as he opens his eyes and looks at me, I realize this was a one-time thing, because if I’m greeted by that look again tomorrow morning, I know I’ll fall in love.