“You believe there’s one person for everyone, but you don’t want to find yours just yet,” he concludes.
“Yes,” I say with conviction as I’m about to wash the dishes.
He sets his dishes in the sink and says, “You cooked, I’ll do the dishes.”
It seems fair, and I’m too tired to hold a plate. I might break the dishes, and what if they cost an arm and a leg?
Once he’s done, Eros asks, “Are you ready to head to bed?”
I nod, still a little hesitant about how this night will turn out. When I spoke to his sister, she was super friendly. “Listen, I’m sure it’s scary to have a guy approaching you and trying to help. My brother is safe. He’s like a big puppy. Also, he worries a lot about people. You could stay at the airport, and he’ll stay with you until your plane takes off. It’d be best if you two go to a dry, warm, and safe place to spend the next two days. I promise you’ll be safe with him. If there’s a problem, you can reach the doormen. They are there to help you in case of an emergency. You’re safe.”
She talked so fast it made me dizzy. I decided to stay at the airport, and if the guy wanted to do the same, I wouldn’t be bothered. I was hesitant to accept the invitation and stalled for hours. Chatting with him made the time go by so fast, I never realized it was so late. I’m sure Dad and Dan are going to kill me for accepting this guy’s invitation. I also think that if they found someone in my shoes, they’d help her.
We walk toward the bedrooms and pass what I guess is a room. There’s a bed leaning against the wall, a bunch of boxes, and more artifacts like the ones in the living room. Is this guy, Gil, avoiding home? He has probably been doing it for years, but why?
There’s an archeological site right in this apartment. If we could dig a little, we can find what makes him live on his own, share someone else’s family, and stay away from home. Is this even home for him?
Eros opens the door to a room. “You’re staying here tonight.”
The waft of laundry detergent, cedarwood, and musk remind me of him.
“This is your room,” I state. I turn to look at him. “I can take the couch.”
“There are plenty of beds in this apartment,” he assures me. His grin is starting to become my favorite thing. I wonder what it’d be like to kiss the dimple on his right cheek. “There are only two rooms with a lock and a bathroom. Gil’s and mine.”
“Where will you sleep?”
“As I said, there are other guest rooms. There’s a cable where you can charge your phone right by my nightstand,” he instructs. “See you in the morning, Liv.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” he says. “Just pay it forward.”
Chapter Four
Olivia
It feels like I just set my head on the pillow when my phone rings.
“Hello?” I yawn.
“Finally.” Dad sighs with relief. “We’ve been calling you all night, and you haven’t answered your phone.”
I look at the screen, and indeed there are many missed calls from him and Dan. What’s more surprising is that it’s not two in the morning as I thought, but almost seven.
“This is the first time I heard it.”
“Only you could sleep on a chair.” He lets out a loud exhale. “We tried to buy you a ticket for today, but there aren’t any planes going out until tomorrow. I guess you’re lucky you found a seat for tomorrow’s flight.”
“Thank you for trying, but I’m going to be fine,” I say as I breathe the scent of Eros.
I’m pretty sure I’m going to steal his pillow—a little souvenir from the weirdest couple of days of my life.
“Have you eaten anything?”
I stretch, push away the covers, and get out of the bed. I never lie to my parents. They aren’t going to take this well either. Thinking fast on my feet, I ask Dad, “Can I speak to Dan?”
Dad makes a weird noise, and I hear him say, “She wants to talk to you.”
“Good morning. Are you okay, sweetheart?” Dan asks with so much worry in his voice. I feel guilty for what I’m about to say.
I push the door open and head to the living room.
“Yes, I’m all right, but last night I did something Dad might not approve of,” I confess and twist the truth. “This family offered to take me home.”
So, it’s a half-truth. Eros offered to take me home. I spoke to his sister. That makes them a family, right?
“That’s very nice of them, but it’s also dangerous, Olivia.” His voice is firm. He’s not upset, but he’s disappointed.
I’d rather have Mom or Dad yell at me than disappointing Dan.
“Can I speak to them?”
“To whom?”
“The family,” he explains.
“Well, they’re sleeping. It’d be rude to wake anyone up. Why don’t I ask them to call you when they wake up?” I offer.
“Please do so. We need you to be careful. I’ll call around to try to get you a hotel room for the night.”
“Dad’s going to be upset, isn’t he?”
“Look at this from his perspective, sweetheart. You took charge of your life, and so far, things have been bumpy. He’s frustrated because there’s nothing he can do to save you from everything that’s been happening. It’s out of his control. For a guy with OCD who loves his daughter very much, it is hard. I know you have to learn, live, and make mistakes to grow up, but as a parent, it is hard to be just an observer.”
I’m not sure if I should apologize for wanting to make my own mistakes or if he’s assuring me that this is part of some growing pains Dad and I have to go through. My parents have to let go while I need to learn how to do stuff on my own.
“Yesterday was long and difficult,” I mumble. “It was hard to say yes to this offer, but it felt like the only answer to my prayers. I understand why you would disapprove, but I didn’t make the decision lightly. It took me five hours to accept.”
“They waited for you to accept?”
“Yes.”
He sighs. “Make sure they call me so I can thank them, okay.”
“I will,” I agree before hanging up. “Love you, Dan.”
“Love you too, sweetheart. Be safe, please.”
I hang up and sigh with relief.
“Did you just lie to your parents?” The baritone voice makes me jump.
Eros is only a few steps away from me. He wears a T-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts.
“I tweaked the truth.”
He snorts. “Obviously. My imaginary family and I invited you to stay is pretty believable. Tweaking is a lesser transgression than telling them a big fat lie.”
“Like you’ve never lied to your parents.” I roll my eyes.
“You’d have to meet them to understand why I don’t lie to them,” he answers. I’m intrigued about his statement.
“Are you lying to me about never—”
“No. I’m dead serious. Octavio and Edna Brassard are no ordinary parents,” he states. “So, your parents are waiting for someone to call them to say, yes, your child is safe with us?”