Safer Together (The Safer Duet Book 2)

by Amy Rose

  “I was wondering what you are wearing?”

  I feel a lump forming in my throat and look down at my very non-sexy jeans and orange jumper. Do I lie? Tell him I’m wearing something nicer? He did tell me not to take it the wrong way though. “Umm, dark blue jeans and an orange sweatshirt, why?” More silence. Feeling brave, I continue “What are you wearing?”

  A throaty groan sounds in my ear. “Beige jeans, red polo top and a white jacket, nothing too exciting. Do me a favor and send me a photo of you in your jeans and orange sweatshirt?”

  I giggle, the only response I can think of. “Sure, nothing says sexy like jeans and a sweatshirt, now does it?”

  “Angie. You always look sexy to me.” My breath catches in my throat. His words call to my inner self. The fire that has been kept alight by embers wants so badly to roar up into flames, and he does this to me over the phone.

  “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll send you a photo if you send me one too?” Before two seconds have passed, I hear his reply.

  “Oh baby, that’s a deal. Talk to you later. Don’t keep me waiting for that photo, my beautiful girl.” I hear two beeps signaling Elliot has ended the conversation.

  Running into the bathroom, I let my hair out of the messy bun and brush it, apply a quick coat of mascara to my lashes, pinch my cheeks for color and run my lip gloss wand over my lips. I wander out to the bed and sit on the edge, lifting the phone up slightly higher than straight on. I try out several angles before settling on one that gives a soft light across my face. I smile at the camera and take two photos; I then take another of me blowing a kiss.

  Selecting the best of the two smiling photographs, I send it through. I then follow it up with the other, hoping he finds it cute and not over the top. I keep the phone in hand waiting for Elliot’s reply. A few minutes later it pops up on screen. I click on the photo to enlarge it, sitting on one of his two large white lounge chairs. Elliot is smiling back at me, his hair slightly messy, just the way I like it, his arm resting along the back of the chair. It makes my heart ache just looking at him. My phone sounds and vibrates indicating another message has come through. I exit the photo and see a second from Elliot. Upon opening it I see his arm has moved out in front of his chest, clenched as though he is holding something close to his heart. He caught my kiss.

  I jump off the bed and start to do my very own version of a happy dance. Jigging from side to side while staring at my incredibly handsome boyfriend’s photo. How did I get so lucky? Five more days Angela. Only five more days.

  My happy dance is interrupted by a knock at the front door. I stop jumping and listen hard. Was it my front door? It was only one knock. I walk toward the door, one step at a time. Peering out the peephole, I see James standing there, an uncertain look on his face.

  I step back. “Coming. Just give me a sec” I call out, why would he be here? It’s not that he hasn’t visited me at home before. We have had a couple of movie nights, but the last time we talked, he wasn’t impressed that I didn’t tell him about Elliot. I don’t want to hurt him, maybe I can just tell him the basics, with no specifics?

  I reach out and turn the handle, opening the door fully, smiling brightly out at James. “Hey James. Come on in. I was just about to make a cuppa.”

  He steps inside, I close the door behind him. “Hey Angie. Sorry for dropping by unannounced. A cuppa sounds good though. I was hoping we could talk”,

  That confirms it, he came over here with a purpose, to talk. “Sure thing, you want a coffee or tea?” I enter the kitchen, filling the kettle with water from the faucet.

  “Tea is fine thanks”.

  I retrieve two large mugs from the cupboard above the kettle along with two English Breakfast teabags, I add a lump of sugar to James’s cup. “How has your weekend been?”

  James comes to stop, standing on the other side of the breakfast bar, leaning on one of the high stool backs. “It’s been okay. Had a couple of showings yesterday that a few prospective buyers attended. Hopefully I will get some offers. How about you?”

  The kettle clicks off indicating it has finished boiling. Lifting it off the cradle I pour water into both cups, jiggling the teabags in the steaming water. “I helped Liam and Jess move into their new place yesterday and most of today. It’s starting to look really good. They are on a mission to have it completely ready as soon as possible as they plan to host Christmas there next week.”

  I pull the carton of milk out of the fridge and add a small amount to James’s cup, while leaving my own tea black. After taking the tea bags out and dropping them into the bin, I pass James his cup and take my own, wrapping my hands around the sides. “Want to sit down on the couch?” I wander across and take a seat on the single armchair. James follows and takes the spot on the couch closest to me. I take a sip of my tea, appreciating the hot, delicious liquid.

  “So, this boyfriend of yours, how long have you been seeing him?”

  It wasn’t as though I didn’t expect this question, it makes sense. He wants to know if I have been seeing him long, especially if so during those times that I have turned him down. “I’ve known him for around a month. We have only really started dating though around a week. We decided to give it a go when I visited him in New York.”

  “So, when I asked you to go to the Christmas party with me the first time you weren’t seeing him?”

  Huh, I had no idea how closely he kept track of our conversations. “Nope, I wasn’t. I would have gone with you if things didn’t go well in New York” As soon as I say it, I regret it. I don’t want him thinking he was my back-up plan. “I had planned on going with you, James, but things went really well last weekend. We were chatting about Christmas and he asked me to attend his Christmas party, so I asked him to come to ours.” Better, a little bit of an explanation.

  James takes a sip of his tea, staring blankly at the black screen of my television. I stay quiet, giving him time to answer me, if he wants to. I shift in my seat, getting comfortable, as I raise my cup to my lips he finally speaks. “Do you want to tell me about him? Or am I going to have to wait until the Christmas Party?” I take my time sipping my tea, how do I answer this? I don’t want to give too much away.

  “Well I don’t really know what to tell you. We have a lot in common, real estate, antiques, he grew up in New York like I did.” Happy with my answer, I take another sip.

  “You’re not going to tell me his name, are you?”

  I think about that for a moment, why is it so darn important that everyone knows his name? I shake my head and smile at him.

  He grins back. “Fair enough, Snow White. Keep your secrets. I’ll find out all about him at the party” He points the cup in my direction and lifts his left eyebrow.

  I lower my tea mug and lean closer to him, making direct eye contact. “If he wants to tell you his life story that’s his choice, not mine. I promise I’m not hiding anything from you, James. I just don’t feel it’s my place to tell you everything about him. What I will tell you is that he makes me happy, something that I didn’t think was possible after my last dating experience. It’s very early days. It might end next week, or it might not. I’m just going to see where it takes me.”

  With my speech over, I take a deep breath. James is looking at me, seemingly not sure what to say. I’ve said more than I intended, and yet I feel good about it. It’s completely true. It’s not my place to tell everyone who Elliot is. He is in the public eye; there are things I’m sure he doesn’t want the world to know. Those things are private, and even though I’m not famous, I would expect him to keep my secrets, too.

  Not that any of my secrets getting out would make the daily newspaper like Elliot’s would. He trusted me with the fact that he is waiting until marriage, and even though I told Liam that, I trust he won’t say anything to anyone. I trust James too, but not enough to know that he won’t spill someone else’s secrets.

  “I understand where you are coming from, Angie, I really do. I just want to make su
re you, well, I just want…never mind” he shakes his head, what is it he wants to say?

  “It’s okay, James. Whatever it is, you can spit it out. C’mon” I hold my breath. What is it he wants to say?

  “Well, I’ve asked you out a fair few times in the time we have known each other. Every time you have said no, except those times you made it abundantly clear that it was only as friends. I guess I want to know why him and not me?”

  Huh, why would he ask that? I feel uncomfortable suddenly. Why would he want to know this? I have to be careful how I word my response. I don’t want to hurt him as he is important to me. I put my cup of tea on the table in front of me. Reaching out, I place my hand open on his knee. “James. It’s not you, I like you, believe me, I do. Your friendship is so incredibly important to me that I just couldn’t risk jeopardizing it”

  James shakes his head.

  “James, listen to me. You are one of my closest friends. I can’t wait for you to meet my boyfriend. I really hope you guys get along. Please don’t be upset.”

  I feel horrible, one of my closest friends is clearly upset in front of me, and it’s all because of me. I hate it. I’m not someone who likes to be the reason that someone is hurt.

  “You’re one of my closest friends, too, Angie. I understand you didn’t want to ruin our friendship, but it would have been good if you would have told me that, though. At the end of the day, I’m happy that you’re happy, Angie, I am. I hope he is a good guy.”

  James’s words resonate with me. He is hurt, I was correct, and I absolutely hate it. I have a horrible feeling forming in the pit of my stomach. “I’m sorry James, I really hope this doesn’t affect us. I don’t want to lose you.” I feel tears coming from the back of my eyes, threatening to bust through and fall down my cheeks. I try my hardest to hold them back.

  “You’re not losing me, Angie. Trust me, that will never happen. We’re cool, okay?”

  I nod my head, happy that he has told me we are okay. I hop out of my chair, though, and pull him out of his comfortable seating position, pulling him to me, embracing him. I pat him on the back, thankfully his arms encircle my waist, holding me close to him. He is cuddling me back. It makes me feel so much better. In that instant, I can feel that we are going to be okay, that all of this is going to be water under the bridge.

  His musky scent envelops me, and I realize for the first time ever that I fit perfectly against his body. He is muscular in his own way, less so than Elliot, and I must confess that I like the way his body feels against my own. Has my closeness with Elliot awakened something within me that hasn’t noticed James this way before? I’m confused, is my attraction to James more than just friendship and I’m denying it? As I hold him close though, I close my eyes, and I know that even though I’m super comfortable in James’s embrace, it is nothing compared with the electric charge that runs through my entire body while Elliot holds me in his arms.

  “I really hope you guys get along, James,” I break the silence with what I hope is true in the week to come. In five more days, they will be meeting each other at the annual staff Christmas party. Elliot will be meeting all of my work colleagues, and out of those people who will be present, no one’s opinion matters to me more than James’s.

  We finally let each other go. James takes a step towards the front door, making his intentions clear as day, he is ready to head off. I follow him, waiting for him to make the move to open the door, he reaches out and pulls the door open, walking through it without looking back, once in the hallway he calls out. “See you tomorrow, Ange.” I watch him walk down the end of the corridor before disappearing into the stairwell.

  I step back through my doorway, closing the door behind me with a thump, and then engage the lock. I always knew that James had a thing for me, he has asked me out several times in the past three or so years since we started working together. Whenever I turned him down, he seemed to shrug it off, indicating it was as friends anyway. And yet now, after that conversation, it’s clear that his intentions were more than friendship.

  I feel like crap knowing that I have hurt someone so close to me, someone special in my life. Liam and I have had the conversation about James and me so many times. He would constantly tell me to just go on one date with him and see if any sparks would fly, he also warned me once that James was into me. I just shrugged it off thinking he was teasing me.

  And if I am being one hundred percent honest with myself, I do find James good looking. He is handsome, fit, has a successful career. He really is a catch and I’m sure there are many women out there who would love to snag him. My feelings for him, though, have never developed into anything more than the friend stage, not that I have ever given them the chance to.

  I do know that I would be devastated if I lost his friendship over this. It’s going to be really uncomfortable and awkward to pretend all is fine, especially when I will see him every day at work.

  Without really knowing how I got there, I’m standing in front of my open fridge, looking for something I would never typically have. I could really do with a glass of wine. It’s no surprise to see there isn’t a bottle situated inside. I settle for the closest thing I have, sparkling lemon water, at least it has bubbles. I can pretend it’s champagne. Retrieving it from the door of the fridge, I find one of my wine glasses and pour a generous amount in. Sipping at the cool, aerated liquid, popping in my mouth, it’s refreshing.

  I take my time finishing my drink, all the while thinking about the week to come. Several things are sure to come to pass, and so I will concentrate on those:

  1.I only have four more days of work

  2.I will see Elliot in five days

  3.Staff Christmas Party

  4.Elliot’s Christmas Party

  5.Christmas with Elliot’s family

  I tip the glass as high as I can and drain the remaining liquid. It’s going to be a wild week, that’s for sure.

  ~ Chapter Three ~

  Angela

  Monday mornings are always the hardest day for me. Getting out of bed when you have relaxed over the weekend, generally having experienced twenty-four to forty-eight blissful hours of being by yourself and zoning out. Not thinking about anything besides the tv show you are going to binge watch, the antiques fair you spent hours at or reading your favorite book in bed.

  Instead, your alarm clock jars you back into reality, informing you that you now need to get your ass into gear and get yourself ready. It’s time to be around others, time to put on your other persona. It’s time to be professional and get to work.

  During my extra-long morning shower, a happy thought crosses my mind: it’s commission check day. I quickly wash the remaining conditioner out of my hair, turn off the steaming water and step out of the shower, grabbing my towel from its place on the rack and wrapping it around myself. I lean out of the bathroom to pluck my cell phone from its position on top of the chest of drawers and quickly locate and open my banking application. Sure enough, a larger number than yesterday is peering back at me.

  Without giving it a second thought I scroll through my contacts until landing on the number I was searching for. Holding the phone up to my ear, three rings later I am answered by a welcome male voice.

  “Hairwaves Nashville, how can I help you today?” Ah Dominic, the only person who I trust enough with the importance of the task ahead of him.

  “Dominic, its Angela White, how are you?”

  “Angela, Daaarrrling, it’s so good to hear from you. Please tell me you’re going to bring that mane of yours in here for some love?” Nothing quite like the honest opinion of a gay man.

  “I sure am. Can you fit me in on Friday Morning? I need the works, cut, color and style.”

  I hear the flipping of pages. No doubt he is looking through his schedule. I cross my fingers hoping he has an opening. “Oh honey, we will give you the full work up don’t you worry your pretty little head about anything. How does 10:45 sound?”

  I fist pump the air and
an ear-splitting grin takes over my face. I’m in. “Sounds perfect Dominic, I’ll see you then.”

  “Yes, you will, Sugar.”

  With my pampering session now booked, I go about the rest of my morning without a care in the world. Dominic will make me look fabulous. I will be able to now look my very best when I finally see Elliot. I will also be looking lovely for the Christmas party.

  Mondays at work are either so busy you don’t have a moment to think, or they are so quiet that you can hear a pin drop. I was hoping for the first, anything to make the time go quicker and provide me with a welcome distraction.

  When I walk in the front door, I feel something is different, its oddly quiet, not even the voices of any of the other agents can be heard. I head straight to my office and notice why I can’t hear any voices; Sandra and Jenny are both in my office, standing over my desk. I clear my throat as I am approaching, giving them ample warning to stop whatever it is they are doing. I hear a thump, indicating that something has been dropped. Please tell me they haven’t been into my hidden chocolate supply.

  “Morning ladies, how was your weekend?” As I walk around them I see what they must have been looking at, a small box, perfectly wrapped in silver gift paper and with a matching fabric ribbon tied in a bow. My heart leaps to attention, could Elliot have sent me another present? Settle down now Angela, don’t go jumping to conclusions.

  “Ah, the delivery man just dropped this off for you. There was no note. I was bringing it in to leave it on your desk for you when Sandra walked past and asked what I was doing. Anyway, I just wanted to leave it here for you so you could open it when you got in…” Jenny trails off.

  “Thanks Jenny”, I pick it up and deposit it into the top drawer of my large office desk, then proceed to set myself up for the day. Both women stay in their spot. “Was there anything else I need to know about? If not, I have a lot to do to make sure I’m completely up to date before Thursday afternoon.” Hoping that I have made myself clear, Jenny shakes her head and wanders out, followed by Sandra.