by Linda Verji
In hindsight, it was a stupid decision, but she didn’t want to admit it. So instead she went after Lex, “Are you saying it’s my fault that Wesley attacked me?”
“You know that’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then what are you saying?” she bit out.
Lex’s only answer was a sigh and shake of his head, which was even more irritating than if he’d spoken.
“What does that mean?” she said, her voice rising with her temper.
Lex only stared at her. Even though he didn’t say anything, she could tell that he thought she was being unreasonable. Well, if that was what he thought why not say it to her face?
Before she could confront him, his phone suddenly beeped. Lex took his eyes off her to check his phone. What he saw there must have been shocking because his eyes suddenly widened and his jaw dropped.
“What?” she asked.
“Ari!” Lex dragged in a sharp breath as he stared at his phone where real-time CCTV footage of his front door was playing. “He’s at the door.”
“What?” Freddie shot out of her seat to see Lex’s screen. Indeed, Ari was at the door. And he wasn’t knocking, he was pressing on the keypad. Her heart in her throat, she turned to Lex. “He knows your pass-code?”
Lex nodded.
That was her cue to run. Crap!
CHAPTER 15
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,” Freddie muttered repeatedly as she searched for somewhere to hide. Her eyes were so wide that Lex was afraid they’d pop out of their sockets anytime. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”
Frankly, Lex was in a panic too. He wanted to make their relationship public, but not this way. Not when Freddie was still dressed in just his t-shirt. Ari would have a heart-attack if he walked in on them now. Or he’d kill them.
Lex grabbed Freddie’s hand and pulled her towards the door. There was no hiding place in the theater room, but he knew somewhere where she’d be safe. Still holding her hand, he fast-walked to his bedroom.
“Stay in here,” he said as he pushed Freddie in. “I’ll let you know when he’s gone.”
Freddie nodded frantically before closing the door. It was just in time.
“Lex? Are you home?” Ari’s voice echoed in the living room. “Lex?”
Lex pulled in a deep breath to ease his racing heart before striding down the hall towards the living room.
“There you are.” Ari greeted him with a tired smile. It was quite obvious that Ari had just come from the hospital. He was still wearing his blue scrubs beneath his black hoodie, and his eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep.
“You look terrible,” Lex commented.
“I know.” Ari tossed his backpack on the floor. “I’ve been in surgery since five a.m., and I’m beat.”
“If you’re that beat, shouldn’t you be home?” Lex asked, hoping that his friend would take the hint and leave.
“Too far,” Ari replied. “Your place is nearer.”
When he headed for the hallway, Lex’s breath caught in his throat and his pulse stuttered. He immediately jumped in front of the archway, “Where are you going?”
“Your bedroom,” his friend answered. “I need to sleep.”
“Go sleep in the guestroom.”
“Your bed is closer.” Ari shoved Lex out of the way and strode down the hallway.
Christ! He and Freddie were about to get caught. In a desperate bid to stop his friend, Lex raced up to him and caught his elbow. “You can’t go in there.”
Ari looked at the hand gripping his elbow then up to meet Lex’s eyes. “Why not?”
Lex had never been a good liar and the only thing he could think of saying was, “You just can’t.”
“Why not?” Ari demanded again. When Lex didn’t answer, his eyes narrowed. He stared at Lex for a long silent moment before suddenly breaking into a grin. “You have a woman in there, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t,” Lex rushed to say even as his panic ballooned.
Ari’s grin widened. “Who is she? Do I know her?”
“There’s no woman!” Lex tried to drag his friend back down the hallway.
Ari forcefully shook Lex off then started for the door again. “I want to see her.”
Lex had never minded his friend’s busybody ways, but this wasn’t the day for them. “Ari, stop. There’s no-”
His words screeched to a halt when Ari shoved the door to his bedroom open. Shit!
Lex closed his eyes and gritted his teeth in preparation for the inevitable punch. But the punch never came. There was no yelling either. Lex opened one eye expecting Ari to be at the very least glaring at him furiously, but Ari wasn’t at the door. Maybe he was in there glaring at Freddie in dumbstruck shock. Lex walked into the room to check for himself. But Ari wasn’t glaring and Freddie was nowhere to be seen. In fact, Ari was busily looking around the room.
“Where is she?” Ari’s brow furrowed in confusion as his eyes swept the room.
A small thread of relief pulsed through Lex. They hadn’t been caught yet. But that relief was still tinged with a heavy dose of nervousness. Freddie had definitely come into this room. So where was she? And was Ari going to find her?
“There’s no one here,” Lex said. “Now can you-”
“There’s definitely someone here.” Ari pointed to Freddie’s dress. His eyebrows raised, he added, “Unless you’ve started cross-dressing.”
“Maybe I have.” Lex grabbed his friend’s arm. “Can you leave?”
“Where is she?” Ari shook him off easily then strode over to the bed and bent to check under it.
Despite the panicked knock of his heart, Lex asked, “Why would she be under the bed?”
“I don’t know.” His friend shrugged. “Maybe she’s hiding.”
“Why would she be hiding?”
“That’s what I wanna know.” Ari shot him another narrow-eyed look as he straightened to his full height. “Is she in the bathroom?”
Before Lex could even answer or tell him not to move, Ari hurtled towards the en-suite and burst in. Oh God! That was where Freddie was, right? It was the only sensible place to hide. Lex stiffened as he waited for Ari to either start yelling or to race out again and punch his lights out. Neither happened. Ari calmly walked out of the en-suite. “Where is she? Where have you hidden her?”
“I told you, there’s no one,” Lex insisted firmly even though he was quaking on the inside. This felt like a horror version of hide and seek. He and Freddie were the prey, and Ari was the predator.
“Where is she?” Ari still hadn’t given up. He gave the bedroom another cursory glance.
Where was Freddie anyway? If she wasn’t in the en-suite, then there was only one other place to hide. Lex’s gaze swung to the double-doors leading into his walk-in closet, just as Ari noticed them too. The immediate glint in Ari’s eyes and his cheeky grin sent Lex’s heart galloping in unrestrained panic. Shit!
“She’s there, isn’t she?” Ari’s grin widened as he inched towards the walk-in closet.
Damn it! If Lex didn’t do something, they’d get caught.
Panic driving him, he breathlessly admitted, “Okay, fine! You’re right. There was a woman.”
“I knew it.” Ari chuckled. A moment later, that chuckle turned into a narrow-eyed look. “Was?”
“Yes, was.” Lex rushed to add, “But she’s already left.”
Ari gave him a disbelieving look. “Then why didn’t you want me to come in here?”
“Uh… um…” Lex frantically turned his brain over for an excuse. Any excuse. The only thing he could come up with was, “I didn’t want you to see her dress.”
“Why not?” Ari was still suspicious of him. “It’s just a dress.”
Lex tried to think of another lie but his reserves for the day had dried up. He couldn’t think of anything to say and only answered with silence.
Ari paused to watch Lex keenly. “Ah! I know what it is.”
Did he? The beat of Lex�
��s heart grew louder, and he practically stopped breathing.
Ari grinned. “You’re afraid I’ll snatch her from you, aren’t you?”
Lex let go of the breath he was holding in a loud whoosh. That was close!
Assuming that he was right and having forgotten all about the walk-in closet, Ari went on to add, “How many times do I have to tell you that the thing with Sue Samson was a mistake? I didn’t know she was dating you when I hit on her. And she didn’t tell me. I mean, I’m handsome and everything but I’m not a dog. I wouldn’t go after someone you’re interested in.”
“That’s good to know,” Lex retorted with forced sarcasm.
“If she’s not here, then that means I can sleep, right?” Ari asked. Without even waiting for an answer, he pulled the covers down the bed. Shrugging out of his hoodie, he asked, “Or do you still want to try on that dress?”
Obviously, the man wasn’t going to leave. But a sleeping Ari was better than a searching Ari. With an internal sigh, Lex offered, “Suit yourself.”
“I will.” Still wearing his scrubs, Ari got into bed.
He must’ve been really exhausted because within ten minutes, he was dead to the world and snoring. Lex gave him another ten minutes before quietly inching towards the closet. His eyes on the sleeping Ari and careful not to make a sound, he opened the double-doors. Freddie was nowhere in sight, but the moment he spotted the armoire in the corner of the room, he knew that she was in there.
He crossed the large room and opened the doors of the armoire. Sure enough, she was in there. Somehow, she’d tucked herself beneath his winter coats and was practically curled in a ball. Her eyes were wide and filled with fear as if she’d been expecting someone else, but when she saw him she released a sharp whoosh of breath. “Lex.”
“Sh!” He pressed one finger to his lips as knelt until he was at her level.
“Is he still in there?” Freddie whispered.
Lex nodded. “But he’s sleeping.”
The news was enough to make Freddie sag in relief. But the next moment, she came to life. “I should leave.”
She’d been in that cramped position for so long that when she tried to uncurl herself visible pain flashed in her features.
“Sorry,” Lex mimed as he tucked his arm beneath her knees and behind her back to carry her out. Once she was on her feet, he held her until she could stand on her own then moved to the door to make sure that Ari was still asleep. He was snoring away, blissfully unaware of what was happening just a few feet away from him. Lex gave Freddie a thumbs-up.
Once they were out of the walk-in closet, Freddie quietly grabbed her dress. They snuck out of the bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind them.
“That was close,” Freddie said as she hurriedly put on her clothes in the living room. “That was so close.”
Lex nodded in agreement.
“Help me with this.” She turned for him to pull up her zip for her. Once he did, she quickly grabbed her purse. “I better get out of here before he wakes up.”
“I’ll walk you out,” he suggested.
“No. He’ll get suspicious.” She lifted on her toes to give him a quick peck on the lips before saying, “I’ll talk to you later, okay.”
Minutes later, she was gone and Lex found himself in the living room taking in deep breaths. Close call couldn’t even accurately describe today’s events. It felt more like a near-death experience. If this happened again, he wasn’t sure his poor heart would survive. He and Freddie needed to talk. They needed to talk badly because this hide and seek game wasn’t going to work.
* * *
“I THINK I can make it,” Freddie said to Lex over the phone a few days later.
Ever since her brother had almost caught them, she’d been too scared to drop by Lex’s place just in case Ari showed up again. Still, she and Lex had spoken on the phone several times since then and were now planning to meet up. With Ari having no shifts tonight, there was little chance that he’d show up unexpectedly.
“About what time?” Lex asked, “I’ve got a game with the guys later.”
“Mmm… after your game then,” she suggested. “Just let me know once it’s over and I’ll leave the office.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.” He ended the call.
Freddie really missed Lex. Talking over the phone was okay, but she ached to see his face and to be held by him. It wasn’t even about the sex. Just being around him was enough to cause flutters in her stomach. One would think that after almost getting caught by her brother, she’d at least consider ending things with Lex. But it hadn’t even crossed her mind. How could she end it with him when she still craved him? How could she end it when he was all she could think about even when they weren’t together?
In fact, she was now seriously considering coming clean. Sure, her family would probably react badly once they found out what she and Lex had been up to, but it was worth it if it meant finally being free to see Lex without worrying about someone catching them.
By about five, Freddie was done with work but she stayed in the office while waiting for Lex’ call. However, her mother called first.
“Where are you?” Tanaya asked.
“I’m still at work.”
Tanaya sounded oddly giddy as she asked, “What time will you be done?”
“Around six, but I’m meeting someone afterwards.”
“Cancel it,” Tanaya ordered.
“Why?” Freddie frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“No, no. Nothing’s wrong,” her mother quickly reassured her. “I just have a surprise for you. You’ll love it.”
“Can’t you show me this surprise later? I have to-”
“No,” Tanaya cut her off. “It has to be tonight. And it’s really important.”
“I told you I have to meet someone.”
“Is this someone more important than your mother?”
It was a tough question, and Freddie could only answer with silence.
“Who is it?” her mother asked. Before Freddie could even give a fictional person, Tanaya jumped in with, “It doesn’t matter anyway. This is really important. Come home after work, and don’t be late.”
Before Freddie could protest further, Tanaya hang up. Though Freddie was irritated by her mother’s assumption that whatever she had in store was more important than Freddie’s plans, she was also intrigued. What was the surprise?
She picked her phone and dialed Lex’s number. He didn’t pick on the first or second or third call. That meant that he was probably on the court and couldn’t hear his phone, so she sent him a message. I don’t think I can make it tonight. Mom’s ordered me to show up at home. Sorry. Rain-check?
She left the office about thirty minutes later and headed home. Just as she took the turn that led to their house, her phone beeped. A glance at the screen showed that it was a message from her mom. Why aren’t you home yet?
This woman! With a shake of her head, Freddie closed the distance to their gate. As soon as the gates opened, she noticed the strange car parked in the driveway right behind her mother and father’s cars. The sleek, gray Aston Martin looked just like the car her father had been pleading with her mother to let him buy, and it looked new. Was this the surprise? It better not be because she didn’t want to have wasted a night with Lex just for someone else’s car.
The good news was that she was wrong about the car being the surprise.
The bad news was that the surprise her mother had for her was way, way more infuriating.
“Look who your dad invited for dinner!” Tanaya gleefully announced as soon as Freddie walked into the room. Like a proud mother, she pointed to the smiling guest seated on the couch next to Ulysses.
Wesley?
Seriously?
Freddie couldn’t even speak because of the shock that froze her vocal chords. There was no way he was here, right? She was hallucinating, right? Her phone was now ringing in her purse, but she couldn’t even bring herself to reach
in and get it. Her eyes still trained on the guest, she blinked, hoping against hope that he’d disappear. But when she opened her eyes, he was still there, grinning back at her.
Let’s try this again. She blinked again, once, twice, thrice. Wesley didn’t disappear. He was still there. The cast wrapped around his nose made him look comical but Freddie couldn’t find it in herself to laugh. Several questions tumbled about in her brain as she stared at him in dumbfounded disbelief. What was wrong with him? Why would he come to her house? Was he mad? Hadn’t he gotten the message yet? Had he always been this crazy? Or was this a new thing because she sure as hell didn’t remember him being this much of a psycho?
Wesley waved at her. His voice sounding muffled because of the cast, he greeted, “Hi, Freddie.”
“Isn’t it a lovely surprise?” Tanaya continued, unaware of the crap that she and her husband had just stepped into
“He called me today, and after talking I found out that we’ve got lots in common,” Ulysses said as he and Wesley shared a grin. He patted Wesley’s shoulder. “Did you know that this guy is a Mavs fan too?”
Freddie ignored her father and instead trained her gaze on Wesley. “Get out.”
“Freddie!” Tanaya gasped in wide-eyed surprise even as Wesley’s sickening smile fell.
Ulysses was just as shocked. “What’s going on, Freddie?”
Freddie kept her eyes on Wesley. “Get out.”
“Freddie, let’s not make a commotion in front of your parents,” Wesley said calmly as he rose from the couch. “Let’s talk after dinner.”
Commotion? She guffawed sarcastically. He did not know the meaning of the word commotion. She grabbed her purse off her shoulder and hurled it at him, screaming, “Get out!”
“Hey. Hey. Hey.” Ulysses shot out of his seat and rushed to Freddie. Frowning in confusion, he rubbed her arms soothingly. “Calm down, baby. What’s going on?”
“What’s going on?” Freddie stepped away from her father’s hold and shot him a glare. “You invited him for dinner.”
