by Ted Evans
They’d be worried if I said nothing and didn’t go back.
I’ll be home tomorrow morning, so don’t worry.
Then, I turned my phone off and put it back in my purse.
“It’s fine now?” he asked.
I pouted. “It’ll be fine when we make it to your hotel room,” I murmured.
He chuckled and held me close to his side with the arm around my shoulders.
Chapter Nineteen
Jake
Meeting Klara had been a pleasant surprise, and I wasn’t ready for it to be over so quickly. After we spent the night at my hotel, she had to go back home. But, this time I had more information about her, and more importantly, I had her phone number.
Klara and I spent a lot of time together. She still had classes at the school, so I had to be patient at times, but when I wasn’t in the hotel room, I was out somewhere waiting for her to be done so we could meet up.
I wasn’t sure if Dad knew something was up, but on the day we were supposed to go home, I woke to a text, asking me to meet up in the hotel’s café.
Thankfully, Klara wasn’t with me when it happened. I showered quickly and got dressed, then went down to meet Dad.
We sat together silently, only speaking up to order the food. Up until our breakfast arrived, neither of us spoke. Dad was the first to break the silence in the middle of the meal.
“I’ll be heading back this afternoon,” he said. “You didn’t let me know about your plans.”
I hadn't forgotten that I had work waiting for me in California. Being with Klara was fun, but I wasn’t going to forget my responsibilities.
“I wanted to extend my stay here for a while,” I said. “I already made a call and had things at the office take care of for another week. Mrs. Cove will warn me of anything that requires my attention while I’m away. Just let Mom know I’ll be home later.”
He nodded. I didn’t know whether he agreed with the decision or not, but he didn’t speak up again.
That afternoon, Dad checked out of the hotel. I followed him out, watched until his car disappeared into the mass of cars on the streets. Then I hailed a cab and headed in the opposite direction.
It was Friday, and I hoped to have Klara stay with me for the weekend. I didn’t know how much longer I could give myself time off, and I wanted to spend as much of it with her as possible. The little time we had never seemed like enough, and I couldn’t help wanting more.
We didn’t spend all our time in bed, either. Sometimes, we went out, and she explored New York City with me.
Today, though, we weren’t outside much before we returned to hang out at my hotel room.
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to keep staying here?” she asked, sounding a little worried as I let us into the room. “I mean, your dad…”
I wrapped my arms around her from behind and kissed her cheek.
“He left today, so if you’re worried about him, you don’t need to be. Just spend the weekend with me?”
She didn’t give an immediate answer, and I sighed. I pulled back, turning her around to face me, and met her eyes.
“Are you hesitating because you don’t want to?”
“Of course not,” she refused immediately, making me smile. “I want to; I’m just a little worried.”
“About someone missing you?” I guessed.
She had this guilty expression on that made me a little suspicious.
“Yeah, like that. Spending the whole weekend…”
“It’s not like I’m going to lock you up in here. If you’d like, we can stop by your place tomorrow, and I’ll let you go early on Sunday. It should be fine like that, right?”
She nodded, looking both relieved and worried. I wanted to ask for some more, but my phone rang. I pulled it out, annoyed, but when I saw it was Mrs. Cove, I knew I couldn’t ignore this.
“I need to take this. Just give me a minute.”
I walked away as I picked up the call. It could only be about work, and I hoped I wasn’t getting called back earlier than I wanted. Luckily, it wasn’t anything too important. I went back to where Klara was, to find her tapping furiously on her phone as she frowned at it.
“Is something wrong?” I asked. “Do you have to go?”
She startled and looked up, quickly putting her phone away.
“Uh, no, nothing wrong at all. It’s fine staying the weekend. I’ll have to head back for a while tomorrow, though. You won't need to come with me. So, what do you want to do today?”
The subject change was very abrupt and very obvious, but I didn’t call her out on it. After all, we might know a little more about each other now than we did two years ago, but we were both allowed our secrets.
There wasn’t much to do in the hotel, so we pretty much just lazed about. I couldn’t help noticing, though, that any time I turned my back, she’d secretly go on her phone. Secretly, because even though I caught her when she noticed I had noticed, she would hide the phone away and smile at me. She might have been trying to hide it, but she looked a little nervous each time.
“You don’t have a secret lover waiting for you somewhere, do you?” I asked. “Because if you do, you can tell me. Or maybe I’m the secret lover?”
I was teasing, but I felt a sting in my chest at the idea. I didn’t like the thought that Klara would leave me and go to be with someone else.
“It’s nothing like that,” she dismissed, frowning at me. “Do you think I’m that kind of girl?”
“Of course not,” I said immediately, hurrying over to take her into my arms. “I just worry a little, you know? You’re here with me, but your attention is divided, and you keep looking at your phone like there’s something urgent…”
“There isn’t. And there’s no one else,” she said insistently. She cupped my cheeks and rose on the tips of her toes to peck my lips. “If there’s anything you don’t need to be worried about, it’s this. In the past couple of years, I haven’t been with anyone besides you.”
I smiled. “I haven’t been with anyone, either,” I admitted. “I was busy, then I just didn’t feel like it, or have the time.”
“And yet you have time to be here?” she arched an eyebrow.
I chuckled. “Call it my vacation. I’ve been working hard, you know…”
Holding onto her tightly, I dragged us both to fall into the couch, and Klara giggled as I rubbed the tip of my nose against her cheek, her neck. Her laughter made me smile.
The suffocating feeling that I would feel on occasion had all but disappeared since I met Klara. My usual ritual of having a drink before I went to sleep alone was gone, too. She didn’t always stay at the hotel with me, and I didn’t know how much longer I would have her sleeping beside me, but I loved every moment of it.
Still, I could tell something was wrong, and it bothered me.
We wrestled a bit on the couch until we were exhausted, then I lay back with her resting in my arms, her ear pressed against my chest, right over my heart beat. I nudged her a little, and she looked up.
“It should be around time for dinner now. Let me know what you want, and I’ll order room service.”
“What are my options?” she asked curiously.
“There should be a menu card somewhere around here. Or I could call down to ask. Give me a bit.”
She shifted off me so I could get up to go and move around. I didn’t find a menu, but I called and asked what was available. Then, I went back to Klara, only to find she was curled up on the seat, on her phone again. I paused for a second, then called out to her.
“I have your options.”
She looked up with a distracted smile, sitting up as she set the phone aside.
“Tell me.”
At the end of the night, after we were done eating and I had the stuff sent back down, we headed to the bedroom. I’d warned Klara to come with a spare outfit or two. We took a shower together, but aside from a few kisses and some light petting, we didn’t do anything. I gave her one
of my big t-shirts and pulled on a pair of sweatpants to sleep in.
I held her in my arms on the bed, but we didn’t go to sleep immediately. Instead, we talked in the dark. We mentioned a little bit about our regrets, but I told her about deciding to work at my dad’s company, and she told me about her plans for after university to become self-sufficient.
She felt warm in my arms, and I felt so comfortable. I hung on every word, and wouldn’t have minded listening to her some more, but she broke off what she was saying to yawn. It was dark, so I couldn’t see, but I thought she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.
“You can sleep,” I murmured, lightly kissing her forehead. “I’ll be here in the morning.”
She hummed happily. She mumbled something as she snuggled further into my chest.
“Love being with you…it's comfortable.” Another yawn. “But I gotta go home to Ben tomorrow.”
I wasn’t far from sleep myself, my mind feeling a little hazy. But then what she said registered, and my eyes snapped open, my body going stiff. Klara’s breathing had deepened, and I was sure she’d fallen asleep, but I was suddenly wide awake.
Who the hell is Ben?
Chapter Twenty
Jake
When I woke up the next morning, Klara was still in my arms. I didn’t know why, but I felt relieved. Until I remembered last night.
Klara groaned, and I felt her feet flex as she stretched her body out. I looked around the room. Even with the curtains closed, the light coming in was bright, so it was probably late in the morning. I blinked my eyes, feeling like I hadn't gotten enough sleep. After the words she’d said, I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time afterward, but I didn’t dare wake her up to ask, either.
Nothing is wrong.
I told myself that several times, but I didn’t really feel that way. After all, something was actually very wrong.
Could Klara have someone else?
We didn’t know each other well enough. We hadn't known each other that long, either. But I was pretty good at reading people, and I didn’t think she was the kind of person to do something like this. She didn’t look guilty or anything when she was with me, and even when she tried to hide it, her emotions were pretty easy to read her.
No matter how much I wanted to believe it, though, I knew I couldn’t have heard her wrong. Not to mention how suspicious she’d been acting all day yesterday, even though she insisted that there was nothing else urgent and she could stay with me.
She squirmed some more in my arms, then yawned, and opened her eyes to blink up at me.
“Good morning,” I said with a calm smile.
I was worried on the inside, but I wouldn’t let her see.
She mirrored my smile before pressing her face into my chest. “Good morning to you, too. What time is it?”
“Not sure, I just got up myself.”
She blinked her eyes again and met my gaze. Unable to help myself, I leaned down to press kisses to her face, pausing several times at her lips, before moving to her chin, cheek, forehead, and nose.
“Ugh, wait,” she complained, pushing weakly at my chest.
I froze and pulled away, my unease growing, but when I spoke, it didn’t show in my voice.
“Why?”
She frowned up at me. “It’s gross. I need to brush my teeth first.”
“Oh.”
So that’s all it was. I allowed myself to relax a little.
“Then, you can go first. I’ll call down and have breakfast prepared for us.”
She didn’t move away immediately, snuggling into my chest for a bit more. I didn’t mind, squeezing her happily in my arms as I ducked my face into her hair. We did have to get out of bed eventually, though. Klara went to use the bathroom first, and I went to make the call downstairs.
Once she got out of the bathroom, I went in. I was quick and found her getting dressed. I pulled on some casual clothes, and we moved to the front room to watch TV as we waited for breakfast to arrive.
Not long after the dishes were taken back, she got up. She’d sat down with her bag beside her, and she picked it up, slinging the strap over her shoulder, before turning to me with a smile.
“I think it’s about time I head out, now,” she said.
I hummed, turning off the TV and getting up as well. “Sure,” I said.
Silently, I followed her as she left the room. Since I didn’t say anything, she didn’t either. Outside, I hailed a cab for her and opened the door for her. Then, I climbed in the right beside her, and she looked at me with wide eyes.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
I smiled. “I’m going with you. Let the driver know the direction; I’ll pay.”
“You don’t have to,” she said quickly.
I didn’t plan on leaving, though. I’d already closed the door, and the car started to move. She shot me a nervous look, then gave the cab driver a general direction with no specific address.
“You don’t need to come with me,” she said.
She was fidgeting, her fingers twitching. I just smiled.
“I already told you last night I’d take you home, right?”
She chuckled. “You don’t need to, though. I know I’m younger than you, but I’m not a kid, I can get myself back home just fine.”
“But we’re on the way right now anyway, so it’s fine, right?”
The more I insisted, the more nervous she started acting. She was rapidly taping her fingers on top of her bag, and chewing on her lip.
It was pretty clear she was trying to hide something from me. I was no longer content just to wait until she told me, considering what I was coming up with on my own.
We encountered some traffic on the way. When the car slowed to a stop, Klara suddenly leaned forward.
“Sir? You can just let me off here, thank you.”
She pulled out cash before I could and handed it over to the confused taxi driver, then jumped out of the car. I waited a few seconds, then followed.
A part of my mind was telling me what I was doing was wrong, but I didn’t care. Klara meant too much to me, a lot more than I’d realized. The total time I’d spent with her didn’t even amount to a week yet, but it felt as if, if I let her go, I would regret it for the rest of my life.
I wasn’t particularly trying to be discreet, but either Klara was paranoid about her secret, or she knew I was following her because she kept changing directions.
Not being a New York native, and had only been around a few times, I found myself in unfamiliar surroundings the longer we walked. It wasn’t until twenty minutes later, when she moved to a more crowded street, that I lost her. There were just too many people, and the distance between us wasn’t small, either.
I felt frustrated, but I gave up. It was Saturday, and her school wasn’t even close in this direction, so I had no way of knowing where she could have gone. I walked around a little more, trying to trace my steps back, and in the end resorting to asking for directions, before I got back to a familiar street. I could have just taken a cab, but the walk made me feel a little better.
By the time I arrived at the hotel, my mind was a little clearer. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and made a call.
Klara had the right to keep her secrets, but I needed to know. If she had someone else, then I wasn’t going to put any blame on her. I’d just say goodbye and leave, and we’d both go back to our lives. It was better than wasting my time here without realizing, if we’d never get anywhere, anyway.
I startled myself thinking like that.
Do I want a relationship with Klara?
The answer was easy, and it surprised me. Yes, I want a relationship with Klara. I’d never been this serious about a woman before, and if it wasn’t the same for her, I’d be even more devastated leaving than I had been when I arrived here.
“Hello?”
I blinked and came back to myself at the voice coming from the other end of the line.
“Hey, Bryan,�
�� I said. “It’s me, Jake? I know it’s been a while…”
“Jake? Man, how’ve you been? I haven’t heard from you in ages!”
I chuckled. “That’s more your fault than mine. Who told you to live so far away, huh?”
“I lived in New York before I went to college in Cali, okay? Anyway, how’ve you been? And, no offense, but why are you calling?”
“No offense taken. I’m actually in New York right now. I came over with the old man for something, but it’s over, and I’ve got some free time.”
“Don’t tell me; you want to meet up for old times’ sake?”
“I wouldn’t mind, but I have a problem. I was wondering if you could help me with it.”
“Sure. Lay it on me.”
I explained the whole dilemma with Klara to him. He listened quietly, then hummed.
“Hey, no worries. I’ll help you figure it out. But in exchange, don’t play invisible when people try to contact you, all right? And look at the group chat every once in a while. Everyone’s been going ahead since after college, but you’ve been quite the most.”
Right then, I felt a bit uncomfortable, because I couldn’t say that I’d pretty much put a lot of what happened before behind me.
“Sure. We can meet up whenever you want before I head back home, I just need to deal with this first.”
“Give me some time. I won't need that much, and I’ll call you back to let you know.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Klara
I got home just before lunchtime. I’d already known by the texts she’d kept sending yesterday, but she was pissed.
The moment I walked inside, it was to find her in the living room with Ben in her arms. She sent me a cold look, then got up and walked to the kitchen without a word to me. I sighed but didn’t immediately follow her. The house was quiet, and I wondered where everyone had gone. It was a Saturday, but they might all have their stuff to do.
I ran upstairs to put away my clothes. I wasn’t in the same outfit I’d worn yesterday, and I doubted she’d missed it. She would want to talk to me, and I wanted to see my baby boy before I went back to meet Jake again, so I went down to talk to Mom.
