Coded Love (A BWWM Romantic Suspense)

by Tiana Cole

  The girl was staring at me like I was some eye candy she wanted to take home. Then she realized what I was asking for and became flustered.

  “I-I…sorry but we don’t give out that information about our staff. I’m really sorry.”

  Shit. Blank wall. Then I had a sudden inspiration.

  “Can I borrow the telephone directory, please?”

  She handed it to me like she was giving me a peace offering.

  I riffled through the pages until I came to ‘M’. Mason…Meddleton…Mesina…Miller. Bingo. There is was. Sienna Miller Apt. 3-D # 458 Mulholland Drive. God… I hoped she was the Sienna Miller in the book. I thanked the starstruck girl and made a mad rush for the car.

  The apartment wasn’t hard to find. I searched for apt 3D and knocked at the door.

  A pretty blonde girl wearing a short robe opened the door.

  “Yes?” she asked curiously before recognition set in. “Jesus!” She swore under her breath before saying my name. “Mr. Westbrook? Gareth Westbrook?”

  I thought she looked familiar. She must be one of the nurses at the hospital and Sienna’s roommate.

  “C-Come in. I’m sorry for the mess but S-Sienna and I, we were not expecting company,” she apologized.

  I entered the living room just as I heard a familiar voice shout out from somewhere inside the apartment.

  “Who is it, Chantal?”

  Sienna rounded the corner from the kitchen and entered the living room holding a basket of laundry in her hand. The basket fell with a loud plop to the floor.

  “Ga-Gareth? Where…how…what are you doing here?”

  She was obviously flustered by my sudden appearance.

  “Good day, Sienna. How are you? Can I take a seat?”

  “Of course, sit…please.”

  The other girl made a discreet departure. Sienna gathered the laundry from the floor and deposited it on a nearby counter. Then she joined me and took a seat farthest from where I sat.

  “What are you doing here?”

  She was more in command, although she was rubbing her hands nervously and I knew she was tense.

  “Would you like something to drink?”

  I shook my head. I have longed for this moment the last three weeks. To ask her the one question that had been nagging me.

  “I came here to ask you why you left so abruptly that particular morning. I thought things were going fine between us…considering that you made a decision to stay. Was it something I said or did? Just tell me the truth, Sienna, so I can go back to my life the way it was. Because I miss you terribly and I want you back, but I don’t know what you are thinking…or even why you left so suddenly.”

  Her face was a gamut of emotions.

  “Just be honest with me,” I prodded her. “Do you even feel anything for me at all?”

  She cleared her throat before looking me straight in the eyes.

  “I’m in love with you, Gareth. It’s a hopeless situation…for me. That’s the only reason I left. I realized that we have nothing in common. We’re poles apart.

  I didn’t want to, couldn’t afford to, invest everything I had on some kind of whimsical fancy that you have for me. After you’ve lost interest, you can go back to whatever life you had before I came along.

  But…what about me? Who will pick up the pieces for me? I may be a grown ass woman, but I still believe in fairytales.

  I believe in happily ever after, in growing old together and riding into the sunset. Unfortunately, you don’t have the character traits of a prince charming. You’re different. Maybe someday you will want to rescue some damsel and be a prince, but I don’t think that damsel will ever be me.”

  Her voice was firm and there was no denying the honesty in her words.

  Silence. Long and laden with unspoken words. Mostly from me. I understood what she was saying. She wanted the whole package. A ring, a proposal, marriage, a promise to love her until forever.

  “Fairytales,” I muttered under my breath, “always a tricky situation.”

  “I know,” she replied softly, “but I have to believe in something even if it means forgetting that I’ve ever known someone like you.”

  I stood up and approached her slowly. I wanted to pick her up in my arms and hold her close to me.

  She raised her head. I saw the pleading look in her eyes, begging me, asking me for more than what I was willing to give her. How could I?

  I wasn’t sure if I even had what she wanted from me. So instead, I bent and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  “Goodbye, Sienna.”

  “Goodbye, Gareth.”

  Chapter 21 ( Sienna )

  “Sienna, are you alright?”

  The concern in Chantal’s voice penetrated through my fogged brain. I had been staring at the same spot on the wall for ages, curled up like a fetus in my bed. The last few hours of weeping had dried up all my tears and I was exhausted.

  “I think so…considering I just turned down one of the most eligible bachelors in America…twice.”

  “Yeah! Who can boast of that feat?”

  Our eyes met. Laughter bubbled inside my gut then came gurgling up my throat. We guffawed in laughter. It felt good after all that drama. Senseless laughter…but healing, somehow.

  When the paroxysm passed, I asked, “Do you think I did the right thing? I mean…how often will guys like Gareth ever appear in our radar?”

  Chantal frowned and replied, “Probably never. But you chose yourself over him and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”

  “It would have been easy if my heart wasn’t in it…if it were just all sex. But I’m in love with him…and I am scared shitless he’ll never feel the same way about me.”

  “Yeah. The heart knows what it wants, good or bad. But the brain tells you the best path to take. You’ve made a choice and your heart doesn’t agree so you’re hurting now. But eventually you’ll move on and forget him.”

  “When did you become so erudite?”

  Chantal grimaced and replied, “I sure as hell don’t know what that word means, but if it means wise, then blame it on experience. The hurt will go away. It makes you stronger…and you don’t make the same mistakes again.”

  I knew she was right. But it didn’t make it any easier. To have something in your hand that was so exquisite and then having to let go sucked big time.

  “I just hate the thought that I may regret this for the rest of my life, you know.”

  “Stop thinking about what ifs. Close this chapter in your life and start a new one. And I know exactly how we can do that. There’s a bottle of wine in the refrigerator which has our names written on it. Let’s order pizza, and drown ourselves in old cheesy movies.”

  Chantal was right. It helped that the hospital was seriously understaffed. I buried myself in work the next few days, taking double shifts so that I was exhausted when I returned home. I didn’t have time to think about anything else except showing up for work again the next day.

  Days turned into weeks and the pain I felt became just a dull ache inside my chest. Sometimes I would find myself suddenly thinking about Gareth. I would immediately shrug the thought aside, never allowing regret to settle in.

  Nurse Silva had an inkling that something was wrong but never asked why I asked to be replaced. She was just happy to have me back. And I felt relieved when the construction for the new hospital wing commenced. It meant Gareth was true to his word and gave the hospital the donation he promised.

  The thought that he would show up for the groundbreaking gave me momentary panic. I was torn between anxiety and excitement over the thought of seeing him again. But he never showed up and sent Steve instead. I stayed away, not wanting to run into him. I knew I was being childish but I blamed Steve for some of the pain I went through.

  It was a particularly hectic morning when I started my shift one day. There was an outbreak of food poisoning in one of the schools and children were constantly wheeled in and out of the ER.

  I ha
d my hands full comforting worried mothers and monitoring the gravity of each patient’s needs. I had to decide which kids could be discharged and which ones to admit for further treatment.

  “Oh, there you are, Sienna.” I heard Nurse Silva calling out my name.

  I was surprised to see her come in late during an emergency situation. She was usually right there in the midst of all the chaos, barking her instructions to orderlies and trainees.

  “Nurse Silva, I was wondering where you were,” I replied.

  “I…err…I was holed up in a meeting. The toxicology report came back and this is just a mild strain. We’ll administer anti-nausea and electrolytes. For the more severe ones antibiotics will be given. The kids will be fine. I came to ask you a favor though. I have a stack of reports on my desk which needs to be filled out and I can’t trust anyone except you. Would you be an angel and help me out, please? I…uhmm… have to attend to something very important.”

  I was surprised but didn’t question her decision to pull me out from the ER. I thought she was acting rather strangely. But it would be a respite from all the crying and vomiting I had to endure since early morning.

  “Sure, I’d be happy to,” I replied as I escaped to the peace and quiet of her office.

  When Nurse Silva said ‘stacks of report’ I didn’t think she meant it literally. I groaned as I saw piles of folders on her desk. This would take most of the day and late into the night. I wanted to bang my head in the wall for being so cavalier. Shit.

  I was inside that office for ages. My eyes were swimming from all the fine print and my back was on fire from hunching over the table. Even my fingers felt numb. Nurse Silva had the good sense to send over food from the cafeteria earlier. But the concern didn’t do much for me. I was annoyed at having been stuck here for hours.

  “Inconsiderate slave driver!”

  I wondered if she had forgotten all about me when I heard the door open. A few minutes more and I would have burned her office down. She looked elated which annoyed me even more.

  “Sienna, things took longer than I expected.”

  Really?

  “It’s quite alright, Nurse Silva. I think I have managed to finish all of them.”

  I put on my ultimate faker smile. I really wanted to get out of here and head for home.

  “Just leave all those on the table and I’ll file them tomorrow.”

  What?

  If there was no urgency to get those reports done, then why on earth did she even bother to get me working on them when there were so many patients earlier? Was Nurse Silva going bonkers?

  “I-I know you must be dying to go home but can you do me one last favor before you do?”

  Now what?

  “A patient was just brought to in. Can you check on him and see what needs to be done?”

  I didn’t even try to hide my rancor as I made an obvious display of studying my watch. This was going beyond the call of duty. Nurse Silva knew it. Maybe she had a death wish for me or I was on the wrong side of her benevolence. But I knew I would give in anyway.

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  “Heart problems,” she replied.

  Coronary? Shit! Why couldn’t it be a simple case of appendicitis?

  “Okay, I’ll check in at the ICU, then.”

  “Oh…oh…he’s not at the ICU. We thought it would be better to admit him to a private room. Here’s his chart.”

  I was surprised, but at this point I really didn’t care if he was admitted to the engine room. The sooner I did my duty, the sooner I could go home. I glanced at the room number on the chart and pressed the button of the elevator, still fuming over my alpha bitch’s impervious demands. I swear to god she could be such a tyrant sometimes.

  The elevator hummed its way then came to a stop as the doors opened slowly. Reluctantly I strode out and then stopped dead in my tracks. I felt disoriented like I just entered another realm. I struggled to take control as vexation and weariness played tricks on my mind.

  “What the…”

  The walls of the passageway were filled with white decorative flowers from floor to ceiling—almond flowers, amaryllis, asters, and carnations.

  Their heady scent filled the hallway. String lights of gold and silver were concealed beneath the wreaths giving the confined space a magical glow. I swear I could feel a zephyr on my skin. Multicolored winged-creatures fluttered in the breeze.

  “Butterflies?” I uttered in awe.

  I was going crazy. I knew it. Nurse Silva must have slipped me a hallucinogen. I blinked, trying to shake the hallucination away. My body shuddered in shock as I stepped on delicate rose petals that were strewn on the floor. I picked a handful from the floor. They felt real.

  A wreath forming an arc over a room entrance caught my attention. Gingerly, I turned the knob and entered.

  The first thing I noticed was the ceiling. It resembled a nighttime sky with tiny twinkling starlight. A recessed halogen resembled a full moon. Foliage covered the walls interspersed with more flowers in various blooms.

  I felt like I entered a secret garden of my childhood dreams. The only thing missing were wood nymphs, fairies, and a unicorn. But the magic didn’t end there as a figure revealed itself.

  “Gareth?”

  It was all I could say as I stood there transfixed.

  “Hello, Sienna.”

  Seeing him in the flesh in a perfect three-piece suit with that uncombed hair was too much for me. I felt my body tremble. This had to mean something significant, but I was still afraid to hope.

  “Am I going crazy?” I squeaked.

  “No, but I am. Not having you with me these past few weeks had been the worst torture in my life. So I thought if I gave you your fairytale setting you may just realize how deeply I feel about you.”

  “You did all this…for me?”

  “Yes. With Nurse Silva’s help. I went to see her this morning and confided my feelings for you and what I wanted to do to make you believe me. I wanted to give you a fairytale setting and show you I could be your prince charming. I know that you think I’m superficial…”

  I didn’t wait to hear the rest of what he had to say. I ran straight into his arms. The kiss he gave me was more than enough to convince me just how sincere he truly was.

  When we finally came up for air, I was still speechless.

  He removed a box from inside his pocket and revealed its contents. Three beautiful rings were nestled within the velvet lining of the box.

  “I didn’t want to overwhelm or pressure you in any way. So I bought along these three rings. You can choose how and where we can start. There’s a promise ring, an engagement ring, and a wedding ring. Choose, Sienna…but whatever you choose, just tell me that you will come back to me.”

  I looked at the three rings and picked up one.

  “Why don’t we start with a promise ring?”

  I gave it to him as he took my hand and placed it on my ring finger.

  He smiled mischievously and asked, “Why not the engagement or the wedding rings?”

  “Because all I really needed from you was a commitment.”

  “I’m here to stay.”

  It was the sweetest promise and I believed him. I knew that someday soon those two other rings would find a home in my finger.

  For now I was where I needed to be, in the arms of my prince charming. As I gazed at those earnest eyes I knew what I had known all along…fairy tales did come true, even for someone like me.

  The End

  About The Author

  Tiana's a young writer who only recently began having her stories published. At only 30-years-old, Tiana plans to continue her writing for many years to come and seems to have a never ending stream of unique story ideas.

  Tiana was raised in New York City and currently resides in a small apartment house in Philadelphia with her two adorable cats. She's yet to meet Mr. Right, but in the meantime enjoys depicting him in her various interracial stories!

 
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  Also from Tiana Cole:

  The Accidental Bride

  Which Baby for the Billionaire?

  Billionaire by Design

  The Doctor's Fake Nanny

  Love Games

  Excerpt from: Southern Charm

  “Just drive down this road here, take a left, and then another left at that big pine tree: the one that kind of looks like Elvis, and then it’s just a tick further and you should be there.”

  Cecilia Barnes looked from the gas station attendant to the empty country lane and back, jotting down his directions, with a dubious expression that she tried to keep to herself. Elvis, really? Hastily she thanked the man, got back in her now incredibly dusty sports car, and pulled out in the direction he had pointed.

  She hoped he knew what he was talking about, she thought to herself, as she glanced down at the flashing red light that said it was five minutes to eight in the morning, and she was supposed to be at the ranch for the interview at eight o’clock sharp. Cecilia hated being late, and could feel the sinking in her stomach as the clock ticked away as she drove, searching in vain for a tree that looked like Elvis Presley for some reason.

  Maybe she should just turn back. The thought that had been repeating in her head since she found out about this opening continued to play itself out. And then she remembered. Getting fired, that awful ordeal, even though she knew wasn’t her fault, had all but ruined her reputation and her chances at landing an interview in the city. She thought of her rapidly diminishing bank account and piles of unpaid bills. She knew that things were getting desperate.

  Maybe it won’t be as bad as I think, she tried to tell herself as she looked to left, her mouth opening as she saw it. There it stood: tall, majestic, and a dead ringer for the king himself. Glancing down at the clock, she slammed on the gas pedal when she saw that she was already fifteen minutes late. Damn these country roads. It seemed to take twice as long to get anywhere as it should.