by Sage Arroway
“Allie,” he said.
She turned, smiling.
“Something’s still bothering me.”
Allie furrowed her brow; she thought she had told him everything.
“Why didn’t you tell me before, you know, when we were at the cabin?”
She was truthful, telling him, “I wanted to, but it was never the right time.”
“Even when I changed?” he inquired. “You could’ve told me then. Or just changed with me.”
He was cute when he was sincere, she noticed, and smiled from the inside. “I did change,” she confessed, “that first night while you were tied up. And again when I went out hunting alone.” She flashed him a sheepish grin, “You wanna know a secret?”
Before he answered, she told him anyway.
“Remember when we went out? I hadn’t even shot that bow since I was twenty.”
Allie giggled under her breath and leaned in to kiss his handsome face. They nuzzled their noses together and fell naturally into cute couple chatter.
“And how old are you now?” he whispered, tickling her rib and drawing a chuckle from her.
“Twenty-two—” she started to say, but was interrupted by the sound of the door swinging open, abruptly.
“Allie Cat!” Blake squealed, throwing her arms around her friend and hugging her fiercely. “Oh my god, where have you been?!”
She paused, her eyes slowly zeroing in on Tyler.
“Hmm,” Blake said, shooting them both an accusing glare. “I see.”
Allie sighed. “Just let us in,” she smiled weakly.
Blake stepped aside and held the door for them. She let Tyler in first, pointing to where he could set Allie’s bags. And when Allie breezed by, Blake gently elbowed her in the side.
“Told you the ponytail was a bad idea,” she said, keeping her voice down. Then she turned to Tyler, “Is there anything else?”
“Actually,” Allie interrupted, “he’s gonna need some help unloading the car. Would you mind?”
Allie looked at Tyler and the two looked back to Blake.
“Of course I don’t mind,” Blake said, a hint of her typical mischievousness creeping into the corners of her mouth, “it’ll give him a chance to tell me all about your weekend!”
Before he could protest, Blake tucked her arm around Tyler’s and led him back out the front door. He waved helplessly at Allie as Blake began bombarding him with questions about his name, his job, his hobbies, and so on.
Allie smiled at that and wished him the best against her best friend’s interrogation. She closed the door behind them—a shower, the only thought on her mind—and noticed her cell phone, still resting where she had left it on the old chair in the entry. She grabbed it, walked toward the bathroom, stopping only briefly at the linen closet to gather up a fresh towel.
In the bathroom, she kicked off her boots and set her phone on the sink. Once she powered it on, it chirped at her, indicating there were voice messages. She looked closer at the screen of the phone and grimaced.
“Seventeen messages,” she read aloud. “Shit.”
She pressed the screen twice – one to retrieve her messages, and the other to put it on speaker so she could listen to the messages while she got ready for her shower.
The first series of messages rolled through, all from her boss from the previous Friday. A few others in the middle were random calls—one from a credit card company offering her an all time low interest rate. She stepped into the shower, letting the voices run on, merely half-heard beyond the rush of hot water through her hair.
And so it was that last message, left by her boss only a few hours earlier, that almost went ignored.
“…Allie,” said the man’s voice, “I’m sorry to keep calling, but it’s imperative we speak. I really need you to call me back. This isn’t about your position at the firm, it’s about…your father.”
THE END
Stay tuned for the sequel, APOLLO DIVIDED, due for release Jan. 2013
If you enjoyed this b ook, you may like my short stories:
UNLEASHED
CHASING JACK
SEE NO EVIL
RUFF & TUMBLE
LEASHED
FINDING LINA
SHADES OF PLAY
TAMING JASON
RELEASE ME
About the Author
My name is Sage –not like the herb, but like an old wise man – Arroway. I prefer the latter (even though I’m not old, or a man) only because I’d like to think of myself as somewhat witty, or at least model myself after someone who is. Joss Whedon is the first of those to come to mind, just in case you were wondering.
As a storyteller, I have always loved movies with strong protagonists, clever humor and real life situations – even when the world in which they live is crawling with alien robots, or in this case, werewolves. It’s the human condition to fall in love with characters that you can relate to. So, I strive to write mine with the kind of lovable and redeeming qualities you might find in Holly Golightly, and the undeniable character flaws of Han Solo. Throw in some ruthless politics (like we all experienced this last election season), a compromising situation that’ll make a desperate housewife blush, a dark secret or two and, ladies and gentlemen, you’ve got The Apollo Saga.
For information and updates on The Apollo Saga, feel free to join me on facebook: www.facebook.com/SageArroway
Or check out my entire library: Sage Arroway Author Profile.
And, once you become a fan, feel free to gear up for the sequel here: www.cafepress.com/TheApolloSaga
