Growing up, he’d been the star jock, and she the nerdy, fat tutor. Now, they were both divorced. She was struggling to make a living, and he, well, was successful, amazing, and he’d really made a go of his life.
Closing the door behind her, she flicked the lock into place and set about making herself some food. Nothing fancy. Just some vegetables and pasta. Enough to keep the hunger away.
After she finished eating, she went through the usual mundane tasks of cleaning and putting the rest of the groceries away. With a glass of water in her hand, she stared out across the city.
She wondered how other people were feeling, what they were doing. How they were handling the changes happening in their lives.
Sipping at her water, she thought about her hopes and dreams locked away in a cell, her body abused. Noah had been the one to hurt her, but he’d also been the one to console her. There had always been the blurred lines between monster and hero. She remembered the times alone with Mitch, how he’d mocked her. He promised her before their time was through, he’d turn Noah into a monster. She would watch her old classmate rape and abuse women for their wealthiest, seediest clients.
His promise, his threat, had nearly killed her. It was one of the reasons why she’d hug and be as close to Noah as possible. She wanted his comfort, the safety he offered with his arms wrapped around her, but more than that.
Mitch had taken so much from the both of them. She didn’t want him to have any more power than he already had. Noah didn’t deserve to become what they wanted. Rubbing her arms, she hated thinking about the past, about what could have happened. Even as it broke her heart to see Noah leave town, she’d been thankful he’d not stuck around for people to see the change within him.
He got a fresh start.
School for her had been a nightmare, at least in the first few weeks. Until they got bored, they liked to point out all of her faults and where she was going wrong, how much she sucked. She didn’t mind letting them win like that. Her lunch breaks were spent in the library, studying like crazy.
“Stop it now, Skye. It’s all in the past.” She closed the curtains, shutting out the world, and made her way to the bedroom.
The spare bedroom didn’t have any clean sheets and was so uninviting. Noah’s room smelled like him, and it was odd, but being inside his room, she felt oddly protected.
Strange.
She took a quick shower before climbing into bed. She wore one of Noah’s shirts, just to be close to him.
Leaving on the nightlight, she stared across the room until finally, sleep claimed her.
****
Noah’s ex-wife had tried to blame his long nights away for why their marriage was a complete and total failure. He put it down to her lack of staying away from dick. Still, she was gone. During his marriage, he liked to get away from her incessant nagging. With Skye, he hadn’t wanted to leave. It was why he didn’t tell her about his departure to China for a couple of weeks. He’d hoped to have the deal in the bag within a couple of days, but that wasn’t the case. In work, nothing ever went according to plan, at least not for him.
Entering his apartment, he turned off the security code that would alert the cops to someone breaking into his place. Locking and securing the door behind him, he placed his bag on the floor, removing his shoes and jacket. On the kitchen counter, he put his watch, keys, and phone, before heading to his bedroom.
If he found her in the spare bedroom, she was so going over his knee for a spanking. He didn’t bring her here to sleep in the spare bedroom.
Why did you bring her?
What do you want with her?
All week you’ve been driving yourself crazy about her.
Should I call her?
Should I not call her?
Get a grip.
Running fingers through his hair, he was so fucking tired, but he needed to see Skye.
His bedroom door was open, and he saw the glow of the lamp. He placed his palm flat on the surface and pushed it open to watch her. She wasn’t sleeping well.
He wondered if she ever had good dreams.
She let out a whimper, and he didn’t even have to guess where she’d gone. There was a reason he’d never shared a bed with his wife. He didn’t like sharing his space with anyone. The only woman he’d been able to sleep beside was Skye. His wife had never questioned him, as their relationship had always been volatile, and neither of them wanted to sleep together. They had fucked but had separate rooms.
No one needed to know what he lived with.
Skye didn’t say anything. The jerks on the bed, the sounds spilling from her lips were enough.