“He covered my face—most of it—with some fabric like cotton. It was breathable enough.” I inhale deep, taking in clean air.
“But?”
“My eyes. They were open. He would sometimes force me to open my eyes when I was sleeping,” I say. Zander’s heart beats rapidly as my head rests against it. “That’s all.”
My chest feels tight and light at the same time. I fall back against Zander’s arms and as always, he catches me.
I never imagined how this moment would be, when I’d finally let everything out in the open, giving it life. I never realized it’d feel so cathartic.
* * *
I don’t remember when I closed my eyes.
But when I wake up, half a day has flown by. I get up groggily to find Zander sitting beside me, his face serious as he stares at the wall. I shift and his gaze falls on me.
“Got some sleep?” He kisses my forehead. When I nod, he adds, “We got company.”
My body freezes at his words.
“Hey, Rose. It’s okay. It’s not Kristy. It’s Zach.” He caresses my hair. “Why don’t you clean up and I’ll get you something to eat?”
I nod and get up from the bed. Only after I’ve turned the water on, do I hear Zander’s footsteps leaving the room outside the closed bathroom door.
I wash my face and pee before joining Zach and Zander in the living room. There’s a takeout bag from Giovanni’s in front of them.
Zach notices me and gets up from the couch. “Can we eat now?” He marches toward Zander, who is stirring my coffee mug next to the can of my new favorite chai latte. Zach shakes his head in annoyance. “You ask me to bring lunch, and then you don’t let me eat it. You know I can’t stay hungry.”
His irritation pulls a surprise smile to my lips. Zander also notices it, and his lips curl up when he drags over a barstool for me and hands me my mug.
After placing a kiss on my lips, he grabs the cardboard takeout boxes and puts them in the microwave.
“It’ll be a minute.” Zander bats Zach’s hand away when the younger Teager brother starts to open the microwave door almost immediately. When the food is done, Zander pulls it out of the microwave carefully and then puts the food into bowls.
“There, sweetheart.” He places my favorite fettuccine before me.
Even though I’m melancholy, the warm pasta feels good against my sore throat.
We eat amid Zach’s continuous bickering about how the restaurant didn’t have his favorite calzone and he had to settle for lasagna instead. After we’ve finished, Zander removes the dishes from the table, and I notice he’s dressed in one of his suits.
“Are you going somewhere?”
He nods. “I have to talk to Beast about something. Is it okay if I go? Zach will stay with you until I come back.”
14
ZANDER
I reach Beast’s house. As I park my car, there’s another text from Kristy.
Kristy: How is she? It’s killing me to stay away. Did she tell you what triggered the panic attack?
Me: She’s better. I’ll call you in a few hours. Please don’t visit her until then.
Me: And don’t stress too much.
I put my phone back inside my jacket. I know Kristy is worried, but I have more serious issues to deal with.
“Zander, what’s the matter?” Beast asks in an exhausted voice as I enter his office. “What is so urgent that I had to miss my flight?”