“Sure. What’s up?”
“You’re too good to be true, so what’s your baggage?”
“My baggage?” he asked.
“Did you just get out of a relationship? Divorced? Something like that?”
He smiled despite the awkward question. “Actually, yeah. I just got out of a serious relationship three weeks ago. It’s probably too soon for me to be dating, but I thought you were pretty, and I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity.”
He was super sweet. “Well, that’s flattering. I just got out of a relationship too.” It was nice dating a guy who didn’t know anything about my past. He didn’t stare at me like I was damaged goods—not like the guys my friends set me up with. “So that’s perfect for both of us.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
We finished our meal and just sat there and talked to each other. I already knew the basics and didn’t need any more information. He clearly was a good guy, not a serial killer. And since we were both in difficult situations, I didn’t feel like I was ruining any potential by being forward. “You wanna come back to my place?” I didn’t beat around the bush because I wanted my message to be clear. I wasn’t inviting him over for a drink or a movie.
I just wanted sex.
His eyes lit up at the question. “Definitely.”
Neither one of us had to work the next morning, so Roy and I slept in. When we both woke up, we made breakfast and then watched morning cartoons like kids. The sex was good, and it was enough to get me off.
It’d been so long that it didn’t take much.
I didn’t think about Crewe because I wouldn’t allow myself to.
It’s not like he thought about me.
Roy hung around for an hour or two, and we got to know each other a little better. I didn’t have any expectations of seeing him again, and I didn’t have a clue what he wanted from me. If this was just a one-time thing, that was perfectly fine.
Roy showered and got dressed before he returned to the living room. “So, you wanna go out again sometime?”
After everything that happened with Crewe, I was just looking for a hookup. It would take me a while before I was in a place to actually fall for someone. Roy probably assumed that, but maybe it needed to be clearer. “I’m not looking for anything serious right now. Honestly, a booty call situation would be perfect.”
When he smiled, he had a dimple in one cheek. “That’s the answer every guy dreams of.”
“Are you one of those guys?”
He shrugged. “I don’t want to get into another relationship either, but I do like you. I think that’s perfect.” He stuck out his hand.
I shook it. “Works for me.”
“Awesome. I guess I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah, sure.” I walked him to the door and gave him a kiss goodbye. “Until then.”
He crossed the threshold then turned around to look at me. “So…would it be too forward if I came by after work?”
“Not at all.” I gave him another kiss before I let him slip through my arms and walk away.
When I walked back into the apartment, I didn’t feel any remorse or guilt. I was moving on with my life, picking up one piece at a time. I would never find anyone who was remotely similar to Crewe, but maybe that was a good thing.
I needed something new.
I had a long shift in the ER that night. Lots of traumas, lots of ambulances. Every time I went to work, I thought about the night Crewe was shot. His blood had soaked my clothes, and I still hadn’t gotten rid of them.
I had no idea why I kept them.
I stayed an hour over because there were so many patients to see. I didn’t care about the overtime pay, just helping out the physicians on staff. When I finally grabbed my coat and walked out of the automatic doors, I was exhausted. Roy was supposed to come over when he finished his shift, and I knew that was at any minute.
I walked up the sidewalk and headed back to my apartment, noticing the piles of snow on the ground. The snow came early this year, making the air cold and dry. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and walked.
I knew there was someone behind me because I could feel his footsteps. He gradually came closer to me, and when we passed a lone streetlight, I saw his tall shadow stretch across the concrete.
No one was around, and it was a bad side of town. Maybe I was just being paranoid, but after being drugged and taken across the world, any unusual behavior was alarming to me. This guy may have seen me in the hospital and thought I was cute. He bided his time until I got off work to make his move.