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She emerged from the limousine gracefully, her excitement level at its absolute high. For a month now, she had planned this excursion to Adrian’s place in New York City, and nothing today could dampen her mood. All around her, people were scrambling out of their cars as they hastily grabbed their luggage and called their half hearted “I love you” over their shoulder as they focused on getting to their gate on time. For the people who were leaving the station, they took their sweet time, slowly walking as they talked animatedly to their loved ones as they led them to where they had parked their vehicle.

Kristen inhaled deeply, loving today. She turned and smiled warmly at the driver of the car who grabbed her duffel bag from the trunk. He looked at her, confused. Usually, whenever she went on trips to the City, she had more luggage than she did today, and that was usually on weekend trips. She happily shrugged her shoulders as she took her bag from him.

“Is that all Miss?” He asked and she nodded. The driver smiled warmly at her, having known her since she was a toddler. “Alright then Miss, you had best get going.” They stood awkwardly for a moment before she slowly approached him, giving him a bear hug. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a quick squeeze before releasing her. She stepped back.

“Good bye George.” He tipped his hat.

“Safe journey Miss. Knightley; I shall see you upon your return.” She turned around, and walked towards the station doors. Crossing the threshold, she quickly scanned the signs. She already had her ticket; she was ready to go. A few minutes later, she found herself at her gate with about half an hour to spare. Sitting down, she let her mind loose as she focused on not bouncing with excitement.

She couldn’t wait to see Adrian. Even though they lived only forty five minutes away, the distance seemed vast and unforgiving. On more than one occasion, she had toyed with the idea of moving into the city, that way they could be closer to each other. Adrian was against the idea…he liked the fact that her house was in a smaller suburb that was far enough away from the city. Her house was his sanctuary, just as his apartment was her adventure. Where the streets of Dover, New York were easy enough to navigate through, the complicated labyrinth of New York City was terrifying, but exciting at the same time.

Her train started loading, and she forced herself to calmly get up from her seat and not rush to get on the train. She might be in full speed mode, but the fact was that the world surrounding her wasn’t. Joining the other passengers in line, she waited, and waited until finally she was on the train and they were pulling away from the station.

Her relationship with Adrian had absolutely bloomed over the course of the year—she felt as if the two of them were meant to be. They were both more reserved, they were both history buffs (after all, why else would Adrian be teaching US History at the University of New York?) and they both loved to read. They were into the modern activities…such as movies, music, concerts, Broadway performances…they were a very cultured couple.

Resting her head against her seat, she dozed off for what only seemed like a moment…

She awoke with a start as the conductor announced to the train that they would be arriving in New York City in a matter of minutes; he was barely audible through the crackly intercom system. Gathering her belongings, she blinked, still groggy from her nap. True to his word, a few minutes later their train pulled into Grand Central Station.

Excitement flooded through her veins as she got off the train, her emerald eyes searching the sea of faces for him. She looked around for the familiar blond haired figure with fine build, but she couldn’t spot him anywhere. Perhaps he was just late? New York traffic was famous for having long traffic jams. She glanced at the clock. They weren’t really late…he should be here. She waited for a few more minutes, until a few more minutes turned into half an hour. Getting slightly frustrated with him, she called a taxi, giving him the directions to Adrian’s apartment complex.

In about ten minutes, the taxi pulled up the building. Kristen paid the driver and climbed out of the car. As she walked towards the building, she noticed Adrian’s car in the parking lot. It looked like it was recently washed, the silver reflecting the sun’s rays like a mirror. But just because his car was in the parking lot didn’t mean he was home; he only used the car to drive to her place once or twice a month.

Pulling his apartment key from her purse, she opened the door and entered the complex building. Adrian’s apartment was on the first floor. Walking past the stairs, she read the door numbers as she passed them. “Sixteen, eighteen, twenty…” she stopped in front of the door, and double checked the number on the key and the number on the door. They were a perfect match. Putting the key in the lock, she twisted it to the left. Turning the knob, she pushed it open. The door opened silently.

Walking into his decently sized apartment, she set her bag on the floor, surveying the area. His kitchen table was spotless, much like the counter tops. A heavy beat song blasted through the walls, coming from his bedroom. She headed towards his room, wondering what his excuse would be for abandoning her at the train station. She passed the living room and smiled to herself; papers from his college class were scattered on his small coffee table. At least three red pens marked papers where he had left off.

“Adrian,” she called. Nothing. “Adrian I’m here.” She said again as she turned a corner that led to his bedroom. She stopped in her tracks. Clothes were strewn across the floor that created a trail to his bedroom door. But they weren’t his clothes; a red, lacy bra was hanging from the doorknob. No, she thought, this isn’t happening. Adrian would never cheat on me.

Tiptoeing to the ajar door, she peeked through the open space; moans from within sounding in her ears. The sight made her heart clench painfully as she took in the sight in front of her. He lied to her…how long had he been cheating on her?

“Oh God Adrian, don’t stop.” The blond woman panted. Behind her, Adrian moaned as he held on her body tighter, increasing speed.

“Sabrina,” he said his voice thick. Kristen’s world came crashing down. Hot tears stung her eyes and she tried to stifle her sobs of anguish. Just her luck, the song ended; her cried audible. The lovers’ heads snapped towards the door and they became very still. Adrian got off the bed, heading to the door. Kristen didn’t know what to do. Quickly, she shut the door, hoping that somehow it would stop him.

“Hey!” He yelled from the other side. For a moment, she stood there, paralyzed. Her mind screamed at her to move, but yet, her heart told her to stay and confront him. Sounds from his room startled her as his door opened. Adrian stood there in his pajama bottoms that she had bought him. His shirtless, sweaty chest was still heaving from earlier. The sight of that made a new wave of tears fall freely from her emerald eyes. When he had first opened the door, he looked upset at the intrusion. But when his eyes fell on her, his mouth fell open.

“Kristen! What are you doing here?”

“I came to visit you. Don’t you remember?” she asked, her tone a little sharp.

“That was this weekend?” He asked in disbelief, running a hand through his blond hair.

“Obviously because I’m standing here.” She replied.

“But that’s not right…it wasn’t supposed to be until next weekend!”

“If you loved me it wouldn’t matter!” She yelled. Adrian’s eyes turned hard and unforgiving.

“Don’t go there,” he said, lowering his voice.

“Watch me. If you truly loved me, you would have been counting down the hours, the minutes until I arrived. If you truly loved me, you would have called me last night and this morning wishing me a safe trip and that you couldn’t wait to see me,” she paused, waiting to deliver the final blow. “and if you truly loved me, you wouldn’t be fucking your ex-girlfriend…” she trailed off, swallowing the gunk that had gathered in the back of her throat. “Isn’t it enough that I love you? I could have moved to the city, but you were always so against the idea. I always bought your excuse that you loved the sanctuary of my house…but now I see why you didn’t want me living here; it would make it difficult for the two of you to get together every other night.” Her voice shook with raw emotion as her hurt and anger flooded through her veins. Adrian shook his head, stepping towards her.

“Kristen—“

“Save it Adrian, I should have figured out this shit a long time ago.” Taking off the [ring he had given her for her birthday] she wordlessly held it up. His eyes widened. “Take it back, this ring meant something to me once, but now it’s lost it’s true meaning.” He rushed to her, firmly holding onto the sides of her arms.

“Don’t do this,” he pleaded, giving her a gentle shake. “Kristen, don’t…please…it’s nothing! Really, Sabrina is just…”

“Adrian, come back to me!” Sabrina whined from the bedroom.

“One second.” He snapped. Jerking from his grasp, she shoved the jewelry into his hand and ran. “Kristen!” he cried, running after her. She grabbed her duffel bag and purse, whipping his apartment door open. Ignoring his pleas, she rushed through the hallway. Bursting out into the great outdoors, she all but ran away from the building. Where could she go? She didn’t have her car, and if she called for a taxi, Adrian surely would catch up to her; and she didn’t want that. Looking around desperately, her eyes fell on the parking lot.

Hurriedly, she weaved through the parked cars. She stopped and hid behind Adrian’s car. Well isn’t this ironic? She fixed her gaze on the sidewalk that led to the apartment complex. Seconds later, he emerged from the building; the sun highlighting his blond hair. He looked around, pained. She held her breath as he looked in her direction. Eventually he gave up and headed back inside.

She grabbed her cell and pushed four on her speed dial. She put it against her ear and prayed he’d pick up. He answered on the third ring, his deep voice a blanket of comfort to her shaky emotions.

“Garrett? I need you to come and get me. Please don’t ask questions, can you just pick me up at the apartment complex on William Street and Beaver?”

xxx

Twenty minutes later, Garrett arrived in his black Lamborghini. Opening the passenger door, she climbed in, the duffel bag and her purse resting on her lap. When she was seated to his approval, he sped off, the tires screeching in protest. They drove in silence, Kristen replaying the image of Adrian and Sophie while Aidrick suppressed his questions as to Kristen’s panicked tone, let alone the strange location where he picked her up.

“So, are you planning on speaking to me; or is my worth only good enough for lodging?” He asked gently, his tone teasing. Kristen shook her heat, clearing her mind as she looked at him, her eyes still moist. He inhaled sharply. “Are you crying?” She made a small gasping sound as she wiped her eyes.

“It’s nothing.” She said weakly. He turned the car sharply, pulling into the parking ramp of his building. Speeding down the dimly lit ramp, they rapidly made their way to his private parking spaces. Pulling into his spot, Garrett cut the engine. He turned in his seat, starring at her, his eyes clouding with concern.

“This ‘nothing’ is something.” He said. He didn’t know she was even going to be in town this weekend. Taking her duffel bag, he got out of the car. Walking around the back of the vehicle, he opened the door for her. He shut it behind her, and led her towards the double steel doors. He pushed a button and the doors opened. They stepped in. Pushing his floor, they stood in silence as the elevator jerked and then started its ascent. It chimed, signaling they had reached Garrett’s penthouse. He strode into his place confidently, Kristen shyly entering after him. She had been at Adrian’s apartment numerous times, but she had never been in Garrett’s place before.

“Make yourself at home,” he called over his shoulder as he disappeared around a corner. She kicked off her shoes, taking in everything. The walls were an off white, making the room bright. Gorgeous paintings and photographs adjourned the walls. The elevator doors led to the airy living room, with windows making up the wall, it’s view over Central Park spectacular. A widescreen television hung over a stone fireplace, with three sleek couches forming a perimeter between the fireplace and the glass coffee table that had an interesting centerpiece that screamed museum gift store.

Following Garrett into his extensive residence; she had to give it to him—he had taste. The doors were open, revealing every room. Each room matched the next; large and spacious. Even the bathroom was huge. She found him in the guestroom, her duffel on the bed. He turned around, locking gazes with her. His grey eyes bored into her green orbs. She tried to blink but couldn’t. He broke away, smiling.

“So let me guess; you came all the way from Dover to call me and have me pick you up outside of an apartment complex that you don’t even live in.” He stepped towards her slowly. “You went to him, didn’t you Kris. You went and had your heart broken and so now I’m stuck trying to console you…”

“I can leave if you have a bed buddy coming.” She retorted coldly. Garrett put his hands in the air, palms forward in surrender.

“Whoa, calm down. I’m sorry if I sounded bitter.” He swiftly closed the gap between them and gently enfolded her in his arms. He didn’t hold her extremely close; he let her comfort zone make the decision on how close was too close. “It’s just that he’s no good for you.” She sighed, leaning into him. She closed her eyes, wanting the painful clenching of her gut go away as a new set of tears overtook her. Wetness stained her cheeks as she clutched to his shirt, never wanting him to let go. Maybe she should have gone with him in the first place. If she had, she probably wouldn’t have been feeling like this if she had chosen Garrett over Adrian.

Then again, if she had chosen Garrett in the long run, she probably would have been married by now.

Garrett pulled her away, his forehead wrinkling up as he studied her face. He was worried—that much she could tell. Cupping her face with his hands, he bent his head and kissed her brow.

“What did he do to you?”

“Nothing. I thought he was home and he wasn’t. End of story.” She replied, her voice thick with tears. He chuckled.

“You’re lying.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I know you Kris; you’d never let something this small of an issue impact you like this.” He kissed her forehead again, his thumb caressing her face. “Did he dump you?” He asked his tone serious.

“Garrett!”

“What?! It’s just a question!”

“I’m afraid it’s the other way around. I broke up with him. He whistled.

“That’s harsh, even for you.”

“You would have dumped him if you were in my shoes.” She tugged at one of his hands, pulling it from her face. She carefully traced his knuckled before she planted a kiss on them. “He promised me he was over her; but he wasn’t…isn’t…” she couldn’t finish her sentence; her voice gave out on her. She pushed herself away from him, turning her back to him as she hugged herself. “Why would he even consider sleeping with someone as nasty as Sabrina Whitney…” she wanted to finish her sentence with ‘When he could have someone like me,” but felt as if that was over doing it. Obviously who Adrian wanted to spend time with was his decision.

“Hey,” Garrett said softly, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She let her head rest against his chest as she placed her hands on top of his. Together they stood like that for a while, Kristen finally calming down and Garrett trying to figure out what he could do to make her feel better. “Kristen?”

“Hmm?”

“Would you totally be against the idea of spending some time in the city with me? I know you’ve been thinking of moving here and you’ve rarely been here except for the few measly visits to Adrian’s place but I’m…”

“What?”

“I’m kind of lonely here. I mean, I know my place isn’t the largest penthouse in the city; it’s just that it’s so quiet here. There’s no kids running around, there’s no woman’s touch to this place…I couldn’t begin to tell you everything that’s wrong here. It says ‘sophistication’ but it screams ‘single man living by himself’. I’m never home because I have no one waiting for me here. Sorry, I’m rambling on about insignificant—“ she put a finger to his lips, silencing him. She smiled sincerely as she put her arms around his torso.

“Those aren’t insignificant things Garrett. I’d be more than happy to stay in the city for a while; it’s just that I don’t have any clothes other than what I packed for the weekend so there’s a good day’s trip just to go back home and get stuff…”

“We’ll go shopping.”

“Garrett you don’t have to take me out shopping. I have plenty of clothes at home.” He shook his head.

“No, my treat. We’ll go tonight, right now if you wanted. I’m dead serious. I’m willing to do anything to help you forget Conway and that Whitney girl.” His tone was dead serious, but his facial expression was priceless. She giggled before she stood on tip toe and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thanks,” she said quietly as she lowered herself back to her average height.

Description
She emerged from the limousine gracefully, her excitement level at its absolute high. For a month now, she had planned this excursion to Adrian’s place in New York City, and nothing today could dampen her mood. All around her, people were scrambling out of their cars as they hastily grabbed their luggage and called their half hearted “I love you” over their shoulder as they focused on getting to their gate on time. For the people who were leaving the station, they took their sweet time, slowly walking as they talked animatedly to their loved ones as they led them to where they had parked their vehicle.

Kristen inhaled deeply, loving today. She turned and smiled warmly at the driver of the car who grabbed her duffel bag from the trunk. He looked at her, confused. Usually, whenever she went on trips to the City, she had more luggage than she did today, and that was usually on weekend trips. She happily shrugged her shoulders as she took her bag from him.

“Is that all Miss?” He asked and she nodded. The driver smiled warmly at her, having known her since she was a toddler. “Alright then Miss, you had best get going.” They stood awkwardly for a moment before she slowly approached him, giving him a bear hug. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a quick squeeze before releasing her. She stepped back.

“Good bye George.” He tipped his hat.

“Safe journey Miss. Knightley; I shall see you upon your return.” She turned around, and walked towards the station doors. Crossing the threshold, she quickly scanned the signs. She already had her ticket; she was ready to go. A few minutes later, she found herself at her gate with about half an hour to spare. Sitting down, she let her mind loose as she focused on not bouncing with excitement.

She couldn’t wait to see Adrian. Even though they lived only forty five minutes away, the distance seemed vast and unforgiving. On more than one occasion, she had toyed with the idea of moving into the city, that way they could be closer to each other. Adrian was against the idea…he liked the fact that her house was in a smaller suburb that was far enough away from the city. Her house was his sanctuary, just as his apartment was her adventure. Where the streets of Dover, New York were easy enough to navigate through, the complicated labyrinth of New York City was terrifying, but exciting at the same time.

Her train started loading, and she forced herself to calmly get up from her seat and not rush to get on the train. She might be in full speed mode, but the fact was that the world surrounding her wasn’t. Joining the other passengers in line, she waited, and waited until finally she was on the train and they were pulling away from the station.

Her relationship with Adrian had absolutely bloomed over the course of the year—she felt as if the two of them were meant to be. They were both more reserved, they were both history buffs (after all, why else would Adrian be teaching US History at the University of New York?) and they both loved to read. They were into the modern activities…such as movies, music, concerts, Broadway performances…they were a very cultured couple.

Resting her head against her seat, she dozed off for what only seemed like a moment…

She awoke with a start as the conductor announced to the train that they would be arriving in New York City in a matter of minutes; he was barely audible through the crackly intercom system. Gathering her belongings, she blinked, still groggy from her nap. True to his word, a few minutes later their train pulled into Grand Central Station.

Excitement flooded through her veins as she got off the train, her emerald eyes searching the sea of faces for him. She looked around for the familiar blond haired figure with fine build, but she couldn’t spot him anywhere. Perhaps he was just late? New York traffic was famous for having long traffic jams. She glanced at the clock. They weren’t really late…he should be here. She waited for a few more minutes, until a few more minutes turned into half an hour. Getting slightly frustrated with him, she called a taxi, giving him the directions to Adrian’s apartment complex.

In about ten minutes, the taxi pulled up the building. Kristen paid the driver and climbed out of the car. As she walked towards the building, she noticed Adrian’s car in the parking lot. It looked like it was recently washed, the silver reflecting the sun’s rays like a mirror. But just because his car was in the parking lot didn’t mean he was home; he only used the car to drive to her place once or twice a month.

Pulling his apartment key from her purse, she opened the door and entered the complex building. Adrian’s apartment was on the first floor. Walking past the stairs, she read the door numbers as she passed them. “Sixteen, eighteen, twenty…” she stopped in front of the door, and double checked the number on the key and the number on the door. They were a perfect match. Putting the key in the lock, she twisted it to the left. Turning the knob, she pushed it open. The door opened silently.

Walking into his decently sized apartment, she set her bag on the floor, surveying the area. His kitchen table was spotless, much like the counter tops. A heavy beat song blasted through the walls, coming from his bedroom. She headed towards his room, wondering what his excuse would be for abandoning her at the train station. She passed the living room and smiled to herself; papers from his college class were scattered on his small coffee table. At least three red pens marked papers where he had left off.

“Adrian,” she called. Nothing. “Adrian I’m here.” She said again as she turned a corner that led to his bedroom. She stopped in her tracks. Clothes were strewn across the floor that created a trail to his bedroom door. But they weren’t his clothes; a red, lacy bra was hanging from the doorknob. No, she thought, this isn’t happening. Adrian would never cheat on me.

Tiptoeing to the ajar door, she peeked through the open space; moans from within sounding in her ears. The sight made her heart clench painfully as she took in the sight in front of her. He lied to her…how long had he been cheating on her?

“Oh God Adrian, don’t stop.” The blond woman panted. Behind her, Adrian moaned as he held on her body tighter, increasing speed.

“Sabrina,” he said his voice thick. Kristen’s world came crashing down. Hot tears stung her eyes and she tried to stifle her sobs of anguish. Just her luck, the song ended; her cried audible. The lovers’ heads snapped towards the door and they became very still. Adrian got off the bed, heading to the door. Kristen didn’t know what to do. Quickly, she shut the door, hoping that somehow it would stop him.

“Hey!” He yelled from the other side. For a moment, she stood there, paralyzed. Her mind screamed at her to move, but yet, her heart told her to stay and confront him. Sounds from his room startled her as his door opened. Adrian stood there in his pajama bottoms that she had bought him. His shirtless, sweaty chest was still heaving from earlier. The sight of that made a new wave of tears fall freely from her emerald eyes. When he had first opened the door, he looked upset at the intrusion. But when his eyes fell on her, his mouth fell open.

“Kristen! What are you doing here?”

“I came to visit you. Don’t you remember?” she asked, her tone a little sharp.

“That was this weekend?” He asked in disbelief, running a hand through his blond hair.

“Obviously because I’m standing here.” She replied.

“But that’s not right…it wasn’t supposed to be until next weekend!”

“If you loved me it wouldn’t matter!” She yelled. Adrian’s eyes turned hard and unforgiving.

“Don’t go there,” he said, lowering his voice.

“Watch me. If you truly loved me, you would have been counting down the hours, the minutes until I arrived. If you truly loved me, you would have called me last night and this morning wishing me a safe trip and that you couldn’t wait to see me,” she paused, waiting to deliver the final blow. “and if you truly loved me, you wouldn’t be fucking your ex-girlfriend…” she trailed off, swallowing the gunk that had gathered in the back of her throat. “Isn’t it enough that I love you? I could have moved to the city, but you were always so against the idea. I always bought your excuse that you loved the sanctuary of my house…but now I see why you didn’t want me living here; it would make it difficult for the two of you to get together every other night.” Her voice shook with raw emotion as her hurt and anger flooded through her veins. Adrian shook his head, stepping towards her.

“Kristen—“

“Save it Adrian, I should have figured out this shit a long time ago.” Taking off the [ring he had given her for her birthday] she wordlessly held it up. His eyes widened. “Take it back, this ring meant something to me once, but now it’s lost it’s true meaning.” He rushed to her, firmly holding onto the sides of her arms.

“Don’t do this,” he pleaded, giving her a gentle shake. “Kristen, don’t…please…it’s nothing! Really, Sabrina is just…”

“Adrian, come back to me!” Sabrina whined from the bedroom.

“One second.” He snapped. Jerking from his grasp, she shoved the jewelry into his hand and ran. “Kristen!” he cried, running after her. She grabbed her duffel bag and purse, whipping his apartment door open. Ignoring his pleas, she rushed through the hallway. Bursting out into the great outdoors, she all but ran away from the building. Where could she go? She didn’t have her car, and if she called for a taxi, Adrian surely would catch up to her; and she didn’t want that. Looking around desperately, her eyes fell on the parking lot.

Hurriedly, she weaved through the parked cars. She stopped and hid behind Adrian’s car. Well isn’t this ironic? She fixed her gaze on the sidewalk that led to the apartment complex. Seconds later, he emerged from the building; the sun highlighting his blond hair. He looked around, pained. She held her breath as he looked in her direction. Eventually he gave up and headed back inside.

She grabbed her cell and pushed four on her speed dial. She put it against her ear and prayed he’d pick up. He answered on the third ring, his deep voice a blanket of comfort to her shaky emotions.

“Garrett? I need you to come and get me. Please don’t ask questions, can you just pick me up at the apartment complex on William Street and Beaver?”

xxx

Twenty minutes later, Garrett arrived in his black Lamborghini. Opening the passenger door, she climbed in, the duffel bag and her purse resting on her lap. When she was seated to his approval, he sped off, the tires screeching in protest. They drove in silence, Kristen replaying the image of Adrian and Sophie while Aidrick suppressed his questions as to Kristen’s panicked tone, let alone the strange location where he picked her up.

“So, are you planning on speaking to me; or is my worth only good enough for lodging?” He asked gently, his tone teasing. Kristen shook her heat, clearing her mind as she looked at him, her eyes still moist. He inhaled sharply. “Are you crying?” She made a small gasping sound as she wiped her eyes.

“It’s nothing.” She said weakly. He turned the car sharply, pulling into the parking ramp of his building. Speeding down the dimly lit ramp, they rapidly made their way to his private parking spaces. Pulling into his spot, Garrett cut the engine. He turned in his seat, starring at her, his eyes clouding with concern.

“This ‘nothing’ is something.” He said. He didn’t know she was even going to be in town this weekend. Taking her duffel bag, he got out of the car. Walking around the back of the vehicle, he opened the door for her. He shut it behind her, and led her towards the double steel doors. He pushed a button and the doors opened. They stepped in. Pushing his floor, they stood in silence as the elevator jerked and then started its ascent. It chimed, signaling they had reached Garrett’s penthouse. He strode into his place confidently, Kristen shyly entering after him. She had been at Adrian’s apartment numerous times, but she had never been in Garrett’s place before.

“Make yourself at home,” he called over his shoulder as he disappeared around a corner. She kicked off her shoes, taking in everything. The walls were an off white, making the room bright. Gorgeous paintings and photographs adjourned the walls. The elevator doors led to the airy living room, with windows making up the wall, it’s view over Central Park spectacular. A widescreen television hung over a stone fireplace, with three sleek couches forming a perimeter between the fireplace and the glass coffee table that had an interesting centerpiece that screamed museum gift store.

Following Garrett into his extensive residence; she had to give it to him—he had taste. The doors were open, revealing every room. Each room matched the next; large and spacious. Even the bathroom was huge. She found him in the guestroom, her duffel on the bed. He turned around, locking gazes with her. His grey eyes bored into her green orbs. She tried to blink but couldn’t. He broke away, smiling.

“So let me guess; you came all the way from Dover to call me and have me pick you up outside of an apartment complex that you don’t even live in.” He stepped towards her slowly. “You went to him, didn’t you Kris. You went and had your heart broken and so now I’m stuck trying to console you…”

“I can leave if you have a bed buddy coming.” She retorted coldly. Garrett put his hands in the air, palms forward in surrender.

“Whoa, calm down. I’m sorry if I sounded bitter.” He swiftly closed the gap between them and gently enfolded her in his arms. He didn’t hold her extremely close; he let her comfort zone make the decision on how close was too close. “It’s just that he’s no good for you.” She sighed, leaning into him. She closed her eyes, wanting the painful clenching of her gut go away as a new set of tears overtook her. Wetness stained her cheeks as she clutched to his shirt, never wanting him to let go. Maybe she should have gone with him in the first place. If she had, she probably wouldn’t have been feeling like this if she had chosen Garrett over Adrian.

Then again, if she had chosen Garrett in the long run, she probably would have been married by now.

Garrett pulled her away, his forehead wrinkling up as he studied her face. He was worried—that much she could tell. Cupping her face with his hands, he bent his head and kissed her brow.

“What did he do to you?”

“Nothing. I thought he was home and he wasn’t. End of story.” She replied, her voice thick with tears. He chuckled.

“You’re lying.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I know you Kris; you’d never let something this small of an issue impact you like this.” He kissed her forehead again, his thumb caressing her face. “Did he dump you?” He asked his tone serious.

“Garrett!”

“What?! It’s just a question!”

“I’m afraid it’s the other way around. I broke up with him. He whistled.

“That’s harsh, even for you.”

“You would have dumped him if you were in my shoes.” She tugged at one of his hands, pulling it from her face. She carefully traced his knuckled before she planted a kiss on them. “He promised me he was over her; but he wasn’t…isn’t…” she couldn’t finish her sentence; her voice gave out on her. She pushed herself away from him, turning her back to him as she hugged herself. “Why would he even consider sleeping with someone as nasty as Sabrina Whitney…” she wanted to finish her sentence with ‘When he could have someone like me,” but felt as if that was over doing it. Obviously who Adrian wanted to spend time with was his decision.

“Hey,” Garrett said softly, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She let her head rest against his chest as she placed her hands on top of his. Together they stood like that for a while, Kristen finally calming down and Garrett trying to figure out what he could do to make her feel better. “Kristen?”

“Hmm?”

“Would you totally be against the idea of spending some time in the city with me? I know you’ve been thinking of moving here and you’ve rarely been here except for the few measly visits to Adrian’s place but I’m…”

“What?”

“I’m kind of lonely here. I mean, I know my place isn’t the largest penthouse in the city; it’s just that it’s so quiet here. There’s no kids running around, there’s no woman’s touch to this place…I couldn’t begin to tell you everything that’s wrong here. It says ‘sophistication’ but it screams ‘single man living by himself’. I’m never home because I have no one waiting for me here. Sorry, I’m rambling on about insignificant—“ she put a finger to his lips, silencing him. She smiled sincerely as she put her arms around his torso.

“Those aren’t insignificant things Garrett. I’d be more than happy to stay in the city for a while; it’s just that I don’t have any clothes other than what I packed for the weekend so there’s a good day’s trip just to go back home and get stuff…”

“We’ll go shopping.”

“Garrett you don’t have to take me out shopping. I have plenty of clothes at home.” He shook his head.

“No, my treat. We’ll go tonight, right now if you wanted. I’m dead serious. I’m willing to do anything to help you forget Conway and that Whitney girl.” His tone was dead serious, but his facial expression was priceless. She giggled before she stood on tip toe and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thanks,” she said quietly as she lowered herself back to her average height.