One Regret(2)

I carried my bag inside and dropped it to the floor with a loud thunk. The entryway to William’s mountain home was larger than my entire apartment.

“William isn’t here,” Toni said. “He’s been out skiing all day.”

“Oh. That’s okay.” I glanced around, looking for some inspiration as to what my next move should be.

“His room is on the third floor. Did you want some help with your bag?” Toni was a tiny girl and probably weighed less than my suitcase, but I appreciated the offer.

“Thanks, but I can handle it.” It took some time to carry it up two flights of stairs, but it was worth the effort. William’s room was amazing. The room was sparsely decorated, dominated mostly by the king-sized bed in the middle of the room. A sleek fireplace along one wall promised cozy, romantic nights. But the real gem was the slanted glass skylight that revealed an amazing view down the mountain. It felt like I could see the entire state of Utah from his room.

One of William’s shirts was folded on the bed and I picked it up, holding it to my face so that I could breathe in William’s scent. The bed looked so soft and welcoming that I felt like jumping into the middle of it for a long nap. But I knew that even if it was the most comfortable bed in the world, I wouldn’t be able to get any sleep with all the thoughts twirling in my brain.

“You can tell me in a minute, Toni. I’ll be right back. I just want to change out of these clothes.” William’s voice rang out from downstairs. I could hear his footsteps pounding on the stairs.

“But William-” Toni tried ineffectively to get William’s attention, most likely to warn him about my surprise appearance. He was a man on a mission though, and he ignored her plea.

His footsteps slowed as he neared the third floor landing. I stood frozen at the foot of the bed as I waited for him to round the corner. He did so in a hurry, his head down. As if he sensed my presence, his head whipped up and he stopped in mid-stride.

“Olivia.” My name passed smoothly over his lips.

“Hey.” All that time thinking about what I would say when I saw him and the best I could come up with was hey.

“Why are you here?” It wasn’t the response I had been hoping for, but I wasn’t entirely surprised.

William’s eyes were cold and distant. His dark hair was damp and curling at the ends. I was overcome by the desire to run my fingers through it. With the way William was glaring at me, I didn’t dare.

“We need to talk about what happened.” I understood why William was mad. He had seen me at a bar with my friend, Thomas, and had mistakenly thought it was my jerk ex-boyfriend, Paul. He had been rightfully upset under that misunderstanding. But I was mad, too. William had misjudged my character, attacked my good friend and stormed off and left town without giving me a chance to explain.

William seemed okay with his decision. “I don’t really want to talk to you, Olivia.”

“I flew three hours and spent another hour trekking up a mountain, so I think you can give me five minutes.” I crossed my arms stubbornly over my chest and watched as William clenched and unclenched his perfect jaw.

“Fine.” William leaned against the wall, crossing his own arms. “Give it your best shot.”

“Didn’t Trevor call you?” Lana’s husband had felt so terrible about mistakenly telling William that I was with Paul that he had promised to call and straighten everything out.

“I don’t get very good reception here.” William glanced at his watch. “Is this really how you want to spend your five minutes? Talking about Trevor?”

This actually made me smile. He was acting like a child, not the hotshot CEO of a famous crisis management firm. “The guy you saw me with was my friend, Thomas.”

William’s cheek twitched but he didn’t say anything. I waited for him to make a move. After at least a minute had passed, his arms dropped to his sides and he pushed away from the wall. “Trevor said you were with Paul.”

“Trevor was wrong.” In my head I added, so were you. “Did you really think I would sit in a bar with Paul and buy him a drink? After what he did to me? Do you really think that little of me?”

William opened his mouth but didn’t say anything. He was at a loss for words but I was just getting started. “He put me in the hospital for two weeks. I slept with the light on for three months. But, sure, I called him up and suggested we get together. That makes sense.”

“Stop.” William held up a hand. “Please, just stop.”

“Stop what, William? You said I could have five minutes. I’m just getting started.” The more I talked, the angrier I got.