“No, you are no psychic then, as I have been fine,” I lied, my stomach rolling, clenching over the guilt that was souring it. “And, after the way things were the last time I saw you, I figured you would be concerned. That is why I’m calling. I wanted to let you know I was okay. Actually, I’m more than okay. I’m packing as we speak.”
“Packing?” my friend exclaimed.
“Yes. Packing. You know, folding clothes, stacking them as neatly as you can manage, though it seems I’m failing miserably, into suitcases, figuring out what exactly it is you will need when someone is being elusive with the details as to where you are going, what you will be doing and all,” I went on, ripping a shirt from the closet I’d moved on to.
When I went to fold it, unhappy with the results, and shook it out before attempting to fold it again, Lex came over, took it from my hands, and went to work on the folding himself. After making a nice square out of my long burgundy sweater that quite impressed me, he came around the bed to shoo me out of the room. I stifled my giggle when his hand smacked my ass, giving me one last push out of my bedroom. I then stifled my huff as he nudged me further out of my own room. If his sexy smile hadn’t been the last thing I’d seen, I may have marched right back in. Instead, I relented, and gave my friend on the phone my full attention.
“I’ve got this,” he whispered in my phone-less ear.
He opened the door again seconds later, only a crack, as if he’d had second thoughts on his actions. I nodded my consent, or the fact I’d given in, giving him permission to close the door again. This left me, once again, face to face with my empty, but at least clean, living room. The cleaners the Royals had called in last night after the wolf battle here had demolished the place had done nice work of getting my broken-up furniture from the room.
Everything I’d owned, from a simple couch to a chair and tables, had been overturned or broken into pieces. Twice actually. They’d only cleaned up after the first attack before the second one had occurred. Beyond removing the remains of the furniture, they’d ripped up the torn and blood-stained carpet. You would be amazed what werewolf claws could do to even a slightly plush carpet. The cleaners had also scrubbed down, I’d guessed, the freshly painted walls, as it smelled more like a stringent cleaner than a fresh paint smell. Blood had been all over them like a murder scene you would see on TV.
I cringed at the memory, though not a trace of last night’s bloody battle remained, save for the glaring fact that the room remained completely empty. They hadn’t yet started to refill the room with new things. I tried to be thankful that nothing save from a broken window had been hurt in my bedroom, so I still had clothes to pack.
Focus on the positive, Christine, I challenged as well as reprimanded myself.
“Christina,” Chloe exclaimed, making me do a ridiculous jump-and-turn move as if she stood somewhere in the room with me.
“Yes,” I said, realizing I’d let the phone slip from my ear as I’d taken in the room.
“Are you kissing your boyfriend or something rather than listening to me? You call me and then don’t talk. How rude,” she teased, though it had a nervously high pitch to it.
“Ah, no, just got distracted, sorry, pretty sleepless night,” I sighed, realizing quickly that I should have made that sound like a good thing.
“Well, I can only imagine since you aren’t telling me anything, but you don’t sound too happy about that. Letting that go, for now anyway, back to the current or more important question at hand, what are you packing for?” Chloe demanded, starting to get an edge to her voice, something that was usually hard to do with my friend, so I figured it for more worry than usual on my behalf.
“Well,” I stammered, forming the lie as it came out, “Lex is taking me on some romantic getaway. He’s, uh… well, he’s not saying where, just somewhere nice, beautiful, and magical really. I think he mentioned an island. Yeah. An island.”
“And, you’re going? You are going to let a mere stranger take you to some unknown destination? This doesn’t sound like you at all, and I shouldn’t have to say that it’s not the safest thing to do. And, this coming from the more adventurous of us two. Even I wouldn’t do that. I watch CSI, you know?” she half scolded and half joked, though her voice sounded beyond irritated now.