She’d slept with Chris, and now they were considering being in a relationship together. No, not considering, they were in a relationship together.
Rachel jumped as the elevator pinged startling her.
Taking a deep breath she left the elevator, nodded at the security guard and ran out into the cold. She’d never been much of a runner, but she needed to get as far away from Chris as she could. He didn’t help her to think. All he did was confuse her, and then he’d order her, which only turned her on.
What kind of woman was she to be turned on and to feel safe when her man was ordering her around? Well, ordering was the wrong word. She entered the first coffee shop and ordered a strong black coffee to go.
Back to walking, she knew where she was going without even thinking. Her sister always knew the answers to her problems. It was probably silly of her to think of Claire right now, but she was the only person Rachel trusted. Maybe talking to her in some way would help with her indecision.
I’m losing my mind.
Sipping at her coffee, she circled the cemetery gate. Several people were walking around the small graveyard. She didn’t wander around. Instead, she went straight toward her sister.
Staring down at the stone marking Claire’s resting place, Rachel felt tears fill her eyes and fall down. Whenever she let her guard down she recalled everything she’d lost in the world. Her parents, her sister, her niece, all the loss came rushing back to her.
“Hey, Claire,” she said, staring down at the stone. In her mind she saw her beautiful blonde haired sister looking back at her.
“I don’t know what I’m doing. I feel like I’m all over the place.” She grew silent as a couple passed her. Bringing flowers had been the last thing on her mind. Wiping away the tears she pushed aside her feelings and focused entirely on Claire. “Did you know what you were asking back then? Is it really okay for you with me being with your husband?”
Looking up at the sky, Rachel felt exhausted, frustrated, and wished with all of her heart that she’d stayed in the warm bed with Chris.
This was something she needed to do more than sleeping.
“I can’t help but think you’re happy with what’s happening and at the same time, annoyed that I’m sleeping with your husband.”
“Enough, Rachel,” Chris said. She jerked, spilling coffee down her jacket. He cursed, taking the coffee mug from her fingers. “Be careful.”
She stared up at him, surprised that he was stood before her, glaring down at her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“What does it look like I’m doing here?”
“I don’t know.” She’d been really quiet on her way out of the house.
“You’re not going to get your answers here.”
“I need to know Claire is okay with this.”
“She’s okay,” Chris said, tugging her away from the scene.
“How do you know if she’s okay with it?” Rachel asked.
“I knew her, Rachel. I knew what she wanted.”
“What did she want?” She stared at him, hoping he’d give her the answer she wanted.
“She wants us both to be happy. We’ll be happy together. We both want this, Rachel. Stop fighting it, and please, accept what you want.”
Rachel looked down at the gravestone. Chris would make her happy. She knew in her heart that he’d be perfect for her.
“Okay, I’ll be happy, and I’ll do whatever you need me to do.” She nodded and let him lead her out of the morbid graveyard. The air was freezing. He walked with her all the way back to his apartment.
“I’m sorry for leaving you like that this morning. It wasn’t fair of me.”
“No, it wasn’t fair, but I knew why you did. Being around me can be a little too much.” He held her hand as they made their way into his apartment. “Go and change. I’ll get some breakfast ready. We’ll handle the rental on your apartment and deal with your work. I don’t want you returning to them.”
She agreed and left him alone. In his bathroom, she removed her soiled coat. The coffee had spilt all the way through to her white shirt. Typically, she’d worn her only white shirt to go out, and now it was ruined. It was just her luck.
When she was naked, she stood in front of the mirror and stared at her reflection. Bruises were underneath her eyes from lack of sleep. What startled her more were the fingerprint marks on her hips. Chris’s handprints were on her.
****
Letting out a breath Chris set up some pans on the hob. He was going to make her some sweet French toast. Hearing the shower run, he started to dip the bread into some beaten egg before putting it into some melted butter. His thoughts were on Rachel and her fears about what her sister would think.