“What?”
A few seconds escaped, and then Jade bit her bottom lip, her cheeks now blooming into a deep pink.
"Um-m,” she stammered. "I-I may have had a bit of an accident."
6
Forgive Us All, Women, Alex.
Jade
Wow, I was clearly thriving in life. Abusive boyfriend, controlling dad who tightened the screws on my every move like never before, a job I truly hated right out of university, being kidnapped, and now, bleeding through white pajamas in front of my kidnapper.
Alex didn’t hear me the first time, so he leaned in, confusion written all over his face, but all I could do was whisper, hoping to just die from embarrassment, that would've been easier.
"White pajamas and the first day of a period...aren't…aren’t really a good mix," I divulged involuntarily and squeezed my sunglasses, my face burning like someone slowly set me on fire. "Can...can you get me a sweater? Please? From the stuff that's in the car?"
Without asking anything, the caveman obeyed and came back with a sweater. I snatched it out of his hands, quickly wrapping it around my waist.
"Oh." He must've finally clued in to what happened. "Oh!" Yep, there it was. "Shit.”
Beads of sweat collected on my forehead and all I wanted was to disappear.
“Damn,” he said, unsure like never before. “A-are you okay? Are you feeling okay? Do you need like…a doctor or something?” Alex rattled off questions, the urgency in his eyes throwing me off. What just happened to him? The kidnapper turned into a gentleman for three seconds.
“I’m okay." I nodded, amused at his concern.
“Are you sure? Do you need—want anything?” He paused, choosing his next words. “Treats? Chocolate? Did you need to get anything else?”
I stared back at him, overwhelmed that he would ask that. How did my kidnapper know so much about period cravings?
"N-no,” I stuttered, wildly wondering if he meant it—was he going to get me…treats? “I'm fine, I just...I just need to take a shower. And maybe lie down."
That was the only thing I wanted. I wanted to climb into bed, fall asleep, and not wake up for the foreseeable future. The food warmed me up from the inside and made me realize how tired I was. Exhausted. Drained.
Just…done.
I wanted to lock myself up in that beach house as if it were some fortress that would protect me from Xavier and from my father.
From going back home.
Alex drove me back in silence, but something changed between us—like we weren’t on bad terms anymore, which was crazy considering how we’d met. But that’s what a period that arrives at the worst possible time will do to you.
I followed him into the house, where he dropped off the bags of stuff I bought, and right before he turned to leave, he delivered a line that floored me. "Don't worry about Xavier,okay? While you're here, there's no way he'll ever get to you. Truly. This place is very safe.”
We stood in front of each other in the same place where I told him to shoot me, and it was like the twilight zone. I knew his name, he knew my past, we were both different after that lunch.
I nodded, stopping myself from thanking him, because what was I going to thank him for? Thank you, Alex, for kidnapping me and locking me in a house where my ex-boyfriend can’t find me. Thank you for taking my phone away so I can finally get some peace from the never-ending phone calls and threatening texts.
“The camera’s back up.” He pointed behind me, never looking that way. “Don’t break it again.” His tone changed, like he wasn’t only commanding me. This time, it sounded like he asked.
I nodded again, wondering what the footage of me launching that pasta spoon looked like. “Okay.” I giggled uncomfortably. “There’s no camera in the bedroom, right?” I looked up into his eyes, unsure of why I’d asked that. I checked the bedroom last night.
He smiled, and it was so…boyish.Fuck me,I didn’t hate it. What, one lunch and his undivided attention for an hour was enough for me to stop hating him? Enough for me to forget what he’d done—what he wasstilldoing?
“No cameras in the bedroom. This is a safe place,” Alex spoke slowly, giving me a chance to listen to his voice. We stood there for a few seconds longer, a little awkward and a little unsure. “Okay,” he added, taking slow steps toward the door.
But then he turned back. Turned back to me and stepped closer, evidently wanting to say something else. And I wanted him to say it too. Whatever it was, I wanted to hear it.