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She continued to scream as she grabbed my golf clubs. I had just cleared the doorway when she landed the first hit to the backof my windshield. The next hit landed on my bumper. Before she could get another hit off, I floored it down the driveway and away from the place I had called home for the last several years.
My mind turned to the one place that I wanted to be. The one place where I knew happiness resided.
Giselle & Casimir
GISELLE
Ihad an excellent night’s sleep last night. For some reason, I felt more relaxed than I had in a long while, despite the fact that the day before, the insurance company had called me requesting more forms be completed and any pictures that I had submitted. What part of everything burned in the fire didn’t they understand? No, I had no pictures of the items I owned on my phone because who went around taking pictures of shit like that?
Last night, I decided to let it go and relax. And I had. I woke up feeling much better this morning. I was going to go into the office at nine instead of my usual seven. That was the other thing. I allowed myself to sleep in until seven instead of waking at five.
I stood at the stove and flipped the bacon just as the coffee timer went off. I checked the oven to see if my biscuits were close to being ready because I didn’t trust the timer. I had a can of six, and I would take some into the office for Imani. I wasn’t about to eat six biscuits. I didn’t like leftovers, and I didn’t want to throw them away.
Just as I closed the oven door and stood up, I heard a sound behind me that caused me to turn around, jump, and then scream.
“Oh shit! What are you doing here? You scared the hell out of me. What are you doing here?”
Casimir chuckled at my reaction. He was so gorgeous in the early morning, despite the rumpled dress shirt and wrinkled slacks he wore. Despite the beautiful smile on his face, his eyes looked tired.
“Didn’t know you were a curser. Are you good?”
“I don’t know,” I replied with a hand pressed against my chest.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, but you’ve got the TV up somewhat loud, and I tried calling your name so that I didn’t startle you, but I managed to do that anyway.”
“Yeah. What are you doing here?” I repeated.
“I needed someplace to go last night, and I didn’t want to bother going to a hotel.”
“Oh. Uhm, do you need me to leave? Because I can get a hotel until Jude returns, and we work something out.”
“Why would you do that? I told you that this was your place.”
“Clearly yours too, if you can come in here whenever you want.”
He scratched the back of his neck, and his neck muscles flexed. Because his shirt was unbuttoned, I could see his abs through the cotton undershirt that he wore.
“Yeah, about that. I shouldn’t have taken advantage like that. Things were just so . . .” He sighed and broke off as his eyes wandered around the kitchen but never back to me. My heart broke just a little for him. I had no idea what he’d been going through, and after all, this was his place no matter what he or I said.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to be rude. You just scared me, and I instantly went on the defensive because I’m in your home.”
Casimir stepped inside the kitchen, and his nostrils flared, his eyes narrowed, and he looked like a hunter stalking its prey. My heart thudded loudly and out of control in my chest.
“Stop saying that.”
“What?”
“That you’re in my home. It’s your home too.”
“I . . .”
“Giselle. We’re two grown adults. People have roommates all the time. I think we can handle living here in this home together, no matter how temporary, until we both figure something out. Don’t you?”
“What? Think that we can live here amicably?”
“Yes.”
“I do. It’s not that.”