Page 19 of Brat Baby (Sugar Life #1, #3)

Emery

I hold my card against the little black security panel until it chirps and the light turns green, causing the glass sliding doors to whoosh open. The anxiety that they’d canceled my card to the building immediately disappears as I enter.

Unlike last time, there’s no Darcy to greet me and take my bags, but there is a security guard sitting at the front desk as I walk around the curved corner. My sandals make a light clapping noise as I walk, so I’m not surprised when the guy spots me as soon as he comes into view.

I smile and wave with my card in my hand, my confidence buoyed by the fact that it still works. I’m ignoring that they may have simply forgotten they gave me a key and going with the hope that they let me keep it.

As I get closer to the desk, I have every plan of simply walking by, but that’s ruined when the security guard calls out.

“Excuse me, miss?” His voice is deep and a little rough.

I pause and turn to face him, having taken a couple of steps past, heart momentarily freezing in my chest. Please don’t stop me. Please don’t stop me. “Yes?”

“Could I please get your name? I need to record you as a visitor.” He keeps a pleasant smile plastered to his lips, but his eyes are focused and locked on to me. It’s clear that I’m not getting past him without leaving my name.

Which is fine. I have nothing to hide. Besides, I have a working key. I hope. It opened the main doors, so theoretically, it should open everything else.

I change direction and go to the counter. “Emery Nicholas.”

The guy—Aiden, from his name badge—taps away at his computer before turning back with a smile. “Thank you, Miss Nicholas. I hope you enjoy your stay.”

My pulse thunders in my ears, and it takes a few seconds to understand that I’m okay to continue to the elevators. “Okay, thank you.”

Taking deep breaths every few steps, in an effort to get my heart rate to slow down, I stride toward the elevators and hit the button a little too firmly.

While I wait, I glance back at Aiden, who is still watching me.

I offer him a smile that feels tight on my face, but he just stares back.

It makes me nervous, but not in an uncomfortable-creep-is-watching-me kind of way.

No, it’s similar to how Derek stares at me.

Watchful. Careful. Like he wants to pull me apart and put me back together again. To know all the thoughts inside of my head so I don’t have to have them.

The ding of the elevator has me whipping back around, and as we break eye contact, a shiver runs down my spine. I step in and hit both the nineteenth floor and close door buttons and then stare at the metal floor until I’m alone in the mini metal room.

It takes no time at all before the door opens again and I’m striding down the plain hallway, counting with the numbers by each door until I get to the very end.

1921.

I stand there, staring at the door, butterflies creating a full-blown hurricane in my stomach.

Will they be in there waiting for me? I’m earlier than I probably should be, but I just couldn’t wait in the dorm a second longer. As soon as I got back from my classes, I showered, packed, and ordered an Uber.

It’s okay. I’m happy to wait. Last week, they said they would arrive at the hotel at seven. So, hopefully it’s the same this week. They’ll arrive and we’ll get to talk, and everything will be back on track.

I touch my necklace and then my bracelet to remind myself that they’ve been showing up for me, and now I need to show up for them.

Taking a breath big enough to make my shirt scream, I scan the card and push open the heavy door, the handle making an audible snick as my pulse thunders in my ears.

How will this go down? Are they going to be mad that I’ve shown up after they—well, Derek—said that our arrangement was over? Are they going to be happy to see me? Will it be just like last weekend? I know we need to talk, but I really want to have them wrapped around me.

I need to know that they still want me.

My heart rate lowers when the inside of the apartment is pitch black. I step in, turn the hallway light on, and let the door close behind me. The buzzing excitement that has been filtering through my blood all day cools to a hum and leaves me a touch lightheaded.

Okay, so, I’m the first one to arrive. That’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with that. Maybe they’ve gotten caught up on campus or packing their overnight bags. It’s fine. Everything is fine.

Besides, it’s not like they knew my plan was to come here today, not after Monday. Which is something I can fix, once I get myself settled.

As I make my way farther into the apartment, I keep hitting light switches until all the lights are on. The heavy black curtains aren’t drawn on the dungeon area this time, and there is a faint smell of cleaning products in the air. Do they use a cleaning service?

I snort a laugh at the idea. The first time the service turned up must have been a real eye-opening moment. Damn, it would have been amazing to watch their faces as they realized what they’d be cleaning, questioning whether anyone had actually used it.

The mental imagery leaves me with a massive grin on my face as I head straight to the bedroom, dumping my backpack on the couch as I walk by it.

Even in the darkness, I can see the massive bed.

Flicking on the light switch, I walk around the foot of the bed, then back up toward the head and into the walk-in wardrobe, hidden behind the privacy wall that acts as the bed’s head.

After making quick work of hanging the dress that I packed in case they want to go out to a restaurant, I gather my toiletries and put them out on the vanity in the bathroom.

It’s not much, just the heart perfume, the few bits of makeup that I own, a brush, toothbrush, and toothpaste.

Maybe I could ask for one of my remaining rewards to be some skin care products?

With all of that done, I head back out into the living area.

Coming to a stop in front of the couches, I take in the quiet apartment, trying to recapture the feeling from last weekend.

But it eludes me. It’s just me, alone, in a room with two different personalities—kink on one side and regular apartment on the other.

I suddenly understand Derek’s need to always have noise. Leaning down, I pick up the remote for the TV from the huge wooden coffee table, then fall back onto the leather cushions. Thirty seconds later, I have my favorite reality channel on, and I don’t feel quite so alone.

After twenty minutes of trash TV, I’ll get some studying done. And maybe a little sketching. I managed to squish my old sketchbook and my new one, along with the graphite pencils, between two of the doorstop textbooks.

Honestly, how are there over six-hundred pages in my macro textbook? That thing could kill someone. Also, is this book for more than one semester? Because that is a shit ton of content to remember for one final exam.

Thinking of macro makes Hudson’s icy blue stare from Monday’s class appear in my mind, which causes my heart to squeeze.

Closing my eyes, I try to breathe through it.

It’s all going to be okay. They’ll be here soon.

We can talk and work everything out, then we can spend the rest of the weekend together. Which reminds me…

I wiggle around until I can pull my phone out of the back pocket of my denim shorts.

Opening the camera app, I take a quick selfie reclining on the couch and with a little bit of the torture furniture in the background, making sure to stare into the camera with a cute smile.

Forcing myself not to check it, I open the group chat and send the pic.

There. Now they definitely know I’m here. All they need to do is show up.

Because they will show up.

I know they will.

They have to show up.

I really fucking need them to show up.