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Devan
“Hello?” Julie answers the phone and I know instantly that something is wrong. I can hear it in her voice, the way she’s shaking and breathing as if she has just completed a nine-minute mile.
“Julie, what’s wrong?” I ask her, my body tense and instantly on alert.
“Nothing, Devan. It was just a long day.” She’s trying to hide it and I commend her effort, of course. Knowing that I’m working out of town, she’s trying to keep it all to herself so that I don’t worry. I need to see her though. She sounds upset about something and I want to see for myself that she is truly okay. What I see, however, when she answers the video call breaks my heart into a million pieces.
“What happened? Are you okay?” My beautiful, brave girl is pale and shaking. Her eyes are rimmed in red, her mascara streaking down her cheeks, and I know that she’s been crying. Her lower lip is quivering and shaking as bad as her voice when she speaks. The video is shaking violently and it’s making it hard for me to focus on her eyes. “Julie, talk to me! What is going on? You’re scaring me.”
She begins to tell me about what happened to her, shaking and sobbing so bad that she’s stuttering. I wish I were there to hold her and help to calm her. My blood pressure begins to skyrocket as she tells me that a new security guard left her to walk to her car... alone. “He what? Please, angel, tell me nothing happened. God, I should be there!” I stand and pace the hotel room, running my finger through my hair in frustration.
“N-no, Devan. Nothing happened. I got t-to my car and there w-was a note. I came straight home before I read it.” She says.
“What did it say, Julie?”
“I can’t, Devan. I am shaking so bad I don’t want to read it again. P-please.”
“Okay, angel. Can you face the phone to it so I can read it myself?” Then she shows me the note and something in me snaps. “Fuck!” I jump to my feet, my mind scanning through several scenarios over a span of only a few seconds. The only conclusion is that I need to get to my angel. I need to be there to comfort her and hold her close. She needs me, and there is nothing that will keep me from getting to her. “I’m coming home, angel. Keep the doors locked until I get there. I’ll text you in two hours, so you know I’m there.”
I’m instantly on my feet, telling Julie through the phone that I am on my way home even as she tries to talk me out of it. I quickly pack up my gear and my overnight bag and check out of the hotel. I got all the shots I need for this assignment earlier today so there is nothing more that I need to do here tomorrow anyway.
I arrived in Solvang early this afternoon and started right away getting the photos I needed. This adorable Danish village hosts a culinary festival every March and wantss some photos for their promotions and advertising. The lighting had been perfect at the time of my arrival to get pictures of the actual architecture and atmosphere. I spent several hours walking around the village, enjoying the scenery and taking photos. The only other thing I had planned to do in the morning was to walk through some of the shops that I had seen while taking the pictures.
Right now, however, my priority is getting to Julie. I have never seen her so shaken up before and I am terrified for her right now. Getting into my car, I take a few minutes to breathe deep before starting the engine. The last thing I need to do is get into an accident trying to rush home to her.
This is going to be the longest two-hour trip of my entire life. My mind keeps circling around what might be happening to her right now with me not there to protect her. What if someone had followed her home? What if they were just waiting for the right time to come into her apartment and hurt her for real? What more was it going to take for her to listen to me and go to the police?
Without hesitation, I call Matt and put it through the Bluetooth in the car. He answers after two rings. “Hey, troublemaker.”
“Matt, I need your help.”
“You okay?” He asks. He obviously mutes the television which I heard in the background when he answered so I know I have his attention. “What happened?”
“I’m fine but I’m rushing back from Solvang. Julie got another note on her car at work. It’s got her pretty shaken up and I’m worried about her.”
“And she was alone? I thought you said security was escorting her to her car.”
“They were. But there was someone new tonight and he refused to do it. She was by herself and waited until she got home to read the note. It was bad, Matt.”
“Fuck!” He exclaims. I can hear the rustle of clothing, so I know he’s on the move.
“I said the same thing.”
“Do I need to go sit with her?”
“No. I don’t think you need to go that far. She’s pretty shaken up and I told her not to answer the door for anybody. But maybe just go sit outside her apartment and keep an eye out until I can get there. I’m two hours away and I don’t even want to think about what might happen in the time it takes me to drive home.”
“I’m on my way. I’ll park out front and wait for you to get there before I leave. Be careful man. I got it covered here.”
“Thank you, Matt. I owe you man.” I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that he’s got my back and won’t let anything happen to her before I can get there. That calms me down enough that I’ll at least be able to make the trip safely.
“Don’t mention it.” I can hear him already getting into his truck before he hangs up the phone.
Finally, after the longest two hours of my life, I pull up to her apartment. I take a few more deep breaths before getting out of the car to steel myself. She doesn’t need me to be storming into her apartment like a wrecking ball right now, she needs me to be strong. I shoot her a quick text letting her know I’m on my way up.
Matt gets out of his truck to greet me as I step onto the sidewalk. “Glad you made it.” He says as he pats my shoulder.
“Thanks for coming and keeping an eye out.”
“No worries, man. There hasn’t been anything going on since I got here. Her light’s been on the entire time, but no one has come or gone from the building.”
I lay a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you. I’m going to take her back to my place for the night. She doesn’t need to be alone. Maybe now she’ll go to the police.”
“Call me tomorrow if you get a chance. Let me know how it goes.” I nod my head in agreement as he turns back to his truck. I turn around and go into the building and up the two flights of stairs to Julie’s apartment, key in hand and ready to unlock her door.
I open the door and enter the apartment to find her curled into the corner of the couch. Her knees are drawn up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them, making herself as small as possible. Her eyes are wide open and looking right at me as I walk inside and kick the door shut behind me. My heart instantly breaks taking in the sight of her still trembling and looking frail. “Oh, angel.” I gasp as I step into her apartment and walk the three steps it takes to get to her on the couch so I can wrap my arms tightly around her.
She buries her face in my chest and fists my shirt in her hands. “I’m s-sorry. You d-didn’t have to c-come all the way back for m-me.” She is still sobbing and stuttering through her trembling and tears.
“Baby, I’ll always come for you when you need me. Come on, I don’t want you staying here tonight. Let’s go grab some of your things, you’re coming home with me.”
She nods her head, still not letting go of my shirt. “O-okay.” She whispers still not letting go of me. I walk to her bedroom with her still clinging to me before finally getting her to sit on the bed, watching me as I reach into her closet to grab her overnight bag and a change of clothes. She already has quite a bit of her things at my house, but I want to make sure she has something comfortable to wear, something that she can lounge in. Most of what is already in my closet is for going out or to work. I grab a few t-shirts and some yoga pants from her dresser as well as a few pairs of fuzzy pajamas to keep her warm.
Throwing the bag over my shoulder, I help her stand. I make sure I grab her phone, purse, laptop and keys and lock the door for her on the way out. The drive from her apartment to my house was only ten minutes but that was enough time for her to pass out in the car. It makes me feel better just knowing that she feels safe enough now that she is with me that she can sleep. Pulling into my driveway, I run up the steps to open the front door, setting her things in the foyer, before returning to the car to help her inside.
She doesn’t wake when I open the passenger door, so I carefully reach in and unbuckle her seatbelt. Placing one arm below her knees, and the other behind her back, I lift her carefully out of the car. With her cradled to my chest, I bump the door shut with my hip and hold her close while I carry her inside the house. I kick the front door shut, thanking the previous homeowners for installing a self-locking doorknob on the front door.
I carry her straight to the bedroom, and set her down softly on the bed before helping her to undress. I’m sure she won’t be comfortable sleeping fully clothed, so I grab one of my t shirts out of my top drawer for her. She doesn’t wake a single time while I remove her shoes and change her for bed. I cover her with the sheet and retreat to the bathroom to get myself ready for bed.
She had rolled to her side while I was taking care of my nightly routine. I crawl slowly into the bed behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her tightly into my chest. I can feel the tension release from her body, her trembling subsiding as I tuck her in close. Feeling myself relax as well knowing that she’s now safe, I fall asleep quickly.
I wake before Julie in the morning. She is still sleeping soundly so I don’t want to wake her, she had a rough night and needs the rest. I go to the kitchen to start the coffee and start working on my photo edits from the day before.
Two cups of coffee later, I hear soft footsteps approaching behind me and turn to see my angel emerge from the hallway in nothing by my t shirt. Her hair is a mess, and she looks like she literally just rolled out of bed. All rumpled and innocent from a good night’s sleep. She looks perfect. “Good morning, angel.” I say as I stand and take her in my arms, kissing her softly on the forehead.
“Good morning, Devan. I think I need coffee. Do you mind if I hang out here today? I don’t think I want to go into work.”
“Not at all. As a matter of fact, I was going to suggest that you call in today. After the night you had, I think you need a personal day.”
“Yeah, I think I do.” She walks into the kitchen and comes back a few minutes later with both hands wrapped around a coffee mug. She sits on the chair next to me and looks at the pictures I’m currently editing on my laptop. Smiling, she says “Those pictures are really great. Did you get everything you needed? You didn’t rush back and miss out on any work, did you?”
“No, baby. I got what I needed yesterday. I had planned on checking out of the hotel this morning and coming back after breakfast. Don’t worry about it, I was happy to come back early.” I have a bunch of questions for her about what happened yesterday, but I can tell by looking that she is not ready to talk about it yet, so I decide not to push.
"Okay.” She doesn’t say anything more. She takes a sip of her coffee, then sets it back on the table, scoots her chair closer to mine, and lays her head on my arm.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and kiss the top of her head before scrolling through all the pictures that I had taken yesterday. “Do you want to see more pictures?”
“I’d love to.” We sit silently for several minutes just looking through the pictures on my laptop. I am perfectly content to sit here holding her for as long as she needs me to. What she doesn’t realize is that, as much as she needs my touch to comfort her, I need to touch her in order to be comforted myself. Just thinking of what could have happened to her yesterday almost broke me on my way back last night. I need to keep her close, to feel her against me, just to know that she’s truly okay, and that she’s still here with me.
“Are you hungry?” I ask after she finishes her second cup of coffee.
“A little. I didn’t eat anything last night after I got home and the only thing I had at lunch yesterday was coffee.”
“I’ll fix you something to eat. Do you need me to get anything for you first? I brought your laptop. Or I can grab your phone if you want it.”
“Both would be helpful if you don’t mind. I’d get them myself but I’m not sure where they are.” She looks at me and blushes slightly. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember getting into bed. I guess I was more tired than I thought.”
“It was no problem, angel. I carried you in and put you to bed. You were already passed out by the time we pulled into the driveway.” I went to the living room and gathered her things for her. Bringing them back to the table and setting the laptop and phone in front of her, I lean down to kiss her head again before retreating to the kitchen to scramble some eggs and cook bacon. I haven’t eaten yet either, waiting to have breakfast with her when she woke up.
Returning to the dining room with two plates of breakfast, I sit down beside her again. She pushes her laptop away from her to make room for her plate, and I push mine to the side. We sit and eat in silence before she says “I called and talked to Travis. I told him what happened last night, and he told me to take the rest of the week off. I can work remotely to finish up my stories in time for the deadline tomorrow afternoon and just email them to him.”
“That’s perfect. So, in other words, you’re mine for the next four days.” I say with a grin.
She giggles lightly which lifts my spirits, knowing that she is already starting to feel better. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Hmm. Whatever shall I do with you?”
“I don’t know. But I’m sure you’re creative enough to think of something.” She answers.