"I'll be fine" I sigh.
Donny is just now stressing about leaving me alone. He just saw three threatening messages from Myles come through on my phone.
I'd just been ignoring them.
"There are numbers on the fridge, call any one of these and you will have the states third and forth best security teams here in under two minutes. Two minutes, Thea" Donny scribbles out the names of his work colleagues and sticks them with his I survived the ultimate rib challenge fridge magnet.
"Don, this place is pimped out. Alexa can shut this place down with one word, Alcatraz has nothing on this fortress you've built me. I'm safe here, I'm not even going to order Uber eats, the door will stay locked the entire time you are gone. I'll only enter and exit through the garage and I'll have all the movement alerts sent to my phone. I'll be fine" I smile and hug his big stupid chest.
"Maybe you can come with us?" Donny hugs me tightly.
"No... not this job" Jerome mumbles hoping I wouldn't hear.
"I'll be fine. You're the one who needs to stay safe" I groan and hold him tighter.
"Always, babe. I'm coming home on time, just like always" he kisses my hair.
"I'm sorry Don... we gotta move" Jerome hovers around the front door.
"I'll call you often" Donny nods.
"You better" I smile, it's not like he doesn't have to work away from home all the time.
"I love you" he smiles.
"I love you, always" I reach up on my toes to kiss him.
"I'll go start the car" Donny looks me over one more time before letting me go.
Jerome hesitates and turns back before he walks out the door, he crushes me in his embrace and he kisses me hard. He keeps his face pressed to mine.
"Donny taught you to shoot?" He whispers harshly.
"Yes...?" I nod, breathless at his vehemence.
"I left my backup in the drawer beside your bed... just incase" he licks his lips and rubs his nose on my nose.
"I'll be fine" I breathe with my fists in his shirt.
"I know you will... always take out both knees before you go for a kill shot" he smiles.
"Knees, shoulders... I know" I smile too.
"I'll see you in a few days" he kisses me once more, hard and too fast.
"Thursday morning?" I check because I'm not sure if he plans to stay or to go home.
"I could let you catch up with Donny?" He frowns.
"Thursday morning?" I ask again and he smiles with a sigh.
"Yeah, sweetheart. Thursday morning, I'll be here when you wake up"
"Be safe, Jer..." I whisper and let him go.
"Always am" he winks at me and he too, is gone.
Twice the boys, twice the goodbyes, twice the worries.
Didn't really think this through, did I?
I focus on work, it seems I don't have the inclination to put in any level of commitment into my appearance today.
Pants, blouse, scarf... my new favourite uniform accessory, and flats. No red lip, no makeup.
It already feels like a long day.
It's what I get for smoking and staying up too late on a work night, do I have any regrets?
Hell no.
Well maybe the part where I told Jerome he can't fuck anyone but me... but I won't take it back.
It makes me seem like a hypocrite and a psycho.
We've been messing around for four days and I have a boyfriend... so....?
I don't have much room to judge.
I just can't deny that I want to be the only one he looks at, like that.
Because the way he looks at me... well, it's quite honestly frightening and wonderful.
Once again, I'm the first one in my office. I go through my morning routine, starting up computers, candles, coffee... lots of coffee.
Emails... so many emails.
The bell chimes over the door, there's footsteps that don't sound like they belong to Terrence so I stand to go greet the asshole who thinks it's acceptable to enter a whole fifteen minutes before the time on door says we're open.
"Morning!" Harmonee breezes past me with a small box of things.
"Oh, hi... good morning?" I frown.
"What's wrong...?" She freezes when she takes in my expression.
"Nothing" I shake my head.
"I am supposed to be here today right? The agency said Monday through to Friday, nine to five?" She worries.
"Yes, that's correct... I'm sorry, I just didn't think you'd be back if I'm honest. It's not the easiest place to work... the boss is... well, Terrence, and yesterday I was a complete cow" I grimace. "I apologise"
"You don't need to apologise to me, you didn't start an unsolicited neck massage while pretending to read over my shoulder... and you seemed to have a lot on your mind, trouble I guess, I hope those guards were on your side and not against you" she rambles as she places a framed photograph of a chihuahua on her desk.
Or three framed photographs of a chihuahua on her desk.
