Our Love

Quinn

"Thank you for doing this; I'm sorry I'm such a mess." I laughed nervously, buckling into Carrie's sleek SUV.

"You're not a mess." She smiled. "I don't have a lot of female friends, actually, so I figured it would be a win-win. I'm selfish like that." Carrie laughed.

"Can I admit something that is probably funny now?" I bit my nail.

"Well, yes, you have to now."

"I thought you and Wade were dating."

"That's disgusting." She scrunched up her nose. "I'm guessing he told you I'm a lesbian?" She glanced over at me.

"He did. He seemed to think it was funny. I thought you two were together."

"Wade is an amazing man, not bad on the eyes either but not my type for sure. Which is great news for you." Carrie smirked over at me.

"For me?" I was surprised.

"Yes. For you. I see how he looks at you. I saw it that first day in the office. There's some major chemistry there."

"We barely know each other." I fidgeted in my seat just as we pulled into the parking lot of a fancy women's boutique. I sighed in defeat, knowing I couldn't afford anything from this shop.

"Did you know that work attire is considered a company expense? Mr. Asher takes great care of us." She flashed a solid black credit card and a pearly white smile at me. "Let's go get some new work attire." Carrie winked at me before getting out.

Carrie had exquisite style and picked out a ridiculous amount of ensembles for me to try on. She selected a few for herself as well, and we found ourselves in the fitting area of the shop. She tried on a few of her options and modeled them for me. I was quite confident that she could wear a brown paper bag and still look flawless.

"Alright, your turn." She got comfortable on the loveseat, waiting for me to try on and model my selections as well. "How'd you end up here?" She called out as I wiggled my way into outfit number one.

I stepped out to show her the outfit while also trying to figure out how to explain my situation. I hated lying. I was on the other side of the country from my past, and while I was using a partially fake name, it wasn't that extreme. So, I could open up a little, right? Carrie felt safe.

"You look amazing!! I knew that would work for you! Your figure is va-va-voom." Carrie squealed, proud of herself.

"You think so? Thank you." I turned around, admiring myself in the mirror. I had to admit; these expensive clothes looked pretty good.

"Go, keep it moving!" She laughed, pointing to the changing room. "Are you going to answer me?" She was pretty bossy, that one.

"Oh, well, um. It's a complicated story." I spoke over the door as I swapped out my clothes.

"Ok." She hummed on the other side.

I stepped out and sat down next to her. If I was going to admit the truth, I had to see her face and gauge her response. I could feel my hands shaking as I finished the last button. I put my clammy hands on my skirt and tried to settle myself to speak.

"Hey, it's ok. I'm sorry, I didn't realize it would cause you this much anxiety." Carrie took my right hand, holding it in hers.

"It's fine. Really. It's just, well."

"You're a criminal? Did you kill someone?" She gasped. I couldn't tell if she was trying to lighten the mood or if she was serious. I wasn't able to respond as we heard voices heading toward the changing area.

"Carrie! Is Ms.Gordon in there with you?" I heard Mr. Asher call out. We both stood abruptly, looking at each other in confusion and worry.

Carrie walked over to the doorway and pulled the large curtain back. Mr. Asher stood there with two uniformed officers. Carrie turned to look at me; her face had paled.

"Holy Shit. Was I right?" Her blue eyes were wide.

"Ms. Gordon." One of the officers nodded toward me. I recognized him from the night before at the apartment complex.

"Carrie, let's have a chat while these gentlemen speak with Ms. Gordon." Mr. Asher smiled sympathetically. She glanced over at me and then followed him out the door.

"Is everything okay?" I squeaked out. My insides swirling with nerves that were threatening to spill out.

"We're following up regarding the incident at your apartment complex. I apologize for bothering you here, but we felt this was an emergent issue." The officer spoke as the other closed the curtain behind him.

I swallowed the extra large lump in my throat and slowly returned to my spot on the loveseat.

"Are you familiar with Rex Meadow?"

I froze upon hearing his name. Unfuckingbelievable that he had found me. I knew; I just knew he had something to do with that apartment situation. Fuck my life! I held my hands together, squeezing so tight I could feel the circulation loss.

"Ms. Gordon? Or Ms. Meadow, is that correct?" The officer stepped forward and knelt down in front of me. "Are you okay?"

"What did he do? Where is he?" I whispered in a shaking voice.

"We believe he was actually the individual involved in the break-ins and vandalizing of the apartment complex last night. He's currently in custody, and when we made the connection between the two of you, we wanted to get your statement and also ensure your safety."

I nodded, feeling the familiar hot tears flowing down my cheeks. I would never get away from him. I questioned why I ever believed I would. Why had I even tried and put myself through all of the moving, the stress, and these attempts at new friends? Mr. Asher is aware of the situation now and wouldn't want to keep me on as an employee. I could feel myself spiraling.

"How about we head to the station so we can discuss this and get some answers so we can take.."

"No, No. I can't." I shook my head. "No. I can not go anywhere where he is." I stood up, pacing about. "I should go, actually. I need to get away again."

"Ms. Meadow, please. We're going to help you. Is there someone we can call, somewhere we can go where you are more comfortable discussing this matter?" The second officer spoke up.

"Gordon. Ms. Gordon. I'm sorry, I need to change into my clothes and figure out what to do." I numbly walked into the changing portion and closed the door. Quickly I changed into my regular clothes and neatly placed the expensive work attire back on the racks. I flung the changing room door open and walked straight into a body. Ooof. "I'm so sorry." I stepped back and saw Mr. Mayfield standing in front of me.

"Quinn! Are you okay?" He turned, holding me by my arms, looking my body up and down.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why are you? How did you?" I shook my head in confusion.

"Mr. Asher requested that I come here to escort you and Carrie back to Carrie's house." He shrugged, looking as confused as I felt. Though his eyes were full of worry as he scanned me over.