The Collector | 18+

【48】Social Distancing

I did my best to ignore the mysterious door when I sat back at my temporary desk, deciding this had nothing to do with me and should be left alone. There was much to do that I didn't need that kind of distraction at the moment. I'd now gone over two-thirds of the collection, books and documents excluded, and I gave myself the objective of finishing another shelving unit before taking a quick break, and then another unit before bed.

Unsurprisingly, once I began working again, I got overly absorbed. Instead of doing one unit as I'd planned, I ended up cataloging three. It was a long yawn accompanied by a gurgling protest from my stomach that made me check the time on my phone. My eyes widened when I noticed it was nearly three in the morning already. What the...

Disoriented, I looked around at the room, noticing Reggie sleeping soundly on a pillow I'd brought down here for him. Had I really been working nonstop for over five hours?! It had barely felt like two.

Focusing on my phone again, I checked out the few notifications I'd received. My shoulder sunk slightly when I realized none were from Ulrik.

He'd never replied to my text thanking him for the camera, even though I knew he'd seen it. We hadn't spoken, texted, or emailed since that moment of foolishness. Without missing a beat, my eyes traveled to the spot on the floor where we'd made out, the spot where a lot more had been seconds away from happening.

As always when I thought about that evening, regrets filled my mind. Regrets that I'd kissed him, but also regrets about things not going further. And I hated that.

Although I was ashamed of that fact, I would choose to let it happen. If it was my decision and I could go back in time somehow, I'd let Ulrik fuck me on that very floor, just to know what it felt like, just to confirm that it would have been the best sex of my life.

Even with the reality of his harsh rejection, I couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like. But with everything I knew now, I wouldn't stay for more than that. Right after our hypothetical quick shag—as Gigi would say—I'd head back to London. I didn't need the man to mess me up any further. I just needed him to fuck me once to satisfy my curiosity.

Things hadn't gone that way, though, and everything was now different. While I was inclined to change the past, the future was another story. Now, I preferred avoiding him if I could and keeping our relations professional—as they should have always remained. Not seeing him again, aside from rare occasions at the Museum, seemed like an easy feat to accomplish.

I leaned back in my chair with a long sigh, rubbing my strained eyes with the bottom of my palms. Part of me wished I could get more done tonight, but noticing the hour seemed to have drained every ounce of motivation out of me. I'd already done a lot more than I'd intended, which was great. But I would either sleep in for a bit the next day, or be exhausted for most of it. And it might be my last day with the collection, since it was possible Ulrik would return. Yuko had said three to four days, after all.

Upon checking the second clock on my home screen, which I'd set up to know my father's time, I saw it was nearly nine in the evening for the East Coast. It was the perfect time to contact him again, wasn't it? He wouldn't be at work anymore, but it was too early for him to be asleep or about to.

I opened the texting app and hesitated for an instant. My previous message had been ignored, and I wondered if he'd do that again. This wasn't something I could afford, especially if he came back tomorrow. I needed to book a flight and be gone before he returned.

After some hesitation, I decided to call him instead. I'd be succinct and professional, which should make it okay. But at least I'd have an answer within minutes, rather than wait and wait for a response that might never come. Two tones passed, and I wondered if he'd pick up. By the time the third one was done, I was convinced he wouldn't. I was ready to hang up, feeling foolish to have even tried, when the fourth tone was cut midway.