The Arrangement

Chapter Thirty-Three

At the time, being chased through the forest seemed like a fantastic idea but now I think back on it. Wearing next to nothing in the freezing cold and rain, was definitely a mistake.

Especially if my hacking cough is anything to go by.

I feel like I've had all my energy sucked out of me, every muscle in my body aches and if I'm not sweating, throwing the covers off of me I'm shivering under them.

Today's the first time I've actually managed to get out of my bed and yet all I achieved was making it to the sofa before I collapsed and it's where I've stayed for the whole day with Henley sat with me whilst he works on his laptop.

For the most part I've been asleep whilst his fingers have gently stroked through my hair or down my neck in the most soothing way. Occasionally he'll ask if I'm okay or if I need anything but other that he's been quietly working.

It's been like that with all of them, for the last few days I've been sick one of them has always been with me.

I can't remember the last time someone actually looked after me yet here I am with these four men I'm still only really getting to know, and they're looking after me in such a caring way.

They've got me stuff from the pharmacy, run me baths, bring me food and have just generally kept me company whilst I've been feeling like death warmed up.

It's nice and has proved the point that Tiff is definitely wrong. This isn't just purely about sex, and I can tell that already. Granted I can't imagine that they find me very sexually appealing right night, but they could have just left me until I was feeling better, not take time out of their days to look after me.

I'm just drifting back into consciousness when Henley's phone rings and when he answers I know he's talking about me.

"Yeah, I think she seems a little better, less greyish today" he comments, and I can't help but chuckle softly at that.

His hand comes back to my hair, and he starts stroking again whilst he continues his conversation.

"Yes, I'll make sure" he sighs and when I glance up at him, he rolls his eyes, and I quickly gather that it's Carter he's talking to.

It hasn't taken me long to figure out that Carter is well and truly a nag. It clearly comes from a place of love and he's definitely an alpha male of sorts when it comes to their whole relationship. Yet what I enjoy the most is how they all have their own ways of going against him. Not just letting him dictate absolutely everything.

They have balance, along with a respect for each other that I can't help but admire.

They're not perfect and don't claim to be either, their little disagreement after the other nice being a prime example of that.

No one's mentioned the Jamie whilst I've been around, and I have a feeling it was only mentioned the other night because they thought I was unconscious.

So far, I've gathered that Jamie is a woman and must have been one of the previous women they'd brought into this dynamic.

The thing is, now I know she exists, and something clearly went wrong I have barrage of questions I don't know if I can even ask. It's clearly a sore subject and they've kept it hidden for a reason, yet it doesn't stop me from wanting answers.

Especially with the fact a psych ward was mentioned.

I haven't asked any of them about it yet, mainly because I've been too sick to but also because I have a feeling that even if I did ask, they wouldn't tell me anyways. So, I've gathered I'm going to have to do my own digging around to find the answers. 

It's a good thing I have nothing but time on my hands at the moment. 

When Henley heads off to the study to take a work call, I pull out the laptop Carter got me and start searching. I had insisted that I didn't need him to buy me one although he'd then insisted that he wasn't going to take it back so I either used it or it would sit there so I relented in the end. 

I don't even really know what it is I'm looking for or how to go about it, so I start with searching the name Jamie along with the others. At first there's nothing that comes up with the others, it's only when I put Carter's name in that I finally find something. 

It's not a new article or anything that gives me any kind of explanation though. It's a blog post from some charity event with a picture of Carter and a young woman at his side. Jamie Lewis the post names her as and although it's not any kind of explanation. It's a starting point for sure. 

Her presence is both commanding and unsettling. At first glance, she displays an air of effortless grace, her posture poised and her demeanour exuding confidence. She is the picture of elegance, seemingly at ease in the formal setting. 

Her smile, however, tells a different story. While it appears warm and inviting, it's at a superficial level. There's an unmistakable disconnect between her eyes and her lips. The smile doesn't quite reach her eyes, which remain cold and distant, creating an effect that has a shiver running down my spine. 

It's as if her warm expression is a mask, carefully curated to fit the occasion, but ultimately there's a lack of genuine emotion there. 

Those eyes, a striking shake of blue give off an unsettling emptiness. As if they're completely void of that spark of life and emotion you'd expect to see. Instead, they appear flat and indifferent, as though she's merely going through the motions, she's visibly detached and it's eery to look at.

I try to delve deeper and search her full name, hoping that there'll be social media posts or something that explains what happened to her. But there's nothing. She doesn't appear to have any kind of internet presence apart from that one photo. In truth it's like she doesn't exist at all which is even more unnerving than the photo itself and only causes me to have more questions than answers.