Surrender

chapter 8

Chapter 8

Chris stared down into his half-empty mug of coffee. He hadn't slept a wink the night before and had been up since the early hours of the morning. Restless and agitated, his mind kept traveling back to the girl with the wild, hazel green eyes. He couldn't stop thinking about the way her eyelashes glittered in the rain, how his shirt had clung to her petite frame on the fateful night that he'd saved her life.

            And then at the bar, where she'd sat so closely to him and fidgeted nervously when a man who appeared to be her boyfriend wrapped an arm around her and led her away from Chris. At that moment, Chris had known that something was wrong, but hadn't done anything about it. A part of him convinced himself that he should have made sure that she was safe. But the other part of him had told him that it wasn't his business. He wasn't here to make friends or attract attention to himself. Besides, all he knew was a name: Sophie Trovsky. Nothing more, nothing less.

            But that didn't explain why he felt such a strong pull toward her.

            "All set," the sound of Eric's voice tore Chris out of his reverie. Eric lugged a large suitcase from his bedroom to the apartment door. "I left you a list of things to do while I'm gone on the kitchen table. And don't forget, the plants have to be watered every day," he stressed.

            "Got it," Chris said, pulling the door open and taking the luggage from Eric. They took the elevator to the lobby where a cab waited to take Eric to the airport. Chris didn't know the full details about the conference Eric was attending. Something to do with web design and computers, none of which had interested Chris. All he knew was that he would have Eric's apartment for the next weeks. During this time, Chris hoped to find peace of mind, and inspiration that his writing so desperately needed.

            Stepping off the elevator, Chris found Sophie on the stoop on the other side of the glass double doors, hugging the man from the bar goodbye. Chris felt an unfamiliar, sharp pang in his chest. Had she spent the night with him? Shaking his head, Chris asked himself, what are you thinking? It's none of your business.

            As the man disappeared into the distance, Sophie pulled her sweater around her and turned to go back inside. When she locked eyes with Chris, she stopped in her tracks.

            "What are you waiting for?" Eric told a dazed Chris. "I'm going to be late." Eric rushed out of the double doors to speak with the cab driver, blowing past Sophie like a violent blizzard.

            "Chris," Sophie said, her eyes squinting in the glaring morning sun as she looked up at him. "You're leaving already?" She pointed to the luggage resting in front of him.

            "Oh, no. This is Eric's," Chris replied.

            "Hello?" Eric impatiently waved to Chris.

            "I'm sorry, I'll be right back," Chris apologized to Sophie, and dragged the luggage over to the cab. He swung the luggage into the trunk and slammed it shut.

            As Eric settled into the backseat, he began to rattle off a series of things that Chris had neglected to listen to, his thoughts invaded by the presence of the woman idling behind him. "And don't forget about the list," Eric said before he shut the door and the cab took off.

            Once Chris climbed back up the steps and met Sophie on the stoop, Sophie pulled the door open and they made their way to the elevator, their footsteps echoing in the deserted lobby.

            In a brief moment, the elevator doors slid open with a ping, and they stepped inside. Their hands brushed as they both reached out to press number three. "Sorry," they mumbled simultaneously and settled into their separate corners.