Love Without Tragedy | JB | a.u| BWWM | COMPLETE

Twenty Four.

After making my mom's special recipe lasagna, Justin and I sat at the island in the kitchen and had it with some red wine. Another first for me, wine.

In the beginning, Justin kept talking about how good the lasagna was and I was thrilled because it hadn't been appreciated before, by Randy. Soon conversation died down and Justin and I ate in silence.

I was a little worried about him, that's all. All the things that he'd said to me since I'd met him made me worry a little about him: how he was surprised to hear me say he was fussy, as if it weren't obvious, his trust issues because some women he met were after his money and not his love and here he was, worrying about me and whether or not this penthouse was good enough in my eyes. He was a perfectionist, I figured. I just wanted him to understand that he was giving me and showing me more than enough and I appreciated it all. I just wanted him to be straight with me about his feelings.

After we ate, I cleared the table and went to run the water in the sink so I could wash up.

"Dileah, leave the dishes for Catherine. She'll take care of them in the morning." Justin said.

I looked at him.

"But..."

He smiled slightly.

"Don't worry about it. She gets paid to do it, sweetheart."

My heart skipped a beat at the nickname and my cheeks flushed.

I nodded my head and dried my hands.

"I'm going up to my room to catch up on some work." He said to me.

"Okay." I smiled slightly at him.

"Can I get you anything before I head up?"

I shook my head.

"Alright then. Make yourself at home and don't forget to take your medication before bed." He smiled, "Goodnight, Dileah."

"Goodnight, Justin." I said.

Justin headed up the stairs, leaving me alone.

It wasn't really late, just after 8pm. Ms Jones was probably home by now so I decided to give her a call to let her know that we'd arrived safely in Miami.

She was thrilled to hear from me. Just hearing her voice made me miss New York. I told her about Justin's beautiful house and how much I enjoyed cooking for the first time because of how open his kitchen was.

"I miss you so much, dear. I keep looking at the door of the laundry room with hopes that you'll bolt in with some muffins and coffee." Ms Jones said.

I giggled.

"Someday I'll do that again, Ms Jones."

"I'm glad you like the place." She said, "He's treating you really well."

"Yeah." I said.

"You don't sound too excited."

I sighed.

"I'm just confused, you know? One minute we're on a date, the next minute we're friends... This afternoon he was worried that I wouldn't like his house or something."

"Did you talk to him about it?"

"I tried to get through to him when he opened up a little but then he shut me out. We thought I was the one with problems, he needs help too, Ms Jones." I said softly, hoping Justin wouldn't hear.

"Oh poor boy." Ms Jones sympathized.

"I know." I sighed, "But I'll give it all some time. I don't want to rush anything, you know? I don't want to get ahead of myself, possibly scare the guy then end up homeless in Miami."

"I'd walk to Miami if he left you homeless." Ms Jones said.

I smiled.

"Thanks, Ms Jones."

"No problem, dear. You say hello to that handsome young man for me, alright?"

"I sure will."

"Thank you. By the way, Paul was looking for you yesterday. He feels horrible that things turned out the way they did between you two-- whatever happened-- he had a little gift he wanted to give you before your departure but I told him he missed you."

I frowned.

"Oh. You can tell Mr Smith that I'm not mad at him. Work is work. He was only doing his part." I said.

"Okay. Have a good night then, Dileah. Do call again soon." She said, and I could sense that she was smiling.

I smiled too.

"Have a good night, Ms Jones."

After we ended our conversation, I headed upstairs to my room to take a shower and change into my pyjamas.

The bathroom was beautiful. It was white and had dark wooden features. I loved the oval bathtub that was supported by two pieces of wood that cradled the tub. This would be perfect to take bubble baths in, I thought. The basins were white and square and they sat on the counter as if they could be removed. They couldn't, I tried lifting one up just out of curiosity. There was a mirror above both the basins and then the shower-- the big glass shower-- stood in the corner of the room on a wooden platform, just like the beds in the bedrooms.

After getting changed into my pyjamas, I took my medication and went to turn the lights off. There were two switches and, to my surprise, the first one I pressed drew down some blinds. I watched as the streets of Miami disappeared before my eyes behind the thick grey blinds that had been neatly hidden at the top of the window, all day.

And Justin thought that I wouldn't like this place.

I chuckled and turned off the main lights before I climbed into bed.

It felt so different being in a bed alone. Even though I hadn't cuddled either Randy or Justin in bed before, it did feel strange to be on my own in a room. A part of me was actually scared. I'd never slept on my own before: as a child, my mom always came to sleep with me in my room, especially after my step-dad hit her. It was a protective thing, her sleeping with me. Even though my bed was small, we cuddled and I always slept in her arms. When I moved in with Randy, we shared a bed too but we didn't cuddle. And then there was Justin.

I always feared something at night and I had reason to. I feared that I'd get attacked at night, by my step-dad or by Randy. And even miles away, I feared that something would come out and hurt me.

'Justin's just down the passage.' I tried to keep calm.

Surely he'd hear if I was in danger?

I exhaled and turned one lamp off. I cuddled a pillow and closed my eyes.

Justin would hear if I was in danger.