close. Instead, I stare at the ceiling and try to calm my racing heart.
If I don’t sleep now, I’m going to be exhausted tomorrow. Holden doesn’t understand naptime, today was an anomaly. He actually napped and relaxed before going to bed. Though traveling could take it out on anyone and it seems that’s exactly what it did to him. He was just as tired as I was.
But tomorrow will be a different story. He’ll be well rested and ready to rock-and-roll. I cannot be drop-dead exhausted. Though the amount of adrenaline that’s flowing through my system, I’m not sure I’ll be able to close my eyes, let alone actually sleep anytime soon.
There’s another noise. It sounds like someone has bumped into the wall or the door. As if they’re trying to navigate the place drunk, or completely lost. Glancing over at Holden, I inhale a deep breath and slip out of bed.
If I don’t go and see for myself that this place is empty, I’ll never be able to calm down. Walking toward the closed bedroom door, I slowly turn the knob and hold my breath as I open it to peer out.
The living room is still dark and even though my eyes are adjusted to the dark room, all I see is a mix of shadows all over the place. I can’t see the corners of the room, but it doesn’t appear that anyone else is here.
Biting on the inside of my cheek, I take a step out and decide to just make the rounds. I tell myself I’m being overly dramatic. That I’m being a scaredy cat. There is no reason for me to think that someone could be in here. It’s silly. I’m safe.
The main bedroom door is open, so I flip the switch on and breathe a sigh of relief to see the room is empty. Making my way into the bathroom, I turn the light on in there and flick my gaze around. Empty.
Turning back into the main part of the suite, I find a switch and flip it on, illuminating the entire main space. My shoulders sag in relief. My body completely relaxes and I smile at the sight of the very empty room.
Walking over to the fridge, I open it and grab a bottle of water. I need something to drink, my entire body is still a little shaky. I laugh at myself as I down half of the bottle. Licking my bottom lip, I can’t help but wish that Landry was here with me.
We’ve been together every single night for months, and all day long too. This doesn’t feel right. My stomach twists with what I assume is just nervous cramps. I drink some more water, hoping that it will help me get my shit together.
I can’t shake this and I can’t continue to feel this way at the same time. Finishing the bottle of water, I decide to stay in the living room. I won’t get any sleep anyway. Grabbing the remote control, I flick the television on and try to find something mindless and easy to watch until I can order breakfast and get going for the day.
Hopefully, Hansen wants to meet super early. The earlier the better. I want out of here, I want gone, I want to go back home.
Home.
It is my home, too. Landry has made sure that I have had a hand in every aspect of that house, even picking out the actual house. I don’t know that he had envisioned me moving in immediately, but I honestly think that it was at least all subconscious.
I almost squeal when I see that Designing Women is on television. This seems like a perfect time to watch the Sugarbaker sisters and their antics. The show continues to play and as the next episode begins, my eyelids grow heavier and heavier, until finally everything goes dark.
It happens again.
There’s a noise. Then the sound of something sliding. My eyes pop open immediately. I inhale through my nose and hold my breath as I wait to hear something else. Nothing happens, I’m going crazy, I think to myself.
I hear the sliding sound again. It’s from somewhere behind me. I pinch my eyes closed and shake my head, wishing that whatever it is, that it would just go away, but that doesn’t work.
Then it happens. I hear heavy breathing. Opening one eye, I let out a scream, but my mouth is covered immediately and my scream just comes out muffled. My eyes