You Make It Easy

You Offered It.

Maya~

As Christian pulls into my driveway, I grab my bag and set it on the wicker chair so I can lock my door. I check my pockets to make sure I have everything I need as Christian comes up to the door.

He takes my bag as I lock my house up, "Ready?"

I stuff my keys in the bag he's holding, "Yeah."

When we get on the road, he turns the radio down, "How was your day?"

"Pretty downhill after you left."

"Why's that?"

"I've been dizzy all day and confined to my bed. It's been hard for me to sleep. And it keeps replaying in my head, reminding me that I'm an idiot who thought she could take on a 6-foot, 220-pound man high on meth and heroin."

"You couldn't have known he'd become violent."

"Yes, but he pushed me first and I could've laid off but no, I have to be bossy and have it done my way."

"How's your light sensitivity?"

"Still sucky."

"I'll tell you now that the elevator is bright, especially coming in from the parking garage."

I look over at him as he focused on the road ahead of him, "You didn't have to do this."

"I promised your mom."

"But you didn't need to."

"Just let me do it."

"Okay."

He looks over at me and smiles as he comes to a red light after getting off the interstate. "Do you need to eat?"

"My mom made too much soup so that's what I've had."

"Have you had actual food?"

"I'm too scared to eat real food right now. It won't go well for me."

He leads me to the elevator, holding my bag. As the doors open, I squint at the light. He wasn't wrong.

I keep my eyes shielded as I walk into the elevator with him. "Have they found the guy?"

He brings me into his chest, blocking the light even more, "I haven't heard anything."

He smells good. He unlocks his apartment. "I would offer the guest room but it's a mess and I'm not going to let you sleep on the couch. So I hope you don't mind sharing a bed."

"It's fine."

I wake up to my vibrating phone under the pillow I used last night. I take my phone and walk to the living room, leaving Christian in bed. We were closer than I thought we were.

I answer Bridget, "Hey."

"Hi, sorry if I woke you up."

"It's fine."

"How are you feeling?"

I sit on the couch, tucking my feet underneath me. My big t-shirt falls over my knees, making it seem like I don't have shorts on. I do, trust me. "Better. Not 100%. I'm less dizzy. I'll see how my light sensitivity is."

"Good, good. I wanted to call to tell you that they found the guy on a park bench. He doesn't remember anything and claims he didn't do anything but his hand was busted up and he still had the hospital gown on over his clothes. He's been arrested."

"His hand is busted from punching me? That's how they knew?" I ask, my voice cracking as I remember it all.

"Yeah," she says quietly, "They want you to come ID him at the station."