a place we know| ✓

thirty one

"And find a place where every single thing you see tells you to stay."
S E E K E R
.
.
January 4th
5:43 PM
New York
- - - - - - - - - -

Audrey dug into her pocket for her spare key and unlocked the front door.

The atmosphere around her felt different, but it was a good different. After her conversation with Marjorie, everything about the small apartment was changed. She saw beauty in all the things she once quailed from, and her favorite was Gunner who sat comfortably on the couch cushions. His eyes lazed on the TV screen as he shoveled the contents of the takeout container into his mouth.

The closing of the door hailed his attention, a guileless smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. Audrey slipped the shoes off her sock-clad feet and simpered softly. "I thought you were supposed to be asleep."

Gunner gestured at the second take-out container with his chopsticks, shrugging, but a pleased and amused expression painted his face. "For about an hour."

He flashed yet another one of his winning smiles that stole Audrey's breath and licked her skin with vehement heat. "I ordered Japanese for you."

"How'd you know I like Ramen?"

"Six years but I guessed lucky."

Audrey sauntered farther inside the apartment and sat next to him on the couch. Before she could draw the air she needed for her body, her thoughts liquefied to their most refined forms and each intake of breath was an intake of gaiety she hadn't felt in months. She was just really happy. It wasn't often she felt this way, but right now, she was just glad to share a simple moment like this one with him.

"I'm guessing you lost track of time–is that the excuse you're going with?" Gunner asked in-between his chewing.

Audrey glanced at him from beneath jaded eyes and her mouth painted a smile. "I had lunch with Shapiro and Michael."

"Michael?" Her boyfriend paused, the chopsticks halfway to his lips and the string of noodles hanging loosely around the thin, wooden pieces. The way he watched her could have broken her if she hadn't turned her head away and stared at the lights coming from the television.

His face remained robotic as well as his posture, but something in his sage eyes shifted, veiling him with bitterness. "Why was he there?"

"She invited the both of us over." He wasn't convinced by her answer, so elaborating, she said, "All we did was talk and eat. He couldn't do anything because Shapiro was there the entire time. No need to get all overprotective on me. I was safe."

Gunner shoved the noodles into his mouth before his brows knitted together. "Oferprotetive?" he jumbled up then swallowed.

The muscles in her stomach clenched as she gave a full laugh, her eyes lined with joy and her face a picture of glee. "Yes, Gunner, overprotective."

He was overprotective in every sense and in a good way; he wasn't overbearing and he didn't resort to controlling her to show that he cared for her well-being. But he still worried. Audrey couldn't begin to fathom what he'd do if she told him about the things Michael had done with her in the alleyway. Her mood faltered just thinking about it, but luckily, Gunner didn't catch the sudden change around her.

She wasn't strong enough to relive it just yet. "You'll stress yourself out if you keep worrying about me. I can take care of myself too, Gun."

Gunner's gaze shot back to the television. "Only because I care about what happens to you. Not to mention that you're not the only one I have to look out for," he sat up straighter and put the styrofoam plate down on the coffee table.