Enchanter (9 page)

“I just feel bad that I ruined your plans for tonight.”

“You didn’t ruin anything. What happened to you was serious.
Besides, what kind of friends would we be if we picked up and left?”

“Well,” I patted Matt’s hand, “thanks for staying.”

“No problem, but just so you know, I’ll be picking you up
from work from now on.”

“That’s not—”

“Necessary?” Matt frowned. “Do you intend to go through this
again?”

“No, but—”

“But nothing. I get out of school in time to pick you up, so
that’ll be our routine from now on.”

“Whenever you can’t make it, I’ll pick her up,” Xavier
offered.

“Sounds good to me.”

“Now I’m just getting spoiled.”

Matt chuckled. “Damn right.”

“What do you guys want to watch?” Xavier asked as he took
out another DVD from the cabinet next to my TV and eyed it for a few seconds
before putting it back to take out another one out.

“Anything that doesn’t have any type of violence in it.”

Xavier grinned. “Gotcha.”

****

A few hours later, I lay in bed, wide awake, while a
sleeping Matt lay next to me. Xavier camped on the floor in front of the bed
and both guys had been asleep for at least an hour or two. I, on the other hand,
could not seem to find slumber land no matter how much I tried.

The weird man from the alley came to mind each time I shut
my eyes and I knew I was going to end up having nightmares for the rest of the
night if sleep finally decided to pay me a visit. The attack itself was
terrifying, but the fact that the man was so strange-looking, somehow made it
worse. Something about him was not right. He appeared almost inhuman and the
thought terrified me.

Come on, Leah, he was probably a crack-head hoping to get
a few bucks from you so that he could go get his next fix.

Unfortunately, that thought did not make me feel any better
at all. Despite the guys’ presence next to me, I was still mildly freaked out,
jumping at every little sound that emanated either from outside or the
neighbor’s apartment. Every time the mild wind from outside made my window
shutter, I had to fight to keep myself glued to the bed.

My fear went as far as leaving the TV on, and as my
companions slept peacefully near me, I continued to flip through channels until
I found a late-night marathon of one of my favorite shows. I decided to watch
as many episodes as I could until it was either morning or I became too tired
to keep my eyes open.

Whichever comes first!

“Leah?” Matt shifted on the bed next to me. “You still
awake?”

“Yeah, go back to sleep, Matt.”

“You need it, too.”

“I can’t sleep.”

He watched me through sleep-hazed eyes, squinted as he tried
to get a better view of me.

“Do you need anything?”

“Yeah, the sun to come up.”

He smiled briefly. “I can’t help you with that.”

“I know. But you can help me by getting some rest.”

Matt reached out for my hand, gave it a quick peck, and then
released it.

“You should, too.”

“I’m trying.”

With that, he turned to the opposite direction and fell back
asleep.

This is going to be a long night.

It was well after three in the morning when my tired body
finally gave in and allowed for sleep to claim me.

****

My Saturday morning resulted in being pampered by two
overprotective guys who were still very much concerned over what had happened
the previous night. Although I told them I was fine, they still were very
hesitant to leave me alone. So after Matt left for work a little after ten in
the morning, Xavier decided to stay and keep me company.

For the rest of the morning, Xavier and I watched movies, played
a few rounds of some of our favorite board games, watched some reruns on TV, and
prepared lunch together.

Aside from the discomfort of having a very sore back, I
actually had fun, and by that afternoon all thoughts of the attack and the
creepiness of my assailant had been completely forgotten. However, the more
hours passed by, the more my anxiety over my meeting with Brandon increased. When
the clock marked five o’clock and I left Xavier alone in the living room so
that I could take a quick shower, I was shaking so bad I thought my knees were
going to buckle with each step.

The thought of being locked inside an apartment with Brandon
Morris was causing my nerves to betray me and my body to react in a way that
took me by complete surprise. Something about the idea of being alone with him
both scared and intrigued me. Even though I never paid any attention to him
before and had in fact gone about my life without noticing how handsome he had gotten
or how intense his pale blue eyes were, I was very aware of those facts now.

Brandon Morris, weird? For some reason that seems very
unlikely now. Perhaps he may be different, but I don’t think he’s weird, at
least not anymore. Why do I have a feeling that I’m about to find out just how
different from others he is?

With that thought, I hurried to get ready for my visit to
Brandon’s apartment.

Frustration could not even begin to describe what I felt.
After being dropped off by Xavier at the address Brandon had provided for me a
few days before, I marched up the stairs to the second floor and knocked on what
should have been his apartment’s front door. When there was no immediate answer,
I assumed he was either busy or had not heard, so I continued knocking.

Is this the right door?

Just to be sure, I took the paper out of my purse, reread
it, and confirmed 2A was the right door.
So, if I’m in the right place, how
come he’s not answering?

Trying not to allow my growing impatience to get the best of
me, I continued knocking with no response. When I placed my ear on the door, I could
not hear any sounds that indicated there was someone inside, and the shades
along with the dark curtains covering the windows left no room for me to peek
inside.

After about forty-five minutes of waiting, I assumed he had
blown me off.

This is ridiculous! Damn him! He said six o’clock and
it’s almost seven, so where the hell is he?
By this point I wanted to
scream at the top of my lungs and curse Brandon Morris straight to hell. If he was
not going to be home, or had something more important to do, then why didn’t he
let me know ahead of time?

Angry that I wasted my time by bothering to actually pay him
a visit, I took my cell out and was about to dial Xavier’s number to have him
pick me up when movement at the foot of the staircase caught my attention.

Glancing down, I watched as Brandon’s huge form ascended the
stairs and turned to his right where I happened to be waiting by his front
door. The second he spotted me standing there, Brandon’s eyes widened and he
took a step back.

“You look surprised to see me,” I muttered, trying hard to
conceal my impatience.

“I am surprised,” he admitted. “What are you still doing
here?”

“Did you forget that we have a humanity assignment to
complete for class?”

“No.”

“Then you remember that I was coming over?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you surprised to see me here?”

“Because I’m late and I didn’t think you would wait for me.”
His words gave me the impression that he was hoping I would not be there when
he finally made it back.

“If you were going to be late, then why didn’t you let me
know? I’ve been standing by this door for forty-five minutes!” What little
patience I was holding onto slipped out of my grasp and I snapped at him, “This
might not be as important to you as it is to me, but I thought you would help
me out and allow me to complete this assignment. Instead, you act as if this is
some kind of joke.”

Brandon just looked at me before shaking his head.

“Am I supposed to use smoke signals to be able to
communicate with you then?”

“What?”

“I don’t have your number.”

He sidestepped me and proceeded to take out a set of keys
from his pocket and unlocked the door.

“You know where I live,” I said, glaring at his broad back.

“And what exactly are you suggesting?” He turned to glare at
me. “That I go out of my way just to tell you that I had to take a last minute
shift and I was probably going to be late?”

“You are late!” I yelled at him. “And yes, that would’ve
been nice.”

So many emotions mirrored through his eyes in so little
time.

“Did it ever occur to you that I had a very bad day at work
and now I have to come home and listen to this nonsense?”

“Well, excuse me for sounding like a bratty teenager, but I
just spent forty five minutes waiting for your arrival,” I snapped.

Brandon took in some air and let it out in a rush. He was
obviously in no mood for a fight.

“Look, I didn’t know I was going to be late. Something
happened at work and I had to stay. I would have called you but I don’t have
your number.”

As I took a few
unselfish
seconds to observe his face,
I could tell he was exhausted and looking like he wanted to drop down on a bed
and sleep for hours.

“I’m sorry, Brandon.” How insensitive was I that I did not notice
right away how his broad shoulders were slumped down, or the dark circles that
were prominent under his eyes. “I guess it might sound kind of stupid to ask
now, but how was your day?” It was a dumb thing to say but after taking in his
tired appearance, I felt like an idiot for snapping at him and so the words
that left my mouth were more of an attempt to make up for my bad attitude than
an effort at a conversation.

Brandon turned to open the door and gestured for me to step
inside.

“I just worked a sixteen hour shift and I haven’t eaten
anything since five o’clock yesterday, so forgive me if I come across as
moody.” Although he probably meant to sound sarcastic, his tone did not quite
meet his expectations. His words, however, served to make me feel even worse.

 “Would you prefer to leave this for some other time?”

“No. You’re already here. Besides, I wouldn’t want you to
have a stroke if I send you away, especially considering the fact that you’ve been
waiting for almost an hour for me to show up.”

“Okay, I deserve that.” I stopped just beyond the door and
turned to look at him. “But I really have no problem rescheduling.”

Brandon shut the door before providing a reply. “It’s okay,
Leah. I just need a quick shower and a bite to eat and I’ll be fine.” He must
have noticed my eyes widening as he locked his front door, because he said, “I
hope you don’t mind, but I always keep my door locked, even when I’m in here.”

What is he afraid of? With a body like his I doubt anyone
would dare take him on.

“That’s fine.”

“Make yourself comfortable,” he said, gesturing toward the
living room. “I’m going to shower and I’ll meet you in a few minutes.”

“Okay,” I murmured as he started to walk away toward a door
at the end of a small hallway.

I hurried to make myself comfortable on the floor in front
of the coffee table, crossing my legs as I sat down and rummaged through my
purse. I took out my textbooks, but stopped before actually placing them on the
furniture. I was not sure whether or not Brandon would appreciate me taking
such a liberty with his belongings, so I glanced up to ask him whether it was
okay, when I saw him take off his sweatshirt.

Granted, I had no intention of rubbernecking, but when I
caught sight of long arms and well-developed muscles, I could not stop my mouth
from dropping open. Underneath that damn hoodie he always wore was a wide back
hidden by a black tank top. What nearly caused me to drool like a puppy dog were
the few glimpses of the Celtic-like tattoo that ran up his backside. Most of
his left arm, shoulder, and even his neck were covered in it. There were only a
few spots here and there that were free of ink.

Never in my life did I give much thought to tattoos. I
especially never even thought of them as sexy, but seeing Brandon’s marked
upper torso was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. Even as I continued to
stare, seconds after he disappeared behind a door, I wondered why Brandon hid
his easy-on-the-eyes body under so many layers of clothing. Was he
self-conscious about something? Because judging by what I saw he had nothing to
be self-conscious about.

Leah, what are you thinking?

Slightly embarrassed by my train of thoughts, I decided to order
a pizza so that he did not have to prepare anything to eat. That way he would
have something ready and warm, hopefully by the time he got out of the shower. I
grabbed my phone and dialed my favorite pizzeria’s number, which was about a mile
down the road.

After placing an order for a large pepperoni and a two-liter
Coke, I took in my surroundings while I waited to be reunited with my unorthodox
companion.

Brandon’s apartment was nothing like I had imagined it to
be. Although it was scarcely furnished, with just one couch, two end tables, a
coffee table, and a small entertainment system accompanied by what looked like a
thirty-two inch flat screen, the apartment was incredibly organized for a
college man. The dark blue curtains that hung over the windows in the living
room matched the couch’s upholstery and the Navy blue of his carpet.

On the left side of the apartment was the kitchen. For what
I could see, it was small and only had the basics. The kitchen, just like the
living room area, was spotless. Apparently, Brandon was every bit of a neat
freak as I was.

As far as I could make out, Brandon lived alone. The fact
that there were no obvious signs to indicate that he could be sharing the place
with a female forced a sense of relief to course through me. As confusing as my
sentiments were, they were nowhere near as alarming as the fact that I was
becoming susceptible to a guy that I had spent half of my life avoiding.