When She Falls (3 page)

“Sorry….” Her heavy eyes lifted toward him. It was the first
time she’d made eye contact with him since their disagreement.

“Don’t be.” He lightly brushed his thumb along her lip. “You were tired.”

A shake of her head sent most of her bangs falling free from the clip. She reached up to unsecure it and the hair fell free. “Not that. For freaking out. I’m just soooo fucked up.”

The driver opened the door and Logan stepped out of the car, extending his hand to his date and new roommate. “We’re all fucked up. Trust me.”

Her hand in his told him that some part of her did do that… trust him. He’d never asked anyone to do so because he’d never cared enough before.

The house stood silent before them. Candice couldn’t tear her gaze off the home. “I’ve never even
driven through this neighborhood. It’s a long way from my side of town.”

Logan’s house
was a huge two-story with a porch in front. Most of the homes on the street were similar in style. All of the driveways in view had cars with hefty price tags. Brand symbols like Lexus, BMW, and Cadillac gleamed under the street lights.

“Here.” Logan had been working a spare key off his key ring and handed it to her.

He hoped the tiny piece of metal meant more than anything she’d ever been given. Her hand closed tightly around it. “What if I steal all your stuff?”

“It will have been worth the risk. I can always buy more personal items. Besides, I told you I’m renting the place. Most of this isn’t even mine.” He laughed while
resting his hand on the small of Candice’s back and guided her toward the house.

With her thoughts whirling with the day’s events, Candice stepped into the bedroom Logan had said was hers.
Hers.
She had a room, and if the unbelievable night was real, a temporary home.

“Umm…” She held the door knob in her hand and twisted it uncomfortably. Logan hadn’t entered the room with her. A thank you hardly seemed enough.

“Get some rest.” He smiled awkwardly, yet sincerely, and walked away toward his own room.

Candice leaned forward and peered around the corner. Her eyes locked on Logan’s form as he shed his suit jacket and disappeared through an open door. Exhaling a slow sigh, she slipped her head back into her room.

What am I doing here?

The walls were near blinding white to match the fluffy comforter on the bed. She stepped away from the closed door she had been leaning against
for a few minutes. Her outstretched hands glided easily over the soft material covering the king size. She picked up a pillow and hugged it to her chest, burying her face against it and inhaling the fresh spring scent.

Home.

The thought came to her again and she scolded herself for being naïve. Morning would come and a cab would take her to the mall, back to work, and she’d be living out of the car again. She had to think it. Optimism had only led her to disappointment in the past.

Her eiderdown pillow was tossed back onto the bed with little concern or knowledge that the price tag had been more than she made in three months. She made her way over to the vanity and sat down in front of the mirror. No perfumes or jewelry decorated the surface. The home was merely a shell of what might have been. Logan was only supposed to live there until he’d finished his work. How much longer could that be?

Candice stood quickly, trying to tear her mind away from foolish fantasies of being rich and loved. She headed into the bathroom adjoining the room. A hot tub sized bath was in the corner and a shower to her left. It was too much to resist. In the weeks since losing her place on her sister’s sofa, she’d been putting up the closed sign in the
restroom at the mall. Rough brown paper towels and anti-bacterial soap had been her bathing staples. The method might be crude and she was homeless, but she’d be damned if she would stink.

After strippi
ng out of her dress, she folded and placed it on the sink counter to put on afterward. The glass door to the shower slid open easily and she stepped inside. The water heated instantly. It felt good. No…
amazing
after how she’d been degraded to living. Steam clouded the room as she kept the water at the highest temperature she could bear. Several minutes later she slid down to sitting in the floor of the immaculately cleaned shower and drew her knees up to her chest.

Then, she cried. It had truly been the best e
vening of her life. Logan was a dream come true. The sex… man, the sex… there were no words to describe that. But, she was afraid. Afraid of trusting, afraid of loving, and afraid of tomorrow.

“I have no idea what I’m doing….” Logan said out loud to himself as he rummaged through his dresser for something Candice could wear to bed. Some of his clothing was still unpacked. He left the drawers pulled out and unzipped the suitcase at the foot of his bed.

He grabbed a folded polo shirt and pair of silk boxers. Both still had the tags attached. His hand curled around the paper to tug the price off, but he stopped and
instead left them intact. Then, he walked toward the guest bedroom with clothing in hand.

“Hello,” followed a
series of knocks on the door. When there was no answer, he twisted the knob and pushed slowly. He could hear the shower running and soft sobs coming from the bathroom.

Logan was torn. Should he attempt
to console her and ask what was wrong or mind his own business? He placed the clothing on the bed before quietly stepping toward the cracked bathroom door. Candice’s nude form was distorted by the steam and glass of the shower door, but he could tell she was sitting in the floor crying. With a sudden turn, he left the clothing on the bed and stalked out.

Upon returning to his room, he picked up his briefcase and
dumped his papers out on the bed. His intention to lose himself in work was for naught. All he could think about were the tears falling from the beautifully broken girl and then washing away into oblivion.

When all her tears had been spent, Candice turned off the water and wrapped herself in a huge towel big enough for a day on the beach. Crying helped her release some of the stress that had built and built until she couldn’t keep it in check. That’s how the breakdowns went. It may have been a bit unstable, but it was far better than doping away all feeling with drugs the way her sister did.

She ran her fingers through her short hair when she couldn’t find a brush and gave a few scrunches for lift. As she stared at herself in the mirror, she knew why Logan made the mistake of thinking she was so young. With no make-up on now, even she couldn’t believe her age. Only in looks, though. Thinking of all the shit she’d been through already in her life made her feel old. Often, she’d get angry when people treated her like she was barely an adult
. They’d say things like, “Wait until you’re my age,” or “What do you have to be upset about? You have your whole life ahead of you.” No one seemed to realize age didn’t define how hard of a life a person had lived.

Leaving the bathroom, she saw the clothing Logan had left for her on
the bed. Brand new. His every thoughtful gesture surprised her. She picked up the clothing and inhaled. Even though both items were new, the clothes had a hint of his scent from being stored with his other clothing. After slipping on the boxers and shirt, she hugged her arms to herself.

“Don’t fall for this guy.” She said quietly before continuing her thoughts with
out speaking them aloud.
You know what happened the last time you fell for a guy at first sight. Remember, it’s not lasting or real.

Candice climbed into the bed and slipped under the covers. Few things had ever felt better than stretching out however she wanted on the big bed. The back seat of her car had been cramped with hard cushions and rough fabric, but this bed was smooth and the sheets were cool against her legs. Best of all, it didn’t smell like the old air freshener hanging from her rearview mirror.

Her eyes fluttered a few times. She tried to fight the sleep to savor the perfect feeling of security and comfort. It was impossible. Exhaustion crept over her and she only had a brief vision of Logan’s face before drifting off.

The next morning Logan headed downstairs hastily when he discovered Candice’s room empty. Relief washed over him when he saw her standing in the kitchen, dressed in his boxers and shirt, and cupping a mug of coffee from the Keurig machine in her hands. She turned slowly and smiled while blowing at the steaming beverage.

“Want me to make you a cup?” She asked.

All he could do was nod. She looked no worse for the wear after all the tears. Maybe even more lovely standing there in his underwear than she had been the night before. It was definitely a sight he could get used to waking up to. If he didn’t scare her away. He debated how to approach the conversation, worried about saying the wrong thing.

“Much better than the coffee at the cookie place in the mall. Though, they do give it to me for free.”
She told him.

Logan stepped
forward, eyeing her closely as she prepared his cup. “Did you sleep well?”

“Oh god, yes!” She laughed and it caught him by surprise. “Thanks for the clothing, too. I was a bit wary, but since the tag
s were still on them I figured I didn’t have to worry about being horny all night from inhaling your manly scent.”

“You are so crude.” He accepted his coffee with a grin. “I kind of like it. Girls always say what they
think
I want to hear.”

Candice shrugged. “It’s actually a bit of a defense mechanism. I say something inappropriate and it either lightens the mood or pisses someone off. Either way, it makes me less nervous.”

“Why are you nervous?” Logan asked after placing his coffee on the counter and moving closer to her.

“I don’t know what to make of all…
this
.”

“We’re just two people getting to know each other, right?” He reached out to run a finger down her cheek, ending at her chin and lifting gently so she would make eye contact with him.

When he leaned down and kissed her lips softly, she didn’t resist. He was thankful. It reaffirmed his feelings from the previous day and he’d
really
wanted that kiss. Candice blushed and Logan gave her a little space, picking up his coffee again and taking a sip.

“I don’t understand. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth.” She said after a moment. “I was born with a plastic spork in mine.”

“That makes you all the more desirable. Plastic sporks are a much more useful utensil than a silver spoon.”

Candice appeared speechless for once. It was a
strange, silly sort of compliment, but one she took to heart. “That is true.”

When she cracked a smile, Logan relaxed. He was winning her over and he knew it. “Get dressed. We’ll get your car and bring it here.”

“I have to be at work in half an hour. There’s not enough time to bring it back.”

“You don’t have to go to work.” He said firmly.

Although she opened her mouth to protest, no words came out at first. “I have to work….”

“No.”

“You can’t just say no.”

“Yes
, I can and I did. Obviously, you have been through some heavy shit. Shit that I can’t begin to understand. You may want to share it with me someday, you might not. Right now, what you need is to take care of yourself and not worry about everything else.” His short speech left no time to interrupt.

Candice’s smile had faded by this point and she lowered her eyes in confusion as she stepped away. “You can’t ask me to trust you. Today is great, but what
about tomorrow when you’re done with me? I would be out of a job and worse off than before.”

“
A couple of weeks.” He held up two fingers, and as he’d intended, she looked at him. “If you want to move on after that I won’t try to stop you. Deal?”

Worried, she nodded. “Deal. I can turn in a two week notice so that I can return if
this arrangement goes south.”

Logan’s chest puffed out a little with confidence. He knew she’d fall in love with him. The world was his to give. “It won’t.”

The chance to quit her hated job tempted Candice
the moment she entered work to start her shift. As she slid her badge through the time clock, “Boss Bitch” crept up and loomed over her from behind.

“Late again.”

“Sorry. I had a… friend bring me to work.” Candice responded as she pushed by the much broader and taller woman to head to her department.

“You’re in customer service today. Brit is working your department since we weren’t sure you would show up.”

This made Candice freeze in her tracks.
I always show up.
She thought angrily to herself. Slowly, she drew in a deep breath and exhaled it without looking back at the woman. “No problem,” was the lie that spilled out. It was definitely a problem. She hated working returns and dealing with the customers checking out.

To compound matters, her checkout counter was clu
ttered and messy from the closing cashier the night before not cleaning up after their shift. “I must be f’in stupid for coming here today.” Her voice didn’t carry over the loud clatter of removed alarm tags being dumped into a bucket. She picked up the container and carried it hugged to her chest to the stock room.