A Slave to Broken Hearts (A Slave to Love Sequel)

Chapter 83: Bond

The weather had cooled slightly but that didn't stop me from being embarrassingly sweaty with nerves. This homecoming wasn't at all how I expected it to be, how I wanted it to be, and despite how scared I was that something was going on, that someone was messing with me again, I was almost relieved to be seeing Ace again. But I was furious too. The volatile mix of fear and hurt at being lied too was tainting how happy I was to be home and see him again. It was disorienting to feel such drastically opposing things at the same time.

As far as Ace knew, I had come home today, not yesterday, thanks to my lie about my flight change and he was supposed to be picking me up in about thirty minutes from my place. But since I was no longer allowed the luxury of concrete plans, I had to use spontaneity and improvisation to my benefit to hopefully keep the stalker off their game and scrambling to keep up.

So here I stood, in Ace's house, outside his bedroom door, having shown up unannounced and managing to slip through the hallways until only Loren noticed me. On one hand, I had hoped to find Ace on my own without anyone alerting him and possibly give me a chance to poke around or possibly find things out when the guard was down, but on the other, Loren pointing me where to go saved me time. I could have made him promise not to tell Ace so I could surprise him, but I wasn't convinced that would be possible anymore so I asked him if he had time to escort me so I wouldn't get lost.

A minor snag, but at least I'd see if he texted Ace or something, though he hadn't as far as I could tell unless he did so before I noticed him, and left me at Ace's door with a smile and a soft wish to have a goodnight.

Which is where I'd been standing for the last sixty seconds, right outside his door, trying to work up the courage to see what was waiting for me on the other side. And face what I'd have to do once it opened.

Steeling myself, but knowing I had no choice but to get on with it--every second I stood here was making me lose the element of surprise--so I knocked on the door. Some part of me wrestled with the idea that I had no idea what lay on the other side of it but also the desperate desire to see him again. Ace had become a comfort to me, his presence and existence an automatic relief to whatever I was feeling that day, that minute. It was impossible to merge that with the possibility that it was all a lie. 

I forced myself to plaster a smile on my face and stand still and tall, even though all I wanted to do was let my knees buckle and sink against his door and let it take my weight.

The door opened a few seconds after my knuckles brushed the wood, Abba's "Take a Chance on Me" blasting,  and there was Ace, shirt half unbuttoned, tie untied and draped over his shoulders, a polite but confused expression on his face. We both stood there for a second or two, staring, equally surprised to see each other, and my heart leapt right into my throat the second he appeared, like it was trying to escape before it got hurt again.

Then a grin split his face, so bright and happy that my nerves melted away, problems forgotten, the habit of him making me feel better as strong as ever and he pretty much tackled me into a hug.

"Kiana!" He scooped me up, lifting me off the floor to spin us around and I folded my arms around him to brace myself and because I also couldn't help it. "You're back! You're early! What are you doing here? How was the wedding? Was it beautiful? Did you cry? And your flight was okay? What about your leg? Is it better? And--"

"Ace!" I laughed as he set me down, but didn't let go. "One thing at a time please."

I felt warmer now, but a different kind of warm than the nervous sweat from before; I felt cared for, felt special. He was so happy to see me and it felt so good to see him too, to know that I wasn't the only one feeling these things, that I mattered.