Beyond The Veil (A Paranormal Romance)

Chapter 13

Morning, finally! Emily rose and glanced at the bright red light of dawn outside. She hadn't slept one bit and felt accordingly. All night she had thought about her father, who was probably furious because she didn't bring the booze he ordered her to get. Every passing minute washed away a little bit more of the possibility to return home. She knew that he would hurt her. He would probably hurt her badly. Where should she go from here?

Around three in the morning, she had actually considered to sneak out of Professor Cole's apartment and return to her father, just to get it over with, but she was too afraid of facing him. So she simply stayed put, didn't move, tried to distract herself. But that sounded easier than it was. She should have felt grateful and glad to be here, at Professor Cole's place. Instead, it made her sad. If she ever had any hope of finding the person capable of filling the gap her mother's death tore in her life, in her heart; someone to hold her when the entire world around her crumbled and there was nothing left but darkness; the person to hold her hand as they both face the abyss together, this hope had been crushed last night. She had just wanted a tiny bit of closeness, she had ached to feel she was not alone. And somehow, Raphael had really seemed like he could have been that person, but he rejected her attempt to chase away the demons that were continuously feasting on her soul.

Outside the window, the sun was slowly rising, driving away the moon, the stars, breaking up the black cloak of the night sky, making it vanish and seem like it had never existed. Just like Emily's hope.

When she eventually gathered all her strength to leave the bed and go into the living room, she noticed a yellow post-it on the table.

Good morning, Emily.

I had to leave early but I fixed you breakfast. It's in the fridge. Make yourself at home. I won't be long.

See you in a couple of hours,

Raphael.

So he assumed she'd still be here when he returned. Part of her wanted to prove him wrong. It wasn't right to stay with him any longer than necessary. He had made it pretty clear that her presence was a lot of trouble and could cost him his job. She didn't want to be the intruder who made other people's lives miserable. But then again, was there anywhere she could go? Any secure place? There was none, except... Having a plan, she smiled and went to the bathroom for a shower.

Showering with a broken arm was rather difficult. In order to keep the cast dry, she wrapped a plastic bag she found in the cabinet under the kitchen sink around it and secured it with tape taken from Professor Cole's desk. But when she stepped out of the shower, rubbing herself down with one of the towels he had put on the vanity for her, she realized she didn't have fresh clothes. She glanced over to the pile consisting of a blue shirt and jeans and sighed in annoyance.

"Well," she said to herself, grabbing her few belongings, "I guess I will have to do without panties today." Blushing, she stuffed them into her pocket.

She found a comb on the vanity and brushed her wet hair. Weird, she thought, why would Professor Cole have a vanity and a hairbrush that was clearly for women?

She also spotted a pink makeup case. When she opened it, she raised her eyebrows in surprise. It was filled to the rim with eye shadow, eye liners, bb cream, lipsticks, mascara and lotions. Would he mind if she used some of it? Probably not, but she still locked the case back up. It wasn't her place to just snoop around and take what wasn't hers. It probably belonged to someone who stayed over frequently. And then the realization hit her.

He had a girlfriend. Of course, he did. Stupid Emily. How could she have thought that a man like him was single? He was way too attractive to be without a woman. Now, everything suddenly made sense. The rejection, the constant talk of how risky it was what they were doing. Although they weren't really doing anything. Not even close. It wasn't all about his job. It was about the woman who stored her cosmetics in his bathroom.

An image of a beautiful blonde appeared in front of her inner eye. A tall woman with deep blue eyes, rosy cheeks, full red lips and a body to die for. A huge lump formed in her throat, making it hard to swallow.

She had to get out of there. Now. Quickly, she headed for the door, put on her sneakers and left the apartment, without even touching the bacon and eggs that had been waiting for her in the fridge for hours.