Point Blank

X

I sit upright on the bed with a jolt. My whole body is feverish, and I am shaking like a leaf in a storm. 

My throat is parched, and when my trembling fingers find my phone, I realize that it is only one in the morning. 

I press a warm hand to my equally warm forehead. 

It was a nightmare. Truly devastating. 

I push the sheets off me, and walk into my kitchen, pouring myself some cool water from the fridge. 

'I never thought you were one of those night owls.'

I nearly drop my glass. 'You nearly gave me a heart attack.'

Archer cocks his head to the side. 'I thought I heard noises. Bad dream?'

He smiles wickedly. I shake my head in the negative. 

'No. No dreams.' I raise the glass to drink.

He shrugs. 'Did you know that some Indian myths claim that the dreams you see early morning tend to come true?' 

It takes all of me not to spit the water onto his face. His expression is mocking, outright sarcastic.

He's Archer Miles. He's just pulling my leg. 

I push past him, and go back to my bedroom. 

I think I'm going to need those sleeping pills.

/*\*/*\

Stay clear of Dad. Stay clear of Dad. Stay clear of Dad.

I don't think that Dad would come to Cali all the way from home, without giving me the heads up. But the dream said otherwise, and considering the previous instances, I wasn't taking any chances.

I put on my shirt, pull up my hair in a pony, grab my coat. 

Archer sits at my counter, eating pancakes. 

'Do you want some?' he asks, pointing at his stack. I shake my head no, and reach for the fruit loops in the top cabinet. I pick up a bowl and pour in the loops. I am almost halfway done when something heavy and definitely not fruit loops falls out of the box.

'What the - '

It's a half eaten slice of yesterday's pizza.

And there goes my appetite.

Archer snorts into his palm, cutting into his pancake with precision. I throw away the fruit loops, and grab my car keys. 

'I won't be home tonight.'

Archer stops chewing. 

'Is that an approval for another party?'

I give him a sick smile. 'I'm going to castrate your balls if I find another bra in my aquarium.'

'Aye, aye, captain. Is your pathetic excuse of a boyfriend going to be waiting with open arms tonight?'

I cock my head to the side and regard him with a glare. 'As a matter of fact, yes. Does that bother you?'

The muscle in his jaw ticks. He is mad. 

Why is he mad?

'Well, you look like you could use some love,' he says, before turning his attention back to his plate.

Archer Miles is a freaking enigma, I tell you.

/*\*/*\

The clock in my office shows precisely 5:10 when Sophia knocks on my door. Her petite bony head pops in, and she smiles politely. 'Kaitie, your father is here to see you.'

My grip on the chair tightens. I plaster a smile just as polite onto my face before replying, 'Soph. I am not in the mood to deal with him right now, so would you please tell him I left for a meeting or something?'

'But - '

'As a matter if fact, I am leaving, thank you.'

I pick up my bag and stride past her dumbfounded expression onto the lobby. 

In the dream, Dad came through the lifts. He walked crisply, his well heeled boots clicking on the marble floors as he came to visit his daughter and share the news. His head bobbed politely at the petite twig of an assistant his daughter had, as she held the door to the office open. 

But I nipped that in the bud. Sophia wasn't guiding my Dad into an empty office. 

Haha, joke's on you, stupid dream.

Nevertheless, I walk towards the staircase. I wasn't taking any chances.

I am all the way down to the second floor, almost dancing in delight of having avoided the possibility of having my nightmare come true, when I hear heavy, labored panting. 

I frown, my eyebrows scrunching together, as I glance at the man leaning against the wall of the stairway, panting vigorously. He looks up, and I inhale sharply.

'Hey, Kaitie.' My dad smiles. 'Were you leaving?'

/*\*/*\