SO
SO
SO
SO
Unedited
***
"Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
That maybe we found love right where we are..."
- Ed Sheeran "Thinking Out Loud"
***
“How was your day at work?” Garrett asked as he walked in the living room and loosened his plain red tie at the same time. His walk was slow and I could tell he was tired, work had drained him.
“Busy, but good,” I simply answered closing the book I picked up a little while back from a bookshelf located by the hearth. Placing the leather bound book on the coffee table, I decided that I wouldn’t continue reading the novel, even after my talk with Garrett, for it no longer held my interest.
Garrett nodded at me, knowing that answer about work would have to satisfy him. After all, details were not to be shared about what happens at my work and he knew that more than anyone. “MaryAnn should have dinner ready soon,” He proclaimed tossed his tie on the table and sat down on the tan suede love-seat. It was in that moment that the fire from the fireplace showed the bags under his eyes.
“You seem tired,” I commented on the obvious.
“Very. Had a long day at work,” He stated as he rubbed his eyes and then focused on the blazing fireplace. He was transfixed, quickly, by the orange and yellow hues, I knew then that he was deep in thought.
Of course I naturally questioned what was running through his head. However, didn’t voice my curiosity because I knew it was work related and I didn’t want to be placed in the middle of that. Personally, I had enough going on with Mr. Sharp.
"Good, you are here,” MaryAnn said as she hastily walked in and noticed Garrett. Worry was planted on her face as she locked eyes with him. “I need your help with something.”
Garrett sighed, “You are my head maid. I’m supposed to ask you for help with things,” He joked with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
MaryAnn’s eyes flickered up to the ceiling before glancing back over at Garrett.
It was clear that there was a hidden message there and Garrett understood exactly what she meant for he got up from the love-seat, quickly. “Oh.” Garrett looked over at me, “Stay here.”
I chuckled, “I really wasn’t planning to go anywhere.”
Garrett didn’t reply as he walked out of the room in a rush. Soon, I heard his heavy footsteps as they went up the staircase.
I don’t know why but I counted the steps he took, forty-two in all. Pushing the number of steps and what he could possibly be doing out of my mind, I began to think about all the events that happened today.
“Dinner is ready,” MaryAnn said as she came back in the room a few minutes later.
I got up from the couch and followed MaryAnn into the dining room. I noted that Garrett was back from whatever he was doing up stairs because he was currently at the end of the table and looking at his plate with wide, hungry, eyes.
I internally chuckled before sitting across from him, where my steaming plate was. When I sat down, I saw that MaryAnn had made some fried chicken, mash potatoes, green beans and a garden salad. “This looks great,” I proclaimed as I put my napkin in my lap.
“Wait till you taste it,” Garrett said with a mouth full of mash potatoes.
I had to admit that MaryAnn’s dish was absolutely delicious. Everything was cooked to perfection and when I was done my stomach was satisfied with the meal. “Thank you,” I told MaryAnn as she collected the plates. “I can help you,” I stated as I stood up and grabbed my glass that was now empty but once contained water.
“Nonsense, let her do her job,” Garrett exclaimed as he paced his napkin on the table.
I gave him a displeased look. “I wanna help.”
“You are a guest, Miss,” MaryAnn said as she snatched the glass from my hand and disappeared into the kitchen.
I was about to argue with Garrett but someone spoke, “Garrett, who is she and what is she doing here?”
My eyes locked with a middle aged man who was standing in the dining room threshold. He looked at me with his dark brown eyes that looked familiar but I couldn’t place where I’d seen him before.
“This is Allison Snow. She is staying with me.”
The man looked me up and down, judging every inch before glaring at Garrett. “She needs to go.”
I was confused because this was Garrett’s house. No one has the right to boss him around, especially in his own house. “Who are you?” I blurted out with a raised eyebrow.
The slender man tucked his hands in the front pockets of his suit pants and leaned against the door post. “She is asking me questions, Garrett. Get rid of her, before I do.”
“Get rid of me?” I proclaimed in shock. “I really don’t know who you think you are-”
“Go to bed, Allison,” Garrett said in a demanding tone.
“Go to bed?! I am not-”
“Listen to him, Allison,” The man said from the doorway right before running a hand through his dirty blonde hair.
“Garrett doesn’t control me,” I sternly spoke as I crossed my arms over my chest. “And neither do you because I don’t know you.”
“I don’t know you,” He mockingly said as he too crossed his arms over his chest.
We had an intense stare down; one I don’t believe I have ever been a part of. Our eyes were waiting for the others to flinch or blink. We were asserting dominance and I wasn’t about to let him win. I’d no clue who he thought he was but he wasn’t my freaking boss. I mean, the guy was a stranger.
However, his eyes - they looked so familiar.
Suddenly I knew where I seen those eyes before ... they look identical to Colton’s. But that can’t be ... I mean...
"... Allison, my cousin is not dead ... He faked his death to get the cops off his back and get rid of a rival gang that he pissed off ... Last time I saw him was the night he gave me the title to the Four Leaf Clover gang. He said he was going into hiding with some friends..."
My eyes widened as I realized the situation before me. With a rushed voice I spoke, “I should go to bed.”
Blinking, I quickly walked past the man in the doorway and hurried to my room with high hopes that they didn’t know I suspected him to be Colton’s cousin, Mich.
My mind was racing with what I could do. I knew I needed to tell Colton. However, what if the man is not really his cousin? If that is the case and I do end up telling Colton, only to find out that is not his cousin, I could get killed.
By the time I reached my room, my breath was ragged and my heart was racing. I can’t tell ... but ... this might be the thing that gets Colton free of the FBI - if he is really working with them.
Slowly, I started to formulate a plan to go about this. I knew, as I laid down on my bed, that I needed to mull this all over several times, think of every outcome and then decide what to do.
***
“So, are you excited?” Chey asked me not but a minute after I sat down at my desk.
I looked up at her with utter confusion when it came to what she was talking about. “What do I have to be excited about?” The question rolled off my tongue as I placed my phone on my desk and turned on my computer. Once the screen came on I opened up Colton’s calendar.
“The date silly!” Chey exclaimed as she sat on the edge of my desk and beamed a pearly white smile.
I glanced away from the screen and looked at her, “I didn’t think you were serious about the date, Chey.”
She rolled her eyes at me, “Of course I was. Rafe is really going to be there waiting for you. He will pretend the whole night to be Chad ... Actually he is really excited about this. He is an actor and thinks this will be a great night to try out his impersonation skills.”
“He is not impersonating someone, Chey. Chad Finn is fake.”
“Chad is not fake and we both know that,” She joked with a wink.
I sighed, “No he is really - very real. However, he is not who you made him to be. Rafe is mirroring a fake person...”
Chey chuckled, “Sorry I couldn’t put on his record or Facebook that he was a high level drug lord, lives in New York and practically raised you. I feel like it would raise red flags for Mr. Sharp.”
I couldn’t tell her she was wrong, “I am just not sure about the date...”
“Can you just do it? If my suspicions are right, things will go unplanned.”
“Unplanned?”
Chey gave me a grin that showed there was something going on that I wasn’t in the loop for.
“Don’t you have somewhere, like your cube, to be at Ms. Simmons?” Colton asked as he walked up to my desk.
Chey got off my desk and straightened her skirt. “I’m sorry, Mr. Sharp, we just needed a quick girl talk.” Turning to me Chey smiled. “I forgot to add, going commando is smart idea. The dress I ordered for you will be on your desk by 5pm. Trust me it is stellar! You will make his eyes pop out of their socket and if you get lucky, I made sure it could be taken off easily. Oh and-”
“Ms. Simmons! Your cube!” Mr. Sharp snapped with an expression that showed he was about to explode.
Chey giggled and strolled away in the direction of her desk.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered with cheeks that were undeniably beet red from embarrassment at what Chey just said to me in front of Colton.
Mr. Sharp loosened his tie and exhaled. “Your tutor is in one of the conference rooms, forget which number but Mrs. Lamar will be able to tell you when you get down there.”
I nodded and stood up, “Okay.”
“Before you go make a pot of coffee and bring me a cup, please.” He requested and then walked straight into his room without saying another word.
I was taken back for a second at the word that just spilled out of his mouth: please. It, for some reason, made me smile.
My journey to the coffee room was short but half way there I began to remember everything that happened last night. The mere fact that Mich might be the guy at Garrett’s house had me trembling as I filled the coffee pot with water.
This was a vital piece of information that Colton should know, on two accounts: (1) The man is really Mich and (2) Colton really does work for the FBI through Tony. If this all was true then I could, without hesitation tell Mr. Sharp. Yet, if none were true it was my head on the line and as self-absorbed as it sounds: I like my head.
By the time the coffee was done and I was making my way back to Mr. Sharp’s office, my head was spinning to the point that I was not only shaking but, also, slightly dizzy. I knew I was working myself up, that I needed to calm down. However, it was easier said than done.
I stopped, right before entering Colton’s office, and took a long breath with the hopes that it would relax me. After a second, I figured I was in a better condition to go into his office.
When I entered I saw that he was sitting at his desk, looking out the wall window intently.
I placed the coffee in front of him, “Is that all you need before I go down to the conference room?”
Colton broke from an apparent trance and gave a small smile. “Yeah.” He suddenly began to eye me, "What’s wrong?” He questioned with a worried look.
I placed my quivering hands firmly on my side, knowing they were my key sign that I was scared and confused out of my wits when it comes to what I should do. “I’m - I’m f-fine.”
Mr. Sharp got up from his chair before I could blink. Coming over to me, he gently placed his right hand on my cheek, “You’re about to cry Alice.”
That name broke me into a thousand pieces. I began to slowly cry, “I don’t know what to do, Cole.”
His expression turned to confusion, “What’s wrong?"
I shook my head, “everything.” Grabbing his tie, I found myself transfixed with the blue color as I fiddled, shakingly, with the soft fabric. “Tell me something.”
“Anything."
I chuckled, knowing there were some things Mr. Sharp would not tell me. “You’re - you’re cousin. Is there something about him that screams ‘that is Mich’?” My eyes locked with Colton, as I held back everything: the shaking and tears.
“Uhhh .... Where is this coming from?”
I shrugged, “just answer.”
“Well, you would have to really look but he has a scar on his neck.”
“Which side?”
“Left - why are you asking?”
Taking a long breath, I got a whiff of his scent: lavender and lemons. The smell immediately calmed me down. “How?”
“How what?”
I didn’t realize I said that out loud. “Nothing,” I responded for I didn’t want to tell him that I was mentally questioning how after all these years his scent had this effect on me still.
Letting go of his tie, I began to remember growing up and how the mere hint of his scent would calm me down. It seemed, standing right in front of him, that my reaction to the smell had not changed.
“Are you really going out with Chad tonight?”
His question threw me off. “What?”
Colton’s eyes locked with mine, “Are you going out on the date with Chad tonight?”
I slowly nodded, “Yeah, I am.”
He sighed, “I don’t think that is wise, Alice."
“Well,” I stated as I took a step back, “it’s not up to you. I’m a grown girl.”
Mr. Sharp gave me a stern look, “That is not the point. He is not a good guy, Alice. He’s got a past - criminal past.”
I nearly died of laughter, “kettle calling the pot black!” The words barely escaped my mouth in my fit of laughter. “He has a past but we all do.” I stopped laughing so hard and spoke more clearly. “We are not back at home, Colton. I’m not a child, you can’t tell me who to date and not to date - you can’t control this.
“I’m a grown woman,” I continued. “I’m going to date and maybe this guy won’t be the one but I gotta try to find my special someone ... I am a girl, Colton, I want to find that someone that I will someday marry.” I watched as he for some reason gulped slowly and gave a look that I couldn’t place. “I want marriage, Colton, I want kids and I want to be happy.”
“You’re not happy?” He inquired as his expression changed to show he was wounded by what I said.
“Happy? I haven’t been truly happy in a long time.”
Mr. Sharp looked like he was taking in everything I was saying. “What can I do?”
I smiled, “Nothing. This is my process and you gotta accept that. You gotta accept because there is no other option.”
“You don’t have to go on a date with him.”
I wanted to chuckle but I held it in. “Yes, I do. I can’t move on to a positive future without making an effort."
“What’s the rush in dating and marriage? You act like it will all happen overnight.”
“I don’t expect that. I know this take time, hence why I am diving in now. I don’t want to be single and thirty-"
“Many are.”
I exhaled loudly, “You are missing the point.”
“You want a relationship. You want to fill in that gap of loneliness.” He stepped closer to me, “Nothing is going to fill that, Alice.”
“Why would you say something like that?”
“Because, that gap ... that loneliness you feel is not your naturalistic woman feeling - however you would put it - that needs a relationship."
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s me, Alice. That gap ... that loneliness feeling started when I left. Didn’t it?” I refused to answer his question. “That gap was made by me. Can only be mended by me.”
I gave a dry chuckle and moved away from him. “I think you read into what I said, twisted this and made it about you. It not what you said. I want to date, Colton. I want to fall in love; I want to be kissed like I’m the only girl in the world-"
“You will get heartbroken thinking that way, Alice.”
“So be it. It’s part of the process. But in the end, I will find the one, Cole. I will get married, have kids, be with my husband as we grow old and watch our children grow up, go to college, etc.”
“Life is not an Ed Sheeran song, Alice.”
I wanted to yell at him but I kept myself level headed. “Why am I talking to you about this?”
“Because, I’m your friend. Have been since you were little.”
“Correction, Daddy-"
He glared at me and stood up straight, “You are treading on thin ice.”
I smiled, “Really, now?” My eyes glanced down, “I don’t see ice.”
“Smartass.”
“Better to be a smartass then it is to be a dumbass.”
Colton gave me hardball look before softening his expression and giving me a grin. “Go to you tutor.”
“Trying to get rid of me?”
“I have things I need to do, I run a company-”
“Correction, a gang.”
Mr. Sharp rolled his eyes, “Go.”
“I’m going, I’m going.” I proclaimed as I walked out his office.
***
A/N:
A lot of you seemed to have sent out a MIA notice for me and asked me when I was going to update. Well, here you go. I am sorry for the wait, I have been loaded with school work, while running a club, planning an campus event and balancing my social life. Yeah, y'all got the short end of the stick. But, I am back!
Anywhoots the next chapter is the date and all I have to say is ... no I can't ... I can't give it away ... just brace yourselves. A lot of wishes will be granted.
MUhahhahahha ...
You should still remember the drill:
COMMENT (because you love What He Doesn't Know)
Vote (because you can - YOU got the power!)
Comment (because I asked you?)
SMILE (because you deserve to)