Page 73 of My Damaged Protector

We both pause when we see one another, neither of us wanting to be the first to talk. It takes me a few seconds before I decide to man up.

I want to fix things between us after last night, and here's the chance.

“Good morning,” I say but I get no response.

Instead, she sizes me up like a prosecutor would a defendant, shakes her head, and walks away.

Something tells me it's going to be a long day.

Groaning, I walk back to the living room where Sarah isn't in sight. I hear her voice with Sheila in the kitchen and do my best to ignore them, but it's hard.

It's driving me insane hearing her voice just a few feet away and having her be mad at me.

Standing up, I start to walk toward the kitchen with one decision in place.

I'm fixing this.

I enter the kitchen, and they both stop talking immediately.

“Good morning, Sheila. Sarah.”

Sheila glances between me and Sarah. A knowing look crosses her face before she smirks.

“Good morning, Ian. Hope the sofa wasn't too uncomfortable for you?”

It was. And I have a feeling she made me sleep on it for a reason. I call bullshit offering me a room or the sofa. It shouldn't even have been an option to begin with.

“It was just perfect,” I lie through my teeth, and she sees right through me.

“Mmm-hmmm.” She hums and then goes back to cooking. I immediately take the opportunity of her silence to speak with Sarah.

“Can I speak with you for a few minutes?” I ask her, letting it show in my demeanor what it's about.

She takes one look at me, and I know she's not going to make it easy.

When has she ever made anything easy for me?

“Is it urgent?” she asks, leaving me speechless. “If it's not, then it can wait. I'm in the middle of a conversation with my aunt,” she finishes.

I gape at her in confusion. I know what I did wasn't appropriate, but she's taking it too seriously. Too far, even.

“Sarah, I…” I trail off as my phone starts to ring from the living room.

Looking in the direction of the phone, I struggle with what to decide.

“The phone won't answer itself,” she says with a look on her face that tells me nothing I say right now will change her mind.

Fine. I don't know how long I'm going to be here, but I know for sure that I'm not going to let this last long.

Enough with the back and forth already. Even if I'm not certain I love her, I want to have something with her, and she's not making it easy for me by being difficult and keeping a secret from me, too.

She said to trust her.

And what have I been doing since?

Damn it.

When I get back to the living room, the phone has stopped ringing. I pick it up to check who called. Christopher.

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