Page 22 of Might as Well

“Violet?” I call out.

No one answers.

I call out her name once more as I make my way down the hall. A peek inside her office reveals nothing. Her bedroom, however, reveals a familiar sight, unfortunately. She’s asleep in her bed. As I get closer, I realize she’s still in the same clothes I saw her in last. Has she been in bed this whole time?

As quietly as I enter, I exit her bedroom to snoop. If she’s a super tidy person, then her kitchen doesn’t really reveal much. There’s only two dirty dishes in the sink and her dishwasher is empty. I order her some comfort food to be delivered and then I walk back into her bedroom. It’s completely unnerving that I’m in her house, moving around, and she has no idea I’m here.

Next, I turn her shower on and wait until the steam swirls in her bathroom before I walk over to her bed.

“Violet?” I say softly.

She startles awake, staring at me with wide eyes. It seems to take her a moment to gather her wits.

“How’d you get in here?”

“Door was unlocked. C’mon.” I lean over and scoop her up. “Something tells me you’d enjoy a shower.”

She still seems a little dazed as I set her on her feet, so I assist in shedding her clothes. When she steps into the shower, I hesitate for a moment. Does she still need my help?

“Thanks, Zane,” she says quietly. “I can take it from here.”

While she showers, the food I ordered arrives. I get it ready, setting it on the table, and wait for her. At some point, I no longer hear the shower, but Violet hasn’t appeared yet. When I return to her bedroom, she sits on the edge of her bed, still in a towel, with her hands buried in her face.

“Violet?”

She lifts her head with surprise. “You’re still here?”

I ignore her question. “Are you okay?” She nods, yet I don’t believe her. “I ordered food.”

“I’ll get dressed.”

I give her some privacy by returning to the kitchen. Has she been in bed all this time due to her migraines? I knew they were bad, but had no idea they could knock her down for days.

When Violet comes into the kitchen, she takes a seat and avoids my gaze as she begins to eat. A painstaking fifteen minutes pass without a word spoken between us.

“What’s wrong?” I ask as she gets up to toss the takeout container and put her dirty dishes in the sink.

She’s so still as she stands at the sink with her back to me.

“Violet.”

Her shoulders cave in and shake. I stand and gather her in my arms as she breaks down. I want to know what’s wrong, but at the same time, she has yet to really talk to me. I don’t want to press my luck.

“I’m sorry. My migraines have been bad, I got into a bad argument with Graham, and it’s the anniversary of my parents being gone,” she says through her tears. “I don’t really want totalk about it, but I don’t want you to go anywhere either.” Her hands fist into my shirt with her words.

I hug her tighter. I don’t have to say a word. Once her sobs slow, I lead her to the living room. She grabs a throw pillow and the remote, handing the remote to me while placing the pillow on my lap. She lies down and buries her face in my stomach. I find one of my favorite channels to watch and settle in.

After a few minutes, Violet laughs and peeks up at me. “Food Network, really?” she asks with surprise.

“It’s a guilty pleasure, so don’t tell anyone.”

She giggles. I watch the cooking competition show and at some point, Violet falls asleep. I really don’t like how much she’s sleeping. It can’t be normal, but I also know her migraines wear her out. It’s amazing to me that I wasn’t gone all that long yet I missed her like crazy.

My fingers trail a path down her arm and then her side. Down her thigh and as far as I can reach down her calf. And then back up, up, up. It’s such a small thing to be able to touch her, but it brings me such pleasure. And relief, especially after not being able to do so for the past few days.

When I’ve had my fill of that, my fingers run through her hair. Who knew women’s hair could be so soft? I don’t remember anyone else I’ve ever dated having hair this soft. Maybe it’s just Violet. She seems to be so muchmorein every way than any other woman I’ve been with.

At some point, I pick up Violet and carry her to bed. She stirs as I lay her down.

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