Page 30 of As The Shifter World Turns

I’d tried thedatingsomeone you can’t mate withrelationship and look how that turned out. Me losing most of my savings and renting an apartment in Sunshine Manor. But the people living on these three floors had become my family and that I’d never regret.

And besides, me never being able to commit had soured what Jason and I had had. Neither of us put much effort into solving our problems, probably because in the end, it didn’t matter. Why try to fix something that was temporary when it was going to end sooner rather than later? Though I hadn’t figured on him draining our bank accounts.

I leaned out the window but couldn’t see if Archer's bike was downstairs.The first night I’d listened for him to come home and he never did. Same with the next night. Either he was staying elsewhere or he was creeping in and out when I was asleep.

Needing more fresh air that only being outside could provide, I went downstairs, flicking a glance at Archer’s closed door. But when I got to the porch, I discovered his bike chained up. How had he managed to get in without me hearing him? Perhaps he was doing it in Spiderman style and climbing up the side of Sunshine Manor. Pretty extreme if so.

Daire was on the front lawn holding a mallet. More repairs? I hoped not. He swung around as I approached and the mallet missed my head by half an inch. “Whoa!”

“Sorry.” He picked up a sign at his feet and started banging it into the ground.

This was his usual routine when he had an apartment to rent. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t just advertise online. Which he also did, so why bother with the sign?

“Good luck with finding a new tenant.” I should have said a suitable tenant. But as I reached the gate, my feet froze and refused to move. I almost toppled head first onto the path.There are no empty apartments.

“Daire,” I said in a voice much louder than a normal speaking tone. “Who’s leaving?”

“Archer.” He didn’t bother to glance up as he gave the sign one last bash.

“Why?” Now the whole street could probably hear me.

He shrugged. “I assumed you knew.” He added under his breath. “Or had something to do with it.” He slapped me on the back. “Sorry, it didn’t work out, man.”

“Me too,” I muttered as I tore inside and up the stairs.

One thump on Archer’s door became two and then three and I yelled his name. Even if he were sleeping, the noise I was making would wake him. The door flung open as my hand was raised to hit the door again.

“What?” His eyes were fixed on my clenched fist hanging in mid-air.

“You’re leaving!” There was no point asking him how he was or that I was worried I’d done something wrong as I’d said in my text.

“Mmmm.” He avoided my gaze and studied his feet.

“I thought you were happy here.”

He nibbled his bottom lip and blinked. Were those tears? “Yes.”

I wished I could shake the truth out of him because his one-word answers were driving me crazy. “Then why are you moving?” I wanted to hear him say it. Say it was me, that us having sex had fucked things up and he couldn’t even look me in the eye.

“It’s too far from work.” He shuffled his feet.

“I call bullshit.” That got his attention.

“How would you know? You work from home some of the time and you have a car for when you’re inspecting properties or whatever you do.”

Ouch!While it was true my life and finances had taken a hit when Jason left, I didn’t have anyone to support, was well established in my career, and he was right, I had a vehicle. No wet and windy rides in winter or being covered in sweat in the warmer months.

“Can I come in and discuss this?”

His grip on the door handle tightened and his mouth set in a hard line. I held up both hands in surrender and repeated, “Just to talk.” But the front door banged and there were footsteps on the stairs. If the person was headed to the roof, they’d see us. He stepped back and jerked his head inside.

I didn’t sit and he didn’t ask me to. “I’ve missed you.” No reaction from Archer. “And I loved being with you the other night. I’m sorry you don’t feel the same way.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“True. But you’re running away, leaving a home and people you’ve grown to love because…” I left it to him to finish off the sentence.

He took a deep breath and after inspecting his nails he glanced up and looked directly at me with his one green eye and the other almost hazel but more brown. “It’s… it’s just…”

---