Page 8 of Obsession on Repeat
"Come as you are, there’s no expectations."
My chest tightened, and I felt old defense mechanisms kick in. "It’s been three days since I met you." My voice came out hoarse, more defensive than I meant. "I don’t get involved that quickly with anyone. People leave. They always leave."
"I’m not asking for anything more than your company and a chance to get to know you better."
The sincerity in his voice made it harder to breathe. No one ever asked me for that. I was used to running, to disappearing when things got too real. I swallowed. "Fine, but don’t expect anything more from me. I’m not some happy, perfect girlfriend who is going to fit into your perfect family picture."
Sullivan chuckled into the phone. "I never thought you were, Rory. I’m only asking you to spend time with me. I’m not going to force you, but I would enjoy it if you came with me. If not, we can do something later."
I hesitated, uncertainty swirling inside me. "I’ll come, as your friend, but don’t push me after that."
"Of course. No pressure. Say the word, and I’ll take you home."
It was a terrible idea. One, I was already regretting. "Okay."
As he pulled up to a brick, two-story home, I noticed flowers growing in the front yard and a tire swing in a tree to the side. It wasn’t surprising that the family inside matched the scenery outside.
Lainie Taylor was an inch shorter than me with brown hair and hazel eyes. Her husband, Keith, was tall and lean with shoulder length blonde hair, an obvious native to Australia. Within minutes of watching them together, I knew they were hopelessly in love. Their ten-year-old daughter, Jane, was a mix of the two, full of energy and imagination. She had clung to Sullivan’s legs the moment he stepped inside the door.
"Want to help me in the kitchen?"
I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see him tickling Jane. "Sure." I followed Lainie into the kitchen and stood there awkwardly until she handed me a mixing bowl.
"You can help me with the salad. Sully tells me you’re a DJ at Venom?"
I didn’t look up from cutting the lettuce. "That’s right."
"To be honest, I’m surprised he went. He hates public places with a passion. In fact, I tried to get him to take me when we were growing up, and he always refused."
"Are you his only sibling?"
"Yes. I met Keith when I was studying law at UCLA. We waited until Jane turned five to move back here." She watched me chop the tomatoes. "Do you like my brother?"
I almost slipped with the knife. "Excuse me?"
"Well, he rarely brings his girlfriends around to meet us. With his line work—" Lainie hesitated. "I’m sorry. I’m blabbering."
I continued chopping the tomatoes. "We’re just friends." I turned my head as she made a noise in the back of her throat. "What?"
"Oh, nothing," she smiled. "Sully said you’ve never seen his show."
"I don’t have a lot of time for television." I shrugged, dropping the tomatoes into the bowl before I shifted my attention to a bag of carrots. "It’s usually a bunch of crappy reality shows or fake news anyway."
"I can’t tell you though how many times I turn on the TV and am shocked to see his face," she chuckled. "He doesn’t talk about it a lot, he keeps his business and personal life separate, but he’s incredibly proud of the show."
"It’s not easy being an entertainer. You have to please a lot of people when you’re only trying to please yourself."
"Is that how you feel about your music?"
"Being a DJ can be hectic, but you get into a groove after a while, no pun intended." We exchanged a small smile. "Once you get acquainted with your crowd, the music tends to take care of the rest."
"Do you two ladies need any help?"
We looked to the doorway to see Sullivan, Jane in his arms. The little girl’s arms were wrapped around his neck, and she giggled as he made a funny face at her.
"You’re pretty," Jane smiled. "Isn’t she, Uncle Sully?"
He grinned at her before shifting his gaze to me. "She’s beautiful."
