Page 8 of Too Much In Common
If Javier didn’t tell the other bodyguards, she’d hear it from someone else. “There was an incident in my apartment involving a woman with my same name and a package. I owe her an apology.”
“That’s not much to go on. Do I need to ask your roommate to spill the tea?” It took a second to realize Dana was using tea to refer to gossip.
As succinctly as possible, Chris told what happened. His version would be better than Javier’s.
Dana covered her mouth to stop her laughter. “You deserve a bear. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Bears are in that closet.”
Bear in hand, Chris pushed the button to return him to the fortieth floor. A bear and a coupon still seemed lame. Javier scoffed at Chris’s idea of chocolate, but according to his sister, chocolate, not diamonds, was a girl’s best friend. Stepping back into the elevator, Chris selected two and hoped the small convenience store catered to chocolate emergencies.
* * *
Something wasn’t right. Tian sat on the bed and closed her eyes, trying to figure out what was wrong. It only took a moment to realize that she was facing south, which meant her headband was not on the north side of the room. Grandpa said she was a human compass. Her friends and coworkers all thought she was weird, but Tian slept better when her head was north of her feet. She should have noticed before she unpacked. Maybe she was wrong. The compass on her key chain confirmed what her body had been trying to say. They set her room up sideways—a problem she should have realized hours ago.
Tian sat on the floor and put her back to her dresser. Not the fastest way to move it, but the safest. She dug in her feet and pushed back. Her mind spent too much time replaying the encounter with Chris. He hadn’t been angry when he subdued her. His anger was later and aimed inwardly, not at her. The lack of detectable anger and his sincerity kept her from calling the police or his boss, and the fact he hadn’t left a single bruise. The entire incident was a contradiction of epic proportions. She’d always hated Beauty and the Beast stories. Stockholm syndrome was not romantic. She gave the dresser one last shove, clearing the way to move her bed.
Simone knocked on her door jamb. “You have a visitor.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “A very repentant one.”
Tian stood and tugged the t-shirt down. She should have taken Simone’s advice and changed before their first meeting. She hadn’t expected him to come visit after their disaster of a first meeting. Part of her wanted to make a better second impression.
Chris stood on the far side of the living room with a stuffed bear in one hand and an imported Swiss chocolate bar in the other. Give the man points for finding the way to her heart so quickly. Chocolate was a given. Almost everyone not allergic to chocolate would accept quality candy as an apology. The bear dressed in a suit had a pair of shades covering his eyes and was giving off a bodyguard vibe. Suppressing the smile that came to her lips was not an option. The bear was too cute.
“Hi.” She checked her impulse to run across the room to hug the bear.
From her chair by the window, Simone tilted her head and pointed to the couch.
Tian took the hint. “Would you like to have a seat?”
He didn’t move from where he stood. “I just came to give you these. And tell you again how sorry I am.”
Brit slipped into the other chair, leaving only the couch for Chris and Tian. Her roommates were making the entire apology thing more difficult than it needed to be. Apologies don’t require audiences.
“Wherever did you find the adorable bear?” Tian sat on the arm of the couch.
Glancing at each of the three women, Chris sat on the far end of the couch. He held out the bear and the chocolate. “Mrs. Ogilvie keeps a supply of bodyguard bears for when she visits children’s hospitals.”
“Candace Ogilvie? The artist?” asked Brit. “I love her podcasts. When she talks about her mom I know just how she feels since mom died of breast cancer too, and I love her perspectives on everything.”
Still holding his offerings, Chris shifted in his seat. “Umm, yes.”
Tian slid off the couch arm onto the cushion and took the items from Chris. The bear was softer than it looked. Rather than wool, the suit was a huggable fleece. “You didn’t need to go to all the trouble.”
“I did. Subduing you was inexcusable. I overreacted because I wasn’t paying attention to the situation. If you would like to file a complaint to either Hastings Security or the police, I would understand.” He took a folded paper from his pocket. “Hastings’ contact number is on here. Ask to speak to ZoElle—”
Simone interrupted with a loud gasp. “You were at the school today, weren’t you?”
Chris looked at his hands for a long moment. “I am not in a position to confirm that.”
Tian’s focus bounced between her roommate and the man sitting next to her.
“You didn’t ask what school... you must know what I am talking about. You are the ‘unidentified citizen’ aren’t you? Mrs. Ogilvie was at that school, and you are her bodyguard.” Simone pointed at Chris.
The bodyguard looked her in the eye. “I am sure whatever you heard was exaggerated.”
“Wait, what? The guy with the knife?” asked Brit. “So awesome that you saved all those kids.”
“Children were never in any danger.” Chris’s clarification confirmed Simone was correct.
Tian waved her hand. “Can someone please fill me in?”
