Page 11 of Wrath

I gave it a hard tug, then gave the cord a quick pull. When it started spinning, I quickly turned it off and gave it hard push to the left. I pulled the cord, and once again, it started spinning. That’s when I realized I had no idea what I was doing.

Out of pure frustration, I grabbed one of my throw pillows and hit the center with all my might, and the light flickered out. I gave the cord a firm tug, and to my surprise, it didn’t move. I was feeling pretty good about myself as I made my way into the bathroom. I looked up at the light and considered whacking it with my pillow, but I feared I’d knock the entire thing off the ceiling.

I didn’t want him to spend the whole night working, so I stepped up on my stool and barely unscrewed the light bulb, causing it to flicker. Hoping that would suffice, I put my stool back and returned to the bedroom. It was getting pretty late, so I decided to call it a night.

I changed into my sleep shirt, and as I crawled into bed, I remembered something my mother used to tell me—sometimes big things have little beginnings. I wasn’t sure if this was one of those times.

But a girl could hope,and I was certainly hoping.

CHAPTER5

Wrath

Mia and I weren’t exactly close, but I knew her well enough to know when she was up to something. And the second she opened the front door, I knew something was up. She was all dolled up like she was about to hit the town. She was wearing a fitted sweater and mini-skirt, and it looked like she’d put on fresh makeup and curled her hair.

As far as I was concerned, she didn’t need the makeup or the fancy hair. She was beautiful without it. But then, she’s always had a strange effect on me. Just one look at her, and I’d find myself wanting to get closer, and if she happened to smile at me or even in my direction, I’d get this weird warm sensation in my chest.

I didn’t like the feeling.

I didn’t like it at all.

It was one of the many reasons I’d always kept my distance—which made me wonder why the hell I’d offered to help her out with her fucking lights. I silently cursed myself as I watched her eyes light up and a smile sweep across her face. “Hey. You came.”

“I said I would.”

“Yeah, but things happen.” She shrugged, then nervously motioned me inside. “Come on in.”

“So, you said your fan isn’t working?”

“Yeah, it was fine one day and dead the next.” She motioned for me to follow. “Come on. I’ll show ya. It’s back in the bedroom.”

With my toolbox in hand, I followed through the kitchen and into the living room.

I’d been in her place before, but I didn’t remember how fucking girlie the place was. The living room had these big, plush velvet couches in various shades of pink. I’m sure they cost a small fortune, but they reminded me of Pepto Bismol. And if that wasn’t bad enough, every inch of the place was covered up with throw pillows, fuzzy blankets, and candles.

Her bedroom wasn’t much better. It was all lavender and white, and she had one of those girlie-tufted headboards. There were pictures of flowers on the walls and lace curtains on the windows. The second bedroom wasn’t so bad. She’d turned it into a home office, and it was pretty basic. There was just a white desk and a computer monitor on one wall and a bookshelf on the other.

Sadly, it wasn’t the room with the fucked-up fan.

Mia walked over to the edge of her bed and lifted her hand towards the ceiling. “Well, this is her.”

“Hmm.” It was just a basic fan with a light kit. I saw no reason I couldn’t fix it, so I asked, “And the light?”

“It’s in the bathroom.”

I stepped past her and made my way into her bathroom. I was pleased to see that it was just a basic ceiling mount. I hoped that meant it would be an easy fix. I placed my toolbox down on the counter, then flipped the power switch. Just like she’d mentioned earlier, the light started blinking. I figured it was just bad wiring, so I asked, “You got a ladder or something?”

“Yeah, hold on a sec.” She stepped over to the closet and pulled out a small step ladder. “Here ya go.”

“Thanks.”

I flipped the switch, then placed the stool under the light. When I got up to it, I turned on the flashlight on my phone and shined it on the base. I was about to remove the lightbulb when I noticed that it wasn’t properly screwed in. I gave it a firm twist, making sure that it was tight, then said, “Okay. Try it now.”

Mia flipped the switch, and light filled the room. I waited a moment to make sure there was no blinking, then told her, “That’ll do it.”

“Oh, my God. I can’t believe it was just the stupid light bulb.” Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. “I should’ve checked that myself.”

“It’s fine.” I stepped down the ladder, then carried it into the bedroom. “Hopefully, the fan will be just as easy to fix.”

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