Page 24 of Faking it with My Boss' Son

This hit me hard. I realized that I really care for her. I don’t want anything to happen to her. “And this is the second time I’m telling you; I’ll protect you whenever I can and as long as I can. Even if it means risking my life.’’

‘‘But I have to learn to fend for myself here in LA.’’ she replied firmly.

‘‘Michelle… let’s just live in the moment for now,’’ I smiled, trying to sound cheerful. Both of us had been out of sorts today. ‘‘You’re safe. That’s all that matters to me.”

“I should go inside now so Leah doesn’t think I got lost.’’ She said as we went to the trunk to get her luggage.

‘‘Yeah, okay. Take care and let me know when you are coming back. I’ll come pick you up.’’ I said as I got her luggage out of the trunk and placed it on the sidewalk.

‘‘Okay, thanks again for the ride. See you soon.’’ Michelle grabbed onto her luggage, giving me one last wave before walking towards the building. I watched her until she was out of sight. I didn’t want to go home without her. I sat in my car outside Leah’s apartment for a while, thinking about the long days that I had ahead without her.Why am I going to miss her so much?

I started to drive slowly in the direction of Beverly Hills with a heavy heart.

Chapter ten

Michelle

I settled onto Leah’s couch and told her about my near miss with the car and how it unsettled me.‘‘It’s okay, Michelle. You are safe, and that is over. Just be thankful that Ryan was there to save you.’’ Leah said as she squeezed my hand.

‘‘But if something had happened to Ryan, I’d have never forgiven myself. ’’

‘‘Everything is fine; you’re thinking too much. Can I make you some coffee or get you a glass of water? Will that help?” Leah said as she stood up.

I nodded. I had no energy to speak. I wanted to take a nap. My head was throbbing.

Leah came back quickly with a cool glass of water, passing it to me with a gentle smile. I took a few small sips.

‘‘Better now?’’ Leah asked, her voice full of worry.

‘‘A little. Can I sleep for a while? My head is throbbing.’’ I said, grabbing my head.

‘‘Sure, honey. You can. I’ll show you your bedroom.” Leah stood up and walked us down the hall, bringing me into the guest room.“Have a good nap.’’

‘‘Thank you, Leah. You’re a blessing.’’ I was excited and nervous about how this time away from Ryan would go.

I closed the door and lay on the bed with a heavy sigh. Leah’s apartment was not as luxurious as Ryan’s apartment. But everything here felt warm and homey, whereas Ryan’s apartment had started to feel like I was living one big lie. Perhaps because I was playing the role of a fake girlfriend, everything there felt fake.I didn’t know if Ryan was being so nice and caring just because he was playing a role or if he really meant it.

I woke up to the appetizing smell of smoked turkey. I went into the kitchen and saw Leah had already finished cooking and was preparing salad. I rubbed my eyes and smiled at her ‘‘Why didn’t you wake me up? I would have helped you.’’

‘‘Come on, Michelle. You’re my guest, and I haven’t made enough food to warrant your help. It was no big deal.’’ She smiled back warmly as she put the delectable-looking, piping-hot food on the table.

I was so hungry. I put the biggest piece of smoked turkey onto my plate. “Reminds me of Davenport.’’ Tears came to my eyes as I said it.

‘‘What’s the matter, Michelle? I’ve noticed that you have been down in the dumps for days. Whenever we talked on the phone, you always said that you’d tell me when we met. Are you okay?’’

‘‘Mom called me a few days ago.’’ I licked my lips and sighed.

‘‘Is your dad okay?’’

‘‘He’s not okay. He’s getting worse…’’ I sighed again. ‘‘And Mom wants me to start dating, so I can hopefully get married sooner than later.”

Leah looked at me with true concern, ‘‘I am sorry to hear about your dad. How is your mom handling it?”

‘‘She isn’t handling it well. The disease process seems to be progressing quicker than we expected. She said she wanted Dad to see at least one of his kid's weddings before he doesn't have the chance…’’ I burst into tears.

‘‘Come on. Don’t cry. Everything will be okay. We’ll talk about it later. Eat something first.”

A good lunch and catching up with an old friend was exactly what I needed.

---