Page 33 of Coerced
NINE
Aria
I was still in my bed when my phone rang the next morning.
Admittedly, I had expected the call to come through, because I’d sent off a text not more than a minute ago to my best friend asking her to give me a call if she was awake.
“You’re up,” I greeted her.
I couldn’t quite tell if it was fear or excitement I heard in Britney’s tone when she replied, “What’s going on?”
“Oh, nothing. I just thought a conversation with my best friend was warranted this morning.”
Some rustling came through the line, indicating that Britney, like me, was still in her bed. “And what could possibly be happening that necessitated this call?”
“I have a date.”
She gasped. “What?”
Rolling to my side, I explained, “Okay, it’s not technicallya date like that. But I’m going to be having breakfast and spending the morning and afternoon with my very hot, very handsome neighbor, because he wants to show me around town.”
“You’re joking!”
I laughed. “I assure you, this is not a joke.”
“Tell me more,” she demanded. “And don’t leave out a single detail.”
So, that’s what I did.
I told Britney all about my interactions with Paxton from the moment I’d arrived in Steel Ridge and moved into my new place. I didn’t hesitate to reveal my favorite things I’d learned about him so far—namely his compassion for people and empathy for helpless animals. Of course, I also mentioned how much I liked the way he looked and how much Sasha enjoyed being in his lap. I told Britney how Paxton had been the reason I wound up having two different places to go and apply for jobs. And finally, I revealed how I wound up in this position to be spending the morning and afternoon with him today.
When I finished, I was met with silence. I didn’t doubt Britney was attempting to digest all the information I’d just given her, and I gave her some time to do it, but when too much time passed without a response from her, I called her name. “Brit?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I’m just… Are you telling me that nearly all of this has happened in the last few days?”
“Yep.”
“How do you sound so calm and collected? I mean, I know you’ve always been the kind of person who can hold in their emotions, but even this is a little bit extreme.”
“Why do you think I’m up so early reaching out toyou? I’m freaking out like crazy on the inside,” I confessed.
Britney inhaled deeply before she said, “First of all, it’s going to be fine. You said it yourself, this is just a friendly thing. Your neighbor, despite being deliciously handsome, is going to be spending the day with you to show you around your new hometown. What’s there to be worried about?”
“Um, well, first, he’s deliciously handsome, and even though I managed to keep myself from panicking when I shared all of this with you, I’m not that way with him,” I shared.
“What does that mean?”
I thought back to how I felt yesterday morning and squeezed my eyes shut. Was I going to be able to get through the day with him today?
“He makes me feel giddy, and I can’t control myself. Like, I start to feel all warm inside when he looks at me a certain way, and he makes my belly do this weird flip whenever we make eye contact. I get a bit tongue-tied around him, too. I’ll know what I want to say, but it feels like I might wind up sharing more than I should if I don’t stop myself.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
I narrowed my eyes and considered how to answer that question.
Why did I want to do that?
I needed a fresh start.