Page 22 of Archer
Ben snorted. “I gotta go. Maybe hang out in your studio for a while before you come home.”
He hung up, and I stopped, staring down at my phone. “Change of plans.”
“What’s going on?”
Archer sounded so concerned that I rushed to explain, “My parents are at my brother’s house, which is where I’ve been staying while I save up to buy the studio. But I told you that already. Anyway, they keep ambushing me.” Archer’s eyebrows jumped up his forehead. “Right? I know it sounds dramatic, but my brother said they never spent all this time at his house until I moved in. It’s so annoying.Ugh.” I shrugged. “Ben suggested I stay at the studio for a while, but this is usually a dashing night, so—”
Archer’s large hands landed heavily on my shoulders, cutting me off. “Please, don’t finish that sentence.”
“Why?” I asked, genuinely confused. “It’s a pretty night, and every penny helps. Besides, I only worked this morning.”
Archer sighed, sounding completely exasperated. “Crispin, what are you talking about? We’ve been hard at it all day.”
Squinting up at him, I tilted my head, hoping I didn’t look as perplexed as I felt. “We hung out all day, which was lovely,” I admitted shyly. “But it’s not like we accomplished anything else with all of my blabbering.”
He shook his head, inhaled deeply, then said, “All of your blabbering, as you put it, was us working on your website. You didn’t think you had anything interesting to say about yourself, but what you shared today helped me come up with a few different ideas for yourAbout Mepage and other fun tidbits about you and your dreams for the studio that we can sprinkle throughout the other pages. Between your sessions this morningand spending the rest of the day with me, you’ve literally worked for”—he glanced at his watch—“about twelve hours today.”
Well, when he put it like that, it kinda—yeah, no. “I don’t understand.”
The barest hint of a smile touched his lips. “Yeah, I know. How about you come back up to my apartment, and I’ll make us some decaf coffee and explain it to you?”
Wrinkling my nose, I stepped back from him. “I’ll only agree to that if you make me a nice cup of tea instead.”
He stared at me, looking fond, which… I had to be imagining that. But no, that was definitely an affectionate smirk he was bestowing on me. “I’m afraid I don’t have tea. I’ll make sure to buy some the next time I go shopping. You’ll have to tell me your favorite.”
I melted a little inside. If he was willing to purchase my favorite tea, then he definitely planned to have me over again. I’d spent every minute since I was old enough to understand what I wanted in a partner dreaming of a Daddy who’d not just listen but hear everything I said. A man who’d care about my desires down to the most minute detail. Sure, he could’ve picked up tea the next time he went to the store and surprised me, but instead, he cared about my favorite. At this point, he was becoming my favorite person.
Patting my bag where it hung off his shoulder, since he insisted on carrying it, I said, “I actually have some in here. I never know what the day will bring, so I carry it with me.”
“Of course you do.” He grabbed my hand. “Come on.”
I floated along beside Archer as he directed me back to his place. We didn’t talk, but the silence didn’t feel awkward. Maybe it would’ve been better to go out and deliver some orders and make money, but then I’d have missed Archer wrapping his large hand around mine, making me feel safe and cared for. Was it so wrong to let go of all the pressure and concerns I carried with me from the minute I woke up until I closed my eyes at night for one evening? Was I being selfish? Possibly, but I couldn’t make myself care right now. It would all still be there weighing me down tomorrow.
Like earlier, Archer pointed toward the living room and told me to settle in. After pulling out the tea bag for him, I listened this time, kicking my shoes off and curling up into the corner of his couch. It wasn’t long before he settled in the middle with two steaming mugs. I sat up, scooting closer to him and took a sip of mine, humming my approval. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Holding his mug in his hands, he turned toward me. “Before we talk about how we spent our afternoon, would you mind telling me why you didn’t want to go home since your parents were there?”
“Do I have to?” I asked, pretty sure I was pouting but unable to help it. This whole thing with my parents really bummed me out.
“You don’t have to, but I’d be very pleased if you did.”
I stared at this considerate, attentive man and wondered how I’d ever thought he was grumpy. So what if he didn’t walk around with a permanent smile on his face all the time like I did? In fact, I’d been told by more than one date that my eternal optimism and cheerfulness were annoying.Whatever. If me whining about my issues with my father would make him happy, then so be it.
Starting back with the pressure my parents put on me to follow in my brother’s footsteps, I launched into the story of how I ruined my relationship with my dad. Like this afternoon, Archer asked pointed questions that showed that he was paying attention and cared what I had to say. How he wasn’t bored of me yet, I didn’t know, but once I started, I couldn’t have stopped the flood of words pouring out of my mouth if I tried.
This wasn’t something I did normally. It felt like my brother was in the middle, so I tried to watch what I said to him so he wouldn’t feel any more caught between me and my parents than he already did. Aziza had always listened, and I missed her counsel, but she was on her own new adventure, and I didn’t want to burden her with how much worse it had gotten. Archer’s attentiveness was like a balm to my heart that I hadn’t even realized I needed.
Chapter 10
Archer
I was pacing. Crispin probably thought I was mad, and I was, but not at him. I just needed a minute to sort out my thoughts before I sat back down. I’d always been one to move when I was agitated, and I was seriously worked up at the moment.
How was it that this precious boy’s parents couldn’t see how they were adding to his stress? Like he didn’t already put enough on himself trying to run a business while working side jobs to keep the lights on.
I knew I was lucky. When I told my parents I wanted to be a photographer, they didn’t hesitate. They sat me down and helped me create a realistic plan for what was a very unrealisticdream, and they made sure I had a soft place to land if it all went south.
That was what Crispin needed. Someone to shore him up and reassure him that they had his back no matter what happened. What he needed was a…