17
1105 Words
“Where is she?”
“She cooked and ran. James is trying to make sure you’re not too overly stimulated.”
“So waking up to you in my bed wasn’t supposed to be jarring?”
“You tell me.”
I laughed. “It was.”
“In a good way?” He flashed me his charming smile.
“Oh yeah, in a great way.” Honestly, it hadn’t been so bad. He was much more fun to hang out with than James. “So I was thinking maybe I’d go for a run this morning.”
“Nah, you don’t want to do that. How about you do some yoga or something?”
I glared at him. “No, I want to go for a run. I’m craving the wind through my hair.”
“I think you’re supposed to be taking it easy for a few more weeks.”
“I need to get rid of all this fat.” I gestured toward my stomach and laughed awkwardly. Seriously, where did this belly come from? “I’m going to go try to find a pair of sneakers.” I stood up and started walking toward the stairs. I couldn’t wait to get some fresh air.
“Penny?”
“I’ll be right back.” I grabbed the railing.
“Wait.”
“It’ll just take a second…”
“You’re not allowed to leave the apartment.”
I froze on the first step. I’m not allowed? I thought about last night when it seemed like James was keeping me prisoner. Part of me wanted to believe it was the wine giving me an overactive imagination. But apparently my memory was perfectly intact from at least one day ago. I walked back over to the table. “What do you mean I’m not allowed?”
“You know what I mean…psh.” He was trying to backtrack. But he wasn’t getting off that easily.
“Honestly, I have no idea what you mean. Are you saying that I’m actually not allowed to go outside?”
He looked so sheepish. “Technically you are. I guess. I mean, of course. But James would prefer if you didn’t leave. And if you do…it should be with him.”
“Seriously? Why?”
He just stared at me.
“Why, Robert?” I emphasized his name as I glared at him.
“Please don’t call me that.” He scrunched his mouth to the side like the name Robert disgusted him.
“Look, I’m pretty sure I can ignore a few harmless paparazzi.” I hope. Yesterday had been stressful. The blinding camera flashes. The questions I didn’t know how to answer. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll be back in half an hour. I’m clearly out of shape.”
I turned to start walking back up the steps.
“It’s not the paparazzi we’re worried about.”
“Then what is it?”
“I should probably call James.”
“Rob, just tell me. What possible reason does James have for locking me up in here?” I felt like I was Rapunzel, locked in a tower. Except I was in a sky rise in the middle of the worst city ever. And my hair wasn’t blonde. Minor details.
“I’m going to call him real quick.”
“You do that. I’ll be looking for sneakers.” I jogged up the stairs. Ow. I touched the side of my stomach. When was the last time I exercised? I couldn’t possibly already have a cramp.
I ignored the pain as I rummaged through the closet. It had taken me awhile to find the spandex shorts, sports bra, and tank top I was currently wearing. But sneakers were easier. They were on the bottom row of the shoe rack. I lifted up one of the pairs. They were as light as a feather. Why wasn’t I in better shape when I had such amazing workout gear? I quickly laced them up and headed back downstairs.
“James is on his way home,” Rob said.
“Cool. I’ll catch him when I get back.”
“Please don’t leave. You’re going to get me in so much trouble.”
“Then tell me why I’m supposed to stay,” I said.
“God I hate you sometimes.”
“Ditto.”
He laughed. The sound reminded me of James’ laughter. Albeit, much more frequent. “Fine. You win. You can’t leave because you’re in mortal danger.”
“What is this, an episode of Power Rangers?”
“Well now you’re acting like you’re 10 instead of 19.”
I wanted to tell him off. But every rebuttal I thought of did make me sound like a child. Damn it. “You’re the 10 year old.” Really? That was the response I chose?
He laughed. “Penny, just trust me, okay?”
“Not unless you tell me why I’m in mortal danger.” I put ‘mortal danger’ in air quotes.
“That’s something James wants to discuss with you.”
“Great. And I’ll see him when he gets back.” I walked toward the front door.
“Penny, you can’t go.”
I ignored him and threw the door open.
Two men were standing in the hall facing me. Their arms were folded in front of their chests and their large frames blocked my path.
“Excuse me,” I said and tried to sidestep them.
But neither of them moved.
“Mrs. Hunter, we have strict instructions to not let you leave the premises.”
“Please don’t call me that. My name is Penny.” I tried to sidestep them again.
“Ma’am, if you’ll please make your way back inside.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“Please step back inside. Penny,” one of them added. The kind gesture of using my name was a little small considering they were keeping me locked up.
But I didn’t exactly have a choice. It wasn’t like I could bulldoze my way past these two huge men. It was possible that I could slide underneath their legs. But then I’d have to outrun them. And I had gotten a cramp by jogging up the stairs. I went back into the apartment and slammed the door. Back to my 10 year old ways.
Rob was standing there with a pained look on his face. “It’s just for a little while.”
“Until my memory is back?” What if I never remember?
“Until it’s safe.”
- Writer
