Beautiful Noise

Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

K ori.

Ezren escorted me into Vulture, a trendy Asian fusion restaurant in Midtown I had been dying to try. The minute we were through the door I realized who I was with. Spending time in the privacy of his home kept us excluded from the reality of Ezren being Eccentric, but the way all eyes were on him when we moved through the building was a very loud reality check.

So many pointed, whispered, and not so discreetly lifted phones to capture the infamous Eccentric, R&B lover boy, that I felt out of place. I raked my fingers through my hair, tugged at my clothes, and ducked my head, overthinking every aspect of my appearance.

Ezren didn’t seem bothered, but why would he? This was his life. I was so caught up in my head that I startled when his palm met my back and he dropped his face near mine. “Relax, they’ll forget we’re here by the time we’re seated.”

“Not likely,” I murmured and his expression shifted when I glanced up to meet his eyes.

“If you’re uncomfortable…”

“No, I’m fine. I just forgot who you were for a minute.”

In the corner of my eye, I caught a flash. Someone had taken a picture or pictures and hadn’t cared enough to remove the flash. It was as if they didn’t give a shit about invading our… his privacy. They had no idea who I was nor did I think they cared beyond my significance to Eccentric.

“Mr. Shaw, your table.” The attendant motioned to a spot in the corner. There were only a few tables nearby, and none were occupied, which allowed me to relax. Once we were seated, ordered our food, and left somewhat alone, people were still staring but I relaxed enough to push away thoughts of everyone but the man across from me.

“You seem so relaxed. Doesn’t this bother you? The way they stare, record you with their phones.”

“I’m used to it. As much as I’d rather them ignore me, it comes with the territory. If they didn’t acknowledge me then that would mean my music isn’t making an impact. As intrusive as it can be sometimes, I appreciate that they know who I am because that means they know my music.”

“Are you really going to play the humble card?”

The way his handsome face blossomed into a cocky grin was unnerving. “I never assume, Ri. I’m not that fucking arrogant. There are a lot of amazing talents out there. I know I’m one of them but that doesn’t mean the world knows.”

“They know,” I asserted and he chuckled. I glanced around, catching the eye of several people. One woman who had a phone up openly recording us. When I narrowed my eyes, like what the fuck, she rolled hers.

“I don’t see how you can get used to this. It’s a complete invasion of privacy. What if someone posts us online together. There’s going to be a whole who is Eccentric’s new mystery woman headline by the time we wake up in the morning.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that narrative went live before we left here tonight but I don’t give a fuck about any of that. They speculate all the time and it never leads to anything. I keep my life private.”

“Which makes the situation that much worse. There won’t be a story to tell, so they’ll make up one, about us, about me.”

He glared my way, appearing slightly annoyed. “We can leave if you want, Ri. I didn’t consider how being seen with me would affect you.”

“Or how being seen with me will affect you . I’m a nobody in your world. They expect Eccentric to be spotted with one named models. I’m an irrelevant name and face who works for a cleaning company.”

Ezren just stared, smiling, and after a minute, he offered a gentle shake of his head. “You’re so much like my damn mother it’s scary.”

“Uh… random as hell and not conducive to the conversation.”

“The conversation, no, but very relevant to my thought process. She’s always giving me shit about the women that end up attached to me, like they’re not worthy.”

“They’re not.”

He arched his brow and I added, “Not that I know any of them, because clearly I do not, but I know of them.”

“And what do you know, Ri?” He was a little too amused. I hated that I had done a deep dive researching all the women Eccentric had been linked to, doing comparisons of them to me, like I would somehow register for him as someone to be linked to. We had sex and he made it clear that he wanted to engage again, but that did not translate to I want to be with you.

Do I want him to want to be with me?

Yes and that bothered me because of the improbability. Ezren didn’t date. He had sex with women for inspiration then moved on.

But you inspired him without sex.

“Ri…” My eyes shot up to his and he grinned. “That bad?”

“Is what that bad?”

“Your thoughts on the women I’ve been linked to. You got deep as fuck in your head like you don’t want to share. It won’t hurt my feelings. You can be honest.”

I shrugged. “They want Eccentric, not Ezren. Those women were personally content benefiting from your name, your status. It’s not that they’re bad, just not worthy of you.”

“You believe I’m worthy of quality women?”

I groaned. Of course he would push the arrogance. “You’re not a bad person, Ezren, so yes.”

“Then why don’t you feel I’m worthy of you ?”

I opened my mouth to respond but nothing came out because I wasn’t sure how to respond. Eventually my mind processed enough for me to answer. “I never said that you weren’t.”

“Denying me the possibility to be anything other than your friend is damn sure not screaming he’s worthy of my heart.”

My heart?

“You don’t want my heart.”

“How the fuck do you know what I want, Ri? Did you bother to ask? You simply put me in a fuck ’em and leave ’em box and never gave consideration to the idea that even if that was how I moved in the past, I could want something completely different with you . All you hit me with was you’re a relationship person.”

“Because I am… and you’re not.”

“I can be with the right woman. Did you ever pause that random ass overprocessing mind of yours for one second to consider that you might be that woman?”

My mouth opened again then slammed shut. He laughed sarcastically and glanced at the server who arrived with our food. After everything was on the table, and silence consumed us while I forced down my first few bites because my mind was too heavy to enjoy the savory blend, I exhaled a sigh. Might as well have an adult conversation.

“Do you want a relationship, Ezren?”

Intense eyes settled into my soul. “I want you, Ri. If a relationship is what comes with having you, then yeah, I do.”

“Just because I put you in the friend zone and shut down the idea of casual sex?”

He laughed hard. “Are you really asking a grown ass man who could fuck anyone he wanted from one continent to the next if I’m pretending to want commitment just to fuck?”

I frowned. “No.”

“Yeah you are, in so many words, so let me be clear. I want you and as good as the pussy is, I can press pause on us being physical if that’s what you need to prove I’m invested in seeing what this could be.”

“You’ll date me without sex?” I stared curiously, not believing that this man, this fine ass man who notably had sex with plenty of women, would throw away physical intimacy just to date me.

“If that’s what you need to take me serious, then yes, I will.”

“And what about your music? Sex is how you’re inspired.”

“Did you forget the very relevant detail that you inspired me before I touched your pussy?”

A pussy that pulsed with the reminder of him touching her in such an exquisite way. “That was once and no guarantee of happening again. This is your career.”

“It is, but I’m willing to figure things out. Maybe it’s time I find inspiration in other ways. I’ve done it before.”

The darkness that covered his eyes was loud. His father.

“My life is a chaotic mass of unknown right now. I probably should be investing whatever time I have in deciding what my future looks like.”

“Being with someone who cares about you can facilitate your ability to figure shit out, Ri, and if you say I don’t care about you, I’m gonna go the fuck off.”

I grinned at the scowl on his face. “You can’t save me or fix my life.”

“I could if you allowed me to, but I can guarantee your stubborn ass would elect to dying a slow painful death before you allow me to do so. I’m offering support while you figure your shit out and while I’m supporting you, I want the opportunity to convince you that as unconventional as this would be, I want to try. And just so we’re clear, I don’t fucking try. My usual effort with women is making eye contact long enough to communicate that I want to fuck. I also don’t offer them anything other than my dick.”

I flashed a smile. “What are you offering me ?”

“Access to any and everything, but more importantly, I’m offering you me.”

This was likely the most foolish decision I had ever made in my life because I was going to get hurt. I felt this in every fiber of my being but I was undoubtedly going to accept.

“I’m keeping my job with Elite.”

He chuckled. “I figured.”

“ But , we can put sex back on the table.”

His smile surfaced slowly. “You sure?”

“Very. I have no faith in you making a relationship work. So at the very least, I’ll have the sex as a consolation prize.”

“Damn, that’s fucked up.”

“It’s really good sex but you’re very aware of your current skill sets.”

“That’s not what I meant. You really don’t have faith that I can do this.”

“Unfortunately no.”

Ezren smirked, shaking his head. “You’re using me for my dick and I’m trying to build something solid. No one would ever believe this shit if I told them.”

I shrugged and smiled. “Then don’t, because I have a reputation to uphold.”

The rest of the evening was a blur. We ate, talked, then drove back to the house and left a trail of clothes from the door to the bedroom. His bedroom…

And now I was on my knees straddling Ezren’s face while his tongue did unfairly beautiful things to my aching pussy. With every swipe of his tongue, I released strangled moans while my hips ground against his face, greedy for more.

He gave, I received, and shit, this man was talented. His tongue moved up and down my pussy with perfect pacing. When the warmth pushed past my pulsing folds, diving in with hard intentional thrusts, I gave up and orgasmed on spot. He didn’t stop. My muscles strained and ached while he continued taking his time, dragging his tongue back and forth, in and out, not caring that I lost control. He owned my body, I handed over ownership, and fuck, did he claim me beautifully.

My pussy clenched and released while his lethal tongue pushed me over the edge several more times with back to back climaxes.

“Oh fuck…” I sucked in shallow breaths that did little to replace what he drained from my lungs. I was shaking and my body ached from the constriction of my tightened muscles but I was also in heaven. Sweet blissful heaven, then he lifted us both and I was on my back. His heavy body covered mine and his arms caged me in before he cupped my face and that very skillful tongue was diving into my mouth, caressing my own the same way it had just demolished my pussy.

I felt the tip of his dick push against me. My body tingled all over and my fists gripped the bedding while my pussy throbbed and pulled. He pushed into me slowly, narrowed eyes fastened to mine but those damn lips…

He smiled arrogantly, knowing I felt him. Every fucking inch of his thick, long dick as it stretched me unbearably wide. His stare was possessive and the pleasure intensified as he fucked me long and hard. He thrust deep, growling his approval.

“I’m glad you put sex back on the table.” His voice was poetic and while his dick was in my pussy it was pure sin. My body bucked and spiraled as I came intensely. He continued driving into me, working me through the high.

“Me too, fuck, me too.”

That devilish smile was back while he rested his arms beside my head, allowing him more leverage to fuck me strong and deep. His pace alternated between hard and deep to slow, tender thrusts while those intense eyes remained on me, as if needing to see my reaction, but I saw his too. He was close, I felt his body vibrating, his muscles tensing, and his dick throbbing inside me.

He fucked me harder and my body was thrumming with energy again, my spine tingled and I felt lightheaded and exhausted and satisfied when my muscles locked, my pussy clenched, and he drove into me several more times before I had the weight of his heavy frame. His teeth sank into my lip while he growled through his own release, and through the haze that clouded my eyes, I could see the arrogance of his smile.

Shit, I’m in over my head…

Last night had been perfect but today felt normal. I left the house at eleven-thirty, drove ten minutes to the house in the same neighborhood as Ezren’s, and cleaned until four. One thing I could say about rich people that I wouldn’t complain about while employed by Elite was they obsessively hired people to do things that weren’t necessary.

The home I serviced was five bedrooms, four and a half baths, and as soon as I arrived the house manager informed me that all I was required to do was sweep and mop all the tile and wood floors in the main areas, clean the bathroom in the owners’ suite, and wipe down everything in the kitchen.

The floors already looked pristine, the granite counters in the kitchen along with the stainless appliances were spotless and you couldn’t convince me the floors hadn’t been handled that morning. The only real work I did was in the owners’ suite bathroom, where I made sure the glass shower was sparkling and smudge free, and polished the brushed gold hardware of the sinks.

I almost felt bad about the exorbitant price Elite charged for four hours of work that could have taken me two had I not stretched it out. Almost felt bad. My generous salary was thanks to that exorbitant amount Elite charged and I needed every penny.

When I returned to the house, everything was quiet. So before I began preparing dinner, I snuck down to the basement and peeked in the studio where I found Ezren immersed in a creative zone. His favorite guitar was cradled in his arms while he was lost in the melody taking life as his long fingers skillfully strummed the strings. Watching him work was euphoric and sexy. The man was truly gifted.

And not just with his music.

As much as I wanted to hang around, I felt invasive intruding on his creative process so I pulled up a recipe from Gwendolyn headed back to the kitchen. I prepared chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole, which I left warming on the stove while I hopped in the shower.

After feeling revived and refreshed, I dressed in lounge clothes and planted myself on the sofa to put words to page. The thoughts that came to mind after my night with Ezren had been nagging me all day, but if I stopped to write down even one sentence, I would have been distracted from what I needed to do. Now that I had a moment of peace, I peeled my journal open and began scribbling my thoughts.

“What’s Cyan Indigo Bleu?”

Ezren’s voice almost caused me to leap from the sofa. I hadn’t expected him to sneak up on me.

“Nothing.” I flipped my iPad over and slammed my journal closed.

He leaned over the back of the sofa and reached for my iPad which I grabbed before he could and tucked it against my chest.

“So you’re keeping secrets?” His tone was light and laced with amusement.

“No, I said it was nothing because it’s not. There are no secrets.” I threw my head back, enjoying the visual of him leaning over me and he smelled so damn good. Smoky and sweet like amber, cinnamon bark and tobacco. Ezren grinned and pulled a phone from his pocket and began swiping and pecking. I didn’t like the smugness of his expression so my brows shifted in and sure enough…

“Cyan Indigo Bleu, sharing my most intimate thoughts through words. Interesting.”

“Why did you look that up?” I ground out, shifting my position so I was facing the back of the sofa. I reached for his phone but he stepped out of the way.

“Because I could. Information is key and the internet offers access to anything we want, even your secrets, Ri.” He smiled smugly. “Let’s see, which one should I try first, lust or love.”

He spoke casually, calling out two of the categories and I immediately knew which one he chose when he began reciting words from the poem I posted the morning after our first sexual encounter.

“Deep, so deep, I feel him everywhere, physically overloaded, and I just don’t care. Once is not enough, not even close to reaching my fill, imagine how much more I can take, shivering. Chills. Damn Ri, you’re into kinky shit.” He grinned

“They’re poems, not kinky shit, and I should be asking you that since you bypassed all the other categories and went straight to lust.”

“I’m a very sexual being. No point in denying my true nature. You shouldn’t be ashamed of yours.” His voice was even as he narrowed his eyes at the screen and swiped upward in a slow motion.

Shit, he’s reading more. More of my poems.

Relax, he doesn’t know it’s you.

“These are good. You know her?”

“Yes.”

I am her.

“You really think they’re good?” I couldn’t help myself. I had a consistent following and enough reviews that confirmed my poems were good, but having his approval somehow felt more rewarding.

“Hell yeah. I fuck with these, heavy. I just bookmarked the site.” He locked the device and tossed it on the sofa before moving close. His hands cuffed my face and his mouth was on mine for a kiss that had my stomach in knots.

When he pulled away, I smiled. “How was your day?”

“Good actually, there’s something soothing about mindless work. Mopping floors is definitely mindless work.”

His eyes traveled down my body and I immediately knew where his thoughts went. “I have a uniform, so yes I was appropriately dressed.”

“I never know with you…” He shrugged. “You already made dinner?”

“Yep, I didn’t want to bother you. If you didn’t come up soon, I would have brought it down. You were writing.”

“You were in the studio?”

“I didn’t come in, but yes.”

“You could have.”

“You were deep in the thick of it. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“You wouldn’t have and besides, I was writing about you. Having the inspiration in live form would have only motivated me more.”

He winked and headed toward the kitchen. “You were writing about me?”

“Yeah, I was inspired after last night.”

“You mean this morning.” It was after midnight before I ended up in his bed, naked beneath him.

“I meant what I said, Ri, last night. The inspiration came from the conversation we had at dinner, not from me eating your pussy. Although that was very inspirational, I can’t imagine you wanting me to expose how inspired I was with my head between your legs to the world.”

“Absolutely not.”

He chuckled. “That’s what I thought.”

I climbed off the sofa to join him in the kitchen where I found him with a fork in hand digging into the casserole.

“My mom sent you all her recipes I see.” He spoke through a mouthful before shoving another forkful of casserole between his lips. I could still feel those lips in the most intimate places.

“Give me that.” I snatched the fork before he could dive into the casserole again. “Go sit down and I’ll fix you a plate.”

He grinned and walked up on me. “I thought you like me savagely eating your shit, Ri?”

When his eyes lowered, my clit pulsed. “Would you go…” I tugged his shirt and while laughing, Ezren stole a kiss but left the kitchen. I piled enough food onto his plate to satisfy his appetite and only a third of that on mine because I couldn’t eat nearly as much. As soon as I stepped in front of the sofa, my stomach dropped.

He had my journal open and was smiling at the pages. “That’s you?”

“What?”

“Cyan Indigo Bleu, that’s your site.”

“No,” I lied, naturally it was the easiest thing to do, and his smile expanded.

He pointed to the page. “This is on the site and nowhere on there did I see anything bylined with a name other than Bleu.”

“Fine, it’s me, and you’re nosy. I would blame your mother but I know she taught you better.”

He chuckled, flipping through a few more pages, and because my hands were still filled with our plates, I couldn’t stop him. “Why wouldn’t you just tell me? The poems are dope, Ri. You’re talented.”

“It’s a hobby and I don’t like people knowing.”

“Why not?”

“It’s weird, I just don’t. Here…”

I shoved the plate in his direction and placed mine on the table near the end of the sofa, making an exchange for my journal. I also lifted my iPad and phone, stacking them both next to my plate before I filled the spot next to him.

“I get you don’t want random people knowing about the Bleu thing, but I’m not people , Ri. If my girlfriend is a poetic lyricist, that’s an important detail I would like to know.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Damn, you reneging on our agreement already?”

I grinned. “Maybe I am since you don’t seem to respect privacy or boundaries.”

“Forget privacy and boundaries where I’m concerned. The lines are fucking blurred with us. Get used to it. What’s the deal with the site and the poems?”

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“No, it’s a part of you. I want all of you, Ri. Even the things you’re not comfortable sharing.”

“Does that go both ways?”

“Why wouldn’t it? I’m not selfish, you can have full access. That’s what I promised and I’m a man of my word.”

“We’ll see.”

He smiled sexily and I exhaled a sigh. “I’ve been writing poetry since I was in high school but it really felt like a part of me my senior year. We took a field trip for an art expo and my teacher was cool as hell. She took us to a poetry slam that night and I fell in love with the entire vibe. The lyrics, the delivery, the expression. I could never be on stage as a performer, but the words come easy. When I’m feeling things, I write them down.”

“You damn sure couldn’t be on stage with your tone deaf ass.”

“Poetry isn’t songs. Being tone deaf doesn’t matter and for the record, I’m not tone deaf.” I shot him a narrowed stare.

“It’s cadence though, so kinda the same, and you would not be good at it.”

“If this is what being your girlfriend feels like, then yes, I’m reneging on our agreement.”

He grinned and leaned close, dropping a kiss on my cheek. “I’m being honest, Ri. I’m sure you’d rather I hurt your feelings than for you to go out in the world and let someone who doesn’t give a damn about you do it.”

He had a point but still…

“And the site?”

“It started in college. An assignment for my creative writing class. Back then I used my name but everyone loved the poems so much I decided to keep the site active. I changed the name to Cyan Indigo Bleu.”

“Why Bleu?”

“It’s my favorite color.”

He nodded.

“And why the pseudonym?”

“Those are my thoughts, sometimes they’re intimate and expose me in ways I’m not comfortable with others having access or knowledge of.”

“I respect that. That’s how I felt about Stoned Heart . The lyrics were my personal feelings. The words exposed too much and made me feel raw. I was so fucking angry about losing my father. I didn’t know what to do with those feelings. Writing the songs helped.”

Our eyes met and his were sad, dark, and vulnerable.

“The world loved Stoned Heart .”

“They love Bleu too. You damn near have half a million followers.”

“How do you know how many followers I have?”

“Your page has links to your social media. I checked it out, trying to see if there was a picture so I could verify it was you after I noticed one of the poems in your journal was on the site. You were being all secretive, so I was on a mission.”

“I was protecting my anonymity. It’s not the same.”

“I’ll let you have that, but just know, I’m demanding full access…”

I was about to respond but both of our cellphones began vibrating with notifications and since my iPad wasn’t on silent it sang in protest with the same notifications. My heart thumped erratically with the thoughts of my face plastered all over social media from our dinner last night.

There was no other reason for both of our devices to be receiving so much attention. When I woke up this morning free of tags I was hopeful that we’d managed to slide under the radar. I wasn’t interesting enough to be made into a news story about Ezren but apparently I was wrong.

“Shit,” he muttered. He swiped a few times and I watched him, feeling my anxiety spiking. The expression on his face was grim and when his eyes met mine, a twenty-pound boulder sank to the pit of my stomach.

“They posted us from last night?”

His expression turned sympathetic. “Yeah.”

“If you want to change your mind about us, I don’t mind. I know you have an image…”

“I don’t give a fuck about an image, Ri. It’s not that, it’s just?—”

“It’s what?” I frowned, feeling a rising panic settling into my chest. I could deal with being berated for not meeting what the world thought was a woman suitable to date Ezren, or so I thought, but the way he was tiptoeing around the real issue had me concerned. What the hell were these people saying?

“Let me make some calls to get the post down…”

“Why?” I rushed out. “Is it really that bad?” I had shifted into full blown hysterical mode and reached for his phone which he pulled back. I hopped up, dumping my plate onto the floor and grabbing my phone instead. So he couldn’t stop me, I rushed around the rear of the sofa before he could react.

My eyes went wide when I found the problem. Next to a photo of Ezren and me from dinner last night was my picture ID, and not just any ID. It was my badge from Elite Cleaners, the one we had to wear to prove we were indeed employed by Elite. Our clientele was high-end and they didn’t allow just anyone in and out of their homes. There was also a copy of the background check Elite ran which listed my old address in the city, my cell phone number, and all my personal social media accounts but luckily not the one I used for my poetry.

My hands were shaking and my body thrummed with anger. I didn’t give a damn about being called Cleaning Lady Kori or that these people were making jokes about how I wasn’t classy enough to be seen with Ezren. I knew who I was and what I had to offer, much more than the “build a baddies” he was notoriously known for keeping in rotation.

What I was concerned with was that someone cared so little about my privacy that they had my personal information listed, so carelessly. My social media, cell phone, and old address were accessible to anyone who wanted it. What if I still lived there? Did they not think about how dangerous that could be? People were cruel, and although these comments were mean and unnecessary, more importantly, my life was exposed and that meant I could be a target for anyone bold enough to harm me.

“How... how did they get this?”

“I don’t know but truthfully it wouldn’t be that hard. People can get whatever information they want if they’re willing to invest time searching or paying for it.”

“What do I do? That’s my face. They have my phone number.”

“I’m going to make some calls.”

“Calls aren’t going to fix it. It’s already out there.”

“It is but we can…”

His face and voice blurred and all I could think about were my parents. They already hated me. This was going to prove their point, that I was irrational and should have just followed the life path they chose for me.

“Oh God, my parents are going to see this.” I started pacing, swiping from article to article, scanning comments, and none of them were kind.

"I can't believe Eccentric is dating someone like her. She’s so basic and doesn’t even come close to his vibe. He deserves someone who can match his energy, not this average ass girl who looks like she walked out of a discount store. Bitch go clean some toilets and get up off my man."

"He could do so much better. "

"This woman is such a downgrade. She doesn’t have the style to be with someone like him. It’s frustrating to see him with someone who just doesn’t match his fly. #NotWorthy"

"Can we talk about how basic she is? I mean, really? The man is too damn sexy, and she’s just… there. It’s hard to watch him waste his time with someone who doesn’t even stand out. He needs someone who truly complements him. She ain’t it. Please let this be a publicity stunt."

It felt like hours but was surely only minutes before my phone was ripped from my grasp and Ezren’s hand locked on my chin, forcing me to look at him. “I’m not gonna say this isn’t bad. This is your life and even if I don’t personally care about any of that shit they’re saying, I know you do. Can you trust me to fix this?”

“You can’t fix any of this, Ezren. My face is all over social media. They have my personal information. That won’t simply go away because you make a call.”

“Possibly not all of it, but let me try.”

“And then what, I move on like the world didn’t completely obliterate my life? Elite is going to fire me. There is no way they’ll want me working for the company with my face all over blogs and gossip sites. Their clientele is high-end people and celebrities who do not want their business leaked or exposed.”

“Who gives a fuck if they fire you, Ri?”

“I do.” My voice squeaked and elevated in anger. “I know it’s not a big deal to you but Elite is my livelihood. My job until I have a clear plan on what’s next.”

“We’ll figure it out. Give me an hour. One hour, that’s all I need. Can you do that?”

I threw my hands up, feeling choked by emotions that pushed through me like a tidal wave. “What choice do I have?”

Ezren placed a hand on the side of my face and brushed a thumb over my jaw. “This is on me, let me try to make it right. Regardless, it doesn’t change anything about us. I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. Our business is ours , no one else’s.”

He leaned in and kissed me seconds before he was walking away, answering a call from someone who had obviously seen the post. Probably someone on his team.

“Yeah, and you better be working on it,” he growled to the caller.

I mindlessly traveled to the kitchen and lifted a dish towel and a roll of paper towels before returning to clean up the mess I’d made dumping my plate when I erratically reached for my phone. Luckily most of the food was already eaten.

I scooped up what was left, then cleaned the wood floor, carrying everything to the kitchen where I dumped the contents in the sink and headed to my room, closing myself inside before I crawled in bed, pulled the covers up over my head and closed my eyes. Maybe I could just hide here, in this room, under these covers until the world decided I was no longer relevant enough for them to focus on.