Haven Bound

20. Chelsea

20

Chelsea

My nervous system is an absolute wreck by the time I’m turning into the Elysian, a little faster than is probably safe. I can’t find it within myself to care at the moment. I pull into the lane marked for Valet to find Hailey already standing there waiting for me as Austin said she would be.

Hailey’s pulling open my driver’s side door as I slam the vehicle into park, unbuckling my seatbelt and grabbing my forearm to help me slide out. “Oh my god, Chelsea! Thank fuck you’re okay!” She takes my hand in hers. I hear her telling one of the valet drivers to park my car in the employee lot which is more secure and has its own surveillance system in place.

“I’m here. I-I’m safe,” I tell Austin as Hailey says, “I’ve got her, Auz,” at the same time. He tells me to stay at the hotel until he gets here and then the call disconnects.

It feels like the world is spinning around me. Like I’m on a carousel ride that’s moving far too fast. It keeps going around and around no matter how dizzy I am, and I don’t know how to make it stop.

Somehow, I stumbled my way into Hailey’s office, where I’m currently sitting on a small loveseat that’s pushed up against the wall. She’s sitting beside me, holding out a bottle of water for me, her focus bouncing between me and her phone, which keeps vibrating in her lap .

“I’ve got you, Chels. You’re safe now. Austin’s taking care of it,” she says softly but my brain can’t even fully comprehend what she’s saying. He disappeared from my life seven years ago as though I meant nothing to him, and yet he didn’t hesitate to come to my rescue the second that I was in trouble.

I heard the anger radiating through his voice despite his effort to shove it down, but I know that it wasn’t directed at me. It was directed at whoever was following me, which I’m almost certain was Jason.

My life seems to be completely unraveling around me, and I can’t stop it. I thought I was free. I’d moved out of my mom’s house and put some much needed distance between us for the sake of my own mental health. I was the owner of a successful bakery business, and I had an amazing best friend who was always there for me with no questions asked.

Regardless of the disastrous relationship I had had with Jason, I truly believed it was in my past. He was angry when I left but I thought that his anger would diminish over time. That he would accept that I was no longer his to control.

Apparently, I was wrong. He hasn’t accepted it at all, his recent actions proving exactly that.

I grab the bottle of water that Hailey’s offering and take a few long pulls of the cold liquid before leaning back to rest my head against the back of the couch. Closing my eyes, I silently beg the adrenaline-fueled dizziness and nausea I'm battling to subside.

I swallow hard a few times to force back the bile that’s threatening to come up. Then I take a deep breath.

I’m alright. I got away.

I’m safe. He can’t get to me here .

But my safety is only a small portion of what’s causing the anxiety that’s coursing through my blood. While I’m here, safe in the hotel, Austin is still out there.

He’s cleaning up my mess while I’m sitting here in Hailey’s lavish office space, relaxing on the couch as though my life isn’t falling apart around me.

I take another deep breath to calm my nerves as I sit up and look at her. “Hails, this is insane. I can’t just sit in here while Austin’s out there taking care of this ! What if he gets hurt?”

Her lips press together into a thin line as her gaze quickly darts down to the cell phone in her lap before she looks back at me. “Austin will be fine,” she says as she grabs my hand and tugs me to stand with her.

“C’mon, let’s go grab those massages. It’ll help you relax.” I’d be lying if I said that a massage didn’t sound even better now than it did before. I nod in silent agreement and let Hailey pull me along.

Every Elysian Suites location offers a variety of luxury services for its guests. One of them being a full-service day spa where you can get manicures, pedicures, and massages during your stay. As long as Hailey and I have been friends, I’ve never taken advantage of the access she has to these kinds of services. I love a good pedicure or massage as much as the next girl, but I don’t come from wealth, and even with running a bakery that does pretty well, I still have to be conscious of where and how I spend the money I earn.

The scent of lavender and eucalyptus surrounds me as we step into the spa suite, soft instrumental music filling the space. “Hello, Miss Anders! To what do we owe this pleasure?” The woman at the reception desk says as she stands, a welcoming smile spread across her face.

Hailey returns the smile and says, “Hi, Amanda. I have two full-body massage appointments scheduled with Savvy and Isla."

“Great! You can head on back if you’re ready.” She smiles and waves a hand in gesture for us to head towards the spa’s locker room. If Hailey was anybody else, they’d be escorting us back instead of allowing us to wander on in ourselves.

When we get into the locker room and connected lounge, I take a second to pull out my phone. Notifications alerting me to several missed calls from an unknown number are displayed across the screen. But that’s not what has my breath catching in my throat and tears threatening to spill down my cheeks.

3 unread text messages from Austin.

AUSTIN

Whoever it was took off as soon as I cut them off.

You’re not going back to the house tonight. Let me know if you need anything specific and I’ll get it for you.

I know you’re probably over there worrying about me, but I’m fine. I promise, Sunflower.

Relief floods my system as I read his last text message. Somehow, after all this time, he still knows me. He knew that I’d be worrying myself sick over his safety until I heard from him. Amidst all of the crazy, I completely forgot that I don’t even have an overnight bag packed. It was something I’d planned on doing after work before coming to the hotel, but then shit hit the fan and I didn’t get the chance.

CHELSEA

All I really want right now is something comfortable to change into.

I don’t even know what to say other than… thank you, Austin.

Warmth spreads through my chest with the confirmation that he’s okay, allowing my nerves to settle as I strip down to nothing but underwear and slide on the softest white robe I’ve ever worn. As much as I want to keep my phone on me, just in case Austin texts me again, I’m suddenly really looking forward to getting this massage.

We leave our phones, clothing, and any jewelry in the small lockers and head into the lounge area. The room is filled with comfortable seating, light snacks, and glass beverage dispensers that are filled with various fruit-infused waters.

Hailey and I don’t even get a chance to sit down before massage therapists, Savvy and Isla I presume, come into the room and instruct us to follow them to our respective rooms.

Despite the insanity of today, I don’t think I’ve ever felt as relaxed as I do right now. Hailey and I are both sitting up against the headboard of the king-size bed that hardly even makes a dent in the size of her designated hotel suite. We're debating whether we should order food from the Elysian’s restaurant downstairs or if we should order something greasy through one of the many food delivery apps. To be honest, I’m not even sure why she bothered to buy a house when she has a permanent suite that’s kept ready for her whenever she needs it. According to Hails, living here would take away the vacation feel. Which I guess I understand. I wouldn’t want to live where I work, either.

“As much as I love the food here, I’m really craving something comforting, like…”

“Burgers and fries,” she finishes my sentence, which is somewhat of a regular occurrence considering we’ve been friends since middle school. A good greasy burger and crisp salty fries are always my go-to comfort food when I’ve had a rough day or been through something stressful, which today absolutely was.

I still can’t believe that Jason went as far as trying to follow me home because I have no doubt that he planned on doing more after sitting outside of the bakery all day. Those last months we were together, he made it so incredibly clear that he didn’t want me anymore. He did everything within his power to tear me down and make sure my self-confidence was completely shot.

He’d make comments about things I would do or say and that quickly turned into him critiquing my body and telling me that he thought I needed to lose weight, to spend less time at Buttersweet, and more time in the gym. He’d find me on the couch reading and tell me to get up and go for a walk instead. I’d order a soda or a raspberry iced tea when we’d go out to eat, and he’d tell me to order water instead .

Little things that over time turned into huge things I could no longer ignore. He never physically laid his hands on me—not until that night outside of the club—but he’d yell and scream at me until my back was pressed against the wall. Then he would swing his fist, making me think he was going to hit me, but his fist would collide with the wall a few inches away instead.

My stomach churns with the memories. I force them away as Hailey chimes, “Food’s ordered!” and tosses her phone down onto the nightstand on her side of the bed.

Thirty minutes later, there’s a knock at the door that Hailey gets up to answer. I’m too relaxed to bother getting up. I’d likely be asleep if my stomach wasn’t growling incessantly. “That better be what I think it is!” I holler from my spot on the bed, the suite entry door out of view from here.

Austin and Ethan stroll into the room, each holding up delicious offerings that have my mouth watering from the smell alone. In Austin’s hands are a few white paper bags from my favorite fast-food burger joint along with a small duffle bag thrown over his shoulder. Ethan holds up two cardboard drink carriers, one of which I'm hoping isn't soda.

I would do just about anything for a Neapolitan shake right now. The chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors are swirled together to taste like heaven, just like the ice cream.

Ethan makes a point to flip the security latch over the door, ensuring that even with a keycard, nobody would be able to enter the room without authorization. Our eyes meet, and he gives me a quick nod, a soft smile spreading across his face. He knows how much I struggle to feel safe sleeping in new places, and I appreciate the added layer of security. No matter how minuscule it may be.

Austin sets the bags down on the suite’s entry table and then shifts the duffle bag from his shoulder and into his hands. He scoffs with frustration as Ethan slips around him and beats him to the side of the bed where I’m still sitting propped up against the headboard.

“Hey, Chels. We heard you were in need of some comfort food,” Ethan says, setting the drink carriers on the nightstand next to me. He leans down to wrap his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into a tight hug.

“You heard right,” I say softly as I return his hug.

Ethan steps aside to grab two of the shakes, handing one over to Hailey as he moves out of the way for Austin. He drops the small duffle bag he was carrying onto the edge of the bed and then reaches for my hand, helping me to slide off the bed and stand in front of him.

“You’re okay?” he asks, his thumb and forefinger guiding my chin up so my eyes meet his. His deep blue gaze is so filled with concern that I have to fight back the tears stinging my eyes. Blinking them away, I nod. He pulls me into his chest, his arms wrapping around my waist as he holds me close to his body.

I can’t help but sink into him, inhaling his citrus and sandalwood scent and letting it completely calm me. The world could be a raging fire around us, and I'd still feel safe in his arms. Austin’s grip tightens around me as though he can’t pull me close enough, and I feel his breath shudder beside my ear .

“Alright, alright! Who’s hungry?” Ethan’s voice invades my relaxing moment against Austin’s chest, and I can hear him grabbing the paper bags left on the suite entry table.

Austin drops his arms from around my waist as my stomach growls loudly in answer to Ethan’s question, and we all break out into laughter.