Finding Us (21 page)

This perfect handsome man brushes my hair away from my face and kisses my cheek. “Let’s get some sleep, baby.”

I close my eyes and burrow into his body as close as I can get before the darkness washes over me.

When I wake up sometime in the middle of the night I know Knox is gone before I even open my eyes. I reach out over to his side of the bed and it’s cool to the touch. I listen to hear if there are any sounds from inside the apartment. Nothing, it’s completely silent.

I climb out of the bed and go to my dresser to slip a t-shirt on and pad my way to the bathroom. When I’m finished I walk into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and see that there is a note on the counter.

Jas,

Sorry I split without saying goodbye but you looked too peaceful to wake up. I’ll call you later.

Knox

I have an eerie feeling in the pit of my stomach, I’m not sure what it is but whatever it is isn’t good. Tonight should have ended just as perfectly as it started but something isn’t right.

It’s been a month since I’ve seen or heard from Knox. He fell off the face of the Earth.

My heart is breaking. Who am I kidding? It is broken. The past few weeks Knox and I were really connecting and I thought by us making love it was going to finally seal the deal for us. I guess I was wrong. I’ve called his phone and I texted him but with no response. He hasn’t run with me since coming home from South Carolina. I don’t see him at the coffee shop or out on his balcony either.

Summer and Rex keep telling me to give him time. That he’s afraid and he’ll come around. Well guess what? I’m afraid too but I didn’t go running like a scared little kid.

I’m over being hurt; now I’m just pissed off. If he was having problems figuring this relationship out, he should have come and talked to me about it instead of freezing me out. I thought I meant more to him than that, apparently not.

Making love with Jasmine was nothing that I was prepared for. I’ve slept with other girls since
her
but nothing compares to Jasmine. She blew my fucking mind. It was perfect until she fell asleep in my arms and I knew that this should have never happened without me telling her the truth first.

She is going to fucking hate me for what I know and for not telling her that I’ve known about her for years. I was being a selfish asshole and I deserve every shitty thing that comes my way.

Now I just need to figure out a way to tell her without losing her. I can’t lose her. I won’t lose her.

Rex calls me the morning after I left Jasmine asleep in her bed without saying goodbye.

“Did you tell her yet?”

“Good morning to you too, asshole,” I sit back in my office chair and kick my legs up on my desk. “I haven’t told her yet Rex.”

“God damn it Knox. Just fucking tell her already. The longer you wait to harder it’s going to be for the both of you.” Rex snaps.

“Yeah, I know Rex.”

“Then fucking do it.” Then he hangs up the phone on me.

Rex and I have never fought the way we have been recently. I don’t want to tell Jasmine because I’m afraid of how she will react. I should have done it a while ago, when I knew I couldn’t hurt her anymore. Now that we’ve slept together this confession is probably going to rip us apart.

Summer just got home from Rex’s apartment and she’s taking a shower. She’s declared tonight girl’s night and I wasn’t getting out of it. I’ve blown her and Rex off since Knox up and left me. I haven’t been in the mood to do much of anything except go to work and teach my dance class. Even our little threesome visits to the clubs on the weekend have stopped too.

Henry buzzes up that our pizza is here. I knock on the bathroom door, “Pizza is here and I’m going down to get it.”

“Alright!” Summer yells back.

I ride the elevator down and pay for the pizza. I turn around to head back upstairs and I catch a glimpse of Knox walking out of the coffee shop and out the front doors of the building, nodding his head in Henry’s direction.

I wait a few seconds to make sure Knox is out of eye sight when I walk over to Henry. I place the pizza box on his desk and sigh loudly. He looks up at me and smiles, “How are you this evening Ms. Jennings?”

I roll my eyes, “I’ve told you to call me Jasmine, Henry.”

Henry takes his glasses off and rubs the bridge of his nose, he looks tired. “Sorry, Ms. Jasmine.”

I tap my finger nails which are in need of a manicure on his desk. “So I saw Knox leaving, I don’t suppose you can tell me what he was doing here can you?”

Henry gets a goofy smile on his face before he shakes his head. “Now you know I can’t tell you that.”

I bat my eye lashes, “I’ll bake you some cupcakes for tomorrow.”

Henry gets a dreamy look on his face, “Ms. Jasmine, you’re gonna have me breaking the rules.”

“But you’re gonna tell me anyway right?”

Henry eyes me for a full minute before answering me, “I’m not, but I’ll give you a clue.”

I narrow my eyes, “A clue?”

Henry shrugs, “It’s all I can do.”

I stick my hand out, “Deal.”

Henry shakes my hand and pulls me a little closer to him. “Who do you make your rent checks out to every month?”

I think about it for a second, “Mitchell Enterprises.”

Henry sits back and winks.

“Mitchell Enterprises,” I blink a few times “Knox owns this building?”

Henry simply shrugs his shoulders, “A deal is a deal.”

I pick up my pizza box and mumble, “Cupcakes, got it.”

I walk back towards the elevators in a fog but stop suddenly right in front of the coffee shop that I work at. Something dawns on me; Mitchell Enterprises pays me every week. My mind is spinning. How did I not put this together before? This explains how Knox knew where I worked, when I ran, how he was able to get into the building without being buzzed up and how he was able to park in front of the building like he owned the place. He fucking owns the building I live and work in!

I walk quickly to the elevators and when they take too long I head for the stairs. I take the stairs two at a time to my apartment. I open the door and find Summer in the kitchen, I place the pizza on the table and narrow my eyes at my best friend.

“How come you never told me Knox owns this building?”

Summer sets her wine glass on the counter with a little too much force and some spills out of the top. “Christ Jas, you scared the shit out of me.”

Summer wipes up her mess and turns to face me. She looks down to her feet, not meeting my eyes. “I just found out myself.” She looks up, “I’m kind of still pissed off at Rex for not saying anything.”

I put my hands on my hips, “So you didn’t know before? When did you find out?”

Summer huffs and turns around to grab her wine. “I’m gonna need a lot of this tonight.” She mumbles before going to take a seat in the living room.

“Sit Jas,” I oblige and take a seat on the other end of the couch from her. “Remember when we were heading to South Carolina and there was a porno playing in Knox’s car?”

I grimace, “Yeah.”

Summer looks at me over her wine glass, “It wasn’t a porno. It was a video feed of the office in the coffee shop.”

The world stops moving, I stop breathing. I close my eyes and try to get my bearings. “What do you mean it was a video feed?”

Summer looks past me towards the window, “He’s got cameras in the coffee shop. Actually he has cameras all over this building too.”

I rub my temples, “So you mean to tell me that he’s been watching me this whole time? He knew where I worked and he’s watched me so much he knows my running schedule? He watches me so much he does it from his car?”

My best friend doesn’t answer me; she knows I already know the answers to my questions. She has an apologetic look on her face.

I’m stunned into silence.
What the hell is going on? I feel like my life is spinning out of control. Why is this happening to me? Is he really sitting in his car watching me?

A thought occurs to me, “Summer, are my parents involved? I know you said before that Knox isn’t the type of person to babysit someone but why else would he be watching me?”

Summer scoots closer to me and takes one of my hands in hers. “There’s a story behind all this Jasmine. I don’t know what it is but I know there is one. Rex and I have had our fights over this but all I can get out of him is that Knox knew who you were before we moved in.” A tear slips from her eye. “That’s actually the reason why I’m here. I told Rex that we can’t be together if he can’t tell me what the hell is going on. I can’t have a relationship with secrets. It doesn’t work.”

I squeeze Summer’s hand, “I’m sorry Summer, that whatever the hell is going on is involving you.”

I go into my bedroom to get my phone. I take a seat back on the couch next to Summer and dial the number I thought I would never dial again.

Summer whispers, “Who are you calling?”

I hold up a finger as Marie answers the phone. “Hello?”

“Marie? It’s Jasmine.”

“Jasmine?” Marie repeats with a shaky voice.

I manage a little smile, I didn’t realize how much I missed her until I heard her voice and apparently she’d missed me too. “Yeah it’s me.”

“Oh sweetheart,” Marie starts crying. “I didn’t think I’d ever hear from you again.”

I wipe the mist out of my eyes, “I didn’t think I’d ever call this number again.”

Marie sniffles a few times, “Your parents are out of town. Is there something I can do for you?”

I glance in Summer’s direction, “I need to talk to my father. I need some answers about some things.”

Summer’s eyes go wide in surprise that I would go that far to reach out to my father of all people, but I need answers and I’m clearly not going to get them from the Mitchell brothers.

Marie doesn’t answer anything. I take the phone away from my ear to make sure I didn’t lose the connections. “Marie, are you still there?”

“Yeah I’m still here. Your father will be home some time on Saturday. Why don’t you come by Saturday morning and I’ll cook you breakfast and we’ll catch up.”

I bite the corner of my lips, I don’t really want to go home but maybe I’ll be able to get straight answers from him. He can’t hang up or not answer my call if I’m there. “Okay. I’ll come by around ten?”

“Yes sweetheart, sounds good. I’ll talk to you then.”

“Marie?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t tell them I’m coming.”

“Your secret is safe with me.”

Summer’s mouth drops open, “You’re going home?”

I shrug my shoulders, not really sure if I just confirmed that I was really going home after declaring that I would never step foot in that house again. “I guess I am.”