“Be careful at home?”She blinks innocently at me.
Lord help whatever man she’s stringing along right now.My sister is a full-fledged brat.
I seeher safely into her paid ride.The rain is really coming down now.My wipers are on the highest setting as I drive home.
Visibility is still shit.Everyone is driving below the limit, me included.I make a mental note to text Danica in a half-hour, to make sure she got to…wherever…okay.
I pull up to my driveway.Someone’s sitting on the cement stoop of my porch, huddling as much as they can out of the rain.Someone with wet hair plastered to their face.It’s too dark to make out the details.
The person looks up and my headlights illuminate their features.
Leah.
2
Leah
Dmitri’s car screeches to a halt in the driveway.His door opens.
“Leah!”
I try to raise a hand to wave, but my arm is shaking too much.I tuck it back against my chest.I’m wearing Dmitri’s T-shirt and sweatpants, the same things I left his house in this morning.My teeth are chattering, but I manage to say, “H-hey.”
“What the fuck are you doing?”
His arms are around me in seconds.Instead of lifting me to my feet, he hefts me all the way up.
A memory flashes through my brain.
He held me like this last night, after all that shit with Patrick.
Somehow, he gets his front door open.He carries me inside, then closes and locks the door after us without setting me down.
“You’re shivering.A T-shirt in the rain?Fuck, Leah.Why didn’t you call?”
My bag dangles from my shoulder, with my useless phone tucked inside.“B-b-battery’s dead.S-sorry.”
He rubs his hands up and down my arms while he carries me.“No, baby.Don’t apologize.Come on.Dry clothes.A warm bath, first.”
I don’t have any strength in me to argue, so I let him take me into the bathroom.He finally sets me down so he can start the bath, but he keeps one hand on me at all times, like I’m a topple-prone toddler.
I tap his shoulder.“D-dmitri, you’re overreacting.”
“You were sitting in the rain for god knows how long, and you’re shivering.I still don’t know why you’re here and I’m freaking the fuck out.Taking care of you is the only thing I know how to do right now.Let’s get you out of the wet clothes.”
Together, we start peeling away my clothes—the T-shirt he gave me earlier.The flimsy bra I’d worn beneath the brown dress last night.My skin is clammy and covered in goosebumps.
“Baby.”He rubs my arms, trying to bring heat to them, before helping me work off the sweatpants.They’re huge.If I hadn’t been so upset, I would’ve been embarrassed to walk through San Esteban like this.Thankfully, the paparazzi parked outside Gage’s building didn’t notice me.I probably don’t look anything like the photo that Nicola was waving around in her video.
Thank fuck all my social media is locked down.I keep it private because I work with teenagers.
By the time I’m naked, the water is ready.Dmitri helps me into the tub, his hands hovering protectively around me in case I slip.
“Dmitri.I’m f-fine, really.”I settle into the bathwater.The tub isn’t very big, but I can stretch out my legs when I sit up.The water feels like it’s burning me, but I know that’s because I was so cold.
He gives me a doubtful look.“I’ll be right back.”
I watch him go, swirling my arms through the too-hot water.I’d felt cold all the way through, like my bones had turned to ice.Now I’m starting to thaw.
