Reed packed his bag and hoped Christie would still be interested in seeing him when he got back.
It wasn’t easy dating or being in a relationship with a SEAL. And last minute missions like these went with the territory.
He’d planned to talk about that, now that they’d become intimate, and he knew this was going somewhere. That is, at least if she could handle being with a SEAL. Not every woman could.
* * *
Christie lookedat her phone for the fourth time that evening, wishing Reed would call.
She really wanted to see him again. Didn’t he want to see her? She hadn’t heard from him yet, and it had been two weeks since their last date. Maybe he wasn’t as interested in her as she’d thought. It could be confusing dating some men, but Reed hadn’t seemed like that.
With a sigh, she put down her book, ignored her phone, and clicked off her lamp before curling over to go to sleep. It wasn’t quite midnight on a Friday night, and here she was at home, lonely and starting to feel sorry for herself. It was easier to just go to sleep than to keep thinking.
While asleep, she heard a strange noise in the other room, which woke her. She had to lie very still, listening.
Someone is moving in the other room. Who could it be? The person who’d been breaking into cars in the neighborhood? Oh my God, I bet that’s him. What if he has a knife or a gun?
She reached for her cellphone and dialed Reed. He didn’t pick up, but his answering message did. She whispered into the phone, “Reed, someone is in my house. In the other room. I don’t know what to do.”
The sounds were getting nearer. She pulled the phone under the covers and placed it face down so the light wouldn’t show. Turning the phone to mute, it would now be silent, and Reed would be able to hear.
The door to her room started to open.
Frozen in her bed, Christie waited for what would happen next. Her heart raced.
Maybe he’ll think I’m asleep. I just won’t move.
Just as she closed her eyes, the door to her room started to open.
