Guarding Rory by R. Handler

Author:R. Handler [Handler, R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

We were the only car in the driveway when we pulled in, which meant Bex and Wren were still at their house. They’d promised to stop by later in the morning for mimosas and brunch, but they must’ve decided to sleep in.

We walked into the house, the front door already unlocked, to find Ames smiling up at her fiancé, arms wrapped around his waist as he attempted to make coffee behind her back. They were always the picture of bliss, the two of them equally obsessed with each other, and the sight had a slight pang echoing in my chest.

“Happy wedding day!” Ames called when she saw us, untangling herself from Alex’s embrace to give the two of us hugs. She pulled back with a frown as she eyed our outfits. “Are you seriously going to work out?”

“Can’t let myself go now that I found a wife, A,” Dev told her with a laugh, pulling me closer to his side as he patted what I knew were abs underneath his t-shirt. “We’ll fit in a quick workout before Wren and Bex even get out of bed.”

“Have fun,” Ames waved us off over her shoulder, going back to Alex’s side as we made our way down into the basement.

The home gym had become a place of comfort over these past two weeks. It was somewhere I could get out some of the excess anxiety that still occasionally bubbled underneath my skin. I could jump on the treadmill instead of running away, push my muscles until they were too tired to tense, spar with Dev to prove to myself that I’d gotten smarter, better at fighting off those that could come after me.

The wall of mirrors allowed me to see my progress, the slight definition in the muscles of my arms and legs after daily workouts over the past couple of weeks. The improvement in my form, the way the weights I lifted now were a few pounds heavier than those on that first day Dev brought me down here.

But mostly, I liked the gym because it gave me the opportunity to watch Dev. It had become an obsession, attempting to watch him when he wasn’t looking. It felt appropriate, considering he had months to observe me before I ever knew his name. Besides, eavesdropping was something I’d grown adept at in my childhood, observing others to get to know them the only way I could. No one knew who I truly was, so I wanted to know everything about others. And the best way to do that was by watching.

At home, I saw how he moved about the space, how he seemed less familiar with some aspects of the house. The way he was surprised when certain doors squeaked, as if he had spent little time there. How he consciously took louder steps now, after I’d startled the first few times he’d inadvertently snuck up behind me. But when we were at home, I just saw Dev at home. Comfortable, casual, his usually happy-go-lucky self.

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