Billionaires, Bad Boys, and Alpha Males by Kelly Favor, Locklyn Marx Page A

paper-thin
walls.  
    “I’m coming back,
that’s all you need to know,” he was saying, as Caelyn blearily opened her
eyes.
    She saw that she had
to get ready for work anyway, so she sat up and tried to piece her thoughts
together.  
    Elijah’s pillow and
blanket were lying in a messy pile on the floor.   She felt sadness well up inside her at
the sight of it.   She’d wanted him
next to her last night.   She wanted
to be talking and cracking jokes with him right now, instead of this.
    Hearing him say he
was ‘coming back’ sent a chill down her spine. Did he mean back to Boston, back
to those bad friends he’d been alluding to?
    “Give me a couple of
days,” Elijah said.   “Don’t worry
about it.   Just tell them what I
told you.   No, this last part.”   He laughed, but it wasn’t the same laugh
she was used to—it was bitter.   “Yeah.   I just got caught up
in some stupid shit, brother.   I’ll
hit you up later when I’m on the road.”
    A moment later, the
doorknob turned and he re-entered the room, slowing down when he saw she was
awake.  
    “Hey,” she said,
softly.
    “Hey.”   He looked at her.   “You sleep well?”
    “I guess.   You?”
    He shrugged.   “Doesn’t matter.   I’ll be okay.”
    What did that even
mean?   What did any of it mean?   She was so frustrated, she wanted to
scream at him.   But somehow, she couldn’t
find the words.  
    She was scared that
he was leaving Florida and going back to Boston.   She was scared that she’d never see him
smile again, hear him laugh, feel his fingers stroking her hair.  
    But she was also
scared to tell him any of those things, because ever since last night he’d been
unreachable.   He seemed angry and
distant, like he was finished with her for some reason.
    “I guess I’m going to
shower and get ready for my first day at the restaurant,” she said,
smiling.   “What about you?”
    He bent down and
picked up the pillow and blanket, tossed them on the bed.   “Guess I’m going to hit the road.”
    Her stomach
dropped.   “Where to?”
    “Don’t know just
yet.”
    “Boston?”
    He glanced at
her.   “Maybe.”
    “I thought you said
you needed to get away from…bad influences.”
    “Maybe I did.   Maybe I’m going back anyway.”   His eyes met her as if challenging her
to say something to sway him.
    She wanted to tell
him that he should stay, that she wanted to see him again.   But she got afraid once more.   The truth was, he didn’t want to stay
and she couldn’t bear to hear him say it to her face.
    So she just smiled
again.   “Will I see you when I get
out of the shower or are you just going to—“
    “Nah, I should get an
early start,” he said, cutting her off.   “You take care, though.”
    She felt tears spring
to her eyes and turned away, moving toward the bathroom.   “Have a nice trip, Elijah,” she muttered,
as she closed the bathroom door and heard him readying his things.
    She didn’t shower for
long—maybe five or ten minutes.   And then she got out of the bathroom fast, hoping to catch him before he
left.   But he must have been more intent
to get out of there without seeing her.  
    She stepped out of
the bathroom and found the room key sitting alone on the table with a
handwritten note next to it.  
    I paid for an extra night in case that other room
doesn’t work out.
    -Elijah.
    She sat on the chair
and read it, feeling the ink on her fingertips.   Tears were rolling down her face.   She wished she could have at least
gotten his phone number or something.  
    Now she knew she’d
never see him again.
     
    ***
     
    Something strange
happened when she got into work.
    The waitress who had
introduced her to Kenzie was working behind the bar, setting out freshly dried
glasses.   When she saw Caelyn walk
into the restaurant, she grinned widely.   “Hey, you.”
    “Hey,” Caelyn
said.  
    “Ready for your first
day?”
    “As ready as I can
be.   A little