Transition - Delta's Triad

[ 2 ]

[ Rain ]

I shouldn’t have been nervous, but I was. I had done this before even though I hadn’t gone to college. I knew how to do this job, but Adam had been clear about shadowing Wyatt for the next few days. It shouldn’t be that hard to do, but for some reason, Wyatt made me feel on edge. Not in a bad way. Of course, he was sexy as hell and that probably had something to do with it. The man wasn’t that much taller than me, but he was rather muscular with black hair that was kept short and brown eyes that reminded me of dark caramel. His features looked as though they had been perfectly sculptured and I couldn’t find any flaws as I did my best to check him out discreetly. Wyatt had already introduced me to the morning staff members and, luckily, none of them had expected me to talk. Right now, Wyatt was sitting in the office working out this week’s schedule. Adam had already left, although Wyatt had pulled him aside and I desperately wanted to know what was said between the two of them. Clearly, no one had been informed that Josh had been fired. I wasn’t looking forward to meeting the man, since Adam had told me Josh was problematic. I wasn’t sure what that meant, exactly, but I was still uneasy about it. I glanced around the now clean office and wondered if I should offer to do something while he worked. Surely, I should be doing something.

“So, every Monday I work out the schedules for the week,” Wyatt suddenly spoke up and I turned my attention back to him. He was staring at me with such intensity that my heart fluttered. He wasn’t giving me any indication that he was interested, but I did feel drawn to him. Adam, on the other hand, had shown interest. He wasn’t bad looking with his shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes. His build was similar to Wyatt's, and he carried himself with confidence. Wyatt reminded me of someone who was dominant and demanded focused attention. “Rain?” I snapped out of my daze and tried to focus. “How far do you stay from the café?” he asked, and I froze. I wasn’t sure how to respond. Right now, I was simply staying at the closet motel, but I didn’t want to tell him that.

“It’s complicated,” I sighed, and he frowned.

“What’s complicated about where you are living?” he asked and, clearly, he was demanding an answer.

“I haven’t found a place yet,” I admitted, and he looked surprised by that. “I’m working on it,” I hurriedly added.

“Where are you staying right now? At the motel?” I nodded at that, and he sighed rather loudly.

“What’s wrong with the motel?” I asked him curiously. It was nice enough, clean and the walk to the café wasn’t too far.

“Nothing…this town isn’t known for a lot of crimes, but anything could happen. Especially with you working the night shift. Do you have a car?” I felt so small as I studied him. For some reason, he cared about me. I shook my head, both to answer him and to get a grip. Wyatt didn’t care about me. He cared about his fellow employees. “Well, that’s not good,” he said, more to himself than to me, and I shrugged.

“It’s ok,” I said, and he shook his head.

“No, it’s not ok,” he took out his phone and I watched as he took it up to his ear. “Hey…listen, do you by any chance have any more apartments available?” he asked whoever he had called. “Rain is currently staying at the motel, and she doesn’t have a car,” Wyatt had a blank expression on his face. Was he feeling indifferent or was he simply good at hiding his emotions? “Oh,” he suddenly said, and it was my turn to frown. “Um…that would be rather far for her to walk though…”

“What?” I signed but he ignored me as he continued to listen to whoever was on the phone with him.

“No, I don’t think that’s suitable. I could ask the other staff but if push came to shove, she could crash on my couch. It’s a pull-out and it is across the road from the café,” he then said, and my eyes went wide. He was no longer looking at me, so I did my best to be like him and hide my feelings on the subject. “Yes, I’ll let you know. Thank you, Adam,” he then hung up and looked at me. Oh, so he had been talking to Adam. “He had suggested that you could stay in his guest bedroom, but he lives on the other side of town and with you not having a car…well, that would defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it?” I didn’t say anything as I watched him try to figure out a plan.

“This is silly, I am fine at the motel. It is only temporary,” I said. I was feeling rather frustrated with the fact that he felt responsible for my living arrangements.

“No, it’s not fine, Rain. I will ask the staff, but honestly, none of them live within walking distance. My apartment is right across the road, and I have a pull-out couch…” he was making his offer and I wasn’t sure how to respond.

“I’ve just met you,”

“I know, but I won’t hurt you. I promise,”

“Well, that is certainly reassuring,” I signed, and I hoped that he noticed my sarcasm. Wyatt chuckled as he shook his head and stood up.

“Come on, I’ll walk you over and you can see for yourself,” he said as he led me out of the office. The café was buzzing with life, and I smiled as we walked through to the front. I loved the smell of coffee, and I was tempted to stop Wyatt so that I could put in an order. However, he was already outside, and I rolled my eyes as I hurried to catch up. “See?” he said as he pointed up the road and I could see the large apartment building. It looked nice and if I had to take a guess, Adam owned the building. Why else would Wyatt have asked him about any available apartments? I simply nodded as he led me down the road and once, we crossed over, he took out a key and unlocked the main door. I noticed the apartment's buzzer before I followed him inside. The foyer was large with post cubbies on one side and what looked to be a security desk with no one behind it. The floors were tiled with white marble and the walls were painted white. It looked impeccably clean and bright. There were four elevators and, of course, the stairwell that led up to the numerous floors. Wyatt hesitated by the staircase before he headed to the elevator. I wanted to agree that we should take the stairs, but I had no idea what floor he was living on, so I stepped inside the cubicle – which was just as nice as the foyer – and I saw that there were ten floors and he had pressed the tenth button. Good thing we didn’t take the stairs. The doors closed and soft classical music started to play, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. How cliché. By the time the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, I was glad to get out. Being alone with Wyatt was one thing. Being alone with him in an elevator with nothing but classical music to fill the silence had been beyond awkward. The hallway was the same as the foyer with the marbled tiles and white walls. I followed Wyatt down the hallway as he led me to his apartment. “This is it,” he said, as he came to a stop. He took out his key and unlocked the door before he pushed it open, allowing me to enter first. I considered that this could be dangerous, and my anxiety kicked in as I stood frozen to the spot. He hadn’t told anyone we were leaving. He hadn’t told anyone where we were going and, although many had seen me leave with him, they didn’t know me. I saw him reach out and I flinched as I took a step back. Wyatt let his hand drop back to his side and his face was blank as he went inside first. I inched closer and peeked inside. I couldn’t see him anymore and I scolded myself for being silly. What did I think was going to happen to me? I slowly made my way inside and pulled the door somewhat closed behind me. The small doorway held a large mirror against the wall and just below it was a cute little entryway table that held an empty vase and a wooden bowl. The floor was a dark grey carpet, and the walls were painted white with grey detailing. As I walked further inside, I smiled as I saw that the kitchen and sitting room were open plan and it was bright. The large windows gave the room all of its natural light and Wyatt must’ve hit the jackpot with this apartment because the view of the ocean was spectacular. I did notice the balcony, but I wasn’t going to go outside. I was terrified of heights. Wyatt didn’t have much in terms of furniture. The two-seater black couch sat across from a large TV that was mounted on the wall and the coffee table divided the two. The kitchen was rather modern but again, simply furnished with only the necessities. There weren’t any dishes in the sink, although I did notice the dishwasher, and there weren’t any containers on the counters.

“How long have you been living here?” I asked him when he came down the short passage.

“About two months or so,” he said, and I nodded. “I spend a lot of time at work and when I do have some free time, I usually go out,” he looked around the large space but again I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “The couch may be small, but it does pull out and since it is new and barely used…the mattress part should be good,” he didn’t sound very convincing, so I didn’t comment on it. “Although…to be honest, Rain. I would give you my room until you found yourself a place of your own or got yourself a vehicle. Come, let me show you the rest,” the rest was a full bathroom with a toilet, basin, shower, and a corner bath. Simple, elegant, and again, rather empty, and impersonal. His bedroom was big enough for the large king-sized bed that took up most of the room, a dresser, and a cupboard. Again, it was so neat, tidy, and impersonal, that I had to wonder if this was even his apartment. However, as I glanced around the room, I spotted a picture frame on the far nightstand. I had to guess that he probably slept on that side of the bed. If he ever slept. I couldn’t help but walk around the large bed and pick up the picture frame. I immediately spotted Wyatt as he stood with another male and two females. “That’s my mom, Yolanda,” he said, and I hadn’t even realized that he was standing right behind me as he pointed at the older female. “That’s my dad, Bruno, and that’s my cousin, Kayley. Although I consider her my little sister,” his voice was surprisingly filled with love and affection, but when I glanced back to see his face, it was blank. Suddenly I heard a loud bang, and I froze as my mind went crazy. Had he called someone to help him get rid of me? I slowly put down the frame and turned, only to see that Wyatt had left the room. I was terrified and frozen to the spot.