Chapter 21 - The kiss.
965 Words
Chante
I was woken by my mother’s screams in the middle of the night, but before I could even make it there, I heard Freddie stirring. He brought us a glass of water as soon as I woke my mother and I found myself grateful to have him there. His words instantly soothed both me and my mom and, before long, she was fast asleep again. As I walked into the kitchen, I realized there was no way I would be able to fall asleep again, and I was out like a light before my mom’s nightmare ripped through our quiet night.
“Chante, you are going to have to give both yourself and your mother time. Cat might not have physically harmed the two of you much, but you’ve been through huge trauma.” He sighed behind me and I felt the tears burn the back of my eyes. As I turned around, he pulled me into his arms and the tears just flowed. It was completely inappropriate, but I didn’t care. It was completely unprofessional, but I didn’t even want to think about it. He stood there holding me until my tears finally dried up and reason finally returned to my overwhelmed mind. I wiped away the tears from my cheeks with my sleeve, feeling incredibly awkward!
“I’m sorry. Thank you.” I stumbled over my words, not entirely sure what to say or do next.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize.” He lifted my chin with his index finger and as our eyes met, my entire world shifted into a new orbit. I could see what I was feeling reflecting in his eyes, along with a multitude of other emotions. It was as if the air was pushing us together, and before I could stop, our lips touched. My mind was screaming for me to stop and that this shouldn’t be happening, but as soon as his hands slipped further down, and he pressed my lower body against his, all reason disappeared.
I melted against him for only a moment, but once again, reason returned, and we almost jumped apart. Both apologizing as if it was our fault, I disappeared into my room before anything else could happen. It wasn’t just inappropriate! It was completely against the rules! We could both lose our jobs! I got into bed and lay there while my mind ran wild until I heard the birds singing outside.
Freddie
I was in shock, to say the least. I sat on the couch all night trying to figure out how the hell I was going to get myself out of this mess! What happened between us was clearly because of the circumstances, but it put both of us in a very uncomfortable situation. We eventually had to work together again. I considered leaving, but I couldn’t. I promised I would be there for them, and I was a man of my word. When I heard Chante’s door slowly open, I jumped up and rushed to the kitchen.
“Hi, I was just about to make some coffee and breakfast.” Neither of us could look at the other.
“Hi, that’s not necessary. I’m sure you need to get back home.” The tension between us was so thick that it felt as if I couldn’t breathe, and I stopped and looked at her.
“Can we start over?” I sighed. I could see that she still couldn’t look at me. “Chante, it’s been one of the toughest things we’ve all been through. I’m sure that you and I can start over and move on from our mistake.” I sighed. I didn’t want to lose her. Not Chante the woman. I didn’t want to lose my rookie because of one emotionally charged moment. She turned to look at me. Relief flooded her face as she visibly relaxed and nodded.
We will never be able to forget what happened between us, but we can agree not to let it happen again and to move on from it. We moved around each other while making coffee and breakfast and were just done setting the table when her mom joined us. After breakfast, I left them, so I could at least grab some clean clothes at home. After that kiss, I wasn’t so sure if I should move in with them anymore.
But I would stay at their place for a while at least. I wanted them to feel safe. Both of them.
Chante
We had come to an agreement, but my heart didn’t get the message. As soon as he left, I felt weird. I felt anxious. I tried to convince myself that it was because of what my mom and I had been through, but my heart didn’t agree. Had I fallen for my training officer? When did that happen? How did it happen? Was it even possible? It couldn’t happen! I couldn’t allow my heart to feel what it was feeling! While he was gone, I kept telling myself that it was a one-time thing. By the time he walked through the door, I was convinced I had gotten rid of everything I was feeling … Until he walked through the door.
Freddie didn’t hesitate to pay the ransom. He didn’t hesitate to come after me and mom and save us. He didn’t insist on staying with us until we felt safe in our own home. He was a good man. It was no wonder I had fallen so hard for my training officer. He was everything I thought my father was for all those years. Freddie was a real-life hero. A gentleman!
I had to get my feelings under control fast, or they were going to ruin my entire future!
- Writer
