Chapter 10
After Christie got home, she went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her makeup was slightly smudged and her hair was starting to frizz. She got a washcloth and ran the water in the sink until it was hot. She scrubbed all the makeup off and then took a shower. After she changed into her coziest pajamas, she sat and brushed out her hair in the chair by the window. She thought about how Joe had tried to kiss her and cringed.
"Erik was right, I did get attention because I looked different…" she muttered to herself. It was fairly late, but she knew he would be up for hours. She dug her phone out of her purse and turned it on. She had three messages from Erik.
-How is the party?
-Did you get home alright?
-Did something happen? Are you ok?
Christie felt bad for not texting sooner.
-The party was fine, I got home alright. -
She hit send, and then waited for a reply. She didn't have to wait long, he always texted her back quickly.
-Only fine? -
-I mean, it was fun and all, but it wasn't really my scene-
-Did something happen? -
-Lol, it was fine! I really just wanted to get home and wash all that makeup off-
-Speaking of all that, how did people react to your new look? -
Christie hesitated in her reply, she couldn't tell him about Joe. Erik was already prone to freaking out.
-Umm, they were surprised, I guess. They said that they almost didn't recognize me-
-You did look a lot different. Did anyone try anything? -
Christie felt like he could read her like a book and that she just couldn't keep a secret from him, he was too astute, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth either, at least not about this.
-No, it was fine. -
Was all she could say. He didn't respond for a few minutes, which worried her even more. She walked over to her bed where she had tossed her red dress. She ran her hand over the smooth material. She picked it up and put it into her hamper. She put her shoes into her closet. She took the stick of mascara that she had bought at Meg's request, because apparently you can share all makeup except for that. She took it over to the trash, sure that she would never use it again, but then thought better of it. She put it on a shelf in the bathroom, just in case. She turned the lights out, checked that the door was locked and got into bed. Her phone still hadn't buzzed and she didn't want to dig a deeper hole for herself, so she tried not to think about Erik and went to bed.
The next Monday at work, people were still talking about the party. When Christie walked in and saw Joe, she looked down feeling awkward, and when she glanced up at him, she saw that he hadn't even acknowledged her. She sat down and Meg popped her head into her cubicle.
"You doing ok?" Christie nodded and tried to smile reassuringly. Meg looked over at Joe with contempt.
"What a pig." She murmured and turned away. Christie sighed, she could move past what happed with Joe, but she also felt like people were looking at her differently.
She went about her day as usual, making several sales. At lunch, the only thing out of the ordinary was the way Ralph was treating her. He was actually trying to talk to her for once; he seemed to be shifting his attention away from Meg. Not completely, but enough so that even Tatiana and Sylvia noticed.
That night, after work, Christie rode the elevator down to the basement instead of getting off at the first floor with everyone else. Erik was waiting for her when the doors opened, just as he always was. He stepped in to the elevator and looked down at Christie as she pressed the button for the first floor. She kept her eyes down and she could feel the tension build as they rode up in silence. When the doors opened and they stepped out, they walked down the hall and turned towards the main exit. Joe was standing by the doors, looking around, as if waiting for someone. Christie stopped, and then felt Erik grab her hand and yank her back around the corner. They knew that Joe had seen them and they could hear him walking over.
"Run." Erik whispered to Christie. They turned and raced back down the hall that they had just come down. Expecting to get back into the elevator, Christie began to slow as they neared it.
"No, this way." Erik said and pulled her to get her running again as he led her past the elevator and made a left turn down a darkened hallway. When they got to the end, they turned right and Christie could see, clear down at the end, a door that led outside. When they reached it, Erik threw it open and they ran through.
Christie looked around; they were at the back of the building, facing the empty parking lot. He pulled her along the side of the building, their shoes slapping the pavement was the only sound. They finally stopped in an alleyway, right near the exit to the street. They stood listening as their breathing slowed. They stood there for close to a minute.
"We must have lost him." Christie whispered. Erik hadn't let go of her hand and she didn't try to pull away.
"Why was he waiting for you?" He asked her, keeping his voice forcefully controlled. She could feel him glowering down at her.
"What makes you think he was waiting for me?" She asked, trying to dodge the question. He stared at her. She couldn't bring herself to look up at him. "…He must have just wanted to ask me something about work…" He seemed to relax, and then sighed.
"Why won't you tell me? What are you hiding?" He said gently, but with an undertone of something that made her shiver despite the cold. She didn't say anything or look up at him and shuffled her feet. He sighed again, obviously exasperated. He lifted her chin with his free hand angling her face up to his. "It's ok." He said tenderly. "I won't ask anymore." She smiled up at him gratefully and he chuckled. "Come on; let's get you out of the cold." He said and looked out onto the street, checking one last time. He let go of her hand and started walking. She caught up to him and they walked side by side. Their silence was no longer strained and when they got to Christie's house, she gave him a hug. He always seemed surprised when she initiated any kind of physical contact. She let go of him and stepped up so that she was almost eye level with him. She leaned forward quickly and kissed him on the cheek. He stiffened as she pulled away.
"Thank you." She said.
"For what?"
"For always walking me home, and for making me feel safe."
"I want you to always feel safe." He whispered sincerely. After a moment he took a step back. "I should go, it's getting late." He turned and began walking down the steps. Christie watched him go. She wished that he wouldn't leave, but she couldn't make him stay if he didn't want to. She went inside and ate her T.V. dinner and tried in vain to decipher all his cryptic behavior.