The sun is shining, but I can't feel its warmth as I get into my car to go to work. Sam would have never brought me flowers… but who else would have showed up on my doorstep? I am so not the type to have secret admirers or anything like that… why didn't' they leave a card or something? Honestly, I don't even remember anyone knocking at the door anymore, really. Just terror gripping me…that is really ridiculous. Sam can't find me from jail. There's no way.
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As shitty as the day had started out, my heart lights up when I see Greg standing in the DNA lab, his face focused. I can't help but smile, imprinting the image in my brain. He's the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. I knock softly on the doorframe, and he looks up quickly. Why does he look so hurt?
"Morning, Greg." He just nods, throwing me completely off. "Greg?" He stares blankly, his eyes empty. "What's wrong?"
"I should ask you the same question." I step back.
"What are you talking about?"
"What was with you this morning?"
"What do you mean?"
"I came by to see you and you weren't exactly welcoming." He turns back to the microscope. My face flushes as I remember the flowers, me yelling…
"I'm so sorry Greg… I didn't know that was you, and I-"
"Is someone after you or something?" He looks up at me, his eyes pleading. I have never seen Greg this desperately worried in my life. "I mean, why are you always so tense and worried? You can talk to me, Alexis." And the freaky thing is, I really want to tell him. I've never told anyone besides the police.
"Come over after work, okay? We'll talk, I promise." I want to kiss him, hold him, anything to ease his worries. And while my heart is clenched with nerves and guilt, I can't help but realize no one has ever really cared that much about me. Tears come to my eyes, and I walk away before Greg can see me crying.
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I want to badly to bust Gunnar for the murder, but with no new evidence and some things still being processed, there's not much I can do tonight. When shift is finally over, I've forgotten the whole day, exhausted with frustration.
My door has never looked so welcoming, and I fumble with my key clumsily and shove it in the hole. My living room now seems comforting instead of the closed in dark space it had seemed to be earlier. I immediately collapse on my couch and doze off.
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I can't have been asleep for ten minutes when the door bell rings. Annoyed, I lazily slink to the door and pull it open. Greg is standing there, and I feel self-conscious. I want to run to a mirror and make sure I look okay, but his face is determined and I'm pretty sure he's not here to look at me. I step aside, a silent invitation for him to come on. He does, standing awkwardly, waiting for me to instruct him further.
"Sit down, please." He sits on the couch, his eyes still clouded. I sit next to him, taking his hand in mine. It feels so good just to touch him.
"Now, what's wrong?" we both ask each other at the same time. I grin at him, and he gives me a small smile back.
"You said you'd talk, Alexis." He timidly strokes my hair, staring into my eyes. "Do you still want to?" My stomach clenches again, but Greg means the world to me, and if he asks me to talk… how can I not?
"Yeah, Greg… well, it's not really that big of a deal, really. Um… just… well, when I lived in San Francisco, I was about 19 and I had this really good friend named Sam." I really don't know how to put any of this, and to make matters worse, I'm already starting to cry. Greg wiping my tears away as they fall is only making me feel guilty. "Um… he wanted to date me, but I always told him no because I wasn't in love with him, or anything close. But we used to hang out together because he was fun to be around, sometimes. One night, he asked if he could come over to watch a movie… and I said yes. Sam showed up at my door, but didn't have a movie. He said he figured we could watch one of the ones I had. When I bent over to look through our movies, he attacked me from behind. I tried to fight him off, but he was a lot bigger and stronger than me… he, um… he forced me to the floor and raped me. Then he beat me until I was unconscious and… I really don't know what happened after that. As soon as I woke up, I called the police. They found him a few days later." Tears are flowing down my face… I know I should probably follow up with a happy thought, like how much I'm in love with Greg now, but I can't talk. Greg is holding me close to him, rocking me back and forth, whispering things to me that I can barely hear… truthfully, I'm not listening. He kisses the top of my head. And suddenly, I have the strength to tell him even more, the most important part.
"You're so much different than that, Greg. You know… I've really loved you since the first time I met you. I know that may sound stupid, but I haven't stopped thinking about you since that day." I realize I'm rambling, and I sit still for a moment. "Greg, please say something." I look up at him, and he's smiling gently at me, tears in his eyes.
"Why didn't you just tell me before, Alexis?" He kisses my lips softly, and I smile. "I've felt the same way… I just figured I wasn't good enough for you." Now I kiss him.
"You've always been more than good enough for me." Our lips find each other's again. Greg puts his hands on my lower back, supporting me perfectly. I run my fingers through his hair. His tongue finds its way into my mouth, and I touch the tip of mine to his, giddy with euphoria. I take my hands under his shirt, feeling his strong chest. He parts from me for a moment, staring into my eyes. But I don't want to stop…
"Greg…" I moan softly, nibbling his bottom lip gently. Pressing close to each other, we find our way to the bedroom, exploring each other's bodies.
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I wake up slowly… Greg is staring lovingly at me, his brown eyes sparkling. I smile at him and gently kiss him.
"Morning." He grins back. He is so gorgeous… I was right the first day I met him. Inside and out, Greg Sanders is perfect.
"How long do we have until shift starts?"
"Five hours." I grin into my pillow and roll over, stretching my arms. He kisses me again, and I moan into his lips. My phone is ringing in the living room, but I can hardly hear it. The machine picks up, and a voice flows into the bedroom. I freeze, and Greg, feeling my body tense, stops kissing me and grabs my hand.
"You little slut… did you really think we couldn't find you? You can't hide… they weren't going to keep me in jail forever. I love you, baby, and don't worry… I'll see you real soon." He hangs up, and I can't stop shaking. Greg holds me close, staring wide-eyed towards the living room.
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Sara and Nick arrive within a half an hour. Neither of them comments on the fact that Greg and I are both here together, but Sara does grin mischievously at me. I smile a bit… anything to take my mind off what seems to be happening. Nick checks out my phone while Sara watches.
"It's a blocked call… we can get someone over here to see if they can find out where it was from if you want."
I shake my head.
"No… thanks, you guys, it's probably nothing." I smile at both of them, despite the pit in my stomach. Nick and Sara give each other doubtful glances, but I smile again and reassure them I'm fine.
As soon as they've left, I can see the questioning in Greg's eyes.
"Alexis, why did you do that? Don't you want to find him? What if he hurts you again?"
"What good would it do to find him, Greg? He hasn't done anything to me again. The police can't do anything."
"Alexis, if he hurts you again…" all that childlike joy is gone from Greg's eyes. "I don't know what I'd do."
"I'll be fine, Greg. Really."
"You realize he'll probably kill you if he finds you?"
"Gee thanks for reminding me of that pleasant detail," I tease, rubbing my nose against his. "I need to take a shower and clean up, okay? I'll see you at work. Really, Greg… he's not going to come over today, anyway. I'll be fine." He kisses me, and then lingers close to my body, like he'll never see me again.
"I love you," he yells to me as he slams the door. I'd answer him, but I swear to god I just heard my bedroom window open.
