The Falling (Brightest Stars, #1)(57)

“Not true,” she said. “Here. Look at the schedule.” She pointed to the name scribbled on the little blue line that said “10:00”

“Did someone move their appointment? I can’t read this,” I said to Mali.

The bell dinged behind me, and Mali turned to address the customer in her sweetest voice.

“Mikael? For an hour deep-tissue at ten? That you?”

I nearly choked on the air when I turned around and saw Kael.

Sure enough, there he was, wearing a gray T-shirt and joggers. They were black, tight on his legs, with a big Nike swoosh on the thigh. He looked exhausted, or hungover. Like I was.

“Kael,” I said, as if I had to tell myself that he was actually standing there.

“Hey,” he replied.

Hey?

Was he here to talk to me? Or to get a massage? Both?

It was all too much.

He waited patiently while I collected myself and checked his name off the schedule. I stared at Mali until she walked away reluctantly and with a smirk imprinted on her face. I looked at Kael and felt the tape of the last twenty-four hours unwind.

I didn’t like him, I told myself. That addiction stuff was nonsense. It was just that it had been a while since I’d been in close contact with the male species, so of course he was getting inside my head. I was lonely, that was all. Everybody got lonely. It was only natural.

“Right this way.” My voice was cool, professional. He wasn’t the only one who could be aloof. I pulled the curtain back to enter my room, and as I did, Elodie popped up around the corner, a little French jack-in-the-box.

“Hello!” she said, her voice high and cheery. She scared the hell out of me, and I jumped away from Kael.

“I left before you woke up. I had—” She stopped talking when she saw who was with me.

“Kael? Hello!” She double-kissed his cheeks and I moved out of their way. In fact, I leaned my back against the wall. An appropriate metaphor, I thought.

“Elodie. Hi.”

They talked for a moment, good-natured casual conversation. But when he put his hands on her elbows—a friendly and completely appropriate gesture—I felt a wave of anger swell. That’s when I knew I had completely lost my mind.

“I’m really hungry all the time. I can’t seem to gobble down enough food.” She laughed as she said this. Kael gave her a faint smile, and I found myself secretly pleased that it wasn’t the big smile he’d given me—the one I couldn’t get out of my head. Yep. Mind was lost.

“Well, I’ll see you around,” Elodie said, and made her way back to Mali.

I walked into the room without even looking at Kael. I was usually more polite to clients; I would never turn my back on them. But I did now. Let him follow behind me. Let him feel what it’s like to see someone’s back disappear through a door.





CHAPTER FORTY




The room was dark, so I lit a few candles. It was one of those small tasks that helped me ease into the day. Almost a ritual. Mali had a couple of those Bic automatic lighters in each room, but I preferred matches. I loved the scratch as you ran the match head over the striking surface, the tiny little explosion that brought the flame to life. So much better than the nervous click, click, click of those lighters.

I was aware of Kael, standing just inside the doorway. He might have been evaluating his escape route or maybe even considering a quick getaway. Who knew? I ignored him as I lit the candles. Almond, from Bath & Body Works. Yes, I knew the scent came from chemicals, but like most people, I couldn’t splurge on the organic ones.

“I’ll come back in a couple of minutes, give you some time to undress,” I said, but he pulled his shirt off as I made to leave, so I didn’t get a chance. I exhaled a small harrumph to express my displeasure, then turned around to face the wall. I could sense the tight movements of his shoulder muscles as he lifted his shirt over his head.

“I could have gone out.”

“I only need to take my shoes and shirt off,” he told me.

He was still a client, regardless of whatever this was.

I stared at my dark purple wall and tried to imagine it navy. I was still undecided on what color to paint it, but yesterday Mali had finally approved changing the wall color—for my room only—so that was a win for this crazy week. The clean, masculine aroma of the candle was working its way through the room, and I felt my breathing slow. I stared into the flame until I heard the table creak and the soft pull of the sheet. I counted to ten once he stopped moving.

“Same pressure as before?” I asked. He was lying there on the table faceup, his stomach exposed. The thin blanket and sheet were pulled up only to his hips.

He nodded. Great. Back to this. His eyes were open, following me around the room.

“Usually I start with the back, which means that the client lies on his stomach,” I told him.

“The client,” he said. “Right. That’s me.” Kael turned over and rested his head in the face cradle. I grabbed a hot towel from the warming cabinet and tried to think about him simply as my first appointment of the day—but who was I kidding, he was more than that. Was he playing some kind of game with me, being present one moment, gone the next? It sure felt like he was. Yet another reason I stay away from dating, and men in general. I couldn’t keep up with the games, I wasn’t good at them.