Catching Red Eyes - NYC

Chapter 79

I woke up to someone next to me. I shifted and saw that it was Laurie. She was quietly sleeping next to me. I felt a stinging in my hand as I got up. I looked down and saw the little cuts in my palm. It was real then. It did all happen. I looked around for my phone and I realized that I didn't have one anymore. I moved to get my MacBook to check the time. It was 7:45 AM. I slept for almost 10 hours. As I was about to shut the computer, my eyes caught a little red bubble on the bottom. It showed 67 new messages and even more missed FaceTime calls.

"Row, you ok?"

I looked up at Laurie and looked down again. My hand was hovering over the little message bubbles.

"Can you delete all these for me and figure out how to block him?" I asked, moving my hand away from the mousepad. My voice felt hoarse and sounded foreign. Laurie came over and took the computer. I made my way into the bathroom to take a shower. I had an hour before I had to be at work so I quickly showered and dressed. I grabbed whatever I saw first and put my hair in a wet bun. Laurie held out a cup of coffee and I took a sip. It was warm on my cold insides.

"Can I fix your hair for you before you go?"

I had no intention of even drying it and I honestly didn't care but I let her do whatever she wanted. I sat in the kitchen and let her dry and style it. I sipped on my coffee and stared off into whatever space I found fit. I heard a knock on the door and just moved my eyes to it. I had no emotion or reaction to much anymore.

"Oh, hey Marsh. She's almost ready."

"I was coming to check to make sure she was doing ok. I tried calling because I wasn't sure if she was taking a personal day."

I got off the chair, grabbed my bag, and a pair of sunglasses. "I'm ready."

"Row, wait. I am sure you can call Marc and explain. I know they will understand."

"No. I'll be home later," I said, walking past them. I hooked my headphones in to my ears and turned it all the way up. I didn't care what was playing, I just wanted to shut the world off. Marsh quickly signaled to someone who ran up to us and parted the seas of photographers. I put my sunglasses on, put my head down, and walked to the SUV. It felt like slow motion as the cameras flashed and they were all yelling over each other but I didn't hear anything as the music blasted in my ears.

Marsh opened the back door and the overwhelming smell of roses hit me in the face. Without missing a beat, I pulled them all out and threw them on the ground. The cameras flashed even more as I pulled every last one of them out and threw them on the road. I pulled myself in and sat down. Marsh shut the door and got in on the driver's side. The other bodyguard was sitting in the passenger's seat. I watched them exchange looks as they buckled in. I rested my head on the seat and I knew my music was still too loud but I didn't care.

The drive was mundane and the slew of cameras didn't let up when we stopped in front of M&G. Marsh pushed back the glass doors and I finally pulled out my headphones as I walked inside.

"Ms. Emerson?"

I turned to face Marsh. He handed me a note and then left. I looked down at the note and recognized Harry's handwriting. My hands shook as I walked behind Maddy's desk and turned on the paper shredder and watched the note turn into tiny ribbons. I knew everyone in the office was watching me.