Closest To My Heart

Chapter Sixteen

Strolling idly along the sidewalk, Maggie took a deep breath of fresh morning air and considered the possibilities of the day ahead. She could go back to the empty apartment and have a nice, long yoga practice, followed by a hearty breakfast. Or she could park herself in front of the television and watch cheesy chick-flicks all day long.

Or I could take a nap, she thought. Yes, a nap would be heavenly right about now!

Maggie sighed, turning a corner and dragged her feet down the sidewalk leading to her brother's building. Nearly three-and-a-half days had passed since The Kiss, during which her life had become a calculated series of lies, half-truths, and other means of subterfuge, and it was exhausting. Exhausting, but necessary, because there was no way she could allow herself to be alone with Tag Vitale. He wanted to "talk", and who knew where that was going to lead? She'd been talking to him that day on the mountain, and look at the mess they were in! So no, she wouldn't be talking to Tag about anything more important than the weather, and under no circumstances would she allow herself to be alone with him! Eventually, he'd give up and let it go.

Or so she hoped. For the time being, he showed no intention of giving up or letting it go, and even with the buffer of her brother between them, Maggie could sense Tag's mounting frustration. It was obvious that he was waiting for the right moment to confront her about what had taken place between them, and that was a discussion that Maggie intended to avoid at all costs. She hurried straight from her bed to the shower every morning, and then hustled off to a fictitious morning yoga class immediately thereafter, returning to the apartment only when she knew the coast was clear. If Tag was home, she'd spend the day wandering through the shops downtown, or at the library, or at the farmer's market. She'd taken to eating dinner in front of the television with the volume booming, and retired to bed each night before sunset. But once she was in bed, Maggie would lay wide-awake, staring at the wall with a mixture of dread and anticipation, waiting to see if Tag would come. And he always did. No matter how frustrated he was, no matter how cold or stony his demeanor—or hers—had been during the day, he would still steal in after dark to lie down beside her while she pretended to be asleep. But there was no harm in that, right? He stayed on top of the covers while she lay underneath, and it wasn't as if they were naked, for heaven's sake! Plus, it seemed to alleviate his chronic insomnia, and Maggie found it comforting to listen to the slow, steady sound of his breathing as he drifted off to sleep. As for what took place after he was asleep, well, that was simply—

Nothing! Maggie told herself, heaving open the door to her brother's building. It's nothing. It doesn't mean anything.

Bounding up the stairs to the second floor, Maggie shook off all thoughts of Tag, eagerly anticipating the day ahead, because it would be different than the three days before. On this day, she wouldn't have to while away the daytime hours at the library or a café, waiting until it was safe to go home. Sean was off doing a story somewhere, and Maggie had overheard Tag say that he had an out-of-town shoot, and wouldn't be back until late that night. She took the last two steps in one leap and fit her key in the lock, looking forward to the first peaceful moments she'd had in days. Maggie swung the door open and froze just over the threshold.

"Back so soon?" Tag inquired, perched on the arm of the sofa with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I, uh..." Maggie sputtered, struggling to regain her bearing. "What are you doing here? I thought you had a shoot today."

"And I thought you had a yoga class," he countered.

"It, uh... it was cancelled."