Page 23 of Unravel Me

“Do you know how to use a dolly?” She glances up at me, still clearly reserved, but I swear to god, my knees buckle.

Chapter fourteen

Audrey

Islyly wick the sweat off my brow as Rhett strolls into the lobby, pushing the dolly ahead of me. His baseball cap sits low on his head, his hair curling up under it, and he takes up a lot of space in the lobby. Not only because he’s jacked. It’s the way Rhett commands a presence that I can’t quite decipher. I’m not sure what was making my stomach churn more at the moment; that I would now be returning to my apartment with Rhett in tow—or as Penny referred to him, Red the Prick—or the fact that for the last few days, I have been truly bothered by a girlfriend who never existed.

The made-up girlfriend of a man who wasn’t mine.

I want to dunk my head in cold water and promptly hide inside the utility closet for eternity, but instead I steel my stomach, and trail behind Rhett into the elevator like nothing was wrong. Like my life lately wasn’t a rollercoaster.

“So, getting out of dodge, huh?” he asks as I hit the number six button.

“Come again?”

Rhett chuckles, readjusting his hands on the dolly, my eyes drawn to them. Ten minutes ago, I never wanted to see his face again. Now, watching his hands wrap around the handle, I could barely compose a thought.

“Are you leaving town?” he clarifies, but I shake my head.

“Oh, no. Not yet at least. I’m moving in with my friend temporarily.”

“Penny?”

I tilt my head. “You remember her name?”

“I remember everything,” he remarks, and it sends a tickle down my spine.

The elevator dings and there stands Penny in my doorway, with a strained look on her face as she struggles with an enormous box. As soon as she notices the tall drink of water behind me, she stops wrangling the box and silently mouths what the fuck to me.

Gritting my teeth in warning, I shake my head ever so slightly.

“Look who I ran into outside,” I muse, smiling at them both.

Penny tilts her head, daggers aimed at Rhett. “How convenient. And odd.”

“Rhett offered to help us move some boxes down.” I pointedly give Penny a ceasefire look.

“Wow, how generous of you. What a true gentleman. Helping all women, everywhere—ouch, Audrey!” Pinching her arm, I nudge her back into my apartment, beckoning Rhett to follow.

“We are going to continue taping up some boxes in here, if you want to take the boxes from the hallway down to my car.”

Rhett nods, scanning the inside of my apartment.

“Do you have another moving truck coming?” he asks, and I stop fidgeting, gazing up as he leans to peer down the corridor into the kitchen.

“No, just my SUV. Why?” I bite my lip.

“Your place is pretty big. I just wasn’t sure what all you were taking,” he adds, and I nod. Because I understand exactly what he is saying and probably know what he is thinking. This apartment is enormous, and full of stuff. The built-ins that frame the fireplace are full of decor, gathered treasures from travels, and books. None of it’s packed. None of it’s coming.

“Actually, I’m only taking what’s already packed up in the living room.”

Rhett nods now, scanning the haphazardly placed row of my belongings lining the living room. I had plans to organize and label everything.

It was extremely unlike me to just throw shit in a box and call it done. Jackson would’ve never allowed us to pack our own stuff to begin with—it was beneath him. And my parents, well, they would be appalled at my ‘careless’ way of living right now, too.

But there wasn’t a roadmap for this period in my life. I’ve never had to start over, and I'm beginning to think maybe this is how it always feels. Like you're flying and drowning all at once. Like you don’t even know who you are.

“Alright then, I’ll just start here.” He smiles, grabbing a few boxes, stacking them on the dolly, and I hand him my car keys.