RONNELL POVThe rain drummed a relentless pace on the windowpane, mimicking the frantic beat of my heart. Blair's email echoed in my mind, a constant loop of brief sentences. Every second Blair's response lingered in my inbox felt like a drip of ice down my spine. My desk drawer, a neat stack of her handwritten schedules mocked me with their perfect clarity. Each word, each number, a testament to her carefulness. It wasn't until Roy's schedule, a scrawled mess of crossed-out lines and incomprehensible numbers, landed on my desk that I truly noticed Blair's perfect handwriting. Now, counting Roy's mistakes felt like a crime.His words were written roughly and I could hardly understand. I had a feeling of wrongness I hadn't able to shake. And Blair had been no help at all. She had taken far too long to respond to a simple email, and when she finally did, it had been to back Roy up. So, I was either going insane or Roy was definitely not competent with his work. If this was some sort
RONNELL POV"This is what happened," I began, launching into a detailed account of hiring Blair and her initial attainment. "Ella had recommended her, and let me tell you, Blair was impressive. She brought in new clients, kept my schedule running like clockwork..." My voice trailed off as I picked up one of the notes, the white a contrast to the unrest brewing inside me. "I don't know why you still do that," he finally interjected, his voice low and serious. "The schedule thing. It's a crutch, a way to control everything. You need to let go of some of that power,”"I don't think I can because it works for me," I snapped, a touch of defensiveness creeping into my voice. "Everything runs smoothly, efficiently. And that isn't the entire point of this discussion, William."There was a beat of silence, then a sigh from the other end of the line. "Look," William said, his voice calm but firm. "I understand you have your system. But can you please just get to the point? What did you find?”
RONNELL POVI pulled up in front of Blair's house and parked at the driveway. I had never been here before. From the background check I had done on her, I had known that she owned a home, but I hadn't let myself look any further into her. Nor had I come up with a reason to drop by on an evening or weekend despite repeated temptation. Blair lived in a two-story craftsman. Its modest exterior provided little hint from the outside. There wasn't a landscape, a crumbling porch, painting chopping off the rails and trim. The windows couldn't have done much to regulate the temperature. They had to be at least forty years old, and only half had a screen on them. This surprised me because I had never thought of Blair in this way but her house was a bit of a wreck.The neighborhood was all right. At least she wasn't in imminent danger of being shot or mugged when she stepped outside. There were no cars in the driveway, so I wasn't certain that she was home.I reached for the doorbell but hesi
BLAIR POVConfined to my tiny room – or sometimes Nathan's – cabin fever had finally set in. Today, desperate for a change of room, I'd dragged some blankets downstairs to pad the rough concrete floor. Nathan's play mat bestowed a small comfort amidst the wreckage of the apartment.Of course, today of all days, Ronnell decides to show up. He crouched beside my son, his large frame dwarfing Nathan's tiny one while peering at him as he windmilled his arms and kicked his feet happily. He hadn't said anything, so maybe the sight of my precious son had blinded him to the wreckage surrounding him. “Hello big guy,” he rumbles softly. “I'm glad that we get to see,” I moved around them so I could see what he was doing. But instead, Nathan clutched his index finger in his little fist, and he didn't seem in a hurry to rip his hands away from him. Nathan was a curious little creature, but he was gazing up at Ronnell, his eyes wider than I had ever seen them before. “He doesn't usually put up w
RONNELL POVMy hands wrapped around the steering wheel, knuckles turning white as my grip tightened. I'd intended to pull away from Blair's… well, it was hard to call that place a house. But here I was, still parked in the driveway. Anyone else in this situation, I'd have bounced. Her living conditions weren't my concern.As long as she showed up for work on time and churned out perfect reports, that was all that mattered. I didn't need to know the details of her life.But Blair… Blair was different. Seeing her like that, with Nathan in that trashed apartment… it stirred something in me, something I couldn't quite define. Maybe it was the vulnerability in her eyes, so different from the steely professionalism she wore at work.The image of Nathan, his chubby hand clutching my finger, flashed in my mind. A surprising warmth bloomed in my chest. It was ridiculous. Kids weren't part of the plan. Yet, there he was, a tiny human who, for some inexplicable reason, had made me happy. A sigh
BLAIR POVCrisp wind nips at my fingers, but I won't give in just yet. I knew that I didn't have to live with Ronnell. Then again, I also don't need to have a baby or go bankrupt. Yet, boom---here I was. My life was full of surprises, even for me. Just a few months ago, I couldn't have imagined this. I would have laughed at Ronnell's demand to move in with him. But those few months have been a nightmare of worry, sleepless nights, racing thoughts, and chewed-down fingernails.I was exhausted. Tired of fighting a battle I already knew that I couldn't win. Tired of being the only one in my town. Just fucking tired of everything. I had never known what it was like to feel this much exhaustion to my bones until now. This entire weariness had started seeping in when Smith had shoved all responsibility to me and I understood that he had never shown up, not even for Nathan.The thing was, I had known I shouldn't have been living in that house under those conditions, but I had been so heavy
BLAIR POV“Hey, are you okay?” Ronnell asked patting on my shoulder, but his hands right there on my shoulder didn't seem to help matters as I choked on my cough even more. He strolled towards the fridge in a hurry still clutching Nathan in his hands, and soon, he was back with a bottle of water which he handed over to me. “Forgive my bad manners!” He said while Nathan kicked his legs and stared up at him like he had just seen the best friend of his life. His big blue eyes were fascinated, locked on Ronnell and hardly even blinking. I took another bite from my beef dumplings and wiped my mouth. “You're good at holding babies. Have you been around many?”He shook his head before speaking. “Nope, this is the first one.” He dragged his fingertips along Nathan's cheek. “And I did some reading on that subject.”From anyone else, that would have honestly sounded very silly but I knew this man. Ronnell Roman didn't do anything unless he knew every damn angle before going in. When I thought
BLAIR POVWhen Nathan and I finally made our way downstairs the following morning, the house was eerily quiet. As usual, Ronnell had left early, but he’d also left me pancakes on a plate on the kitchen counter, along with a note and a card.I gently picked the note off, before reading the contents.°°°°°Blair, There's youghut, milk and juice in the freezer and groceries will be delivered at 12 p.m. I had no idea about what you would love to have, so I ordered almost everything you might need. You can make a list for I had made a mistake of not asking what you might really need. I have a dinner to attend tonight, so unfortunately I won't be back early before dinner to eat with you. I left a list of restaurants where I have a tab if you like to order. The card pin is 4233.You are welcome to stay here as long as you want.Yours, Ronnell°°°°°°°I walked towards the fridge, and not only was there yoghurt, milk, and juice but right beside it was an iced cocoa from my favourite cafe. H