Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 91840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
He must have been exhausted if he fell asleep before he could even light his cigarette.
He looks so adorable. I’m tempted to snap a picture, but that would be super creepy.
I gently remove the cigarette from his mouth and the lighter from his open palm. I put the cigarette back in the pack, which is on the sofa beside him.
God knows where he got that pack of cigarettes. He probably has boxes stashed all over his apartment. He’d need to with the way he smokes.
I leave them next to him in case he wants a smoke when he wakes up.
I grab a blanket off the other sofa and lay it over him, covering him up.
Then, I head to the kitchen, thinking I’ll cook some food, ready for when he wakes up.
Only I open the fridge, and it’s empty, except for bottled water, beer, and what looks to be an old carton of Chinese food.
I try the freezer and get vodka and ice cream.
I look in the cupboards, and they’re bare, except for chips, cookies, and peanut butter.
Does this guy not eat?
Looks like I need to go to the store.
I grab a bottle of water and head back into the living area.
I put the water next to Gabe, so he’ll have a drink if he wakes up before I get back from the store.
I grab his key from the table and get my bag, and then I head for the elevator.
Harry’s at the security desk when I get down there.
“How’s Mr. Evans doing?” Harry asks me.
“He’s sleeping at the moment,” I tell him. “I need to go to the store, as it’s like Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard in his kitchen.”
Harry laughs.
“Do you know where the nearest store is?”
“Take a right out of here, and there’s a store on the corner of the block. Couple of minutes’ walk. It’ll have everything you need.”
“Brilliant. Thanks.”
I head out onto the street and take the directions Harry gave me, and I find the store, no problem.
I grab a cart and fill it up with groceries. Then, I pay and pack my stuff up into a few bags.
Thank God I’m not too far from his building, as I’ve got a lot of stuff.
I lug the bags back to his building.
Harry rushes to open the door when he sees me. “Do you need a hand, getting these upstairs?” he asks, taking a couple of bags from me.
“No, I’ll be fine. If you could just get me in the elevator, that’d be great.”
Harry puts the bags on the floor in the elevator for me, and I climb in.
“You sure you don’t want a hand?”
“No, I’ll be fine. But thank you.” I don’t really want him to come up with Gabe sleeping on the sofa.
Using Gabe’s key, I get the elevator moving.
It opens up, and I grab all the bags. My heels click on the floor, so I kick them off. Barefoot and being quiet, I carry the bags through the living area, heading to the kitchen.
Gabe is still sleeping.
I dump the bags on the counter and then start unpacking the food.
When I’m done, I start on making some soup for Gabe when he wakes.
I hope he likes carrot and ginger soup. It’s one of my favorites.
I love cooking. I used to cook for Jeremy all the time. It’s not so much fun though when you’re only cooking for yourself.
I make up the vegetable stock I bought. Then, I chop up the carrots and boil them in water to soften them. I pour the stock into the sparkling clean blender. Add in the carrots, ginger, turmeric, cayenne pepper, sour cream, and some wholemeal bread, and I blend the whole thing together. Then, I pop it in a pan on the stove and heat it through.
When I’m done, I head back into the living room.
The smell of cigarette smoke tells me that Gabe’s awake.
“Hey,” I say, walking over. I open the door to the terrace to let in some fresh air. “You sleep okay?”
He rubs the palms of his hands over his eyes. “Yeah. Guess I needed it.”
I walk over, pick up the ashtray on the coffee table, and hand it to him.
“Thanks.”
I perch on the sofa next to him. “I made soup. I hope you like carrot and ginger.”
“I wondered what that nice smell was.”
“Surprised you could smell it over the stench of your nicotine stick.”
“Surprised you can cook.”
“Hey!” I shove his arm with my hand.
God, his biceps are big.
He chuckles. “Just kidding, Speedy. Where did you get the food from?”
“This crazy place called a store. You heard of one before?”
He gives me a look. “Of course I have.”
“I wouldn’t have thought so with how bare your cupboards were.”
“I always order in. Or eat out.”
“Well, you have an amazing kitchen back there that was in serious need of use. So, I went to the store and bought you some food. You owe me a hundred and twenty bucks by the way.”