“Sure, right.” Annika forced a smile onto her face, but a deep pit formed in her stomach. Daniel didn’t feel like the rebound guy. Not at all.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

DANIEL

WHAT EXACTLY WAS the protocol after you bared your soul to someone? As Daniel finished his shift, he found himself automatically heading toward Annika’s apartment instead of his own. He had hated having to leave her to go to work, and he couldn’t wait to see her again, so it seemed only logical to go back to her apartment. But she wouldn’t have stayed in her apartment waiting for him—that was ridiculous. She had two jobs and a life.

Truth was, Daniel couldn’t remember the last time he had looked forward to going anywhere. He had been alone in his grief, and when he wasn’t working, his mind would wander to painful corners. Work kept him away from those corners. So, he worked. And worked more, with the goal of coming home so completely exhausted that he simply fell directly into sleep.

But now, there was her. She kept those painful corners far from him, and he couldn’t wait to get back to her. It was more than just not being alone. For the first time in years he felt the desire to be in someone’s company. He didn’t just want to know everything about her—he needed to know. He wanted to take his time learning about her, savoring her. While he couldn’t wait to get back to her, he wished time would stand still when they were together.

Emma’s voice came unbidden into his head. You want a relationship.

He did. No one was more surprised than he was.

He had left her Saturday morning for his shift. It was currently Saturday evening. Date night.

When he pulled up in front of her apartment building and saw that her car was still parked there, his stomach did a little flip. Before he could think too much about it, he found himself knocking on her door. He heard footsteps and a slight pause as she looked through the peephole—he hoped. He really had to talk to her about the lack of security in this building. After what felt like an eternity, the door opened, but instead of the warm brown eyes he craved, he was met with cold gray ones.

“Hey.” Naya pursed her lips as she examined him. “You’re back.”

“Yeah.” He looked past Naya into the apartment to catch of glimpse of Annika, but nothing. “Is she here?”

Naya stepped aside to let him in. “Yep. She has a shift soon, though. She’s in the shower.”

The friendly Naya of his last few encounters seemed to be missing, replaced by this distant version. “Is everything okay?” Daniel ventured as he walked past her into the apartment.