Stray hairs from the twisted towel on her head clung to her cheeks. Another towel doubled around her as she stared blankly at the cell phone screen. A couple more paces back and forth in her room and she might get enough nerve to press out his number. Ben had no right to hate her. She had to return home. Darren could have died. It had nothing to do with choosing men. One was unconscious. Surely, that changed the rules of how long one should snuggle with her co-cheater.

The phone rang. She squinted her eyes and bit her lip, a bad habit of hers.

“Hello.”

“Ben, it’s me.” Her pulse raced as she felt the spotlight on her face. There was no hanging up until pertinent information was discussed.

“Elise.”

She waited for something to follow. Something to help her with the next thing to say. But the phone line remained quiet.

“I’m home. I just wanted to call and let you know.”

“I realize you had to leave, but I guess the part I’m confused about is whether or not you are coming back.” Whoa. Completely didn’t see that coming. Direct, succinct, blunt, to the point, concise...what now? Would it be obvious to sit by her toilet bowl and pray for the call to naturally drop? Wouldn’t that be the lowest point of the house?

“Ben, Darren has been in an accident. He has no one to take care of him. I’m pretty sure I’m the one to be nominated for the job.”

“Not if you decline the position.”

“Are you that heartless? The man just woke up from a twenty-four-hour coma and has a broken leg. I’m supposed to say, ‘Hey babe, while you were sleeping a few things changed.’ Are you kidding me?”

“Well, when are you going to enlighten him? Sometime during the week when you roll over to his side of the bed to turn off the light for him? I’m not heartless, Elise. I just know you, and you don’t do confrontations well. I’m sure he has someone on this earth, other than you, to take care of him. This could last for a month or more.”

“What if it does?” She traced the fringe on her bedspread with her free hand. It could take that long. After all, he wasn’t exactly mobile at the moment.

“I don’t know. Are you asking me to wait for you to play nurse and girlfriend to this guy for that long?”

“I’m asking if you will give me some time. I’m not sure of anything right now.”

“I love you, Elise, and I’m sure that if you loved me you would know what to do and return to me. At least, I thought you loved me. I could’ve sworn it was my name you were calling out last night.”

“It’s not as easy as that, Ben.”

“I’m pretty sure it is.” His tone was too forthright, too demanding. Not the one she thought she’d hear on the other side of the conversation.

“I’m sorry it’s so easy for you and so difficult for me. And since I don’t have my calendar out in front of me, telling me exactly how long it will take, maybe we should just say we’ll keep in touch. Or not.”

The nerve of him to demand she leave in the middle of a crisis. ‘Oh, and by the way, Darren, I slept with my ex, and I’ve called a cab to pick your sorry broken butt up. Good luck hobbling up the steps to your house and hope you don’t get dizzy going for a whiz in the bathroom. ’Yeah, that would be so easy for Ben.

“Fine.”

Fury blew through her as she hung up the phone. Tears rushed past her anger and streamed down her cheeks. She threw the phone on the bed and buried her head in the pillow screaming. The problem was not solved. Only left much worse, like burying a homeless man in an unmarked grave. ‘Here lies Ben and Elise’s one night. It should have never happened. And now what?’

She got dressed, despite the random outbursts of bawling. Her puffy eyes couldn’t withstand any more makeup concealer. She’d simply have to explain it away with lack of sleep. She stopped at a drive-thru on her way to the hospital and ate like a demon at all the red lights that managed to catch her.

She wiped her mouth in the reflection of the rearview mirror before going inside. Renegade lettuce couldn’t have made her look any worse than last night, arriving in a post-sex shirt, unruly hair, and squishy shoes. Although her eyes had seen better days. It was too late to stop for cucumber slices.

Darren was all smiles when she walked in the room. The results came back good from his CAT scan and he was to be released in her care. Plenty of bed rest, hands-on help with moving his large casted leg, and even more dodging of public displays of affection. The last one was the unwritten instructions on the doctor’s release of patient form that Elise had concocted herself. Until she knew what it was, or who it was she wanted, she would float around Darren like an ice formation. She could give him no indication of a green light to whip that ring out anytime soon.

One of the gentleman that took him for his CAT scan arrived to wheel him to the front door. Elise carried his case and envelope, walking beside them. Darren barely took his eyes off the package. When they got to her car, the guy helped Darren inside. He had to lay almost completely back in the passenger seat; his leg barely fit inside her BMW SUV.

She drove gingerly back to his house, avoiding any sudden takeoffs and sharp turns. With each acceleration, he clenched his jaw and pressed down tightly on her armrests. They finally made it through his gate. Getting him out of the vehicle and inside was a valiant effort on her part. The cast had only managed to bang a couple railings before making it inside. Her short height made it so she fit snuggly underneath his arm. He hopped on the other crutch and they made it to his bedroom.

“This is one way for you to move in with me, huh?” He hobbled over to the bed and lay down, watching cautiously at her reaction.

“Darren, I will stay as long as you need help. You know that.” She took his belongings and set them on the dresser. “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

“I ate a sandwich before I left. One of my associates brought it when he visited. Now come here and sit down with me.” He held out his arm, inviting her closer.

“Honey, I have a million things to do before tonight. I have to go to the grocery store for you because I’m sure you have nothing to sustain life past a snack here. I have to get your prescriptions filled. I have to...”

“Elise, just come and sit with me for a moment,” he said, raising his voice above hers.

She stepped to the side of the bed and put a pillow underneath his cast. Darren scooted over and patted the empty place beside him. She sat down. A heavy sigh slipped out of her. She covered it up with a dry cough.

“We haven’t even really got to talk about your trip back home. You were helplessly thrown into this mess the minute you got off the plane. How did it go with meeting your dad?

I want to know all about it. The grocery store can wait.” Staying seated was a challenge for her. Uncomfortable shackles bore indentions on her skin. “Darren, I don’t really want to talk about it right now. It wasn’t what you think. He died two years ago and it turns out my mother was the reason I never saw him. I’m just tired of playing the whole tragedy out in my mind. Can we not talk about it right now?”

“I’m sorry to hear that, baby. How terrible. And now me? It sounds like you are the one who needs the bed rest and consoling. Come and lay down beside me. I just want to feel you close to me.”

“I would love nothing more, but I have to go and get these things done.” She stroked his hand and leaned in for a peck on his hairline. Luckily, they took off his mummy-like bandage and replaced it with a large square Band-Aid. “I won’t be long. Do you need anything before I go?”

“Only for you to come back as soon as you can. I’m still waiting for ‘us’ time.”

She knew what that meant. A little groping, a lot of kissing, more touching, and some heavy talking about the future. Thank goodness the cast provided some obstacle for the first couple of items.

“I know. I’ll be quick.”

“You are going to be able to stay with me, right? I mean every night, for a while, at least? I don’t know if I can manage showers and normal walking without assistance?”

“Of course. But the nurse did mention home care. Maybe someone could stay with you in the day while I’m at work. You know, with the time off last week, I don’t think I could manage more days off. Then I could help in the nights. Either way, we’ll get it taken care of.”

“Sure, baby. I don’t want you to lose your job. I guess I’m just hoping to see some of your lotions and girl things hanging out in the bathroom. And maybe a few negligees draped over the chairs and at the foot of the bed.” The smile was that of a child hoping for a good summer vacation after school was over.

“Darren, I’m going to stay and help you. I’m not moving in.”

He fell back on his pillow. “Elise, you’re killing me. I thought we were making strides. The talk about exchanging vows in Vegas. I’ve waited a week to see you and I barely made it through it. What’s it going to take for you to stop dodging the next practical step with us. I’m in love with you and want you here with me all the time. Not just when the nurse signs off that it’s your turn to take over.”

The sun’s position in the sky was changing. It was slipping downward as the minutes ticked by. Elise watched out the window and searched for something to say to him. Kentucky had changed her mind about the next step with Darren. Ben had changed her mind. It wasn’t going to be easy skirting the topic of forever all the time. It was like baking a cake without having any intention of frosting it. You either enjoyed the egg yolk, flour, and oil or you didn’t and only dreamed of the sugary icing. Unfortunately, she wasn’t offering the topping at this point.

“Let me go and get the things you need. I’ll be back and we can spend some time together. We’ll lay in bed and watch a movie or something.”

He sat quietly, shaking his head. She knew he was tired of her game. Playing hard to get was one thing, but it had turned out to be terminal with her. A plan of escape or a plan of acceptance had to be thought of, and fast, before he unleashed that monster rock in the brown envelope. It wasn’t fair to keep him in the dark for much longer.

Dusk was tucking in around the city as she finished up the errands and made it back to his house. She had called to ask if he wanted dinner, and takeout from their favorite Italian restaurant was decided on. It took two trips back and forth to her car to bring it all inside, once she made it back to his house. She put away the cold things before going in the bedroom and helping him up. The nap he had helped his state of frustration with her.

“I’ll sit you on the sofa and prop your leg up, so that you can eat.” The cast was cumbersome and stretched from his hip to below his knee.

He kissed her as she laid him back on the cushion. “I’m sorry about what I said before you left. It’s amazing that you are taking such good care of me. I don’t know why I try to ruin it all the time with commitment talk. I’m just so insecure with our relationship. I don’t want to be. I know you love me.”

She smiled and began bustling around, pulling prescriptions out, glasses from the cabinets, and food from the containers. It was going to be a challenge with conversation, as the relationship end of it always floated to the topic.

“Here, take your pain medicine first.” She handed him a pill with a glass of water.

“I love you,” he said tenderly, taking it from her hand. “Darren, I know you do. I hope you get better really fast.”

He swallowed it and waited with a smile until she took his food to him. She continued putting the groceries away while he started nibbling on his dinner.

“Are you going to join me?” he yelled from the living room to the kitchen.

“I’ll be right there.”

It took a couple more minutes for her to sit on a chair opposite of him and begin eating. The noodles in her dish had gotten cold. Her stomach was in knots, anyway, while she sat wondering what this meant to their relationship. Darren would have a lot of time on his hands with not working. Now his plan to trap her would have even more of his attention.

“I called Stacy at the hospital. She said they could send someone over Monday in the day to help you.”

“That’s fine. And a little awkward. I just need help getting up and down.”

“And your meals, Darren. You need more help than you think. I’ll get off work early so it’s not that uncomfortable.”

He finished his meal and sat the plate on the center coffee table. A long moan left his body as he lay back. The painkiller would soon work its magic and he’d probably drift off to sleep. She might want to get him back to bed before it happened.

“Let’s get you up. I don’t think I can manage a sleeping two-hundred-pound patient.” She had stacked her uneaten dinner plate on top of his and stood beside him.

“Do you think I could grab a shower before bed? I feel a little dirty from the whole crash. Nurse Betty’s sponge bath at the hospital left much to be done.”

“Sure, I guess.” The words were there without the thoughts that went with them. Exposure of body parts, weirdness of helping, and so much more. When was that cast coming off?

He hobbled back with her aid and they stood in the over-sized bathroom. She slipped off the jersey shorts he had on. He wouldn’t get to wear underwear until the cast came off sometime next month. Lucky for him. She tried not to look in that region as she helped pull his shirt over his head. His beard changed his look, matching his wanting eyes for her. She started the water and held on to him with one arm.

“Care to join me?” he said with raised eyebrows.

“This is going to be tricky enough with my clothes still on. Now, lean on me and try to put your one leg inside the shower.” She wrapped a towel around his hurt leg and hung it outside the flow of the water. “Here is your washcloth. Just do whatever and let me know when you’re done.”

He tried earnestly to bathe himself without assistance. A few times the heavy cast threw off his balance. Elise caught him each time, getting a little damp from the gesture. It wasn’t long before he finished and she turned the knobs off.

She waited to help him hop to the rug and dry him off. It was a good thing he wasn’t modest about being naked in front of her. After she dried him off, she found another pair of boxers that fit over his cast and a shirt. He jumped back into the bedroom and semi-fell back on the bed.

“This completely sucks,” he declared with aggravation.

“What?”

“The first thing I want to do with you is make love to you in my shower, not have you hold my casted leg while I sponge off.” He reached for her. “Come here and let’s pretend this enormous kill-joy isn’t riding the other tenth of the bed. We can do this, right?”

No doubt he wasn’t talking about a Netflix movie and popcorn. And she couldn’t see sleeping with two different men within the same forty-eight-hour time frame as acceptable to anyone other than prostitutes. Perhaps another painkiller would have been wiser. For her.

“Darren, I’ve got to go clean up dinner. Just relax for a minute. I’ll be right back.”

“Did you pack something pretty to wear tonight?” Anticipation danced in his eyes.

“I didn’t have a chance to go back home. I’ll just grab one of your tee-shirts and sleep in it, if you don’t mind.”

“Elise, you didn’t go home and pack? I would have hoped you had done that rather than the grocery store. I need you here, not milk and juice.”

“Darren, please don’t. I’ll be right back. Rest, please.”

Before he could pitch any more fits, she walked out and went back to the living room. She laid on the couch to take a breath. Was there nothing more on his mind than her moving in? And if there wasn’t, she had to address it quickly to avoid running away from him altogether.

She must have fallen asleep because when she woke up, the room was completely dark. She felt for the lamp and clicked it on. Tiptoeing back to the room, she was quiet not to wake up Darren. Too tired to clean up the mess, she unfolded the blanket back on her side, slipped off her pants and lay down. She didn’t wake up until the next morning.