Two Weeks Earlier

"Will there be anything else, Mr. Williams?"

I looked up from my computer at my assistant, Anne. She was standing in the doorway of my office. Well, she was standing in the doorway of the extra room in my apartment that I used for an office. After I ended up selling my company, I started working or the FBI. My job there was mainly to upgrade their facial recognition software and other security features.

I kept Anne on as my personal assistant. We've been working together for over a decade and she was the best in her field. "No, thanks. I'm okay. Have a good night, Anne."

"Have a good evening, Mr. Williams."

After she left, I stretched in my office chair. I had been working late the past few weeks, trying to find glitches in the Bureau's security system. When the New York office got a new director, he wanted to make sure everything was up-to-date, and nothing would slip through the cracks. Hence why instead of accepting Lydia's offer for dinner tonight, I'm staring at my computer sucking back my fifth cup of coffee.

The thought of her made me glance at the picture I had on my desk. It was probably my favorite picture of her. It was taken at this apartment once we got back to New York and sold my penthouse. She stayed the weekend with me, and we spent most of our time at the pool. When I wanted to take the picture, she was feeling shy in her new black bikini and glanced away from the camera.

She really was the best thing that ever happened to me. I've been thinking a lot about everything that happened since we met. We met by chance; two misfits who felt lost in the world. We became friends, close friends, before it eventually led to more.

People still didn't believe the story when we told them we met as to strangers and decided to go on a cross-country road trip together. I would do it all over again if I had the chance. I wouldn't change anything. Well, that's a lie. If I could have redone the past six months without dealing with James or PSYCHO Amy, it would be a miracle.

I still have nightmares sometimes from when Lydia was abducted. Sometimes I wake up in a cold sweat, thinking that she was dead. In my nightmares, I wasn't able to save her. Sometimes, she would be laying right next to me and I would hold her as I tried to go back to sleep. The nights that she wasn't there, I called her to make sure she was okay. She never got upset when I would call and wake her up. She would either talk to me or I would get dressed and go over to her place.

She told me she was fine after we got back to New York. But I knew that wasn't the whole truth. She had her own fair share of bad dreams regarding that incident. But, we had each other and we were doing the best we could to put the past behind us. Besides, she had new things to look forward to. Like the relationship she's building with her brother.

Michael had been a new constant in her life, and I was grateful for it. They had gotten close ever since they reconnected, and Lydia was happy about that.

My cell phone vibrated on the desk and I smiled as I looked at the caller ID. Speak of the devil.

"Well, we'll. Look who's calling me back finally," I said jokingly into the receiver.

"Sorry, man," Michael laughed, "work has been crazy lately."

I definitely knew how he felt. "How has it been lately?"

"It's alright. It's going. Trying to get as much work as possible before the season dies. You know, feast or famine."

Michael ran a construction company in San Francisco. Ever since he and Lydia started getting to know each other, they used my charter plane to fly back and forth. Lydia got back yesterday, which is why she wanted to have dinner tonight.

"Did you and Lydia have a good time?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah, we did. We went to a few museums and she barely let me get a word in," he laughed. "She was like Wikipedia when she explained the paintings. I don't know how she knows all that stuff."

"She's a painter. It's her passion." I got up from my chair and walked to the kitchen. "It's what she loves."

"Yeah, I know." After a pause, Michael added, "You know you're in the doghouse, right?"

What the hell..."What? Why?"

"Sean, she just got back last night, and you bailed on dinner."

"Okay, I didn't bail on dinner. I had a bunch of work to do and--"

When I didn't continue, Michael chuckled into the phone. "Mhm. Exactly. Doghouse."

Holy shit. She didn't seem mad on the phone. She was actually polite. I thought about the conversation we had, trying to figure out what I missed...

"Hey, beautiful," I said into the phone. Lydia must have just landed after returning from San Francisco.

"Hey, yourself. I just landed."

"Good. How was the flight?" My charter plane was decent and was big enough to fly at least six people.

"It was good. Jim let me sit in the cockpit and is teaching me how to fly a plane," she said with a laugh.

Jim had been an employee of mine for years. He was a great guy and I trusted him completely. I thought about my parents' accident and I wish they had been able to use the charter plane then. At the time, it was being repaired. They had decided to fly the conventional way and well...we know what happened. The first time I put Lydia on a plane to go see her brother I freaked. I was terrified that something would happen to her. She had talked me down and convinced me to come along with her. After the next couple trips, I was able to dial back the panic attacks.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, baby. I'm happy you're home."

"Me, too. I was thinking we can get dinner tomorrow night?" She had asked hopefully.

I glanced at the stack of paperwork on my desk with regret. "I'm sorry, Lydia. I have a crazy amount of work I need to finish. What about another night?"

She was quiet for a moment. "Sure, no problem."

"I wish I had some free time. I want to see you."

"I know. Me, too."

I closed my eyes tight as I let out a long breath. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Of course. Your work is important. We can reschedule."

"Thank you, baby," I said, relieved that she wasn't upset.

"No problem. I'll talk to you later," she said before hanging up.

I groaned as my mind came back to the present. Now that I thought about it...

"I'm an idiot," I said to Michael.

He laughed into the phone. "Won't disagree with you there."

"Do you have any advice for me?" Maybe he could help me get out of the doghouse.

"Sean, my longest relationship was a month. I'm the last person you want to be getting relationship advice from."

Very true. "Alright. Screw this work shit tonight. I'll just go to her dorm and surprise her."

"Ahhhh...Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Why not? I've done it before."

"Okay. I can't wait to hear how this goes," he said with a knowing laugh.

"Michael, it's going to be fine. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Good luck, brother," he chuckled before hanging up.

I quickly went to my bedroom to shower and change clothes. I placed a to-go order at her favorite Chinese restaurant not far from campus. I walked outside and got in the Uber that I requested and smiled to myself. Michael didn't know what he was talking about. This was definitely going to work. I'm going to pick up her favorite meal, I'm wearing the cologne she likes, and I was going to surprise her.

It didn't take long to get to the Chinese restaurant and pick up our dinner. From there, it was about a 10-minute drive to the campus. I thanked the Uber driver as I got out of the car and started walking towards the entrance to the dorms. There were a few security guards who patrolled the campus at night. Thankfully, Lydia bought me a copy of the key card to get into her building.

Since it was a Saturday night, I wasn't surprised that the hallways were pretty empty. Most of the students were probably out partying and drinking. Oh, the good old days.

I remembered my time in school. Even though I was pretty much a bookworm, I occasionally went out with friends and indulged in the guilty pleasures of college. At first, I was a little nervous about Lydia going back to school. But after we talked about it, I knew it was going to be good for her. Besides, I trusted her completely.

I stepped off the elevator on her floor and made my way down the long corridor. I was excited as I approached her door. I hadn't realized how much I missed her and was glad that I decided to surprise her tonight.

I finally got to her door and paused when I was about to knock. There was a sign on her door that read:

If you're looking for us, come
find us at the Pheta Thi frat party!
Ellie & Lydia <3

I read the damn note ten times before I cursed under my breath and pulled out my phone. She was at a damn frat party? Really? I dialed her number and got even more frustrated when it went straight to voicemail.

The sound of a door opening down the hall got my attention. A young woman walked out and I took a step towards her. "Excuse me, do you know where the Pheta Thi party is?"

She gave me directions to the fraternity house, and I started heading that way. Looks like my surprise visit may have been a good idea after all.