Another Chance

Chapter 14

JARED'S POV

"I still have the keys to the house I rented for the party. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you just used it for tonight?" Gia suggested, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

We had been searching for somewhere for me to quickly rent for around twenty minutes, and it wasn't going well.

The majority of landlords wanted to set up an interview during the day before they allowed anyone into their properties, understandingly so, and I was beginning to panic.

I had told Anna that the house wasn't mine, and that Gia had just rented it for the party, which was true, but what was I supposed to tell her when we headed in the direction of it? Anna would be expecting to come to my house, but, it was too risky.

I had to make up some kind of lie.

Another one.

I sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of my nose. I was tired of being dishonest with my mate, and it was starting to take a toll on me. I would have to tell her what I was at some point, and I wasn't looking forward to it. I couldn't expect her reaction to be good.

"Okay, but we'll need to find somewhere for me to use as my real home in the morning," I reminded Gia, and she nodded, tapping away on her phone.

She was desperate for this to work out well with Anna and I, and I was eternally grateful for the help I was receiving from her. Gia had a good heart and she deserved a mate that was going to treat her right. I just hoped she found them someday.

I dialled for a cab on my phone, ensuring they had wheelchair access, and took the keys to the house from Gia. I couldn't help but wonder what state it would be in, but, I gathered that Gia had cleaned it up since the gathering. She wouldn't want to return it to the landlord in poor condition.

"I hope she's okay," Gia muttered, tucking a strand of her short blonde hair behind her ear, looking sheepish.

I hummed in response, unsure of what to say. My brain wasn't working, and I couldn't help but think the worst. What kind of condition was Anna in? I didn't understand what could have happened in such a short amount of time that would mean she would need to leave her apartment.

"You're going to pop a blood vessel, Jared," Gia said to me worried, and I forced a smile, shaking my head.

I couldn't help but worry though. I needed to make sure Anna was okay.

I spent the next seven minutes tapping on my knee, trying desperately to fill the time as I waited for the blaring horn of the cab, and once I heard it, I rushed outside with my rucksack.

The cab driver followed my instructions as I directed him towards the diner that Clara was at with Anna, the wait killing me. Rain was clattering down onto the windscreen, making a loud thumping sound, and I found myself counting the number of times the wind wipers moved in a minute, trying to make the journey easier.

However, it didn't work.

Every second felt like an eternity, and I released a sigh of relief once we eventually reached the diner. In reality, the drive was around three minutes, but it felt a whole lot longer.

I wheeled myself out of the back of the cab, the driver having let down the ramp for me, and I nodded at him as I made my way into the diner, my eyes instantly settling on my sopping wet mate who sat with a hot drink in front of her.

Her broken eyes settled on me, and I noticed how she visibly relaxed, her shoulders beginning to sag. She had a rucksack sitting next to her, but, it was soaked through, and I gathered that the contents were also wet.