Emancipating Andie

Stupid Lemon Drops got me locked out of my apartment.

She sent the text before her hazy mind could even condone or object to what she had just done, and she rested her head back against the door, a tiny laugh bubbling out of her throat. She felt amazingly indifferent.

She had almost fallen asleep against the door when the sound of her phone ringing jolted her from her daze.

She fumbled with it for a second before she brought it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Lemon Drops, huh?” he asked, and Andie thought her heart might beat out of her chest. She sat up straight, her vision blurring for a moment before it righted itself.

“I didn’t think you were a fan of those,” Chase added.

“I wasn’t. I’m not,” she said, her voice quavering slightly.

“Can I ask how they got you locked out of your apartment?”

“I forgot to take my keys with me when I left for work tonight.”

“Hmm,” Chase said. “Well, that could hardly have been the result of the shots you hadn’t taken yet, but it’s nice to have alcohol as a scapegoat for idiotic behavior, isn’t it?”

“Shut up,” she sighed, leaning back against the door and reaching up to play with the doorknob.

“Doesn’t anyone else have the key to your apartment?”

“My friend Tracey.”

“Well, did you call her?” he asked.

“She’s…occupied,” Andie said with a roll of her eyes, absently twisting the locked doorknob above her.

“Hmm, okay,” Chase said, his voice taking on a throaty caliber that caused a fluttering in Andie’s stomach. “Are there any windows you can climb in?”

“I’m on the second floor, remember? And they’re locked anyway.”

“Of course they are,” he said. “I forgot who I was talking to.”

“Oh, right,” Andie retorted, her hand falling sloppily from the doorknob, “because only anal-retentive people lock their homes when they leave them. Normal people leave their doors and windows wide open. With little neon signs on them that say ‘Drifters and Robbers Welcome.’”

“Drifters?” he asked through a laugh. “Are they an ongoing problem in your complex?”

Andie pressed her lips together, fighting a smile. “I hate you,” she finally managed.

“Why don’t you just break in?”

“Break in?” she echoed incredulously. “What do you think I am?”

“It’s your own house!” he laughed. “Everyone’s done it at least once in their life. Use a credit card.”

“That only works in the movies,” she said, but she rolled awkwardly to the side and pulled herself up on her knees, examining the doorknob. Did she even have a credit card on her? At this point, she’d be willing to try anything. She just wanted her bed. She cocked her head to the side and held the phone with her shoulder, struggling to regain her balance before she started rummaging through her purse again. “Alright, I give,” she sighed. “How do you do this credit card thing?”

“Actually, I have a better idea,” she heard Chase say, although his voice sounded strange, almost like an echo. She went to switch her phone to the other ear, freezing when she saw something in her peripheral vision.

She slowly turned her head to the side, and her heart leapt into her throat.

Chase stood a few feet away, smirking down at her as he took the phone away from his ear and ended the call. “Look at you, you lush. You’re lucky I happened to be on my way past here. It’s a little cold tonight to sleep on your doormat.”

Andie sat frozen, her cell phone still to her ear, staring up at him.

He smiled. “You can hang up now.”

Andie blinked quickly, snapping herself out of it as she yanked the phone away from her ear, pressing four buttons before she hit the right one to end the call. “What are you doing here?” she finally managed, trying to sound composed.

Chase gestured toward her door. “Helping you.”

“No, I mean, what are you doing here?” she asked. “By my apartment?”

“My friend Be

He approached her, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out some metal object that looked like a cross between a long needle and a pair of pliers. He stopped in front of her, and she stared up at him, not knowing what to say next. He quirked his brow, the smile returning.

“Oh! Sorry,” Andie said, scooting awkwardly to the side and giving him access to the door. He laughed, squatting down next to her, ru

Andie stared at his profile: the angle of his jaw, the sexy tousle of his hair. Her inhibitions were growing as fuzzy as her vision.

Chase glanced over at her. “So here we are again. You, me, and a locked door,” he said with a smile that caused Andie’s stomach to turn somersaults.

“Do you realize how shady it is that you drive around with a device used to break into people’s houses?” she blurted out, and he laughed before he turned his attention back to the lock.

“The lock on my apartment is a bit…temperamental,” he said, inserting the long end of the tool into the keyhole. “After dismantling my door a bunch of times, I finally realized it’s just easier to own one of these.” He nodded toward the tool in his hand as he brought his other hand to the knob, holding it steady as he rolled his wrist slightly, maneuvering the needle-like end in the tiny hole.

She watched as he pulled his brow together, concentrating as if he were performing surgery, and for a second she could see him as the doctor his father wanted him to be.

He scooted a little closer to the door, a little closer to her, rolling his wrist a little faster now. She could smell him, she realized, closing her eyes and inhaling a slow, deep breath.

A sharp click sounded right above her head, causing her to jump, and Chase twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. He turned to her with a smile. “Piece of cake,” he said before rising to his feet and reaching his hand out to her.

She gathered her purse and slid her arm through it before she held both hands out to him, and he clasped them, pulling her up off the floor. She stumbled slightly as she got to her feet, and he reached forward just as she grabbed onto his forearms, steadying herself. Their faces were only a few inches apart, and they both froze.

After a stu

“Mm-hm.”

They remained still, her eyes locked on his. She had almost forgotten what those eyes were capable of. Her heart thudded frantically, and she was not too drunk to realize that the moment had officially crossed into awkward territory. She had her balance now. There was no reason for her to continue clinging to him the way she was.

She watched as his eyes changed, a guilty look washing over them before he dropped his stare. “Andie,” he said, releasing his hold on her, “I have to tell you something.”

Her heart was slamming against her chest now; she felt like her whole body was thrumming with the force of it. “What is it?” she whispered.

He took a small breath, his eyes still downcast. “I read it.”

Andie blinked at him. “What are you talking about?”

“I read it,” he repeated, a little louder this time. “Your book.”

She shook her head slightly. “My book?” Her mind was too hazy to follow him. He lifted his eyes then, reading the confusion on her face.

“The one you’re writing,” he clarified.

It was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her head. Her eyes widened slightly as she straightened up, pushing away from him. “You what?”

She felt the blush burning on her cheeks, embarrassment and anger fighting for control in her body. “How is that even possible? When?” she asked, taking another step away from him.