A Promise to Remember

I hung up, and the screen dimmed.

I'd expected insomnia, but instead, I crashed hard. At 2 a.m., thirst woke me—the dry northern winter air was something I wasn't yet readjusted to after my long absence.

Heading downstairs for water, I was about to go back up when I heard faint rustling from the bathroom.

"A burglar!" My body tensed, my hair standing on end.

My heart pounding, I held my breath and tiptoed toward the stairs for my phone. But as I passed the bathroom, the door flew open.

In a panic, I grabbed a nearby umbrella and swung it wildly. He caught it, yanking me close and clamping a hand over my mouth.

That was when I realized the intruder was shirtless. My tank-exposed back pressed against his warm, verbena-scented chest, still damp from steam.

This guy was breaking in, not even dressed. Terrified he'd suffocate me, I bit down hard on his arm and thrashed wildly.

But he was too strong, holding firm. When I couldn't break free, I dissolved into tears, afraid he'd kill me first and then my parents.

Sobbing into his hand, I pleaded tremulously, "Mercy! My dad's cash is in the window cabinet—maybe two grand. If that's not enough, I can Venmo more, but I only have a few grand left. Take it and go; we'll pretend this never happened. I'm young. I haven't even been in love and haven't married. I don't want to die, please..."

A soft laugh escaped him, and then the living room lights flicked on.

Blinking against the brightness, I saw a young man standing before me, shirtless, with droplets tracing his toned abs down to his waist before pooling on the floor.

He stood at least 6'2", making me feel tiny in comparison.

My tone turned complex as I said, "Buddy, with a face like yours, you could make 30 to 50 grand a night in the city. Why resort to burgling us? We're broke."

His cherry-tinted lips curved into a faint arc, and I noticed his voice was melodic. "You are Alice's daughter, right? I'm the renter next door. My heater broke, so she let me use your shower. Sorry for the scare."

It clicked after a beat. Alice had mentioned the rental on the drive home.

We'd bought the adjacent beach cottages years ago; though cheap in our small town, they offered stunning ocean views from the balconies. With tourism growing, renters had started appearing.

Blushing furiously, I wished the ground would open and swallow me. "Sorry, I..."

He waved it off. "My bad. I got spooked too. Ow!"

On his arm was a bite mark, already starting to bleed. Overcome with guilt, I said, "Let me grab some iodine to clean that."