Before Midnight

In spite of myself, I decided to stay behind and keep Darrin company until tomorrow morning. I couldn’t help it; he needed me, and if I was being honest with myself, I needed him, too. As he began changing out of his uniform, I let him know that I needed to call Lyndsay to tell her about the sudden change of plans. I believed that as long as I told her, she’d be completely okay with it.

I went down to the living room to give her a call, putting her on speaker. “What up, Lynd?”

“Nice hearing from you, T.B! How’s your night going so far?”

“It’s so great. I’m glad you liked the photos I sent out. He and I had a lot of fun watching our shows on Netflix while eating the pizza.”

“Pizza that you guys worked hard to make together.” She sighed. “I’m so jealous. I wish I had the ability to make pizza the way you guys did.”

“Relax, Roberts.” I chuckled. “This was also my first time making pizza. But it was fun, though, so it’s always interesting to learn something new.”

“Where’d you order that salad from again?”

“Applebee’s, the one in Dorchester. Why? Are you thinking about us dining out there sometime soon?”

“Yeah, it would be nice for once, wouldn’t it? Maybe tomorrow night or something, after work.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” I shrugged. “Anyway, I hope you weren’t too bored or lonely, watching Orange is the New Black by yourself. I literally fell asleep halfway through that episode.”

She laughed so hard that she practically snorted. “You fell asleep during Orange is the New Black? That show doesn’t usually bore you to the point of snoozing!”

“I know, I’m so sorry!” I groaned. “Before we watched that episode, Darrin and I had been watching a favorite show of his and Owen’s: The Resident. Some medical drama that I’m not too familiar with, but also available on Netflix. We watched that first, before we could watch Orange is the New Black.”

“So, that explains it!” I could practically hear her laughing. “Schroeder’s the reason for you falling asleep during your favorite show. That monster,” she added playfully, and we laughed again.

“That monster indeed,” I said jokingly.

Then she cleared her throat before asking me, “So… Are you on your way right now?”

Now was my chance to tell her. “Uh, actually, Lynd…”

“What is it?” she asked with a little playful groan.

“No, I mean…” I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, but Darrin said that Owen had an unexpected change of plans where he’s staying at a female acquaintance’s house.”

“What female acquaintance?” I could hear the doubt in her tone.

“So, the way Darrin explained it… One of his brothers’ friends has a sister who got seriously wasted at a bar somewhere, and Owen for whatever reason, decided to help this girl out to keep her sober for the rest of the night. So, in a nutshell…”

“Owen’s not coming back, is he?” she asked.

“No, he’s not. It’ll just be Darrin alone…”

“And Schroeder wants you to stay and keep him company, doesn’t he?”

“Y-yeah… That’s exactly what he wants, and…”

She chuckled. “Tay, why are you hesitating? Are you scared to tell me?”

“No, I just thought that you’d probably be mad at me.”

“Why would I be?”

“Because I agreed to stay with Darrin after he begged me to keep him company. It’s just until tomorrow morning, though. We know that the salon doesn’t open until noon, so there’s plenty of time for us to get ready.”

“Barrenfeld, I’m not mad, okay? You’re welcome to stay and keep him company! Trust me, I’m totally fine with it. I’ll be okay all by myself. It’s not like I’m a little girl who’s scared of the dark or anything. You know that I’ve been living on my own for a while before you decided to move in with me during our enrollment in cosmetology school, right?”

She was right. I guess I had nothing to worry about, thinking that I’d abandoned her to spend the night with Darrin, my new boyfriend. I guess I should start getting used to calling him that because we were official now.

“I trust you, Lynd. I know you’re a grown-ass woman.” I smiled.

“And a badass one, too, and so are you. It’s your life! Just promise me that you’ll message me tomorrow to let me know that you’re on your way, for real this time.”

“That’s a promise I plan to keep. I’ll message you immediately when I step into my car.”

“Nuh-huh. I will actually take a Lyft over to the place so that I can come in and check out the humble abode of Darrin Schroeder and his buddy. Once I do that, you and I will leave together in your car, and we’ll chat about how our night went. Deal?”

There was no use arguing with her, and I didn’t mind the idea of us chatting on our way home, anyway. I missed her company already. “That’s a deal.”

“Great! In that case, Barrenfeld, have yourself a good night and stay safe.”

“Likewise, Lynd.”

“Love ya, girl!”

“Right back atcha, Roberts.” I smiled as I hung up, sighing in relief that the conversation had gone well—in fact, a lot better than I expected. She was actually okay with the idea of me staying with Darrin tonight. I didn’t expect her to be, but I was relieved that she was fine with it.

Darrin returned down to the living room, now dressed in his black pajamas. “Everything good?” He gave me a thumbs-up.

“Great. Lyndsay’s okay with me staying with you. I thought she’d be a little upset, but thankfully she wasn’t.”

“Why would she be upset?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea. Maybe it’s because I promised her that I was on my way until you begged me to stay?” I gave him an innocent smile.

“Well, I think she understands that you’re just being the kind, decent human being that you really are. That was nice of you to offer to stay with me. I know this wasn’t what you expected, but it really means a lot to me, Taylar.” He sat next to me on the couch and held my hand. For a moment, we sat in silence as we held each other’s hands.

“The only thing is, I didn’t even bring my pajamas or anything with me. I didn’t even know I’d agree to keep you company tonight, Schroeder.”

He smiled, as if he was proud of something he just accomplished. “Lucky for Owen and me, we have plenty of spare clothes around the house, so you can just borrow something from my closet. I know, it’s such a dumb idea, isn’t it? But at this point, you’ve no choice, Barrenfeld.”

I didn’t care, as long as I had some comfy pajamas and a nice, warm bed to sleep on, even if it wasn’t my own for now. “Okay. Show me what you’ve got,” I said.

He and I went up to his room, and he showed me his closet and drawers, filled with so many neatly folded outfits, including his sexy uniform that I just saw him in. “Give me a minute to find something for you,” he said as he began digging through his closet for some pajamas for me.

He eventually found me a large white t-shirt and matching white pants, a little oversized for my frame but it was worth it for now. “Don’t ask, don’t judge.” He smirked.

“Thanks, Officer Schroeder.” I gave him a wink.

“Haha, I’m not in uniform anymore, Barrenfeld. And apologies for my messy bed… Owen and I have this guy thing where we don’t usually make our beds. You don’t have to make it for me when you get up tomorrow. I’ll make it myself when I get the chance.”

“So, if I’m here in your room, where will you be?” I asked.

“Why, in Owen’s room. Where else?”

I gave him an incredulous look. “And you’re sure that’s something you’re okay with, for my sake?”

“Yeah, anything for you. You’re my guest. I want you to be as comfortable as possible. Besides, I don’t think Owen gives a damn when I sleep in his bed while he’s out. Or him in mine. We don’t care too much about that.”

It didn’t matter to him and Owen if they slept in each other’s beds, but it certainly mattered to Lyndsay and me, for whatever reason. “I guess I have no choice but to make myself comfortable, then.” I shrugged casually.

“That’s all you can do for now, Barrenfeld. And another thing…” He went to the bathroom, then returned to give me a toothbrush. “I just realized that you obviously didn’t bring a toothbrush of your own, so you’re more than welcome to use this spare one that we have around the house. It doesn’t belong to me or Owen. We have extra toothbrushes just in case we want to change them each month, so this is yours to use for tonight and tomorrow morning… If you want. You’re welcome.” When he smiled, I saw him blushing a little bit. He was really okay with me borrowing his stuff, such as his room, for one.

“Thanks.” I smiled. “How’d you guess that I brush my teeth every night?”

“Don’t most people usually brush their teeth twice a day, as recommended by dentists?”

“I’m one of those people.” I grinned. “And also, one of those people who takes a shower each night.”

“Do you think you’ll need my help in navigating the use of the shower, or…”

“I’ll figure it out myself, thanks. No need to bother, Schroeder. You’ve already done enough for me tonight. Now it’s time for you to take care of yourself for once. I’d hate to keep you up all night if you have to go for an early shift tomorrow.”

“Actually, my hours at the station are pretty flexible, and so are Owen’s.” A mischievous smile spread across his face. “Someday, I’ll give you a ride in my cruiser so that you can see what a real Boston cop like me does in action. You’d really love that, wouldn’t you?”

“Any chance I get of seeing my new boyfriend in his sexy uniform… I can’t resist.” I gave him a seductive wink.

“Ah, so now we’re labeling our relationship, huh? We’re boyfriend-girlfriend now?”

“Didn’t we just make that official the moment we declared our love to each other?”

“You were the first one to declare, and I said it back.” He caressed my hair. “In a way, I was following your steps. You’re the leader, Barrenfeld.”

“Oh, I am, huh?”

“I don’t feel like I’ve done enough for you tonight. I wanna be sure that my room is at a neutral temperature for you. Not too hot and not too cold, either. The windows are shut, but you’re welcome to open them if you prefer fresh air over AC or whatever. And are you 100 percent sure you don’t need my help in using the shower?”

“Darrin, Darrin, Darrin.” I shook my head, wagging my finger at him again like I was his teacher. “What else can I possibly do to reassure you that you’ve already gone above and beyond for me tonight?”

“Have sex with me?” he said playfully, and we laughed. We knew it was only a joke. It was far too early in our relationship to become that intimate with each other.

I gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. “You’re too much, you know that? I’ll be okay, babe… Just focus on yourself for tonight, and I’ll focus on myself. Can you trust me?”

He was gazing at me with those adorable blue eyes. “Of course I do, Taylar. Let me just give you my towel to borrow for tonight, and you can keep it until the morning. Okay? Here.” He gave me a dark blue towel. “You’re welcome,” he said softly.

“Thank you again.” I gave him a soft, gentle kiss on the cheek before he left my room. As he left to go to Owen’s room, he turned around and blew a good night kiss out to me. I blew one out to him. The feeling was mutual.

As I went to the bathroom to tend to my nightly routine, I couldn’t help but realize how lucky I was to end up with a man like Darrin Schroeder. He was so kind, welcoming, amazing, and… Everything I’d never expected him to be, and more. I’d never thought I’d find love with the twin brother of the woman who was sharing a wedding day with my sister.

But the heart couldn’t help what it wanted, and in this case, it was Darrin. I couldn’t believe I told him that I loved him… And he even said it back! Without hesitation, he said it back and he meant it. This was something worth sharing with Lyndsay. I wondered how she would take it, though she was the one who pushed me to give him a chance. I didn’t just feel sorry for him because of his traumatic childhood from the abuse that he, Julia, and Hayden had faced. I cared deeply about him, and for the first time, I began to understand the mutual attraction we had for each other.