And you must be...?

*Hi everyone!  Sorry for the lack of posts; moving across country was exhausting and I've been spending all of my time with my boyfriend, making up for lost time.  Enjoy the post!*

The first thing I noticed was how striking her eyes were.  They were an icy shade of blue and surrounded by long, thick dark lashes that I personally would kill for.  Her hair was long, blonde and made me think of California babes on California beaches.  In a word, she was stunning.

The second thing I noticed was how close she was sitting to Michael, yet guilt or surprise never registered on her face.  Michael, however, looked nervous, and slightly jumpy.


"You must be Emma," she beamed.  I nodded and made a small sound of confirmation, then directed my questioning eyes towards Michael.

"Honey! This is Manda, we work together.  She had a fight with her fiance and has nowhere else to go, so I figured you wouldn't mind if she stayed here in the guest room?"

I pressed my lips together firmly, wanting to insist it was far from ok to invite a gorgeous stranger into my home while I was gone and then ask her to stay the night.  Instead, I put on what I hoped was my most gracious and welcoming smile.

"Manda, sorry to meet you under unpleasant circumstances, but you are welcome to stay the night."

She smiled, and I couldn't help but notice how perfect her teeth were.  Did this girl have a flaw?

"Thank you so, so much.  I hope I'm not intruding.  I've heard so much about you!  And I hear you're expecting?  You look great!"

Funny, I had never heard a thing about her.  I also couldn't be sure if she was genuinely sweet, or if she was fake.  I glanced and Michael and gave him a tightlipped smile, knowing he would get the message that he would be getting an earful as soon as I had him alone.

"Well, thank you.  Anyway, I'm exhausted and need a bath so I'll be retiring to the bedroom now.  Again, Manda, nice to meet you.  Michael can show you to the guest room.  The sheets are clean and I hope you and your fiance work things out..." I let the words hang in the air, hoping they would both take the hint that while I was going to do my best to pleasant, I wasn't happy with the situation.

I made my way upstairs and filled the tub.  As I lay there soaking in the fragrant bubbles and deliciously warm water, I listened for the sound of footsteps on the stairs.  After awhile I began to doze, so I made my way to the bedroom.  Surely, Michael would be coming up to bed soon?

I stared at the clock and watched the minutes tick by as I waited.  I became aware of how tired I was and decided to rest my eyes, knowing that even if I dozed off, I would wake up when Michael came to bed.  I wasn't a light sleeper, but I almost always woke up when he got in or out of bed.

The next thing I knew, it was morning and I was waking up...alone.