as if no interruption had taken place.
“Little One, you fell asleep before we could talk last
night. You are here with me because your dorm room won’t be ready for move-in
until Thursday. Since I wasn’t certain if you would choose to accept my offer
or wish to continue with the collaring ceremony…”
Garrett pauses as Zara’s right hand flies to her neck upon
hearing the word collaring. Taking a moment, looking out into the darkness
before he continues, “I didn’t want to move ahead with the preparations until a
decision was made.”
“I will be living in a dorm? Do you live in the dorm as well?”
“No, Zara. You will live in the dorm room alone. The dorm is
called Yakeley Hall and it’s the oldest all-girl’s dorm on campus.”
Zara looks at Garrett. “All-girls dorm.”
“Yes, Little One, an all-girls dorm. We may not be a
collared couple but I don’t wish for you to spend your evenings in a building
filled with eager college guys. I was an eager college guy and that is not an
option for you.”
Garrett drinks the last of his beverage and stands extending
his hand to Zara. “Shall we continue this in the kitchen and get some food?”
Zara takes his hand and stands.
He releases her hand when she gets to her feet and walks away
two steps and turns on soft floor lights. He motions Zara to move past him into
his bedroom.
Garrett waits patiently while Zara takes in her surroundings.
She can feel him observing her and is careful to set her expression as she
surveys his private space. Zara takes her time looking at his room, attempting
to remember as many details as possible.
The space is double the size of the room she woke up in this
morning, with a wall facing the water set in glass. Double doors lead to a
balcony overlooking the beach.
The furniture in the room is modern, dwarfed by a platform bed
facing the water. The bed is neatly made with the exception of the space Zara had
slept in earlier.
On either side of the bed are platforms that have matching
reading lamps. The side that is still tucked in with military precision has a
couple of books stacked on the platform. Across from the foot of the bed and
against the glass wall is a sitting bench. On the floor by the bench, sits a
basket of wood and shells. The basket is all that could be considered clutter
in the room. A closer look at the basket shows the items arranged in a
particular order. There is zero clutter in Garrett’s room.
Zara steps aside to let Garrett lead the way. The walls of
the hallway are covered with frames in an organized manner, all matching and
grouped in small clusters. It is not light enough to see the pictures, so Zara
hurries ahead to catch up to Garrett who is already halfway down the first
staircase.
“This is my parents’ floor,” he points down a hallway similar
to the one above. There are more clusters of frames, this time in various shapes
and sizes and a runner down the hallway accentuating its length.
Garrett continues to the ground floor and waits for Zara to join
him. He waits in an identical hallway, but instead of one door, like the floors
above, there are several. There are no frames on the wall in this hall.
Garrett opens the first door and Zara recognizes this is the
doorway Trudy had slipped through after turning on the music. Reoriented, Zara
knows the kitchen is all the way on the other end of the house and the room
where Zara slept is down the hall on the other side of the sunken living room.
Walking toward the kitchen, Garrett pauses at the same
control panel that Trudy had used to start the music. The entire floor glows as
soft floor lighting fills the living room.
“Go change and I will get us something to eat.” The schooled
expression on Zara’s face slips.
“Yes, Little One, I am going to prepare a meal. Go… I am
hungry and I am guessing you are as well.”
As Zara makes her way down the hall, another soft piano concerto
fills the air. Pausing to enjoy it, a clank of pans
“Little One, you fell asleep before we could talk last
night. You are here with me because your dorm room won’t be ready for move-in
until Thursday. Since I wasn’t certain if you would choose to accept my offer
or wish to continue with the collaring ceremony…”
Garrett pauses as Zara’s right hand flies to her neck upon
hearing the word collaring. Taking a moment, looking out into the darkness
before he continues, “I didn’t want to move ahead with the preparations until a
decision was made.”
“I will be living in a dorm? Do you live in the dorm as well?”
“No, Zara. You will live in the dorm room alone. The dorm is
called Yakeley Hall and it’s the oldest all-girl’s dorm on campus.”
Zara looks at Garrett. “All-girls dorm.”
“Yes, Little One, an all-girls dorm. We may not be a
collared couple but I don’t wish for you to spend your evenings in a building
filled with eager college guys. I was an eager college guy and that is not an
option for you.”
Garrett drinks the last of his beverage and stands extending
his hand to Zara. “Shall we continue this in the kitchen and get some food?”
Zara takes his hand and stands.
He releases her hand when she gets to her feet and walks away
two steps and turns on soft floor lights. He motions Zara to move past him into
his bedroom.
Garrett waits patiently while Zara takes in her surroundings.
She can feel him observing her and is careful to set her expression as she
surveys his private space. Zara takes her time looking at his room, attempting
to remember as many details as possible.
The space is double the size of the room she woke up in this
morning, with a wall facing the water set in glass. Double doors lead to a
balcony overlooking the beach.
The furniture in the room is modern, dwarfed by a platform bed
facing the water. The bed is neatly made with the exception of the space Zara had
slept in earlier.
On either side of the bed are platforms that have matching
reading lamps. The side that is still tucked in with military precision has a
couple of books stacked on the platform. Across from the foot of the bed and
against the glass wall is a sitting bench. On the floor by the bench, sits a
basket of wood and shells. The basket is all that could be considered clutter
in the room. A closer look at the basket shows the items arranged in a
particular order. There is zero clutter in Garrett’s room.
Zara steps aside to let Garrett lead the way. The walls of
the hallway are covered with frames in an organized manner, all matching and
grouped in small clusters. It is not light enough to see the pictures, so Zara
hurries ahead to catch up to Garrett who is already halfway down the first
staircase.
“This is my parents’ floor,” he points down a hallway similar
to the one above. There are more clusters of frames, this time in various shapes
and sizes and a runner down the hallway accentuating its length.
Garrett continues to the ground floor and waits for Zara to join
him. He waits in an identical hallway, but instead of one door, like the floors
above, there are several. There are no frames on the wall in this hall.
Garrett opens the first door and Zara recognizes this is the
doorway Trudy had slipped through after turning on the music. Reoriented, Zara
knows the kitchen is all the way on the other end of the house and the room
where Zara slept is down the hall on the other side of the sunken living room.
Walking toward the kitchen, Garrett pauses at the same
control panel that Trudy had used to start the music. The entire floor glows as
soft floor lighting fills the living room.
“Go change and I will get us something to eat.” The schooled
expression on Zara’s face slips.
“Yes, Little One, I am going to prepare a meal. Go… I am
hungry and I am guessing you are as well.”
As Zara makes her way down the hall, another soft piano concerto
fills the air. Pausing to enjoy it, a clank of pans
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