The Company of Darkness by Lisa Olsen

*
     
    Ethan hated waiting.  Patience was a virtue he’d learned by necessity for his job, but it never came to him naturally.  Now, robbed of the outlet while the Company left him sitting idle, he had little to occupy his days.  There was only so much time a man could spend training his body.  Every time he picked up a pencil he inevitably found himself sketching her well loved features.  Watching movies held little appeal.  All he could think of was how much more enjoyable it’d be with Cady by his side. 
    He had to see her again, to touch her, to be near her.  It was almost as if she’d gotten under his skin somehow since they’d taken their physical relationship to the next level.  She was in his blood. 
    It scared him.
    It wasn’t like him to become so obsessive over a woman.  Over anything.  And so he distanced himself from Cady until he could understand it, his analytical mind turning the puzzle over until the edges of the design came into view.  It must be love – that was the only thing he could come up with.  And he couldn’t allow the emotion to weaken him and take unnecessary chances, no matter how much his heart screamed otherwise. 
    Ethan continued to hold her at arm’s length, only allowing her to come over every few days.  Refraining from calling and texting her at all hours of the day and night when she filled his thoughts.  He sought to control his behavior the way the Company had taught him to. 
    Recognizing that aberration in behavior did nothing to change it though, and the need built within him until it became unbearable and Ethan found himself sitting on the fire escape outside her window one night.  Instead of making himself known, he watched as she got ready for bed, donning an oversized t-shirt that looked familiar.  Was it his?  She must have snuck it out of his apartment the last time she’d come over, the sly minx. 
    Cady sat at the mirrored dressing table, pulling her glorious hair free to spill down her back.  The brush sang through her hair, crackling with static electricity that made it seem like it had a life of its own.  The urge to wrap a length of it around his hand and pull her to him was almost too much to bear, and he gripped the window casement tight enough to make it creak.
    The sound drew her notice and Cady screamed, the look in her eye telling Ethan that she hadn’t recognized him right away.  The light outside was poor and he must have looked like little more than a sinister shape in the shadows.  “It’s me,” he whispered, leaning into the light, only to duck down an instant before her brother stormed into view. 
    “What the hell?” Ian demanded with a scowl once he noticed she was all alone.  “It sounded like you were being murdered in here.”
    Cady’s gaze flicked to the window and back again.  “I um… Jesus,” she swallowed, a hand resting above her heart.  “I saw a spider and it freaked me out.  I’m sorry.”
    His entire stance shifted, no longer angry, but annoyed nonetheless.  “A spider?  Where?”
    “Over there, by the baseboard, behind the door.”
    Ian bent to one knee, peering at the corner intently and Cady flashed Ethan a thumbs up sign with a wide grin.  “Where?  I don’t see anything.”
    “Well duh, it’s gone now .  I’m probably going to feel crawly all night.”  She itched at her neck, convincingly enough for Ethan’s skin to prickle from where he watched outside.
    “Alright, call me if you see it again, but don’t scream for God’s sake.”  Ian let out a long breath, his eyes surveying the room before lighting on the window.  “And you should close your window at night.”
    “I’ve been told that before,” she murmured, standing in place for long moments before padding to the window where he waited.  “What are you doing here?” Cady whispered, and Ethan lost his train of thought for a moment as her pure, clean scent enveloped him.
    “Sorry, I had to see you,” he mumbled,