✓ [18+] COMMITMENT

N I N E T E E N : N I G H T M A R E

I'm about to text him to ask how his day is when my phone lights up. It's Dante calling me. I answer it on the second ring, tucking the phone between my cheek and shoulder as I rummage through my cupboards and refrigerator looking for something to eat. I really need to go grocery shopping.

"Hey baby," I answer as cheerfully as I can through exhaustion.

"Don't you dare hey baby me!" he growls through the phone, catching me off guard. "You told Nadine to go home? She was suppose to stay with you to make sure you're okay. I told her to three nights ago but she keeps refusing and it doesn't help when you keep telling her no!"

"Dante that's enough!" I yell into the phone as I ram-rod straight, holding the phone to my ear with my hand. I let out a loud sigh and catch my breath. I don't have the energy to argue over this.

"I don't need a damn baby sitter. I'm perfectly fine and have been since I stopped coming over everyday. She hasn't been staying over every night and she doesn't need to," I huff. I'm glad she hasn't.

Truth be told, I didn't want her to because of the recurring nightmare I keep having. I've had it ever since that day at the police station when I found out my brother Jason was behind the attacks.

I knew if she stayed and caught me in one of my sweat filled thrashes, she'd report back to Dante and I'd have to explain the real reason I stopped staying over. 

"But Kat, you need protection —" he begins to protest and I run my fingers through my hair in frustration.

"No I don't Dante! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. You need to stop obsessing over my protection and spend time with Joseph," I sigh and give up on rummaging through my kitchen, deciding on a banana as my dinner. It's not enough but I'm too tired to care about food or arguing with this man on the phone.

"I have been spending time with him Kat, but what about you. I haven't even held you in my arms the last three days. I want you to come back home and stay with me but you keep refusing. I need you just as much as you need me baby, you're just being too stubborn to see that," he groans in my ear.

So many different emotions flow through me and I feel my eyes start to burn from tears. I get angry over my emotions and the fact Dante is treating me like a child. Before I can stop myself, I go off into the phone.

"Stubborn huh? I'm the stubborn one? You're the one who sends your cousin out on babysitting duty and then demands that she stays over at your girlfriends house because you're not getting your way!" I scream into the phone.

"Kat..." Dante sighs into the phone.

"Don't Kat me Dante. Don't act like you're the only one suffering over me not being there. About us not being together constantly like before. I'm doing this for you and Joseph," I partially tell the truth.

"Plus I needed to come back to my place. I'm not paying for it every month for me not to live in it. I could come up with more reasons of why you're currently pissing me off but I'm too physically and mentally exhausted."

"Baby..." he begins but I don't give him a chance to continue.

"Dante, just don't. I'm not going to change my mind. I'm not in the mood right now. I'll talk to you when you realize you can't do this with me. I love you, goodnight." I hear him yell wait into the phone before I hang up.

I sit my phone on the counter in frustration while I eat my banana. It lights up again as My Love flashes across my screen. I lit it ring until it goes to voicemail and I don't even bother listening to it. A minute later my phone lights up once again.