Amelia had everything- family, friends, a promising future- the sky was the limit. But just like that everything was taken from her. One moment she's planning her high school graduation party the next she's laying on a therapist's couch. It was as i...
Yep. This is what happens when I don't drink alcohol after three years. The tiniest amount will affect me.
I watched the last of the dark brown liquor disappear from his glass. "Just so we're clear, Ms. Cross does not have me." Elijah's gaze dropped to my mouth.
Good to know, Doctor. Good to know.
. . .
Against my better judgment, Elijah drove me back to my campus instead of driving back to the parking lot where my car was. I asked him how exactly did he expect me to get to work the next day.
"Oh well, I guess I'll just have to drive you to the office tomorrow." He didn't even bother to hide the smile I know was displayed across his mouth like a deviant child. At that point I was too tired to question him any further.
My makeup was all but gone and I was in dire need of a shower. The humidity continued to be unchanging even hours after the sun went down. Elijah appeared unbothered by the heat. His clothes were still perfectly in place and his hair remained slicked back. My clothes clung to my body like a wet sheet and my hair was growing frizzier by the second and who the hell knows what it would look like if I hadn't pulled it back in a hair tie.
We arrived at my building where he pulled the car off to the side. I made sure I didn't leave anything behind. Grabbing my keys I opened the door to get out.
"I'll see you here tomorrow then," he smiled.
Part of me didn't want to give him the satisfaction of having the upper hand. "Come to think of it, my roommate doesn't have class tomorrow. I'm sure she'll have no problem taking me to the office," I suggested politely.
His eyes flickered with challenge. "We'll see about that."
I closed the door and headed inside. The idea of an ice cold shower sounded way too appealing for me to pass up. Aralyn was bound to be in the room, waiting for me to tell her about how my first day went. I knew she could care less about the work end of it, she just wanted to know about the Elijah part of it.
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Hey, if I were in her shoes, I would feel the same way.
My key turned into the lock and with a single twist I opened the door. The room was practically pitch black if it weren't for my lamp across the room. I took one step before I nearly fell to the floor. My eyes squinted to see that I had tripped over a pair of beige Sperrys. A men's pair of beige Sperrys.
It was then I started to notice the other articles of clothing scattered around. A striped shirt hung off the side of Aralyn's desk while a pair of khakis were laid in the middle of the room.
Well, it looks like somebody had a fun night.
The sound of the door closing behind me must have shaken her awake, because within seconds Aralyn was upright in her bed.
"Oh my god! You scared the shit outta me," she whispered. I tried to see where the guy was, but I couldn't make out another face.
"Please tell me you're not naked right now." I held up my hand to my eyes. I've seen Aralyn's bare chest, by accidently walking into the bathroom while she was in the shower... along with someone else. I just wasn't about to see the rest of the package. I mean, not if I could avoid it.
"Relax, I'm wearing underwear. I wanna hear about your first day," she said as she got up from her bed.
I set my bag down on my desk. "Actually, I was going to take a shower," I explained. "I need to get out of this dress and take off my makeup." Unzipping my dress, I grabbed a clean pair of underwear and an oversized cotton shirt to sleep in.
"I understand. Go take your usual ice cold shower and get rid of all the sweat," Aralyn smiled. Of all the things we shared in common, Aralyn could not understand how anyone could possibly take a shower that was below one hundred and ten degrees Fahrenheit.
She told me that I was part of that two percent of the population that enjoyed taking cold showers. In the dead of winter, when we would have over four feet of snow, I would still stand under the shower head with freezing water pouring over me.
"Thanks, I'll tell you about it when I'm done." At the end of a trying day- like today, a day with bitchy patients, piles of forms to file, and an irrefutably sexy boss, it was nice to go home to a friend like Aralyn. Sure, she had her own problems that made her crazy. But don't we all?
She was the type of friend that would cut down anyone who attempted to hurt someone she cared about. Hence why I debated about telling her about Veronica at all, knowing she would show up at the office and rip her to shreds. Maybe it would be best to leave Veronica out of the conversation for now.
Of all the guys I had seen her sprung with, I never looked at her as a slut. It was her body and quite frankly she was a lot smarter when it came to choosing who to sleep with. Unlike me when I go off the edge.
She carried standards guys would have to reach up to if they were ever going to be with her. Aralyn was wise in her choosing, and always made sure there was no drama behind it. If one of her boyfriends was still secretly dating another girl and began texting their ex again, she would cut them loose like a bad fish on a pole.
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So, in the long run, it didn't bother me when she had guys over in the room. Because, I knew there was no denying that she would soon kick them out before telling me to get lost.
With every new guy she brought into the picture, I found myself remembering her words. "It will always be you over them, Amelia. No guy will ever come between our friendship."
Aralyn knew better than anyone else in my family the suffering I had endured. She has seen the darkest parts of me and still refused to leave me behind.
