c h a p t e r 2
tw: IPV
I couldn't stop staring.
I'm not sure if he knew that I was staring at him or not, but with the burning sensation of my eyes on the back of his head, it was hard not to notice.
It's not like he was doing anything that would attract my attention, particularly. He was just sitting at a classroom desk, waiting for the time to tick by while the teacher ran out to 'use the washroom'. Obviously he wasn't coming back anytime soon, which was clear to the both of us.
And there were other things in the empty classroom that I could be staring at as well. Like the high ceilings and skylights, or the rows of chairs and tables in this lecture hall. Just because he was the only other human being in the room, didn't mean that he required any of my attention at all.
I was still staring.
My head pounded with the ache from last night. In hindsight, it was quite idiotic of Zoey and me to go out and party last night when we had classes the next afternoon. But I was mostly thankful that it was now Friday.
I watched the boy with curious eyes as he huffed, his breath breaking the pin-drop silence of the classroom and he finally decided to turn around in his seat, his narrowed eyes settling on the figure five desks behind him and three desks to the right.
Me.
"Can I help you with something?"
He held my gaze and, if it were possible, stared at me harder. His eyes were intense and I straightened my posture and gave him a small smile, attempting to brush off the fact that he had very well caught me staring at him. For a brief second I thought he looked familiar but when I didn't answer him, he spoke again.
"Why the fuck are you staring at me?"
I blinked at the harshness of his words but upped the wattage of my smile. For some reason, a sense of deja vu was hitting me hard, yet I couldn't quite place why. "I... Do I know you?"
He scowled. I'm not sure what it exactly was that I wanted from him, or what it was about him in general. Or what it was that I was trying to accomplish from speaking to him at all. Maybe it was the remaining alcohol in my system because I had gotten quite good at not talking to other guys or bothering anyone at all. However, with this boy I took my time to study his features, seeing similarities between him and someone I've seen before. Striking similarities.
"You've been staring at me for the past 10 minutes," His glare deepened as he scrutinized my face. "What do you want?"
"I don't want anything," I shrugged smally, seeming to have irritated him more. "You just look like someone I know."
His eyes narrowed further. "I don't care. Stop fucking staring at me."
Again, I blinked at his brazenness. "I'm sorry if I've upset you. That wasn't my intention." I repositioned the flimsy scarf around my neck to occupy my nervous hands, making sure that it was covering the only visible evidence of what I had done last night. I continued on. "How about we start over? I'm Mae."
The boy sitting in front of me didn't let up on his narrowed gaze but I did notice them flicker over my face before he clenched his fists. "I know who you are."
My eyes widened a fraction in shock. "You do?"
"Uh-huh," the boy rolled his eyes, taking my shock as pride. "You date that asshole, Cole."
The mention of my boyfriend's—as of this morning—name caused a shiver to travel up my spine, especially at the tone this guy used when he spoke it. There was disdain there for sure, as well as something else. Did this guy know Cole? Were they not on good terms?
I cleared my throat, sensing the conversation turning a lot more sour than I anticipated. "Cole isn't an asshole," I felt the urge to defend him as a feeling of paranoia crept up the back of my neck. My eyes glanced to the open classroom door, almost as if I expected Cole to be standing out there and listening in. Is he out there? Is he listening? Is this some kind of test? "I'm sorry if the two of you haven't gotten along, but he's a great—"
"Spare me the bullshit, sweetheart, alright?" My spine tingled at the way he said that word. Sweetheart. Almost as if...
No. There's no way this is... West? But I wasn't sure. I was drunk and wild and reckless last night and the lighting in the club was dark and dim, but surely I'd know if this was West sitting in front of me. Right? With how intimate with him I was... I'd certainly know if this were...
My heartbeat seemed to skyrocket in my chest, my throat suddenly dry, and my eyelids fluttered as I tried to temper the spike of panic in my veins. "West?"
The boy's lips twitched in the all-too-familiar sign of an impending smirk and I felt like I was about to faint because this boy was West, and I was in no way prepared to face him after last night.
Last night... the memories seemed to flash across my mind. The way he touched me and held me. The way he smiled and teased. His tongue on me, over me, inside me, and the number of times we had...
Bile rose in my throat.
West seemed amused now. "Finally place me?"
"I thought..." I don't know what I thought but I struggled to push the first few words past the lump in my throat. "You said you didn't go here."
West let out a chuckle, my distress seeming to bring him joy. "You asked me if I went to school around here and I said something like that."
"Then why didn't you specify?"
"Why didn't you?"
"I..." I looked down at the desk in front of me, my mind whirling at this revelation. Something unkind took hold of my emotions and the next time I looked up at West, I was actually glaring. "You lied to me."
"No, I didn't."
"You tricked me," I said instead, my hands sweating because West went to school here and so did Cole. Not only that, but he seemed like he knew Cole. Hated him. And if he said a few minutes ago that he knew who I was and who I was dating then, "Was last night some weird way of getting back at Cole for something? You said at the bar that you didn't know me."
"You said at the bar that your name was Taylor," he drawled, rising from his seat. "If you said your name was Mae then things might've been different. Suppose I thought you had a twin."
Oh my gosh, I wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out as I took a second to bury my head in my hands, pressing the heels into my eyes. I needed to get a grip and focus before this somehow got back to Cole. He wouldn't like this one bit, and if Cole became unhappy with me, then...
When I dropped my hands and looked back up, West was leaning against his desk now, observing me with amusement and something a little more intense. I didn't care. I needed to get ahead of this.
"You know what?" I put on a smile, hoping that would help me feel better. Smiling was always supposed to help you feel better, even if there was nothing to be happy about. "This is all just one big misunderstanding."
He cocked his head to the side. "Oh?"
I rose to my feet now, grabbing my bag and checking the time. "Emotions were flying high last night," I swallowed, continuing to smile. "And neither of us were in the right state of mind."
West blinked slowly.
"You know what?" I brightened my smile ridiculously, "Let's just forget all about it. Pretend it never even happened."
He let a beat of silence pass between us. "Forget all about it," he repeated, tasting the words on his tongue. Clearly not liking them. "And what if I don't want to?"
I gripped the strap of my tote bag, my smile faltering for a second before I pasted it back on my lips. That was a fair point: What if he didn't want to keep this a secret? What was I supposed to do then?
Opting to not let that be an option, I pushed forwards with my optimistic tone. "I wasn't myself last night and I did some things that were really out of character for me. And I don't know you very well, but I'm going to assume that it was out of character for you too," I began again, watching his eyes flicker with an emotion I couldn't place. "I accept responsibility for my part in things. Cole and I were on a break but we're back together now, and I would really appreciate it if we could just never mention this ever again... Okay?"
"Hm," West hummed, crossing his arms over his chest. His deep brown eyes studied me before zeroing in on the grip I had on my tote bag. "No."
My heart deflated a fraction, not liking the word or tone. "N-no?"
He pushed himself off the desk and ran a hand through his dark brown locks, reminding me of how tightly I had gripped them last night. In the bright lights of the classroom, and the afternoon sun streaming through the surrounding windows, I could see all of West's features clearly. His jaw was as sharp as it was last night, and the slope of his nose looked perfectly shaped. His skin looked to be a warm beige colour and his height seemed to have increased. Maybe that was because I wasn't wearing heels today. "I don't care much for your 'boyfriend', and I care even less for women like you."
"What is that supposed to mean?" A lump was rising in my throat. "Women like me?"
"Women who blur the lines to justify their actions when they don't want to face the consequences."
"I... what are you talking about?" I stammered, my smile once again wavering.
West shook his head at me. "You're a cheater, sweet thing."
The word was like a slap across my face. "Cheater?" I choked out a nervous laugh. "I wasn't... I've never cheated on anyone before in my life!"
"You cheated on your boyfriend last night," he shrugged simply. "And now you don't want to face the music so you're asking me to lie for you."
"Cole and I were broken up for over a week until this morning," I took a step closer to West, my smile completely gone now. "Not that it's any of your business. I was single last night. I didn't lie about anything and I most certainly didn't cheat."
West's next movements were so sudden that I didn't get the chance to do anything other than flinch. He closed the distance between us in three quick strides, tearing the scarf from my neck and tossing it onto the desk near us. I let out a gasp, my neck cold, my blood colder.
"Does he know you were fucking me last night?" His hand was gripping my jaw now, forcing my head up, and his vulgar words made me shudder. "Riding my dick and coming on my tongue? Did he see these hickies on your neck, because I wonder how he'd feel, knowing I was tasting every inch of you—"
"S-stop it!" I had dropped my tote in the flurry of movements and was gripping his wrist with both hands, sensing the familiar feeling of panic take over and I suddenly wanted to cry. It was just my luck that I would screw someone who went to my school and have him threaten to tell my anger-prone boyfriend. How was I going to get out of this mess?
"How much longer is he going to want to be your boyfriend when he finds out I came inside of you?"
His vulgar words made me shiver with disgust when he phrased them the way he had and I was once more hit with the startling reality that the boy who I spent last night with, and the one standing in front of me right now, were indeed two very different people. The West from last night was so kind and caring and sweet and safe. He had made me feel so incredibly safe. But now? Now I was scared. This West was cruel and rude and such a stark contrast.
"Please don't tell him," I resorted to begging, not really seeing what else I could do. "You wouldn't."
He nodded his head in a mocking manner. "Oh, I would—"
"You can't," I rushed, blinking back the moisture building behind my eyes because I was so fucked. "I didn't cheat on him but he's... sensitive. He wouldn't be happy. I just want him to be happy."
My heart pounded so violently that it was echoing in my ears. How could I have gone from having such a wonderful night with this guy to this? This West was all sharp edges and undercuts. He liked to hurt people, it seemed, and right now I was his target.
"You can't tell anyone," I tried again, my voice quiet as I stared up into his eyes but not getting a glimpse of emotion from him. "No one can know about last night."
"And what do I get," he bargained just as softly, "For keeping your little secret? Because I certainly won't do it for free."
My breath hitched thinking about the types of things he could want from me. More sex? For me to do his reading assignments? I didn't know anything about him and that only caused my anxiety to rise all the more. What have I gotten myself into?
I tried to find a scrap of decency in his features but after coming up empty I tugged on his wrist, wanting him to let go of my jaw. "Stop it. You're being mean."
"You don't know me, sweetheart," he teased, making my breath shallow.
"You were so kind last night," I shuddered at the way his eyes seemed to darken, the first and only indication of some type of feeling. "You were—"
"You don't fucking know me," he cut me off, his thumb stroking the line of my jaw before his gaze seemed to catch something. "And would you look at that. Your eyes are blue."
"Let go of me."
"Does that mean you're turned on right now? Or was that just another lie so you wouldn't get caught?" Thankfully he finally let go and took a step back. "Looks like you're not the pretty princess everyone thinks you are."
I didn't say anything to that, my mind racing and my hands beginning to shake as I picked up my scarf and wrapped it back around my neck, concealing the purple bruises. I picked up my tote bag next, this time with a shaky exhale because I was scared. Scared that he was going to say something. That anyone was going to say something. If West was there and he went to school here, there were probably other peers there last night that I didn't even focus on. What if one of Cole's loyal friends had been there? Or one of the girls who wanted him for themselves and would do anything, say anything to make that happen? There was no telling what Cole might hear. It was only a matter of time.
I tried to lift my lips in a smile to conceal the fear but after a few attempts my watery eyes won out, a few tears slipping from the corners of my eyes. I tried pushing my index fingers up into the corners of my lips, lifting them into a smile, but it wouldn't stick.
Pathetic.
I brushed my tears away and shook my head, trying to recompose myself before looking back over at West—who was still watching me. He didn't say anything more, just boredly flicked his gaze over my face and neck before observing my hands. Then he turned back around, retaking his seat from earlier.
Someone's high heels could be heard making their way down the hall outside just then, heading in our direction. I took a deep breath to steady my emotions before finally being able to lift a smile onto my mouth now that West was turned away from me. I would need to bury this conversation for now and talk to the professor about the reading. Then I would need to revisit this problem. But not right now. I couldn't think about this anymore.
Just then Ms.Chess, the young, bubbly, anthropology professor, pushed open the ajar classroom door, her youthful eyes finding West's first before mine. She smiled, motioning for me to collect my things and meet her at the desk up front. Yet, I couldn't help but frown. Mr.Gene was supposed to be the one I was talking to.
Not that I minded the change in teachers, that is. Ms. Chess was nice and all, but she was fresh out of teachers' college and still dressed as if she were reliving her high school days: shorter skirts and tighter shirts.
Nevertheless, I ensured my scarf was properly placed before slinging my tote back on my shoulder and making my way towards the desk, which she now sat on top of casually.
"Hello Mabel," she smiled sweetly, her dark complexion making her hazel eyes glow. Her natural raven curls were slicked back into a tight bun, held in place by neatly placed bobby pins. Her edges were laid and she had, admittedly, cute floral berets in her hair, too. But her gaze remained glued to West over my shoulder. "What is it you're here for again?"
"It's pronounced May-Bell," I softly corrected. "And I was supposed to be meeting with Mr. Gene to discuss the reading due next week."
"Right," she beamed, glancing back to me then to West, then back at me. Her smile was sweet yet her eyes seemed eager. "Well, Mr. Gene wanted me to let you know that he had to go home early today but that he'll answer whatever questions you have Monday morning."
"Are you sure?" I shifted my weight from either leg, my loose jeans feeling tight all of a sudden. "We were supposed to meet the other day but he cancelled and assured me he'd be able to answer my questions today."
"Just shoot him an email if it's so urgent," Ms. Chess supplied, making my smile dim. I'd have to run that by Cole, as he managed my email to make sure dangerous men weren't able to contact me. "Now, you should get going. Ryder and I have a few things of our own to go over."
"Oh," I frowned. "Whose Ryder?"
Ms. Chess's eyes darted back over my shoulder again and I turned to see who she was looking and talking about. However, the only person still in the room with us was West.
Who smirked at me.
My stomach churned. "Your name is Ryder?"
"Ryder SaintWest," he stood from his seat again, cocking his head. "Why? Ringing any more bells?"
Yes, actually. Quite a fucking few.
I only knew Ryder SaintWest by name, hence the reason he was able to tell me his name was West and I took it at face value. But the things I did know about him were not pleasant, and sent me back into a spiral.
For starters, Cole hated Ryder. With a passion. The details of that hatred were hazy to me, but they both went to the same off-campus gym and apparently, things got intense. One night, Cole had come back from the gym complaining about some guy—Ryder—who was talking a big game about being the strongest in the facility. Of course, as competitive as Cole was, he challenged him and lost because Ryder had cheated. I don't know what they competed in, whether it was weightlifting or running or something else, but Cole hated people who were better than him, and thus hated Ryder.
The intensity of that hatred only grew over the months. They seemed to challenge each other a lot in the gym, as they both were there at the same time, and Cole would always come home in a foul mood. It made things quite unpleasant for me, even though I would try my best to comfort him.
Aside from that, Ryder had more than one negative rumour surrounding him. Heartbreaker was one, but that was a given. He had a quiet, dangerous sort of vibe that drew girls in and apparently he didn't turn down advances all the time, as long as they were the types of offers that he didn't have to reciprocate. But that was where it ended. He made girls somehow feel special for going down on him, but the promise of more was one he broke every time.
But last night...
Last night I had gotten a taste of just what made him so alluring. While I didn't have to do anything I was uncomfortable with, he had won me over with his tenderness and seemingly kind eyes. Which I could now see was just an act, but I had made it all so easy for him.
I shook my head, collecting my thoughts and anything else I could remember about his name. Illegal boxer was another rumour thrown around but then again, how true could that be? Not to mention some people thought he ran drugs, was in a gang or was into street racing. The gist had been that he was a dangerous, slightly quiet guy who often came across with the biggest ego, however, this was my first time actually interacting with him.
Second time. The first was last night.
My breath stalled for a moment too long and as recognition flickered in my eyes, Ryder seemed to soak it in. "Yeah, sweet thing. Let that shit sink in."
"No," I mumbled because this situation somehow just got a thousand times worse. If Cole knew I slept with someone last night, he'd be more than angry. Throw in that it was the guy he hated the most? This can't be happening.
"If everyone's done catching up now," Ms. Chess pipped in, her voice making me flinch. She waved a dismissive hand at me, causing some of her pear-scented perfume to waft in my direction. It smelled extremely familiar, though I couldn't exactly place it. "Ryder. We have some things to discuss. Mabel, you can see yourself out."
I didn't bother to correct her again about my name, my eyes wide and my bottom lip between teeth while my hands choked the strap of my tote bag to stop them from shaking. "I'm sorry," I apologized absentmindedly to the professor. "I guess I'll head out."
I couldn't look at Ryder as I turned away and headed towards the exit, making it only an inch past the threshold before Ms. Chess called out to me, stopping me in my tracks.
"Yes, Ms?"
"Would you mind closing the door?"
Excuse me? My gaze couldn't help but flit back to Ryder.
He was looking right back at me, his eyes glinting with that intensity from before along with what I assumed was slight annoyance at my delay to comply with Ms. Chess's orders. However, his mouth was shaped in the faintest impression of a smirk again.
I felt like I was going to throw up.
Holy shit.
I sent Ms. Chess a tight-lipped smile anyways and closed the door slowly, seeing Ryder get up from his seat before the door was even fully shut.
Holy shit.
But I didn't have time to even unpack that. One look at the clock on the hall wall and I was panicking all over again because I was late. Very late.
I rushed out of the building and towards the back parking lot, skipping the steps and stumbling when I reached the tarmac.
"Babe!"
The pet name halted me before I could move onto the sidewalk and I turned around to look at who had called me, ice chilling my bones at the familiar voice.
He came to pick me up. That meant that I was extremely late.
"Hi, baby," I sent a smile Cole's way as I took in a sharp breath, making my way to where he stood, leaning against his sleek grey car. His dirty blonde hair seemed to glow under the late afternoon sun, a light March breeze in the air. "You didn't tell me you were coming. What a nice surprise."
I tried to keep the lightness in my tone but too many things had just been thrown my way at once and I was feeling a little disoriented. First West, then finding out he's actually Ryder, then him obviously doing something intimate with a professor, and now Cole was here to pick me up. I felt like everything had just been thrown at me way too fast for me to even pause.
His demeanour didn't seem too tense, which in turn allowed me to relax a bit the closer I got to him. When I was within arms reach he grabbed my waist, pulling me against him and pressing a kiss to my lips. "You took quite a bit."
"I was getting help on the reading from my professor, remember?" I supplied, leaning up to give him a kiss on the cheek. "He stepped out to use the washroom and then a different professor came back to tell me I would have to email instead."
"Email?" he questioned lightly, sounding curious.
"Yeah," I shrugged, trying not to make it seem like a big deal as I repeated, "A different professor came in after Mr. Gene didn't come back from the bathroom and told me that I needed to email."
"Hm," is all he said in return, dropping his hands from my waist. He gestured his head in a way that made me understand that he wanted me to get into the car with him and I complied obediently.
Once situated inside Cole sped off down the road, driving in the direction of our shared apartment to drop me off. It was a ten-minute walk from the school but only a five-minute drive. This worked well for us because Cole, as the only one who could drive between the two of us, was fine taking me everywhere to ensure I arrived safely and didn't get taken with anyone else.
"How was your day today?" I asked him when the silence had already become too much for me. That was something I couldn't stand: Silence. It made me feel like the other person was mad at me. Or plotting my demise. Or that the situation was awkward. All things that I wanted to avoid. "Are you going to the gym tonight?"
The second question was past my lips before I could catch myself but I needed to know how much time I had to try and change Ryder's mind about telling Cole what we did last night. If Cole went to the gym tonight, the odds that Ryder would be there as well were high and I couldn't have that. Not until I fixed this. I needed to figure out how I could intercept Ryder beforehand.
"Fine," Cole responded casually, eyes on the road. "And no gym tonight. I was thinking we could go out to dinner."
A wonderful feeling filled my chest. "Dinner? Really?" I couldn't help but smile wide. "What's the occasion?"
"You know," he shrugged, this time looking over at me. His lips tilted up in a warm smile and the love in my heart for him tripled just from that look alone. "It's been a while since we've gone out. And now that we're back together, we have something to celebrate."
I was beaming, I was sure of it, excitement filling my belly with hopeful butterflies. He was right when he was trying to convince me that we should get back together. Things would be different this time around and he was already proving it to me.
"This is so exciting," I rubbed my hands on my thighs, thinking of where we could be going tonight. "Did you have somewhere in mind already?"
"It'll be a surprise," he turned back to the road, reaching a hand over to place it on my thigh. "You'll wear that white dress I like."
"Okay," I hummed in agreement. Cole only asked me to wear that white dress when things were going really well, so this was a great sign. "Shoes?"
"The white ones with no heel," he supplied. "Red lipstick. Hair up."
The giddy feeling in my chest remained until Cole was pulling into the parking lot of our apartment complex, parking in our designated spot. It wasn't student housing by any means so we didn't know most of the other tenants, but the tall grey building had been home to me since before I met Cole, and I would never tire of coming back here at the end of the day.
Cole and I had been living together since we started our second year of university last September. He moved in with me after he managed to get the lease signed in his name rather than mine, but it was still very much a shared space.
As we got out of the car Cole's phone chimed with a message, and as I shut my door and rounded the vehicle to stand next to him, his easy smile had suddenly disappeared. In its place now was a frown.
He looked up at me. I kept my smile while he seemed to rake his eyes from my head to my clothes to my shoes and back up again, not spending too much time lingering on the scarf around my neck.
I was suddenly feeling very uneasy. "Is everything okay?"
"Let's go inside," he responded, suddenly not so happy. He moved around me after locking the car, leading the way into the building before I could ask any more questions.
Nothing's wrong, I told myself. We were having a nice time. There hasn't even been a chance for something to go wrong.
The lobby of Cole and I's building was nothing special. Cream walls accented with steel grey gave way to a less-than-homey feeling, though the couches and decorative plants offset that by a bit. The front desk was straight ahead and to the right was a hall that held four elevators, two on either wall.
Cole strode past the usual woman working the front desk but I gave her a polite nod while passing. She was an older woman, maybe in her late sixties, with beautiful silver hair cut in a bob and olive skin that complimented her brown eyes wonderfully.
Her name badge read Martha, and before Cole had moved in we had struck up a friendly rapport. Now, however, we were reduced to polite and silent nods and no more leisurely chit-chatting.
Martha's soft, pale pink lips lifted in a tired smile at me but that was all she gave me.
When I caught up to Cole at the elevators he was furiously typing away on his phone, his good mood diminishing by the second and making me get nervous. What was so urgent that he was now engrossed in his phone?
I shifted my weight from either foot until the elevator doors opened and we both got on, not speaking a word until it stopped again on the fifth floor out of the twelve that made up the stories. Cole, still on his phone, led the way out and down the hall until we reached the eighth door, to which he opened it with ease despite never looking up from his device.
Something isn't right.
"Where were you last night?"
The question threw me off kilter the second he closed the front door, the lock sliding into place. I turned to look at him, smiling. "I was with Zoey."
Cole slipped off his beanie, his short blonde hair not looking the least bit tousled, and he placed it on the coat rack next to the door. "Not who. Where."
My throat became dry but I tried not to let any discomfort show. Any sort of movement or expression that seemed off to Cole was something he might look into and misinterpret. "Well, I was with her at her dorm. I went to stay there while we were on our break."
His face seemed to relax, but instead of feeling relaxed myself I just felt more on edge. "You were there the whole night?"
"No," I had no choice but to go for the truth because I was certain he could tell if I was lying. He always seemed to get the truth out of me anyways, and when he caught me in a lie, it made things a hundred times worse. "She finished a midterm that afternoon and wanted to celebrate so she forced me to go out with her."
"Where did you go out?"
"Dancing."
"Not what," Cole's eyes didn't leave mine for a second. "Where."
I swallowed thickly. "A club she heard about. I don't know what the name is, but it was within walking distance to her place."
That was all the truth. Zoey had heard about the club from someone, and it was within walking distance to her own apartment building. But for some reason, it felt like I was already lying or that this was some sort of trap. I just couldn't tell how I was getting trapped.
Cole stared at me for a second longer before he looked away, silently dismissing me. I took the chance, slipping off my shoes and lining them up at the door so that they were exactly parallel. As Cole kicked off his shoes and walked over to the kitchen, I lined his up next to mine, leaving about a quarter inch of space between the pairs.
When that was done I turned to take in the apartment. It wasn't a mansion by any means but it was the right size for Cole and me. It was an open concept with light wood floors that ran through the entire space except for the bathrooms, which had white tile, and walls that were painted a pale yellow. To the right was the lounge area, which had a grey couch and wooden coffee table, and a television mounted to the wall in front of it. To the left was the kitchen, which had an island in the centre made up of light wood cabinets and a granite countertop, with matching cupboards and counters throughout it.
Immediately my eyes spotted a few speckles of red splashed against the wall behind the couch and I was set back in motion, hanging my tote bag on the coat rack and moving towards the kitchen.
In the cupboards at the island is where I retrieved the cleaning spray and cloth. "Did you want me to make a list for groceries?"
Cole was shuffling through the fridge, meaning there wasn't anything in there that appealed to him. "No," he said over his shoulder. "I made one yesterday."
"Okay," I breathed lightly. I moved from the kitchen and to the wall behind the couch, lowering myself to rest on my knees. I got to work spraying the wall and wiping clean the spots of my dried blood, still feeling Cole's earlier shift in mood and wanting to make it right. "When would you like me to go?"
"Tonight," I heard him close the fridge door before the tell-tale sound of a can opening was heard. The cloth slipped from my hand. "Just a few things from the convenience store around the corner."
"Okay," I sprayed the wall again before picking up the cloth and wiping some more. "Should I go before or after our dinner?"
"You know my friend Mason, right?"
I paused for a split second before continuing to wipe the wall, not taking my eyes off of it as I pretended to not be ruffled by his abrupt change in topics. "Yes. You introduced me to him a couple of weeks ago. How is he?"
"He has a sister across town."
The blood was already gone from the wall but I continued to scrub, afraid that if I looked away, it would return. "Does his sister go to school with us?"
"She's older," I heard Cole place his can on the counter, then a couple of footsteps. "She's a bartender."
My breathing picked up and I sprayed the already cleaned wall, scrubbing harder. "That's nice."
"She says she saw you," he continued. "At the bar last night."
I didn't let there be any time for pauses or silence. "She must've been the one who served Zoey and me when Zoey ordered us drinks. Shots. Two rounds, I believe."
"And a cosmo?"
The deadly undertone had made an appearance in Cole's voice now and I felt my heartbeat begin to pick up its pace again because for some reason I felt caught in something and I didn't know how to get out of it.
I stopped wiping the wall. "Yes, I believe so."
"And a beer?"
I frowned, finally looking over my shoulder to meet the danger in Cole's eyes. "I didn't... I didn't drink beer last night."
"But the guy you were with did."
No.
I took another harsh swallow as Cole took a couple of casual steps in my direction, leaving his freshly opened beer on the counter. I remained on my knees in front of the wall, not wanting to make any sudden movements.
"Mason saw you there," Cole clarified at the confusion in my eyes on how he would know any of these specifics. "Got his sister to confirm it was you. Just texted me about it, actually."
"I..." I didn't know what to say, not prepared for this.
Cole stepped closer, and the closer he got, the more I had to tilt my head up to maintain eye contact. "Who was the guy?"
I clutched the cloth in my hands, trying to keep them from trembling. "H-he told me his name was West."
"What were you doing with him?"
I almost breathed a sigh of relief at how quickly he glossed over the name I had given him. While this Mason friend of Cole's had brought along my untimely demise tonight, at least he hadn't told Cole that the boy I was with was Ryder SaintWest. "Just talking."
Cole tilted his head. "Talking."
"Yes," I nodded slowly. "He had been staring at me and then I—"
"Did he buy you drinks?" Cole cut me off, standing right in front of me now. "Did you fuck him so he would buy you drinks?"
"No!" I exclaimed, repulsed by the insinuation. "He didn't even—Ah!"
Cole grabbed my hair in his fist and yanked me to my feet so fast that my scalp burned at the sensation and my body couldn't do anything other than comply. My heart was beating rapidly, and I had a feeling that our earlier plans for dinner tonight were no longer on the table.
We hadn't even made it a day.
The back of my head slammed into the wall without warning, my ears ringing violently as a beat of numbness passed before a violent wave of pain crashed into my skull. Black spots dotted my vision for a few excruciatingly long seconds and blood roared in my ears.
"You fucking whore," Cole tsked, sounding that eerie sort of calm that he did when he was very angry with me. "We break up for all of two seconds and you can't help yourself but fuck the next moving object."
"N-no," I whimpered at the pain in my head from both the wall and his grip on my hair. Tears sprung to my eyes. "W-we were just talking."
He let go of my hair before his palm connected with my left cheek, his high school class ring cutting skin."You're a fucking liar."
"I'm not—Ow! W-wait a minute—Ah! You're hurting me!" Cole had twisted me around so that my front was pressed against the wall, blood dripping down my cheek from the cut and smearing against the surface. My left arm was twisted behind my back, Cole gripping my wrist so tightly that I was afraid he was going to break it.
He bent my arm painfully and I couldn't help but let out a sob. "Wait, p-please!" I tried to keep the tears from falling but they did anyway, panic and distress and fear thickly coating my throat with emotion. "I-I'm sorry! Please, I'm sorry!"
"Why do you do this, huh?" His breath fanned against my ear and I shut my eyes, trying not to move or else he would hold me tighter. "Why do you make me have to punish you? When we were doing so well?"
Another sob choked past my lips, "No, please," I begged, tears flooding my cheeks. "I-I was just sad because I missed you and I didn't know what to do and I'm sorry, please, please, I'm sorry I–"
My begging fell on deaf ears because my shoulder suddenly popped, and I let out a deafening scream.
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