A/N; important authors note at the bottom.
***
Everyone stood outside the shop in the cool crisp fall wind that seemed to be getting colder with each moment that passed. I stared at the sign covered in a tarp that hung from above the front windows.
"Ellie, it's so fucking freezing. Can you hurry up?" Chris groaned and hugged his jacket tighter to his body as his teeth clattered in his mouth dramatically.
"It's forty five degrees. Freezing would be thirty two. Just wait, in a couple months it'll start to snow." Sam smirked when Chris rolled his eyes then continued to complain and compare about the weather differences he'd had to endure.
A sharp breath left me when I tried to call Maddox again. This time only for the call to go straight to voicemail. My gut turned looking at the faces of my friends that were covered in pity.
"I'm sure he's on his way." Lexi spoke softly and wrapped Annelia up in another blanket.
"Take off the tarp." I let out a defeated breathless whisper to Jacob and Sam. I couldn't make them wait in the cold any longer, it had already been hours since Max was supposed to show.
"You sure, Ellie?" Sam scrunched his brows and approached me.
I held up my hands with a wave, hoping to convey the message that I didn't want to be touched or bothered by him tight now.
"Just take it off." I asked of them again and they obliged, slowly revealing the sign in front of the tattoo shop I could call mine.
InkeddRose sat above the big bay windows in pretty writing.
"I love it!" Lexi squealed and pulled me into her embrace. Everyone congratulated me and hugged me, all wishing words of encouragement.
"We gotta get home." Jacob smiled and gave me a gentle hug as we all stood in the middle of the shop.
"Yeah, Annie clunkered out early." I sighed happily, adjusting the blanket around her and tucking it into Lexis arm.
"Give me a call if you need me." Lexi hushed before the family of three exited the building.
I sighed and took out my phone again. Even if my past hundred calls had gone to voicemail, I still called Maddox.
"Hey it's Maddox. Leave a message."
I groaned loudly and looked to Sam with a deadly stare.
His hands darted to the sides of his face in surrender. "I did not block you on his phone if that's what you're thinking."
"Then what the fuck is his problem? He could at least tell me he's busy instead of ignoring every call." My lips burned at the words remembering this was how we stopped talking altogether.
The differences between the past and now were huge though. There was no way he could ditch me with his child in my stomach. Max wasn't like that.
"Ellie, we'll walk you home. Come on, let's go figure out what lover boy has gotten himself into." Chris pulled on Sams arm and mine as he dragged us out onto the streets of the darkened city.
"Maybe he got stuck at work?" Sam added to the list of excuses he had already come up with the past few minutes.
"Thanks guys for walking me but I got it from here." I punched in Max's security number before slamming the gate shut behind me.
"Ellie," Sam stopped me, reaching his arm through the slotted metal to grab my shoulder. "If you need me. I'm here."
"Thanks, Sam." I wiggled from his embrace and eased into a slow stride, forcing my body to try to move faster but with the fear of the unknown lurking in the corner, I couldn't.
My heart pounded from my chest as I entered the apartment, only to find Dixie to greet me by the door.
"L?" Max called from the bedroom bathroom. I entered slowly, trying to keep my steps quiet. The shower water continued to run while I sat at the kitchen table. I was so unbelievably pissed at him right now but I kept myself calm, knowing he had to of had a good reason to ignore me for five hours when he promised to show.
His phone vibrated on the table. I almost dismissed the text as work related or something stupid from Sam.
But then it buzzed again, sending all his text notifications onto his lock screen. My heart sank as I read the texts from Olivia.
"Come get me, Doctor ;)"
"Don't play hard to get."
"I know you want me just as bad as I want your cock."
"See baby, Don't you feel better now? ;*"
There was no denying he was with a woman instead of me. His ex at that. My body burned with hate as I rushed into the bathroom and yanked the curtain back with enough force to almost rip it in half.
Max stared at me with wide eyes, looking between my face and his phone in my hand.
"Why the fuck is Olivia texting you this shit?" I snapped, ready to tear his head off, shoving the screen towards his face.
Max shut the water off and approached me slowly, only earning a step back from me with each step from him.
"Your ex wants your cock and it sounds like you fucking gave it to her." I poked his chest harsh until I was the one stumbling backwards.
"It's not like that, Ellie!" Max protested as he snatched the phone from my hands.
"Is that where you were today?! Fucking Olivia?" I questioned and watched his face burn from anger but he didn't say anything. Instead he typed away at his keyboard, ignoring the situation in front of him.
I grabbed his arm and pulled at his body until he was facing me and I had his complete attention.
"Tell me you didn't cheat on me." I begged him.
"Of course I didn't fucking cheat on you, Ellie!" Max snapped before slamming his phone down onto the counter.
"Then where the fuck were you?"
Max rubbed the bridge of his nose with a huff. "I was with Olivia but not like that."
Every part of my body hated him. Even when he tried to wrap his wet, naked body around me in an attempt to keep me next to him. I rushed into the bedroom and started throwing my clothing into my suitcase all while Max begged me to listen to him.
But it was too late, I was already seeing nothing but my anger.
"Ellie," Max grabbed my arm roughly and yanked me to his chest. "I would never cheat on you. Stop for a second and talk to me."
"No. Coming here was a mistake. Thinking we could just jump into a serious relationship within such a short time of seeing each other was a mistake." I shook my head and shoved him backwards.
"She's never done this shit before! I don't know what she's talking about!" Max yelled when all he could do is watch me pack.
"You missed my sign being put up." I reminded him monotonely then yanked the suitcase to the floor where I could pull it was ease.
Max looked at me with regret and guilt, his body slumped forward. "Fuck."
"Yeah, fuck is right." I shook my head as I walked right past him and into the living room. "Next time you're with another woman, just fucking tell me instead of ignoring me for hours. It would have saved me some time to pack."
"No. You aren't leaving." Max grasped my hand and I pulled away and reached for the door knob. His hand slammed against the door, stopping me from opening it. "I swear I didn't cheat on you. Can't you just believe me? Please, believe me."
All I could do was stare at him. No words came to mind after seeing those texts.
"I had to go to the hospital for one of my patients and she was working there. I didn't have sex with her, I haven't since before us. I'm sorry I missed your sign being put up, time just got away from me and then my phone died. Please, don't leave."
I stood my ground, ignoring his still naked body in front of me. But I couldn't stop myself from looking to his neck that was beginning to bruise with a hickey.
My stomach turned to a pile of acid that sat at the back of my throat.
"What's that?" I asked pointing to his neck. He quickly covered it with a sigh.
"She kissed me, Ellie. She forced herself onto me but I stopped her. That's all that happened."
"You let her hang onto you long enough to suck the skin off of your neck." I snapped, wishing he would give me a better excuse, one I would actually believe. When I decided to keep quiet, I just about lost every will to keep him alive. "How far did you two get?"
His green eyes glanced to the ground then back to me with guilt. "She kissed me. I told her to stop but she wouldn't."
I snickered and rolled my eyes. "Then you let her suck on your neck? Was she touching you, rubbing you while she did it?" I egged him on, placing my hands directly over his cock like I envisioned Olivia doing.
"No, it all happened so fast. I was telling her to leave us alone and I just- then she was kissing me." Max stammered out.
"You kissed her back." I finished his sentence for him, waiting for a moment just to be sure I was right. That the look I saw in his eyes when he saw her at Thanksgiving was what I thought it was.
He still had feelings for the little bitch.
"No. No, I didn't. Ellie, I did not kiss her back. Stop being like this and just believe me. Please."
"You stood me up today and I find out you're with your ex during that time." I clarified for him as I held my luggage close. "I'm going to Chris's or Lexis or Sams. I don't know but all I do know is, I can't look at you right now." I gave him one last shove, big enough to open the front door and walk out, knowing he wouldn't follow me since he was still naked.
My mind was hazed as I walked through his apartment complex, weaving in and out of people with my suitcase until I was at the elevator.
I promised myself I wouldn't cry. Not here. I just had to hold on long enough to my raging emotions until I was in a quiet place.
I kept my head low as I continued to shuffle through the crowded streets until a body smashed into mine, sending me to the ground with a slam.
The tears I was holding back slowly came to the surface until I was face to face with a man who looked so familiar.
He knelt down in front of me with his short dirty blonde hair and dark brown eyes with a frown.
"Ellie?"
***
A/N: hey guys! It's been a week :o I usually post more often but life has been crazy and affecting my writing so I decided to hold off to post until I had few hours of quiet.
I made a schedule so I could stick to posting the other stories as well as this one. These are definite upload days and do not include bonus chapters I will randomly upload through the week if I can;
Just Eternity; Friday's
Ride Me; Saturday's
Scarlet Clouds; Thursday's
Fated to Hades; Monday's
These days could change but I'll let you know.
Much love xx