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“What are you doing here?” Roxieasks. The raised shoulders, the pitch of her voice, everythingabout her body indicates alarm.
“Why aren’t you answering my textsor calls?” says the guy.
“Because I don’t want to talk toyou.”
“What do you mean you don’t wannatalk to me? After last week, I thought things were going great, andnow you’re blowing me off? Why?”
“Things were definitely notgoing great,” she says. “You decided what we should do and be, andI told you I thought it was a bad idea, but you ignored me. Younever listen to me, so you got yourself blocked.”
“Is it because of him?” The guypoints at me and flashes me a furious look.
“What? No! I told you already, heand I are friends. But even if he weren’t, it would be none of yourbusiness.”
“I don’t want to talk in front ofhim,” the guy says. “Let’s go inside.”
“I told you I didn’t want to talkto you.”
“Roxie.” He steps forward andgrabs her shoulders.
“No, Dave,” she steps back andremoves his hands. “You can’t just show up here. Go home.”
A thick vein pops on his forehead.“You can’t just blow me off after all these years.”
“You’re making it easier by theminute.”
“Roxie…” He takes another stepforward, and I finally find my balls. I put an arm between him andher.
“Listen, pal, Roxie wants you toleave her alone,” I say.
He turns toward me. “You betterstay out of this, pal, before I smash your nose into yourface, pal.” His eyes burn with fury. “This is all your faultanyway.”
“If you are not out of here in tenseconds, I am calling the police,” I say and insert my body halfwaybetween the two of them. “And if you ever bother her again, I willgo after you for harassment. And if you’re stupid enough to lay afinger on either me or her, I will go for aggravated assault, and Iwill destroy you. Do you fucking get that,pal?”
He pauses for a few seconds,weighing his options. Roxie’s head peeks over my shoulder while hiseyes dart between her and me.
“Whatever,” he finally says. “Idon’t need this bullshit. Have a nice life, you two.” He sidestepsme and makes a point of shoving my shoulder with his before hedisappears down the stairs.
“Are you okay?” I grab Roxie byher upper arms.
She looks rattled, much more sothan it appeared while the guy was still here.
“I’m fine,” she pushes my handsaway and wraps her arms around herself. “I don’t need you to fightfor me.”
“I know,” I say. “But that guyseemed really dangerous. There was no way I was letting you takehim on by yourself.”
“You could’ve just kept your mouthshut, not threatened him. All you men are the same.”
“We are not all the same,and he was intimidating you and threatening me with assault. I’msorry if you feel I overstepped, but this could’ve been much worsethan it was. What if you had been alone?”
A shiver passes through herbody.
“Look…” I run fingers through myhair. “I didn’t want to imply you couldn’t take care of yourself. Idon’t know who this guy is to you, but he certainly seems tobelieve you owe him something, and this feeling of entitlementoften breeds violence. I’m sorry if I overstepped, but I’m notsorry that I was here and he’s gone now.”
She holds herself tight, bodystiff, eyes avoiding mine. She is folding inward, away from me, andI feel helpless. I wish I could reach out and touch her, but I knowI can’t, because it would only make her withdraw even further.
I let my arms fall to my sides.“Roxie, I would love to stay with you and make sure he doesn’t comeback, but I don’t think you want me to.”
She shakes her head no, stillunable to look at me.
