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But it wasn’t a date, and he’s not interested in me… well the real me anyway. Hell, he probably just looks at me as some poor battered bimbo.
He swooped in, rescued me from Ethan’s moment of insanity, and now that he’s rescued me Chase probably expects me to repay him in sex. Or a blow job. Or both. But I’m just not that kind of girl.
And hey, even if he is a really good guy and all he wanted to do was check my place out, what would I have done anyway? I don’t have any tea or coffee. I doubt he would have wanted some water and a ketchup packet.
So it was good of me to send him on his way. It’s good to get this night over with. So why does it feel like a mistake? Why does it feel like I just missed the boat?
My head throbs with each step it takes to get to my bathroom. Thankfully, I have half a bottle of ibuprofen. After brushing my teeth, I toss a couple of pills back then chase it with some water directly from the faucet. My head pops up and my eyes lock on my reflection in the mirror. The girl staring back at me, I hardly recognize her. She looks so tired. Her mascara is running and her black eyeliner is smudged. Her red lipstick is now only a stain on her lips. I watch as she wipes the water off with the back of her hand.
God, she is such a mess.
I walk into my bedroom. After kicking off the ankle-breaking heels, I strip down to my underwear and climb into bed. I snuggle underneath my covers, pulling them tightly around me. It takes forever for me to fall asleep though. For whatever reason, I just can’t get Chase out of my head.
My head aches and I know I should let it rest.
I squeeze my eyes shut, but all I see is him. He looked so concerned, so honest. When he came out of nowhere, pulling Ethan away from me, enacting vengeance with his bare fists, he looked like some savage, bloody, avenging angel. For a moment, I could have sworn I was hallucinating. It didn’t look real. I watched as Chase punched Ethan in the face and body, over and over again, telling him “Never. Hit. A. Woman.”
And I felt safe. For the first time since my grandmother passed, I felt like there was someone out there looking out for me. Someone who would protect me. Someone who would do bodily harm for me.
I wasn’t alone.
Chapter Five
Avery
I wake up to a loud banging on my door. Is it the cops, I wonder as I bolt upright. Usually the cops only knock that loud in this neighborhood. And I should know, I’ve heard it more than a couple of times over the past year.
The knocking grows louder if that’s even possible.
“Just a minute!” I cry out. “I’m coming!”
Fuck, I hope I get to them before they bust my door down. I can’t afford to replace the door.
In my haste to get up, I end up tangled in my blanket and roll out of bed, on to the floor. By a stroke of luck I land on my ass and not my head. It doesn’t make the pounding hurt any less though.
The knocking starts up again, quicker, louder, and definitely impatient.
“Seriously! I’m coming, just a second!” I scream as I shake off the blanket and run for the door.
I twist back my deadbolt, pull open the door and my mouth hits the floor.
“It’s you?!” just flies past my lips.
Chase is there. One fist is poised in the air as if he was just about to bang on my door again. He looks just as surprised, just as shocked as I feel.
I bet he’s feeling even more shocked as I slam the door shut in his face.
I need clothes. Oh my god, I’m half naked. I run back to the bedroom, grab up my blanket from the floor and wrap it around myself.
What is he even doing here?
I run back to the door and reach out to pull it open. Just as I do, half the blanket slides off my shoulder.
“Hi,” I pant out and yank the blanket back up. “What’s up?”
Chase
The day after every fight is always the worst.
