But the door remained closed with no sound outside.
What is going on in that dark mind of yours, my love?
CHAPTER 4
Jo
Students scattered out of my classroom as the bell rang. Ty, too, leaving without even saying bye.
“Tirone.” I cleared my throat, holding on to my desk so he wouldn’t notice the shaking of my fingers.
He barely spun to look at me. He flung the strap of his backpack lazily over his shoulder as he waited for me to speak.
I cleared my throat again, my stomach tying into a knot. “A word.”
A couple of students made faces at him on their way out as if saying, “You’re in trouble.” Ty, in his usual bravado, scared them away with one look.
When the class was empty except for the two of us, he sauntered over to my desk, his long hair moving softly, caressing the top of his cut. “What?”
He was mad about this morning. Perhaps more than I anticipated. “I miss your old hair.”
His eyes narrowed at me. “You know why I let it grow.” To hide the scar from the gunshot wound and surgery. “Is that all?”
Clearly, that wasn’t what I wanted to say. I just thought it might soften the conversation. We always laughed about how we now had matching skull scars. “You haven’t said a word all class.”
“I could argue the same about you. Not your best class today, Ms. Jo. Anyway, next time, I’ll participate more. Anything else?”
Ms. Jo.Not just Jo or even Ms. Lazzarini. That was alarming; he always called me by my first name unless someone was around or he was fucking me as his teacher, and he’d accepted my new last name long ago. “Can we talk?”
“Talk?” With a long face, he was already turning his back on me. “Sorry, I have another class. Don’t wanna be late.”
I grabbed his wrist, my eyes darting around, afraid to be seen. “I just want to know if you’re okay.”
He pulled his hand out of mine. “I’m fine. What about you? I thought you were too sick to come to school today.”
“I was already up and couldn’t go back to sleep.” That and being worried if I left him alone all day today after what happened, he’d go into a dark place. A dangerous one.
He grunted. “What about your stomach? Do you feel any better?”
Not really. I was PMSing hard. And anxiety made it worse. I was clutching at my abdomen all day. “Yes.”
“I guessdaddydid really make it better.”
“Ty, please. Don’t be like this.”
“Like what? Too angry I become unhinged to plot a murder? Don’t worry. I’m not gonna touch your precious husband. You can go home now.” He pointed at my stomach. “Get a heated pad or something.”
Blood rushed out of my face. “Ty…”
“You think I don’t know why you came today when you were obviously too sick.” He scoffed bitterly. “It’s always gonna be this way, isn’t it? You fear for his safety, so you come to me, stuck with me, and offer me your pussy to keep him safe. Maybe it’s even him who sends his bitch to make sure he stays in one piece.”
“I’m no one’s bitch. Fuck you, Ty. Fuck. You.”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You are. You know you are. When will you understand, Tirone? When will you know that I love you? That I’d do anything for you?”
“So you didn’t come today to keep an eye on me and give me a quickie at the library so I’d forget about what happened this morning and we’d become a happy fucking family again?”
