AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I thought about the first night and the morning after. It had been lovely, until…until…I still wasn’t sure what’d happened, why Jason had cut our weekend short. “It was great,” I told Amy.
“And Jason?”
I didn’t want my problems to be a cloud over her happiness, so I lied. “He’s good.”
“Okay. I spoke to him earlier, and he sounded preoccupied. I thought it might be…you know…the thing with his mother, but I guess that was my imagination.”
“Hmm,” I replied noncommittally. There was an ache growing in my chest. He’d spoken to his sister but was ignoring my calls and my messages—why?
After I ended the call with Amy, I tried to call him again. It went to voicemail, and after the many messages I’d left, I didn’t see any point in leaving a new one.
There was no way I could keep ignoring the fact that he was avoiding me.
But why?
I hadn’t changed out of my work clothes, so I pulled a sweater over my dress and slipped on a pair of ballet flats as I requested a ride on my phone.
I wasn’t going to sit around and wait. If there was something I needed to know, I was going to find out.
At Jason’s building, I entered the reception area, giving the doorman at the desk a small smile as I headed for the elevators. I let myself into the quiet apartment. It took me only a few minutes to realize he wasn’t home.
I didn’t even know if he was back in town. Unsure what to do, I went to the couch, deciding to wait for a few hours at least.
I switched on the TV and started watching a Disney movie. After a while, I fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes, the movie was still on, and Jason was standing a few feet away from the couch, watching me sleep.
There was something about the way he looked at me that made me feel loved—above anything else, loved. I rose, still sleepy, and watched uncomprehendingly as he retreated from me and his face went blank.
“Hey.” I tried to smile, though there was a slow tension growing in my stomach. “You’re back.”
He turned away. “Long day at the office.”
He sounded remote, emotionless. I rose to my feet and took a step toward him. “Is everything okay?”
He exhaled. “Everything’s fine, but I’m tired. I planned to come home and go straight to bed.”
I stared at him. “So?”
He ignored me and took off his jacket then threw it over the back of an armchair. I was still standing, feeling almost frozen, yet unsteady.
“You didn’t return any of my calls.” My voice was shaky, and I wondered what I was missing. Why was he being so…so cold?
He met my gaze, and his eyes burned with something I couldn’t understand. “I’ve called Leonard,” he said, his voice so impersonal it scraped at my insides like rough gravel. “He’ll take you home.”
“You’re asking me to leave?”
He didn’t respond, just switched off the TV and started toward the bedroom.
“Jason.” I followed him. “What the fuck is going on?”
He stopped walking and turned to face me. I shrunk back at the iciness in his eyes.
“Nothing.” His voice was like cold water on my skin. “There’s nothing going on. Just…Leonard will take you home.”
“Seriously, Jason?” I shook my head. “Seriously? I’m just supposed to leave? You’re not even going to explain yourself…explain your silence?”
He shrugged. “I already told you, I’m tired.”
