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“Can you do one other thing for me?” I ask, desperate for this request to be fulfilled.
“What now?” She fakes exasperation and waits to hear what I want.
Bending my lips to her ear, I beg, “Can you take your clothes off ‘cause I’ve been staring at those pants for too long now and I’m sick of them.”
7
Presley
The next day I’m restless. I’ve finished editing all the Crave photos and while there are lots of things I could be doing, none of them interest me, so I spend most of the day sitting in the sun with a good book and my earplugs in. Just after lunch I’m almost asleep when Lennon shatters my peace and quiet. He joins me on my balcony and scares the shit out of me because I wasn’t expecting anyone to be in my apartment.
Sitting up, I glare at him while I rip my earplugs out. “Why are you letting yourself in? And why the hell do you still have a key?” I snap.
“I’ve been banging on your front door for a good five minutes, and I still have a key, because my name is still on the deed.”
I stand and put my hand out. “Give me that key,” I demand, my blood pressure skyrocketing.
Shaking his head, he argues with me. “No, I have as much right to this key as you do.”
My eyes widen. “No, you don’t! You haven’t wanted anything to do with that key for more than six months, Lennon, so don’t come back here now when I’m finally moving on, and try to stir up shit.” I click my fingers, motioning for him to give me the damn key.
He folds his arms across his chest. “I’m not trying to stir up shit. I simply want my wife back.”
“It’s funny how you only want me now that someone else has me.”
Rolling his eyes, he mutters, “I didn’t even know you two were together, Presley.”
“Well, we are together, so you should just leave and never come back. I’m going through with this divorce, and I’m committed to Jett. You need to listen to me and hear what I’m saying.” My voice is as firm as I can make it and I hope like hell he’s listening.
He shifts on his feet but doesn’t move from his spot, his arms still folded across his chest. “Tell me, baby, what do you think will be different between you and Jett to you and me? He lives the same lifestyle I do so nothing will change there, and you’ll still have groupies to deal with.”
I ignore his use of the word ‘baby’. It’s unlikely he’ll listen to me if I tell him again not to use it. Lennon does what Lennon wants to do. “Jett knows I won’t put up with the same kind of behaviour I put up with from you.”
His brows rise. “What fucking behaviour? I didn’t cheat on you, I didn’t abuse you . . . what the fuck did I do to you?”
My skin pricks with anger and disappointment. I loved him once, and we could have had it all, but he has no idea how to love someone. “Sometimes not doing anything to someone is just as bad as doing something to them.”
The look of confusion written across his face is clear. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means I wanted you to want me; I wanted you to spend time with me, to have fun with me, to do silly things with me, to fight with me. Instead, you ignored me and hardly included me in your life. That’s what the difference with Jett is – he does all those things with me.”
Understanding dawns for him and he softens his voice. “I can change. I can do those things with you.”
I take a step away from him. “No, it’s too late for us.” I put my hand out again. “So give me the key and please leave.” My voice has turned cold because I realise that might be the only way to make him see
we’re done.
His stare causes me to shiver, and the ugliness in his voice when he speaks cuts to the bone. He throws the key at my feet and spits out, “Have it your way, Presley, but I fucking guarantee you that you’re making the wrong choice here. Jett’s a player, and I’ve seen him in action. It won’t be long until he grows bored with you and goes back to his whores.”
I hug my arms to my body and fight like hell to hold myself together. Breaking down in front of my asshole husband is not something I will allow. “Get out,” I order, glaring at him.
He returns my glare for a moment before turning on his heel and stalking out of my apartment.
I wait to hear the door shut and when I do, I sink to the ground and let the tears fall. It hurts to know I gave my heart and soul to that man, that I planned my life around his and wanted children with him. And I feel like an idiot for not seeing him for the man he really is for so long. The sun fucking rose and set around him, and that pisses me off.
The tears flow freely and I don’t try to stop them. I need to let them out so I can finally let him go and more forward. The only saving grace in all this is that I’m much stronger from everything I’ve been through. And from now on, I’ll always put myself first.
Lennon may have broken my heart but he taught me something.
