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“Yes. Let’s be done,” she says, twisting my words, trying to escape this yet again.
“I won’t force this.”
“I don’t want you to,” she insists.
What a liar. She would love for me to force this. It’s what I’ve done from the very beginning. Me playing the aggressor means she’s off the hook for her actions. She doesn’t have to consider what she truly wants. She’s adrift at sea, at the mercy of the waves, and that’s the way she likes it.
I could do what I’ve done for the last few weeks. I could have her.
But for how long?
Candace calls to alert me of my first meeting, and Emelia slips away. No one pays her any mind as she leaves my office, except for me. I keep track of her every step until she’s back at her cubicle.
I’m dead asleep on Saturday night when my phone rings beside my bed.
At first, I reach over to silence it, but then I answer the call with a groggy and annoyed “What?”
“Shoot. Are you sleeping?”
Emelia’s voice stirs me awake fully. I flip over onto my back and check the time: nearly one AM, and from the sound of it, she’s not at home. Loud dance music blares in the background. The pulsing beat has my ears ringing.
I sit up. “Emelia? Where are you?”
She ignores my question. “I told you I had your number memorized.”
Her voice is barely audible over all the noise, and it’s hard to tell if her words are slightly slurred.
“Where are you?” I ask again as I climb out of bed, my voice authoritative and insistent.
“Alexander took me out for a drink to cheer me up.”
I’m already moving to my closet, yanking a shirt off a hanger and tugging it on with one hand.
“Cheer you up?” I ask, trying to make sure she stays on the phone with me while I figure out how to get to her.
“Yeah.” She laughs. “I can’t remember exactly how it happened. He called me earlier, I know that, and I guess I sounded a little down or something. He insisted I meet him out for a drink, but that was like four hours ago…and some of his friends came. Do you know them? Harrison and Marielle? They wanted to try a different place. We’ve gone to so many now I’ve lost count.”
“Emelia—”
“I don’t even know what part of town I’m in. Can you hear me? The music is so loud.”
“Are you near Alexander? Hand him the phone, please.”
“He was just here, but now I don’t know where he’s gone.” Her voice is so quiet, like she’s moved the phone away from her ear.
“Find a waiter or a bartender and hand them your phone.”
I’m tugging my shoes on and already heading out the door. While I don’t know where she is yet, I do know there are only a few places in town worthy of Alexander and his friends.
“I’m at the bar, but there’s nowhere to sit.”
“Ask someone the name of the place.”
“Excuse me,” she says to someone, her voice gentle and sweet.
“Hey, sweetheart,” a gruff voice replies.
Already I know I’m going to rip Alexander a new one tomorrow.
