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“I’d have lunch with your mom if she ever knew I existed.”
“She does know you exist,” he insists, his eyes wide with hope. “She wants to meet you. If we just go back to how things were…”
“No.”
“Please, just one more chance,” he begs, lowering his voice when a young couple walk between us.
When they are out of earshot, he prowls closer, eyes on me, lips a grim line.
“I said no,” I repeat, pulling open my car door. “Please just leave me alone.”
“It’s not fair. I said I was sorry…”
“You didn’t actually, but even if you did, I won’t accept, not this time. I’ve forgiven you for too much lately.”
He stalks away from me, hands clenched into fists by his sides. I race to my door, heart pounding and head spinning. I fumble with the key in the lock and don’t fully start to breathe again until I’m safe inside with the chain on the door.
I don’t know what it is about this new version of him that terrifies me, but something in my soul is screaming at me to stay away. He makes all the hair on my body stand on edge.
Rose: Guess who I just found on my doorstep less than a day after calling me a whore?
Laurie: No fucking way?!?!?!?!? He’s tenacious. Are you going to give him another chance?
Rose: No. He scares me.
Laurie: Want me to bring a baseball bat?
Rose: No. It’s not that dramatic. I’m just done with the drama. How’s your bae?
Laurie: Still gives amazing head. Still like him.
Rose: Good. Can’t wait to catch up. Hurry your butt over here.
Mr. C: Did you file a sexual harassment order against me?
I blink at his message. Did I what?
Rose: Of course not! What the hell?
Mr. C: That’s what I thought. It’s okay, it’s probably an error or somebody has taken down the wrong details.
Rose: At work or with the police?
Mr. C: Just at work. If you could call through tomorrow and retract it, I’d be grateful.
Rose: No problem. Worst first week back ever.
Mr. C: Why? What else has happened?
Rose: Nothing. I’ve got it under control.
Mr. C: Is he giving you any hassle? Do you need me to step in?
Rose: I’ve got everything under control.
Mr. C: Just say the word.
I smile at my phone and prepare for Laurie’s visit by showering and getting in my pajamas, the glowing Rudolph ones. I’m never going to stop wearing them. I don’t care that it’s not Christmas.
Rose: Did you file a sexual harassment order at work from me against Mr. C?
I contemplate sending the message but end up deleting it and huffing. I know it’s Pax who has done this, it’s got to be. What the hell is he playing at?
Laurie arrives and I relax a smidge, allowing myself to enjoy wine, pizza and a rom-com.
“I can’t believe how different you look,” she says for the thousandth time since arriving.
“You too. I can’t believe you’re blonde. I miss your ginger.”
“Me too. I might go back,” she holds a lock of hair up to the light. “HAIRBRUSH ORGASMS.”
“No, thank you, I have a vibrator.”
“VIBRATOR UP YOUR MOM’S BUTT.”
“Don’t have a mom.”
I laugh when she sighs, clearly frustrated with herself. Mostly she just gets on with it but recently it’s been getting her down. I think it’s causing issues with her new bae and the kind of things they can do together. I don’t think it bothers him, but I know she’s just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It will bother him eventually, or so she believes. I said she just needs to find the male version of me who loves her tics for what they are. A part of her.
“You good?” I ask, squeezing her shoulder.
“I’m so good.” She smiles sadly and we both scream when something outside smashes. It sounded like my car and sure enough the alarm starts.
“I’ll call nine-one-one,” Laurie whispers and I go to the window in the kitchen, heart racing and palms sweating.
I can’t see anybody outside, but the streetlight highlights the glass shattered all over the ground around my poor red beauty.
“Somebody has broken into my car,” I grumble, moving to the front door but Laurie stops me with a hand on my arm.
“Could it be Pax?” she asks still on hold with the non-emergency police number.
“I hope not, It’s probably a coincidence. I left a ton of change in the cup holder.”
“I told you to stop doing that.”
“I know.”
She spends twenty minutes trying to get through before the person takes our details and tells us it’s not worth pursuing and to contact my insurance provider. Yeah, right.
“Want to stay at my place?” Laurie asks and I don’t even hesitate to nod. “Get your things, we’ll go as soon as Kyle gets here.”
“You called him?”
She nods again. “He said he’s on his way.”
I grab my toiletries and what I need for work the next day and leave my car in the mess it’s in. It doesn’t even bother me to leave it behind, there’s no way I’m doing more than boarding it up and waiting for Safelite to come and fix it. None of which I can do until tomorrow anyway.
