AllFreeNovel
Share Us
14
Love & Lies
Ivan
Thelastfewweekshave been a nightmare. Work - the escape from my problems, has done nothing to ease the pain I feel.
No woman has captivated me like Cassidy, and I hate to admit it. She consumes my thoughts. My employees have asked what's wrong, but after I snap at them a few times, they drop the subject.
Getting my ass kicked by Antonio was humiliating, but I know I deserved it. The first week after the fight, I worked from home. Unwilling to let my employees see the bruises that marked my face.
I sit at my desk at home and try to focus on the tasks. It has been nearly a month, and I still can't get my shit together. I look at my phone and grip it tight.
Nothing.
It's been radio silence since she left my house.
I'm worried about her, but I don't want to force my attention on her. Maybe I should go to Antonio's house in Boston.
My doorbell rings. I close the laptop and head downstairs to open the door.
"You fuckers again?” I throw up my hands and roll my eyes in annoyance and step aside as Ezra and Dane enter my home. "I'm not in the mood for company," I growl. "So say your piece and get out." They casually head to the living room, ignoring my obvious request for them to fucking leave.
"You can’t intimidate us like you can everyone else," Ezra says calmly as he kicks up his feet and makes himself comfortable.
Dane adds, "We know you had to sleep with Mr. Fluffy until you were eight."
Mr. Fluffy was my childhood bear. No one knows, but I still have him in a closet. "Fine." I follow them, growing impatient. "What is it then? What do you want? There haven't been any photos of me on the internet so why are you here?"
"We know. Relax, bro," Ezra says, stretching out on my couch.
"Your face looks better," Dane says.
"Thanks," I say gruffly, rubbing my jaw.
Ezra shakes his head. "When will you get over your pride and go after Cassidy?"
I sit down in my chair and avoid eye contact. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Bullshit. You have more pride than anyone I know." He holds up a hand. "But you know this isn't about pride. It's about going after the woman you love."
"What makes you think I love her?" I ask.
Dane scoffs.
"I'm not interested in being with her," I tell them.
“Is that really how you feel?” Ezra asks.
He stares at me like he doesn't believe me, but I don't need him to believe me. The only person I need to fool is myself. And then, maybe, I can stop thinking about her every moment I'm awake because this can’t go on.
“Yes,” I answer with as much conviction as I can. “That’s how I feel. It really doesn’t bother me that I don’t get to see her.”
Lies. Lies. Lies.
If I'm not convincing myself, how the hell did I expect to convince them? I'm sure the truth is written all over my face. All I want to do is go over to Antonio’s house, wrap my arms around Cassidy, and tell her how I really feel.
"You're going to let a great woman like Cassidy slip through your fingers?" Ezra asks me.
