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“About a week after Halloween, I was hanging out with Tyler at his place. He and his roommates ended up throwing an ‘impromptu party’,” Katie quoted in disgust. She paused, and I took a sip of beer to let her know I wasn’t rushing her recap.
“He got drunk,” she emphasized. “Verydrunk.” She stopped her story again and inhaled sharply through her nose. “That was the first night he grabbed me to the point where he left bruises on my arm.”
I gripped my beer bottle to keep my face from shifting. I had been right about Tyler from the start.
“At first, I didn’t think anything of it.” She shrugged. “Then, two nights later, it happened again. Only this time, he got angry. He scared me so much that I left after we slept together.”
It wasn’t easy to listen to, but I remained silent. I was sure this was the first time Katie had told this story out loud.
Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, and she wiped them away. “I know the signs.” She sniffed. “I know I should’ve ended it after the first time it happened. I almost didn’t even leave after the second time it happened. I told myself that he didn’t mean it and that he was just drunk.”
I leaned forward, and her eyes rose to meet mine. “He’s not going to come near you again,” I promised.
She nodded, and this time she allowed her tears to fall. I squeezed her hand, and she squeezed it back.
A few months ago, I would’ve been annoyed having to deal with tears. But there wasn’t a single part of me that didn’t want to be sitting across the table from Katie. Everything about this felt different.
“People like Tyler don’t choose to be better,” I said softly. “I had someone important in my life choose alcohol and drugs over me a long time ago. Not saying that Tyler does drugs, but it’s the same concept.”
“I’m sorry,” Katie empathized and didn’t push for more information.
“You deserve someone like Connor.” I changed the subject. “He’s one of the best guys I know.”
She shook her head slowly and crossed her arms over her chest. A warmth returned to her eyes, and she stared at me. “Who do you deserve?” she asked in a soft-spoken voice.
I cocked my head and sighed. I smiled at her straightforward question and was happy to see some of the Katie I recognized. We both knew what she was really asking me, but I had no idea how to answer her.
I knew what I wanted, but what Ideserved? That part threw me off. I knew what Maci deserved. She deserved a guy that would treat her well, be loyal to her and sit through all of her obnoxious chick flick shows. I didn’t know how to do relationships.
“I’m rooting for you,” Katie said with a small smile.
As soon as I opened my mouth to respond, Maci appeared in the living room in shorts and a long sleeve shirt. Even though her face was stripped of makeup and her hair was a wet and tangled mess, I found everything about her attractive.
“Where did Connor go?” she asked and approached the table.
“To get my card.” I leaned back in my chair and threw my empty bottle in the trash. “I left it at The Attic.”
“Shit”—she rolled her eyes—“mine is there too. I’ll have to get it tomorrow or later today, I guess, since it’s already almost two.”
It was hard to believe we were still on the same day. I dragged my hands over my face and stood up. “I’m gonna get going.”
Katie eyed me suspiciously. “You don’t wanna just stay?” She sounded surprised to hear me say that I was leaving.
I shook my head. “Not this time.”
Katie rose up from the table and threw her arms around my neck. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Anytime.” I gave her a quick squeeze before she released her grip.
“I’ll walk you out,” Maci offered, and I followed her into the hall. Once the front door was closed, she turned to face me. “You really don’t want to just stay?”
Tonight was filled with many things neither of us planned to be a part of. Katie’s run-in with Tyler, my knockout with Tyler, Maci’s argument with Bryson, and having to cut the night short were all on that list. I expected Bryson to interact with Maci, and I expected them to be with each other for part of the night. What I didn’t expect was my reaction to something I had already been aware of for three months.
Since Maci met Bryson, I had been dealing with it in the best ways I knew. I didn’t want to deal with it anymore. I felt pissed off that she couldn’t see what was happening right in front of her. She was waiting for Bryson to want to be more, and he was just trying to keep an option open.
“I just need some space, Mace,” I admitted, my tone sounding sharper than I intended it to.
“You need space.” She crossed her arms. She searched my face for a hint of context and shook her head. “What’s up, Jaxon?”
