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“I’m coming Ash, just give me a second.” I unlock the door with mild trepidation expecting to see my boyfriend. Instead, I find Damian towering over the doorframe and my body grows hot all over.
“Wow!” His gaze drifts up and down my body without any hesitation. I feel so exposed. His heated gaze has stripped me bare. I swallow an achy lump, forgetting to ask why he’s here.
“Your boyfriend’s a very lucky man.”
“I know,” says a voice I didn’t expect to hear. My eyes go wide and I freeze in place. Ash appears out of nowhere, acid dripping from each word. He arches a brow at me as he approaches us, lips forming a narrow line.
“You didn’t tell me about your new friend, babe.” He plasters a fake smile, but I can see the storm brewing in his eyes. A cold shudder drowns out the heat I felt only a minute before.
He eyes Damian with a brutal stare while draping his arm possessively over my shoulders. Damian doesn’t so much as flinch. He matches his stare through a clenched jaw, I can see an angry vein pulsating in his neck.
This could end very badly. I need to get him the hell out of here before there’s a fight. If the fear growing inside me is any indication, my body knows it too. I have to fix this.
“We aren’t friends. He just moved in across the hall.” They continue to stare at one another with such pure contempt. I don’t know what to do, so I just continue talking. “I met him once, a week ago, when Erwin showed him the place. Can we go? I’m hungry.” I wrap my arm around him and try to pull him away, but he’s cemented in place.
He turns to me, a snake-like smile on his lips. “Sure, baby. Let’s go. Bye, neighbor,” he says condescendingly. “Say bye, Lilah. Don’t be rude.” He sounds so cold and menacing, it sends a chill down my back.
“Bye.” My voice comes out small. Damian doesn’t even look at me. Instead, he glares at him, not blinking once. His kind eyes have been taken over by darkness, threatening to devour Ash whole.
We turn around making our way for the elevator and it’s then I realize I forgot my handbag with my cell phone in it. I don’t care; it’s not worth going back for, not unless I want a guaranteed fight between the two of them. As we wait for the door to open, Damian stands in the hallway still glaring, his arms folded over his chest.Come on already, open up!I’m so afraid they’re going to come to blows if this stupid thing doesn’t hurry up.
Ash chuckles and looks back at him with disdain. The elevator doors finally open and we step inside. Once they close, he stalks toward me. “Why was he at your door? Are you fucking him?”
“What?! Are you insane? First of all, I’d never cheat on you and second, I just met the man. I don’t know why he knocked on my door because he never got a chance to get a word out!” I almost scream. “But wow, Ash, is that how little you think of me? We’ve been together for how long? And you think I what? Do nothing but sleep around in my spare time?” I turn away from him, breathing heavily. The elevator door opens, and I quickly walk out, not caring if he’s following me or not.
He grabs my arm tightly, stopping me. “You’re right. He just got under my skin with the way he was looking at you. Not that I blame him. I mean look at you, you’re gorgeous.” His eyes travel down my body.
“Come here, baby.” He pulls me close. My eyes drill holes right through his. Fuck him. He had no right to pull something like that, but then again it’s no surprise, nothing is anymore, not with the way our relationship has deteriorated.
He slides his hand up and down my open back, and slowly drifts lower to squeeze my ass. “Come on, let’s go babe. Let’s forget this ever happened.” That’s what he always says.
* * *
He takes me to a very fancy Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side. The decor’s elegant from its black marbled flooring, to its large crystal chandelier in the center of the dining area. We’re seated at a corner table, lined with a crisp white tablecloth and three votive candles in the middle. The waiter pulls the red upholstered chair out for me and I sit down after thanking him. He hands us our menus then returns with the drinks we ordered.
Ash hasn’t said a word since we’ve arrived, which troubles me. His gaze flows down to his menu and I glance at him from above mine. “What are you getting?” I ask to lighten the mood.
He won’t look at me. He keeps his eyes trained on his menu. “Steak, probably. You?” He finally casts a glance up at me. His neutral expression is completely unreadable.
“I’m not sure. Everything sounds good. Maybe I’ll ask for a recommendation.” The waiter returns promptly, and Ash orders a steak with a baked potato. “What do you recommend for a seafood lover? I’m having such a difficult time deciding.” I smile politely at the young waiter who looks to be about my age.
“Well, I personally love the risotto with squid ink. It’s delicious,” he says enthusiastically.
“Oh, that sounds amazing. I never had squid ink before,” a full smile spreads across my face, “but I can be adventurous.”
“Coming right up guys.” The waiter walks away with our menus and we’re alone again.
“Have you ever had squid ink?” He looks up, dark and dangerous. The thunder’s rolling inside those blue-green eyes. I can feel it like a storm on the horizon just threatening to break loose. He picks up the bourbon he ordered and downs it in one shot.
I gulp.
He grits his teeth menacingly.
What did I do now? He must still be mad about what happened with Damian.
Not having my phone, I have nothing to distract me from his glare, so I look down onto my hands. Our food arrives fifteen minutes later and even though it’s delicious, I can barely eat. All I could think about is why he’s so mad and how I can fix it.
He orders another bourbon, then another, and drinks them just as quickly as the first. “Babe, should you be drinking all that? Will you be okay to drive? We can call an Uber.”
