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>A text from Gianni rolled across my phone screen. My heart clenched as it showed that I read his message, the man immediately texting again.>
I didn’t know how to answer him, especially when he all but told me that this was the end of whatever we had. Or maybe I was reading too much into and he had wanted me to turn around and make out with him in my driveway. All the signals were confusing.
The strong scent of Febreze hit me as I walked into my house, a twinge of warmth running up my spine at how well Gianni had taken care of me. I should have been a bit peeved that he picked the lock or how he even knew how to do that but I was too excited about how the rest of my night was going to devolve into a chaotic masterpiece.
I ignored my phone after throwing it on the couch and headed straight to the kitchen to unload my goodies. My first instinct was to reach for the cupboard and then I thought better of it. It was just me. I didn’t need a cup. Drinking out of the bottle hadn’t gotten old since undergrad, no reason to grow out of the bad habit now.
Eenie, meenie, miney, mo. Tequila it is.
I swiped the clear bottle and three danishes, neatly stacking them on a napkin before marching to the couch and turning on Beetlejuice to make it seem like I was just unwinding for the night.
The top of the bottle came off easily and I took a healthy swig, the acid taste of cheap alcohol and rachet candy coating the back of my throat.This shit is disgusting. And yet… we shouldn’t waste things.I giggled to myself, snuggling farther into my cushions as I stuffed half a glazed danish into my face. Raspberry jelly exploded in my mouth, smearing across my lips as my tongue darted out to catch any lingering sweetness.
Thiswas the life.
Well… it would have been better getting fucked into a mattress until my voice was hoarse from screaming too much, passing out, and then waking up just to repeat it but…
This was good.
Still, I reached down to adjust myself at the thought of submitting to Gianni’s unrelenting mercy like I used to. I missed those days, stumbling into his house disoriented before his hands were on me, taking away the panic, the pain,the feelingsthat I just couldn’t deal with. Every single piece of that man had been a goddamn gift.
Blinking away fantasies I could no longer entertain, I focused on the rolling introduction credits and took another large swig, followed by stuffing an entire danish into my mouth. I groaned as the mixture of horrible alcohol and sweetness tangled on my tongue, the warmth of the devil’s juice warming my insides.
Mom and Ada weren’t here to ridicule me and Owen was wherever the fuck he was, hopefully not watching my front door. And that was all that mattered. I lost myself to the famed quotes of Beetlejuice himself as I took another healthy bite of my sweets, groaning as I stared at the last one on my lap.
Halfway through the flick, I was down a bottle of nasty tequila and trying to savor the danish so I didn’t have to get up. It was a fun game to play as I picked at the icing along the top, even going so far as to swipe my finger through the jelly and suck on it to pass the time.
However, the little bit of joy I had saved for tonight disappeared when my front door opened, and in walked my worst nightmare. Again.
“Rhys? Fucking hell. Babe,sweetheart,” Owen raced over to the couch as I cringed against the cushions, my movements a little slower than I would have liked due to the alcohol racing through my system. He slid the bottle out of my hand and removed the pastry from my lap. “Shit, it’s gotten this bad?”
I stared at him, frowning. There was already a slight buzz to my thoughts, my eyes unfocusing from the nearly a liter of alcohol I had chugged. “Why the fuck are you here?” I bit out, refusing to let the panic take over. He had to be lingering outside the fucking house for him to have shown up so quickly.
“I saw your car in the driveway-”
Bingo.“Restraining. Order.” I grumbled, pushing away from him and stumbling to my feet. I was more worried about the danish that he had ruined rather than my safety which made no sense. Still, I pointed to the door, trying to help him understand where he was supposed to be. Which was—not in my house.
He sighed, taking a seat on my coffee table and looking up at me. He reached for my hands but fuck if he was going to pretend like we were still a thing. “Your sister called me. Told me that something seemed off.”
If I was a thug, I’d threaten to kill her for bringing harm to my door. I didn’t understand her fixation with Owen or me and Owen being together. However, I was not a thug. I dealt with numbers and none of these things were adding up. “I told her we were done.” I didn’t understand how much clearer I was supposed to make things. Owen had always dismissed my words, thinking that I’d just forgive and forget. Even with a legal tender document, he still thought that I’d take him back eventually.
The question was why he was so adamant to be in my life. His obsession seemed to encompass more than me. With the multitude of questions he asked nearly every time he strolled in here, I could only believe he was interested in something he shouldn’t even know existed.
Owen tilted his head to the side, his expression softening. It was that expression I used to fall for but now it was easy to see through his façade. He was here because he wanted something. “Babe, we were both angry that day but you can’t keep doing this. Your project is stressing you out. You need to-”
“That day?! It’s beenmonthsof this,” I whined. My flesh burned from where he touched me when he swiped my hand. I shied away from him, falling back onto the cushions in an ungraceful heap. I used to crave his touch, his attention, hislove, and now I wanted to burn it with hellfire. Focusing on Gianni’s thick hands from earlier and the way he so lovingly caressed me until I fell asleep, I kept my cool.
Owen had always been obsessed with two things in our relationship—me and my project. The questions he asked were borderline intrusive, not to mention that I had told him multiple times that I couldn’t talk about it. At first, I thought he was just naturally inquisitive, the same way I was with numbers. But that was hardly it.
I wracked my brain for answers but I couldn’t do much other than regret the alcohol I drank at this point. I did know that Owen thought I was spiraling because I had always done things in excess—namely eating and drinking. If I was avoiding a problem, I’d binge on things until I felt satisfied. It made me look like a fucking addict, a high functioning one because I was still somehow the smartest guy on campus.
It also now made sense why Owen thought making things with cheese would earn himself automatic forgiveness. I was still fucking pissed he had ruined the gooey goodness for me.
“I appreciate the concern, but I need it back.” I wiggled my fingers, changing the subject, while he just looked confused.
“Need what back?”
Is he serious?“The key. You shouldn’t be here.Idon’t want you here. The law fucking says you can’t be here.” Several deep breaths helped me keep my shit as I fought to not break down in front of this man. To be honest, I forgot he even had a spare key, although I had sworn I had taken that shit from him. Which meant that he hadmultiplespare keys, a thought I really didn’t want to dwell on right now. Thank fuck Gianni had promised to come and change out my locks.
