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James sits on the couch waiting for me when I wake up in the morning. It’s been like this for days. I’ll come out of my room and he’s just sitting there, staring into space until I come out. He’ll quickly go into my room without a word to me, take a shower, then be out quicker than I can make my coffee. After the disappearing act I pulled on him the other day, he’s going for the world record for quickest shower.
He moves around me in the kitchen, grabbing a protein bar and shoving it in his pocket. Two days ago, he bought groceries and brought more of his things over. It’s very clear that he has no intention of going away any time soon, and I’m absolutely not allowed out of his sight for as long as he can help it.
I feel like a dog in a cage. I have no freedom except for what he grants me, and even then I know he’s always close by, watching my every move. He acts like I should be grateful, like he’s doing me some great kindness by watching my every move. He doesn’t realize that this is exactly the life I never wanted.
When I’d come home after our fight last week, I fully expected him to be gone. I was so ready to reclaim my space and forget he’d ever existed. But there he was, sitting on my couch with his feet propped up on my coffee table. He looked very comfortable sitting on my couch and drinking my beer. I was absolutely furious and threatened to call the cops.
“And when you call them, will you tell them it’s Melissa Anthony?” he asked coldly. “Or will you tell them it’s Melissa Prudent, the beloved child of their mayor? Wait, wait, do you have a special, direct line to the chief of police?”
Shit. He was never supposed to find out about me. I realized in that moment I’d underestimated him. I thought he was just a pretty face with no real critical thinking skills. For weeks, he never asked me anything overly personal. We just were who we were and we left it at that. But the second he was confronted with the truth, he had a million questions for me.
“Why did you change your name? Does your father even know where you are? Do you still talk to him? Does he know that you have a prominent member of the Ruthless Kings sleeping on your couch?”
“I didn’t know I did,” I’d whispered in rage. “It looks like I’m not the only one keeping secrets.”
“Oh, you knew,” he’d spat at me. “You probably had your father’s secretary run a background check on me the moment we met. You’ve been playing me, Melissa. Do you have any idea how fucked up this is?”
“It’s not your business,” I’d shot back, my voice shaking with emotion. “Nothing about my life is your concern. You clearly hate my father and you want nothing to do with me. So get out of my apartment. I don’t want you here.”
“I don’t have a choice anymore,” he’d told me, his voice low and filled with anger. “If something happens to you, I’m going to be the first person your father investigates. People have seen us together, they probably know I’ve been staying with you. I’m not going down for that because he’s pissed off every gang member in New Orleans.”
His words chilled me to the bone. Dad was cracking down on crime, everyone knew. He’d just taken down the biggest gang in the whole state. But I was protected, I thought. It was the whole reason I’d changed my name and was never seen publicly with my dad. I didn’t think any of the gang members would be smart enough to associate the two of us. But James figured it out somehow, so I’d clearly underestimated their capabilities.
After that, he told me he no longer trusted me, and any friendship we’d developed was over. Now he’s just the looming shadow everywhere I go. He’s in my apartment, at my work, following me home between the two places. I’m not allowed to answer my door or go out for groceries. I’m always under his thumb, with only my bedroom as a private place to get away from him. I’m losing my mind.
Nearly an entire week has gone by since our fight, and he’s barely even spoken to me. It’s like he’s a shadow or a ghost. This can’t be any more enjoyable for him, so I don’t understand why he can’t just leave me be. He’s made it very clear that he doesn’t care about me, so what’s it to him if I’m attacked again? My apartment is far too small for the two of us and all this underlying tension.
I feel like I’m going to lose my mind. Even at work he’s there, hanging out in the parking lot or sitting in the gym. After his confession of being a Ruthless King, I see it now. Dr. Graves and Hex, all the men that Meredith associates with, they’re all part of this. Which means they probably all know. How could I not see it before? Now there’s a whole motorcycle gang apparently invested in keeping me safe. Keeping me trapped, more like it.
“Don’t forget, Mom, Lily’s mom is picking me up today,” I hear Charlie tell Juliana as she’s dropped off, breaking me out of my reverie.
“Charlie, my love,” Juliana responds in a patient tone. “I know you’re at that age where you know everything in the world, but I do, in fact, remember things. I’m the one who reminded you to bring your duffel bag.”
“Whatever,” Charlie mutters darkly, blowing off her mom and pushing past me to get to the dance room.
“You gotta love the pre-teen years,” I say sarcastically, the first real words I’ve spoken to Juliana since our night out.
“Oh, my God,” she breathes out in a huff. “If I had a remote control to fast forward through these years, I would do it in a heartbeat. I’m losing my freaking mind.”
Guilt washes over me as I consider how cold I’ve been toward her. I didn’t mean to shut her out, we’d actually had a lot of fun together. Until the creepy stalker, of course. It’s time I set things right between us and give her a break. And maybe if I’m hanging out with Juliana, James will give me a bit of a break too.
“You know what helps with that?” I wiggle my eyebrows at her. “Tequila shots and a good beat.”
“Really?” she asks, her face lighting up in excitement. “I didn’t think you’d want to go out with me again. You were so freaked out by what happened.”
“I just didn’t want James to know,” I confess. “He’d been so overprotective already. But it’s all a moot point anyway. He knows everything about me now, as I’m sure you do too. So there’s no reason we can’t be friends.”
She nods and smirks at me. “Those boys are like old ladies with the way they gossip. But I promise, I don’t think of you any differently. You’re completely entitled to your secrets, and if you want to pretend for a night that you’re someone else, I’m totally down for that.”
“You’re amazing,” I say, pulling her into a tight hug.
“Well, don’t call me amazing just yet,” she says, her features turning dark. “Unfortunately, knowing everything means I know that Bones isn’t going to let you out of his sight tonight.”
“Bones?” I ask, confused.
“James,” she amends, then drops her voice. “Bones is his club name. I’m surprised he hasn’t told you that yet. He hates being called James.”
“We don’t do much talking,” I grumble, then realize how that sounds. “I mean, he’s nothing but an overbearing bodyguard. When we’re at my place, I’m in my room and he’s in the living room and we don’t say a word to each other.”
