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“A man or woman?” he asks, trying to get more information.
“A man. It’s a long story. Don’t freak out, promise?” I ask.
He just nods, waiting for an explanation.
“My ex, Shawn, showed up, wanted me back. We’ve known each since we were teenagers. He just lost his parents and just needs someone.”
“I don’t feel comfortable with this. Why didn’t you call me to let me know you were going to be late? Hanging out with your ex in private shouldn’t happen.”
“How about you come out with us? Y’all can meet. He just needs someone, and honestly, I am the only one he knows left. He doesn’t have many friends,” I say, brows heightened.
“As much as I feel like I’m going to regret this, I’m going to trust you. But after tonight, you won’t be hanging out with him alone.” It’s hard to trust someone, especially when we are so close, but this relationship won’t work unless trust is built.
“I promise! Thank you for having faith in me,” I say, kissing him on the cheek.
The hours of the day fly by like usual when the phones are swamped. No wonder I’m so exhausted by the time 5 o’clock rolls around. I’m not ready to go face Shawn, but something is wrong, and I’m the only person that might be able to get through to him. He’s lost everyone, and just needs someone to lean on.
This morning, he scared me. He needs someone to be there for him. I can’t just abandon him when he needs me the most. I’m not that kind of person.
Once work is over, I go home first to change and head over to his hotel room. Yes, it’s weird to be going to another man’s hotel room, but there are no plans to do anything with him. Hudson can trust me, and I will prove that to him.
When I enter his hotel room, he seems fine. We sit down on the couch and talk about his parents. His choice, not mine. I don’t bring them up. In fact, I didn’t plan on it because I didn’t want him to break down again. They passed of legitimate causes, no foul play. When Shawn was only a couple of months old, his mom abandoned him like he was trash. When he entered the foster care system, he got adopted within the first week by Gwendolyn and Joseph. They became very close and remained that way. They were his only constants through his life, and now that has been ripped away.
This is why losing them is so rough for him. He didn’t know many people. Shawn explains they held the funeral last week.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I would have come.”
“Only maybe ten people showed up. Sad to see that kind of turn out for them when they were such amazing people.”
Talking about his parents, he becomes agitated again.
“Calm down. No need to get worked up again. Let’s talk about something else?” I ask, hoping he will catch the hint.
“Okay, how long have you and your boy toy been dating?” he asks.
“Not long.”
“Didn’t take you long to get over me?” he says with a grim look, and his demeanor changes. His knuckles turn white, and a twitch begins in his face.
“Shawn, I moved on. What did you expect?” I say, wanting him to understand.
“Don’t you dare try to blame this on me. You left me behind. Never gave a fuck about me, did you?” he says, as he puts his hands around my throat. I can’t breathe. “You will not make me fall in love with you again.”
He hits me, and I beg him to stop.
We both hear a knock on the door, to which he screams, “Go away!” The person on the other side of the door isn’t listening. The knocking continues, and so he opens the door. Shawn is picked up by his throat with his legs dangling. Hudson!
“I didn’t want to doubt you, but I’m glad I showed up.”
“Put him down. There’s no need for that. Just call the cops,” I say to him.
He shakes his head. “You can call the cops, but this fucker is going to get the shit kicked out of him. He will not walk away from this thinking it’s okay to put his hands on a woman, especially you.”
Hudson doesn’t waste any time before throwing Shawn on the ground and kicking him repeatedly. Shawn screams for help, but Hudson ignores him.
“Baby, stop! They are on their way. He’s going to jail,” I say, trying to talk him down. I grasp his arm and look into his eyes.
He stops and caresses my cheek with tears in his eyes. “Are you okay? I overheard him yell at you. I couldn’t help myself; nothing can happen to you.”
Hudson and I stand there until the cops arrive. They ask us a bunch of questions and then detain Shawn.
Hudson escorts me downstairs to get into his car, but stops. He jerks my chin up to look at him. “It’s not that I don’t have faith in you. I do. It’s him I don’t trust. And I’m glad I listened to my gut. Something a lot worse could have happened.”
Traumatic situations always make you think about the ones you love. We are crazy and push each other’s buttons, sometimes on purpose, but he is the only man I’ve ever felt truly content around. He loves me for all my quirkiness, and I love him for all his douchebaggery.
“You are it for me.”
