AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Deathly shocked and stunned silence follows for what must be an entire minute. Everything stops. The clinking of glasses cease, the clatter of happy chatter is suddenly a thing of the past. I’m genuinely too dumbfounded to respond.
Take care of themselves?
The revelation sends a fresh bolt of anger through me, and the sharp pain in my stomach makes my eyes sting.
Tears burn with instant humiliation, and I fight with everything inside me not to let them spill down my cheeks and let him see what his words have done to me.
I’m so humiliated.
A grown man seriously just said those wordsto me,like some prepubescent teenager without a clue as to how the real world works.
I close my eyes for a moment, searching for a place of calm. It eludes me, though. And instead, hot rage causes an inferno to bubble up inside me.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, but Andrea didn’t mention… look, never mind. It’s just that I pride myself on my appearance. I’m into fitness, watching what I eat. That might sound harsh. But you’re just not my thing. I wouldn’t know what to do with all…that,” he says, making a face while his fingers wiggle in the general direction of my stomach.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
Yes, I have tummy rolls. I’m sitting down. They’re not that bad when I stand up. A couple of love handles at best.
“Well, aren’t we a perfect pair,” I snap, tossing my napkin down hard on the table. “Andrea didn’t mention that you’re a rude, entitled, self-obsessed asshole. I’ll be sure to have a word with her about that.” And then I raise my voice, loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear me. “I’m sorry about your erectile dysfunction, Ashton. Don’t worry about it, though, from what I hear it’s more common than you think.” I stand quickly to my feet, leaning into his ear as I pass by his seat. “Choke on a dick, Ashton!”
And then I storm out without offering a cent. I normally go dutch on a date. Not this time.
Bye-bye fancy restaurant.
What an absolute disaster tonight turned out to be. It was a farce from the very beginning, a tragedy waiting to happen. And yet here I am once again, baring my soul and having it decimated.
Never before have I been made so aware of my flaws. My body is mine, to adore or diminish, to fuel as I see fit, and as far as I’m concerned, no one else has any right or any need to weigh in on that.
Yes.Pun intended.
Sienna
Chad glances up from a pile of paperwork he’s sorting through at the reception desk when I hurry down the corridor, an enormous breath leaving his body when he sees me striding toward him.
“Thank God you’re here.”
“What the hell happened?”
“Whatdidn’thappen?” he replies. He’s not wearing his standard white coat and trousers tonight, but rather a long-sleeved T-shirt that stretches across his chest and faded blue jeans.
“I need you to be more specific.”
Pushing the pile of paperwork to one side he leans forward on his elbows, rubbing his hands over his face. “Kael and Devon got into it in the dining room. Punches were thrown, a chair was broken, and green beans were spilled all over the floor. It was a freaking disaster.”
“Where are they now?”
“Kael’s back in his room.” His dark brows knit in a displeased frown. A critical amount of wrinkles gild his forehead. He’s pissed off, and rightly so. “Devon’s still getting stitched up.”
“Who started it?”
He drops his head, shaking it between his shoulders. “Kael.”
“Are youkiddingme?”
“I wish I was…” There’s a short pause, and then he stands tall looking all kinds of big and strong, gripping the edge of the desk with both hands. “The orderly on duty said he turned his back for a split second, and when he turned around again they were both on the ground throwing punches.”
