Page 12 of Expiry Dating

He took another swig of his beer to try and alleviate some of the tension tightening his insides. “Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. He didn’t meet her gaze and kept his eyes glued to the television. The last thing he wanted to see was her pity.

“I was career military. A marine. I never saw myself doing anything else. It was the only thing I ever wanted to be. And then ... then this happens.” He nodded toward his legs. “I was medically discharged. Seventeen fucking years I gave them. Seventeen years wasted.”

He felt the warmth of Alice’s hand on his forearm and let the heat sink into him. She was trying to comfort him, but it wasn’t working.

“I’m pissed as hell. I don’t know how not to be pissed. And, yeah, I’m lucky I didn’t lose my leg, lucky I can still walk, but that sure as hell doesn’t make me feel any fucking better. So no, I don’t really give a shit about PT, ’cause it doesn’t matter anymore. I won’t ever be able to get back to how I was or who I was. Not with this level of nerve damage.”

“Okay,” she replied, her hand still firmly in place. “What does that have to do with me being your PT though?”

“You really don’t get it?” Removing his eyes from the screen, he turned his head, shocked to see the lack of pity on her face. There might be a small amount of sadness across her pretty features, but it was mostly made up of confusion. “We’ve spent the past few weeks fighting with each other, Ali. You really think I’d be okay with you seeing me at my most vulnerable?”

There it was. Recognition.

“You think I’d use what happened to you ... against you?” A flash of hurt crossed her face.

“Yeah, I do.” He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, but it was too late. Alice was up and rounding the couch.

“I’ll file the paperwork tomorrow. The clinic will be in touch with a new appointment time.”

He should have stopped her. He should tell her he didn’t mean it. But seconds later she was gone, and the sound of the slamming door reverberated around the room.

Alone again. With more guilt to stew in. Perfect.

***

Alice kept her word and a couple of days later, Brady attended his physical therapy session with a burly man named Steve.

Despite Brady’s so-called win, his week hadn’t been great. When he wasn’t working, he was trawling the haunts where he “accidentally” used to run into Alice. But every time they crossed paths, he wasn’t treated to his usual tongue-lashing. Instead, she simply left wherever they were, leaving him to feel like a complete dick. It wasn’t exactly doing wonders for his ego.

He’d messed up. He’d hurt her. But for the life of him, he had no idea how to fix it. And if he was being honest, he was a little disturbed at just how much he cared. Just the idea of Alice being upset had his insides twisting in knots.

That’s why he found himself at Jake’s ranch on a Friday night. He was attending the weekly barbecue that his best friend hosted for his staff and guests in the hope of running into her.

“If you’re looking for Alice, she’s not here yet. Lily just went to go and get her.” Jake gave Brady a hard clap on the back and stood beside him.

“I wasn’t.”

“Sure you weren’t.” Jake smirked.

Brady wasn’t sure why he was lying to his friend. He already knew why he was here. With Alice refusing to acknowledge his existence, it left him with no other choice but to call Jake.

“So what did you do to piss her off this time? Pull her hair?”

Brady snorted. “You know, the usual. Breathing.”

He heard her before he saw her—the girly, melodic laugh hitting him straight in the chest. He looked up, hoping to catch her eye. She was walking toward the fire with Lily, wearing a short sapphire dress with matching blue converse. This was her casual look. That was the thing about Alice, she wore dresses daily, but the shoes gave away her mood.

While he was waiting for her to notice him, he watched her push a glossy, errant strand of hair out of her face and grimace. When she finally caught his eye, the grimace turned into a frown. He could tell immediately that she was plotting her exit, but he wasn’t going to let her get away this time. With that in mind, he started toward her.

As soon as he was in earshot, he heard her making her excuses to Lily. Though just as Alice turned away to walk in the opposite direction of him, he caught her arm and tugged her back.

“Really, Brady? You gonna cuff me next?”

“If that’s what it takes, sweetness.”

Lily cleared her throat. “Um, I’ll be just over there if you need me, Ali.”

He kept hold of Alice while she continued to scowl. “So. You gonna stop running away and actually stay and have a conversation with me?” he asked.

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