Page 52 of Pulled Away

Berating myself for being a pussy, I square my shoulders, stride forward and fling open the door. In my mind, I hear the audience let out a collective gasp of despair. It’s gone. Everything is gone.

The rush to my car is a blur. Buckling my seatbelt, I freeze and stare in bafflement at my cock. What the hell? I’m still in my towel. Which has fallen open and I’m naked. I’m about to rush to Aspen’s work completely naked.

Muttering every kind of profanity I can think of, I rush back into the house, towel forgotten in the car, but my feet skid to a stop when I see Dan the Man’s spot empty. I don’t know why, but of all the punches I’ve been getting these past few days, seeing him gone is somehow the worst. Bending forward, I put my hands on my knees, gasping for breath. I don’t care that my ass is sticking out, ass-crack on display, or that if I open my eyes, I have the perfect view of my cock. I just need to breathe.

A loud shriek rends the air, and I whip up, whirling around.

“What the fuck, Ryan?” Rose yells, her face a mask of horror. “My eyes,” she moans, clapping her hands over said eyes. So damn dramatic.

“Rose, I’m so fucking glad you’re here,” I say, rushing towards her, but another shriek stops me in my tracks. I shudder, rubbing my ears, but damn, the ringing doesn’t stop.

“Get that dangling thing away from me,” she shrieks again, although I don’t know what her problem is. Her hands are clamped so tight over her eyes there’s no way she can see anything. “For the love of everything holy, go put on some clothes.” Her words come out as a sob, and I see an opportunity. I take a step closer to her and she takes a step back. How the fuck is she seeing me move?

“I’ll go put something on if you promise to be here still when I get back.”

She nods so fast, she almost gives herself whiplash. “I’ll promise you my firstborn. Just go,” she moans, wiggling her elbow in a “go, go, go,” motion.

In a flash, I’m in my room, and not even a minute later, I’m back in the kitchen, relieved that Rose is still there.

“What the hell, Ryan,” she mutters. “Did you start naked yoga or something?” She’s making it a point not to look at me. Any other time I should be embarrassed by my sister getting an eye full, but right now I can’t be bothered.

“Dan the Man’s gone,” I say.

“What?” The look she’s giving me clearly says I’ve lost my mind.

“You know. Dan,” I repeat, waving towards the windowsill.

Her voice lowers, her tone getting more serious. “I don’t know who that is.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I mutter impatiently, running my hands through my hair. “He’s not here, which means Aspen took him. Which means Aspen’s left.”

“Ryan, when last did you sleep?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Why the hell is she not getting it? Aspen left. That’s all that matters. “Where is she? She won’t answer any of my texts or calls. You’re one of her best friends. You know where she is.”

“She’s at work.”

“I know,” I shout, slamming my palm against the kitchen counter. “But when she’s not at work, where does she go?”

Rose’s shoulders heave with a sigh.

“You know what? Forget it. I’ll go over there.” Mumbling to myself, I look around, trying to figure out what I did with my keys. I spot them lying on the floor.

“Ryan, stop,” Rose says, darting in front of me. What the hell is up with people trying to stop me? “She doesn’t want to see you.” Her words are soft, laced with pity, but it’s more effective than the hand she’s placed against my chest.

“What?” My words are just as soft as hers.

“She doesn’t want to see you.”

“She said that?”

My eyes are willing her to laugh and say, “Just kidding,” but she nods in a barely there movement. It’s enough to take the wind out of my sails. Unresisting, I let her take my hand and lead me to the couch.

“So she left me?” It seems that I need this spelled out to me because there’s no way I can picture my Aspen not wanting to see me.

“You took Hadley on a honeymoon. What did you think was going to happen?” Her words are dry, the sympathy and pity from a few moments ago nowhere to be found.

“It wasn’t a honeymoon,” I grind out. “It’s a holiday I promised her years ago.”

---