Page 26 of Josh Dalton

“What the fuck was that about last night?” he says. “Leaving her like that.”

I reach into the cabinet and grab some aspirins.

“Zoey wanted to kill you. It took a lot of convincing to let me come here alone.” He sits down on one of my chairs.

I’m already pissed he’s here. Now he’s telling me he saved me from an ass chewing from his wife. Like I could give a shit.

I spin around and growl, “Get the hell out of my house.”

He growls back, “Oh, don’t worry. I’m going. But not until I let you know what a big fucking mistake you made last night.”

Kim is the one who made a mistake.

“Listen––”

He raises a hand to silence me. “Listen to what I have to say, and then I’ll leave you here to wallow.”

“I thought you were finished?”

“Fuck you.”

I haven’t seen him this mad in a while. Maybe I should ease off a bit. “Go ahead.”

“Kim’s mother set you up. She was spewing lies, and you bought into everything she had to say. You left the only good thing in your life heartbroken and lying in a pool of tears. When you come to realize what a horrible mistake you’ve made, it’ll be too late. You stupid fuck!”

He turns on his heel and leaves the room. I slide to the floor; my legs won’t hold me any longer. Did I make a mistake? The coffee machine burps, but I don’t make a move to get a cup.

I close my eyes and recall Kim’s face. Why did I so quickly believe her mother? I may have just ruined the best relationship I’ll ever have.

I drag myself off the kitchen floor and go find my phone. It’s lying on the floor next to the couch, where I dropped it last night. I check recent calls. I dialed Kim three times last night. Don’t even remember it.

I call her again and wait for her to pick up. It goes to the message service telling me the customer is not available.She blocked my number. Guess I can’t blame her.

But I can fix this. If she won’t talk to me on the phone, I’ll just go over to her place. She can’t avoid me then.

I take a shower and change my clothes. Time to make things right.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

KIM

Running away isn’t the answer, but I need a change of scenery.

My friends and I got blinding drunk last night. It was good, forgetting how messed up my life was. Now that I’m awake with a splitting headache, last night doesn’t seem so smart.

The reason I wake up is because Zoey is talking to loudly on the phone. I assume it’s Ryder she’s speaking with. I hear snippets of the conversation. She mentions something about making him a eunuch or shoving his balls up his ass. She isn’t holding back. She’s a loyal friend.

After a hot shower, I feel halfway human. I’ve also decided to get out of town for a while. My friends don’t want me to leave, but they understand my decision. Right now, I wouldn’t be able to handle running into Josh on the sidewalk. It would hurt too much.

I know of a person who will take me in. Mary Lewis. She’s somewhat of a recluse. She enjoys painting and the simpler things in life. Zoey introduced me to her.

I would say Mary is like a mother to me, but I can’t. She’s more like the crazy aunt who is fun to hang out with. This might actually be enjoyable.

I pack a small bag and borrow Zoey’s car. I don’t own one. Mary’s place is an hour away. She doesn’t like to answer her phone, so I don’t call ahead. If she’s gone, it won’t be a problem. I know where she keeps the spare key.

I navigate down the driveway slowly, avoiding potholes on the gravel. This is what I need, a change of scenery. I turn off the car and glance in the mirror. I look like shit. My eyes are red and swollen. Tears are running down my cheeks, and I need fresh tissues. Had to pull over twice on the way here and get myself together.

All I want to do is bury myself under the covers and come out when my heart doesn’t ache. Which could be never. A tapping on the window startles me, and I scream. I’m so deep in my misery that I didn’t see Mary walk up.

---