Page 139 of Meet Me at the Metro

“Shhh!”he hisses, approaching me swiftly. “Calm down.”

I instinctually step backward, and my back collides against the bathroom stalls as he closes in the distance between us.

“Get the hell away!”

“Just let me talk, Ellie. Please just let—”

“Help!”I shriek without a second thought.“Help!”

John yanks me toward him and clamps a forceful hand over my mouth. “Stop screaming!”

I fight against his hold with as much vigor as possible, but he’s so much bigger and stronger than me. When he pins my thrashing arms down against my body, I’m rendered helpless.

“You going to keep fighting me? Or are you going to cooperate and hear me out?”

I defiantly writhe beneath his hold, but he grips me tighter, stealing air from my lungs as he forces my body still. I try gasping for air and calling out for help again, but his hand is still over my mouth, and all of my pleas become pathetic, muffled sounds.

“I came here for you. Flew across the damn ocean for you, and you won’t even let me have five minutes!”

I rear back my foot to kick him, to do anything to escape the snare he’s trapped me in, but he wraps a hand around my neck, and every joint in my body freezes over with fear.

“Please,” I rasp, struggling for oxygen as tears of fright stream from my eyes. “Please, John.”

“Are you going to act right?”

I nod desperately in agreement, wanting to do everythingbutwhat he’s telling me, but too scared for my life to disobey.

He gives my throat a threatening squeeze. “Promise me?”

I nod again, only finding a thread of relief from my fright when he finally moves his hand from my neck. I gasp for air the second it’s granted to me again, deeply inhaling as he twists me around to face him and presses me back against the bathroom stall.

There’s a look so vile in his dark brown eyes as they skim over my face. I flinch as he cups my face in his hands and shiver when the pads of his thumbs brush beneath my eyes.

“I hate when you cry. You haven’t given me that pretty smile in so long.”

I cringe. “What do you want from me?”

He smiles wickedly as if this is all just some sort of game to him. “You know what I want.”

“I. Don’t. Want. You.”

“But I want you,” he snarls back. “Why is it only what you want? Why doesn’t it matter what I want anymore?”

“Because you cheated on me!”

“One thing! I did one bad thing, so you’re throwing awayeverythingwe had?!”

I scoff, “One bad thing?! You’ve been stalking me!”

“Keep your voice down.”John nervously glances toward the bathroom door.

“Screw you! You’ve been stalking me! You’ve hit me! You’ve held me down! You just fucking choked me! You’ve doneseveralbad things, John!”

“I said quiet down,” he commands through gritted teeth.

John moves to hold me by the throat again, but I catch hold of his wrist as tight as I can and bring my knee up between his legs. The second I make an impact, he’s doubling over and letting out an agonized, pained groan.

“Get away from me!”

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