Page 120 of The Secret

“There’s nothing good about this. You’re running because you’re scared.”

The shred of control holding on my temper stretched too far, snapping like a taut rubber band. “And you’re behaving like a petulant child who doesn’t get his own way! Is this how our entire relationship’s going to go? Every time I disagree with something you want, you throw a tantrum? Because I’m telling you right now, I am not on board if it is.”

He glared at me in a way I hoped I’d never be on the receiving end of again. “Well, let’s see shall we?”

I watched in open mouthed silence as he stood and stormed out of the coffee shop, opening the door so aggressively the glass clattered against the wall, but held firm. Unlike my resolve, which didn’t, and I finally crumbled, the tears I’d been holding back for over an hour poured forth until I was a sobbing, blotchy red mess.

It had been so much worse than I thought it would have. I didn’t think he’d take it well, but that hadn’t just been a crash, that had been a twelve-car pile-up caused by a spectacularly backfiring jack-knifed truck. This guy who’d brought me to orgasm five time since last night, had stormed out and left me sitting by myself, leaving me with absolutely no idea about when I’d see him again.

IfI’d see him again.

My chest heaved so hard at the thought I might not, that I almost couldn’t breathe and the old lady stopped feeding her dog croissants and came over, putting her arm around me until I stopped sobbing enough to call Payton.

“What happened?” she cried loudly as she rushed through the doors of the coffee shop, opening them with significantly less violence than Murray had.

I managed to crack a smile at the shock on her face. “Is your couch still available?”

“Of course it is, but only if you tell me whose ass I need to kick.”

“No one’s. Mine. Take your pick.”

She hugged me tight as I sobbed again at the idea I’d fucked it all up through my own cowardice, Murray’s words ringing loud in my ears and my heart. I stayed there, soaking her shoulder as she rubbed my back until I’d calmed enough to tell her.

“This morning, you know how I was meeting Murray for lunch?”

She nodded. Before she’d left the apartment this morning, I’d filled her in on how my day was supposed to have gone.

“When I got there, that woman was on his desk, practically naked.”

She pushed me back with such ferocity I almost had whiplash. “WHAT THE FUCK?”

“Nothing happened,” I held her arm, desperately wanting to clarify that fact, omitting he was also half dressed. “Murray looked as shocked as I did, but…”

“Wait, what woman?” she interrupted.

“The one that came to the door, Dasha?”

“Holy fuck! Fucking hell, Kit. That bitch. Jesus, women like her give women like us a bad name. OHMYGOD, what did you do?”

I shrugged; maybe I was still in shock. “Not much. I turned and left. Murray ran after me.”

“Good, then what happened?”

“I came here and I think he called the police and they took her. Then he came and met me here.”

“Okay, good. I’m so sorry,” she pulled me in for another hug, but I pushed her away.

“Wait, that’s not why I’m upset.”

“Oh, why are you upset then? What happened?”

“I told Murray that I wanted to move out so we could date properly and start a relationship that wasn’t backward, and he didn’t agree.”

“What does that mean? What didn’t he agree with?”

I sipped the glass of water which had been left for me during my sobbing fit. “Any of it. He was so angry. He said I was running away because I was scared, like I was scared of taking the Columbia job, and that it was all bullshit.”

Her eyes spread wide. “Wow.”

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