Page 50 of Reclaiming Love

Chapter 28

“Thanks,” said Melissa, and walked into the apartment where Matt lived. She’d seen the guy who opened the door once before. He gave her a smile, which did little to disguise his irritation that he’d had to open the door to someone who clearly wasn’t his visitor.

She crept along the hallway and through the kitchen towards Matt’s room and knocked. It had been a gamble coming here unannounced. Two soft knocks. “Are you there? It’s me.”

He opened the door himself and his face brightened as soon as he saw her. She squirmed, knowing she was here as a bearer of bad news. She’d barely made it through the door when he uttered a “Happy New Year” and scooped his arm around her, smacking his lips down hard on hers.

She pushed away, quickly.

“What’s wrong?” He closed the door behind her, the skin around his eyes tight as he faced her.

She walked to the furthest point of his room and settled herself on the chair at the side of his bed, already feeling uneasy. Maybe she should have met him in a restaurant or a more public place? The bedroom was a bad choice. But after her talk with Heather this morning, her mind analyzing and strategizing her options, while Heather chattered on about Finn, she knew she had to tell him today. Right now, so that she could start anew. A need for this to be over quickly had pushed her into coming here before she talked herself out of it. She’d figured it would be better than discussing it at work. And she didn’t want to prolong things any further.

Giving him false hope wouldn’t bode well.

But as she almost cowered in the corner, the way he looked at her, calm and deadly, made her think it had been unwise of her to visit him here.

She clutched her handbag protectively across her stomach, almost as if it were a riot shield.

“You didn’t call me back last night.” His tone half-questioning, half-accusatory, as he moved closer to her, one hand on his hip.

She cleared her throat. “I didn’t hear it ring.” Her stomach muscles tightened and she regretted having that bagel for breakfast. Her breathing felt tight, and already, the walls in the room seemed to close in.

He nodded his head slowly, taking in her words, as if knowing she was slowly leading him to slaughter. “Where were you?” He sat down on the bed, slanted her a look and patted his hand on the space beside him, commanding her to come over. But she stayed where she was.

“We went to Zoot.”

“Yeah?”

“What did you do?” she asked, hoping to direct attention away from Zoot.

He ignored the question. “Who did you go with?”

“Heather and some friends.” She prayed her face wouldn’t color.

“Must have been some night—if you didn’t even hear your phone go off.”

She wanted to get her sentence out. To say the thing, to do the deed. “It was busy. You know how it gets on New Year’s.”

“I wouldn’t know. I wasn’t there.”

Silence.

Say it now,she thought to herself, her leg muscles tightening, as if she was getting ready to sprint off.

“I stayed here, by myself, giving you that space you needed. I missed you.” His voice was steady.

“So you said.” She hoped he wouldn’t see or smell the fear that swallowed her whole. “I got that first photo you sent me. I didn’t like it.” She swallowed. Say it now.

He narrowed his eyes. “It’s a private moment, between you and me. I don’t get why you always make a big deal of it.”

“If you think taking photos of me in my underwear is something I like, or something I want you to do—to use me like some piece of meat—then you don’t know me at all.”

He sprang up, nostrils flared, and stepped towards her. “You’re blowing it out of proportion. I had a girlfriend who enjoyed having her photos taken. It’s…no big deal.”

“It is to me. It might have been fine with whoever, but I don’t like it. I’ve told you that before.”

“It’s harmless fun. Look, I kind of thought you’d be upset. So I sent you another one…I waited up all night, waiting to hear from you. And you never called me back.” He exhaled loudly and shook his head. “It’s not a big deal. When I miss you, I look at your photos. What’s so wrong with that? If anyone should be angry around here, it’s me because you didn’t even call me yesterday.”

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