Page 66 of Rejected Pretend Mate

We stumbled to the doorway, and his face was so close. Too close. I hated where his hand sat, his fingers brushing against the top of my jeans.

"Come home," he asked softly. "Please. You have no idea how much I want you. How much I want to sink myself into you."

I pictured it. He'd pin me down onto the bed and fuck me. There was no romance, no foreplay, no workup. Half the time, I was dry, and he'd fuck me.

I forced a smile. "Okay."

He leaned in and kissed me. My inside twisted up, and I felt bile build up. I glanced at the door and grabbed it. I then pulled my hands up and shoved Ivan as hard as I could. He stumbled back out into the hall. It took him a second to realize what I'd done.

"Burn in hell, Ivan."

I slammed the door and quickly locked it. It was just a second later, and he started pounding on the door. "You fucking bitch! Unlock this door, April!"

I leaned on it, took a few deep breaths in, and quickly started wiping my mouth. I gagged, feeling my stomach curl up violently. I wanted to vomit all over the place and took a deep breath in through my nose.

"Unlock this door! God, damn it, April!"

I closed my eyes, wishing Weslie was here. I opened my eyes and quickly glanced around, searching for my phone. Still, I had no idea where I put it.

"You know what, April?" The pounding stopped. "You're going to regret this. You're going to regret all of this."

Silence fell, and I tried to calm my fast-beat heart. I pulled myself up, glancing at the door, and looked through the peephole. He was gone. I knew he was going to come back, so I turned and started running through the living room, searching for my phone. I threw the pillows and blankets off the couch. I yanked the cushions out and then turned towards the coffee table. I fanned through the drawers and then ran into the kitchen.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" I yelled, feeling tears build up. "Where the fuck is it?"

I ran by the front door when my feet froze at the smell. I sniffed again, and it was like a burning scent.

I turned to the front door and stared at it. The hairs on my body rose as I felt the heat. I walked towards the door and looked through the peephole. My eyes widened as smoke filled the space.

I tried to unlock the door and pull it open, but the door handle wouldn't move. I felt my stomach bottom out.

"No." I tried harder and harder, but the door wouldn't open. Tears started to break as the smoke seeped in through the bottom.

I moved, running towards the balcony, and started pulling at the door, but it wouldn't budge. I looked at the doorand realized that the chair outside had fallen over, blocking the door from opening.

"No, no, no." I kicked at the door and shoved harder. Tears broke free.

I gave up on the door and moved to a window. I pounded on it and tried to move it, but the windows didn't budge. What scared me more was what they had the other day.

After Weslie and I fucked in the kitchen, I opened the windows and the patio to air the space out. And that was just a few days ago. There was no reason these wouldn't open now. I looked up and frowned, realizing they were locked, and I couldn’t reach the top.

I started to cry as I tried another window. The apartment started to fill with smoke, and I coughed as I tried to find another way out.

I grabbed one of the stools and threw it at the window. The stool bounced off the window, and I felt dizzy. My vision blurred as I pulled the stool back up and hit it against the window. It cracked.

I pulled it up again, but the stool slipped through my fingers, and I tumbled to the ground. I grabbed at my throat, trying hard to bring air in.

My lungs felt like they were giving out. My body felt like it was on fire. I tried to pull myself back up, but my limbs wouldn't listen.

I stared across the living room when I spotted something shining under the couch—my phone.

I felt hope. "I can…call."

I started to crawl towards my phone, and every muscle screamed as I did. My lungs hurt, and I began to wheeze as Imoved. I was just a few inches from my phone when I grabbed it. I pulled the screen up and winced at it.

Black dots dotted my vision, and my fingers shook as I entered my pin.

Five. Two. Two... My fingers shook harder. I shook my head and tried to focus. I just needed to dial. That was all. I could do this.

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