Page 60 of Ordinary Secrets

“He’s just puttin’ on a show.” Trey scoffs. “I only hit him one more time, and only ’cause he wouldn’t sit still.”

“Not true,” Nathan says from the ground. “You hit me twice.”

“Okay, fine. When I finished my artwork, he swung at me, calling me every nasty name in the book. So I might have punched him once more.”

I don’t feel sorry for Nathan. None of the things Trey did to him tonight will ever compare to the many bruises I endured.This doesn’t make up for all the days I missed work because I was too weak to move, or the times I cried all night because I was scared I wouldn’t wake up in the morning.

Nathan pushes himself up and wipes the blood off his mouth with the back of his hand. “Where’s my shirt?”

“Fuck off,” Trey says.

“I’m not leavin’ without my?—”

With a cheesy smile and a wave goodbye, Trey slams the door and locks it. I wait a second and am pleasantly surprised when I don’t hear any pounding.

A moment later, I catch a good view of Nathan stumbling past my living room window and around the corner. He must have parked his car on the street where I wouldn’t see it. I shudder with the thought of what he planned to do if Trey hadn’t shown up. Would I have been able to fight him off?I was never able to before.

“Sorry for taking so long,” Trey says. “It took me a while to find a Sharpie around here. He won’t ever bother you again.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Because I threatened to slice off his micropenis if he does.”

No words come to me. I’m still trying to process everything. It all happened so fast. My heart is still racing from when Nathan climbed on top of me and held my arms down.

A trickle of blood dripping down Trey’s hand makes me gasp. “Oh no!”

He flexes his bloody knuckles, then shrugs. “I think that’s mostly his.”

“I’ll go get the first aid kit.” I rush away to rummage under the bathroom sink for my big red box.

When I return to the living room, Trey is in the kitchen, washing off. His right hand looks drastically less gory as he dries off on a paper towel. He’s got some gashes, but they aren’t toodeep. Still, another man got hurt because of me. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid.

The first and only guy I’ve been on a date with since leaving Nathan got chased off by drunk Nathan with a knife. My date ran away and tripped on the curb, spraining his ankle. Then he hobbled to his car and drove away. I haven’t heard from that guy since, no matter how many apology voicemails I’ve left.

Trey takes the first aid kit from my grasp. “I’ve got this, babe. Why don’t you go sit down while I wrap up my hand?”

“I’d like to do it for you, if that’s okay.” I need to feel helpful.

He thinks for a second, then sticks his hand out to me. “Have at it.”

After applying the ointment, I wrap some gauze around his knuckles. There’s still blood oozing from the small gashes. Just looking at it makes me squirmy. There’s a difference between seeing it on TV and seeing it in real life.

Trey doesn’t seem to mind the blood. If anything, the expression on his face tells me he’s proud of himself.

“I could get used to you being my doctor,” he says, smiling at me all handsomely.

I don’t respond. I feel terrible that I have to be doing this at all.

With his other hand, he tilts my chin up. “Don’t look so sad, baby. It’s not your fault.”

I force a smile. He can tell me all night that it’s not my fault, but I know it is. If I had gotten rid of Nathan years ago, when all the red flags started waving, I wouldn’t still be dealing with him today. I allowed things to get too far. Now, I have to deal with the aftermath. I just wish the people around me didn’t have to deal with it too.

“Now I understand why you freeze up whenever I touch you.”

“It’s not just you,” I say faintly. “It’sallmen.”

Trey’s fingertips graze my jawline. I wince when he lightly brushes against the spot I fell on when Nathan grabbed my ankle.

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