Page 3 of Playing A Risk
“Lauren, that’s not possible. I’ve explained this to you so many times.” Jami takes a step in front of her.
“Jamison, why? Why? Don’t do this to me again. I’m broken without you and need you in my life.” She crashes into his chest, sobbing. “Make it stop hurting. Make it go away. Don’t make me do it on my own.”
Compassion covers him as he wraps his arms around her. “Shh. It’s okay. We’ll get through this together. I’m here for you. Just breathe. I’ll always be here for you. Just try to calm down.”
She clings to his shirt and bawls uncontrollably. Jami kisses the top of her head and caresses her long dark hair.
What the fuck?
I’m an intruder witnessing a very personal moment. They clearly have something important to work out around their breakup. Still numb, I crawl along the hardwood floor and escape through the front door.
Once I’m out of the apartment, I sprint to the elevator. I step into it and struggle to breathe as I descend, all the while trying to grasp what happened.
The doors open to the main floor, and unbearable agony hits me all at once. My stomach roils. I twist to the side and throw up in a planter that’s in the back of the waiting area.
Once I’ve finished, I bend over, resting my hands on my knees, and try to catch my breath. A hand runs across my back and I tense.
I wipe my mouth with the palm of my hand. “Please go home. I can’t talk to you about this right now.”
“Do you need my help?” Hunter asks.
I spin to him and fall into his unexpecting arms. “I thought you were Jami.”
It’s all I can get out because I burst into sobs.
Hunter guides me into the elevator and takes me to his place. He leads me to the leather couch in front of the window and sits me down.
“Give me a minute.” He disappears down the hall.
I cry into my hands.
After a minute, he returns with a fluffy gray blanket and a glass of water. “Here, drink this or you’ll end up dehydrated.”
“Thanks.” It’s all I can muster.
Hunter sits beside me and waits for me to collect myself enough to talk. When the stupid tears don’t stop, I excuse myself to wash up in his bathroom.
As I do, I check out why the side of my face stings. Three scratch marks along my cheek are bleeding a little. I blot them dry with tissue and search the medicine cabinet for some topical antibiotic ointment.
When I can’t find anything, I return to Hunter to ask him if he has any. He’s in the same spot I left him.
The scene of Jami holding Lauren replays in my mind and I forget what I need. My brain is a garbled mess. Confusion swirls through my head. I’m so discombobulated that I’m still not sure I’m awake.
“It’s late, so I’ll get out of your way.” I glance around the living room, not sure what I plan on doing. “My…”
Hunter stands and glances at my bare feet. “How do you expect to get home without shoes or a coat? It’s freezing out there.”
My gaze travels down to my toes, and a sinking realization hits me between the eyes. “Shit. I left everything in Jami’s apartment.”
“Do you want to go get your belongings?” With a supportive gaze, Hunter approaches me. “I can go with you if you need.”
“No. I can’t go back there. I can’t.” I scan his place, but why, I don’t know.
“In that case, would you like me to retrieve your items?”
“No. If you do, Jami will know I’m with you and want to talk. I can’t.” I lower my head and try to find an answer. “Maybe Melanie could come and get me.”
Hunter motions to the couch. “Let’s sit down so you can tell me what happened. Then you can stay here in the guest room and we can get you some shoes in the morning.”
