Page 49 of Aug
“Please. I’ll drop you off and keep going about my business.”
“Fine.”
She rounded the truck and ended up in the passenger seat, sure to avoid the slightest physical contact with me. She tried closing the door, but I didn’t give her the chance. I prayed I made it to the other side before she decided to eject herself from the vehicle.
I switched gears as I settled in. The words I’d recited in my head at least fifty times all went to shit. Nothing came to mind. I was too smitten with the woman beside me.
I hadn’t felt like this in weeks. There was something so soothing about her presence. She made everything better. She made me wonder if the bad was really bad because she represented so much good.
“Ti– I just want to–”
She leaned forward, pumping the volume on the radio. Instantly, I was tuned out. Sighing, I nodded, sensing she wasn’t ready to hear whatever the fuck I had to say.
I didn’t know what to say, quite honestly, so I didn’t fight her about it. I tried gathering my thoughts and prayed the words found me within the next sixteen minutes. We’d be at her home and she’d be leaving me with my regrets.
They didn’t. Nothing came to me but comfort. I was hesitant to disrupt that. The peace Ti supplied was unfathomable. Just for a little while, I wanted to enjoy it. I’d been in a whirlwind for the last six weeks.
As we approached her place, the words began to pile up. I lowered the volume of the radio as the tires halted.
“Ti, I’m sorry. I–”
“I gave you a chance and you blew it. I only had two requests, August. Don’t give me a job and don’t leave me lonely. I’ve been working overtime trying to repair the mess you’ve made of me. I don’t care how sorry you are, August. You hurt me, and I won’t give you a second chance to do me that way.”
She bolted. Nothing more was said. She didn’t give me the chance before she was out of the door and inside of her complex.
“Fuck.”
I hammered the steering wheel.
“Fuck!”
My fingers moved at a rapid speed, unlocking my cell that had been silenced since I took off on the plane for Channing that evening. Notifications were plentiful. I disregarded them all and dialed the number I’d been wanting to dial for weeks now. But, I had no words. Only pain.
“Leave me alone, August,” Tiana answered before the phone could ring.
From the cracking of her voice, I knew there were tears.
“Ti–”
Click.
The line died. I redialed the number. This time, it went straight to voicemail. I tried the number again. It rang until the voicemail came on.
Unlock the door, Ti. I’m not leaving until you talk to me.
I sent a text as I found a parking spot. I was prepared to wait outside of her door all night if it meant I’d get a chance to tell my side of this fucked up story. She had every right to be pissed, but I had my reasons. I just needed her to hear me out and punish me how she saw fit because leaving me wasn’t an option. It would never be an option.
TWELVE
I wincedin pain as I separated my eyelids. They were swollen and hurt to the touch. The slightest movement reminded me that I’d spent my night buried in my pillow as the weight of what could’ve been nailed me to the bed.
August was an unexpected surprise at dinner. One I wasn’t prepared for. One I wasn’t over yet. One I wasn’t ready to talk to. One I wasn’t ready to hear out. One I wasn’t going to forgive.
The toning pads glided along my skin effortlessly. I squirted serum on my forehead and cheeks. As my mind raced, I considered my actions last night. As much as I’d missed August over the last six weeks, I refused to become his personal mat. I was human and I had feelings.
His complete disregard of them had me disregarding him at the mere sight of those mysterious eyes and handsome brown skin.
“Ugh. This would be so much easier if he weren’t so gorgeous,” I groaned.
