Page 28 of Battling the Enemy
Once my stomach was empty, and I was thoroughly embarrassed, he had put me back into the car and we drove the rest of the way to his house in silence. And, now, I was standing in his living room, sober, and I could feel a headache coming on the size of Texas.
This was not what I had in mind when I had gone to Trent’s.
Deke was shutting and locking the door behind us, and I was too miserable to even worry about being alone with him in his house. A girl who doesn’t drink should never pop her party cherry with a bottle of hard liquor. Suddenly, I wasn’t feeling as smart as my IQ and good grades indicated.
“Come on,” Deke barked as he grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him.
I followed because I seriously didn’t have the physical or mental strength to battle him. Why did people do this? I wasn’t even experiencing a next day hang over yet, and I didn’t want to.
Once we walked up the stairs to his bedroom, he left me standing in the middle of the room as he pulled a shirt from his closet. “Deke-”
“Don’t, Delaney,” he snapped. “I’m one irritated nerve away from laying you across my lap and spanking the shit out of you like an out-of-control child.” My lips curled in and I wisely kept my mouth shut. He thrust his shirt in my hands and pushed at me until we were both walking into his en suite bathroom.
I looked around and the bathroom matched his bedroom with the dark black and grey tiles. His bedroom had light grey walls, a dark grey bed set, and black furniture. It all looked very sleek and expensive. His car was white, so I never expected his room to be decorated in dark colors. Uh, not that I had given his bedroom much thought, that is.
I stayed silent as I watched Deke yank open a drawer and pull out a value pack of toothbrushes. He pulled one out and dumped it next to his in the toothbrush holder. “Take a shower, brush your teeth, and do whatever else it is you do to get ready for bed, and then come back into the bedroom,” he grumbled.
“Deke-” I tried again.
“Goddamn it, Delaney,” he barked. “Another word and I swear to God…”
“Sorry,” I mumbled, properly chastised. I stayed where I was as Deke took two towels from a built-in cabinet next to the shower and placed them on the counter. The second he walked out of the room, I locked the door and started to take off the ridiculous clothes I had on. They weren’t even my real clothes. They were an old outfit that my mother had bought me one day while in Paris. She thought it was cute, but it had just been further proof that she didn’t know me at all.
I undressed, turned on the shower and got in, letting the warm water sooth away all my bad decisions from tonight. It wasn’t until I reached for the shampoo that I realized I was going to smell like Deke, and that realization had my tummy feeling hollow.
It felt hollow because I liked that idea.
I showered and used Deke’s shampoo, conditioner, and body wash and I felt like such a girl afterwards. When I stepped out of the shower, dried off, and then put on his shirt, the feeling had intensified. Deke’s shirt fell all the way to my knees, and it felt like such a girlfriend thing to be wearing his clothes.
I brushed the hell out of my teeth and tongue until I felt all my vodka regret scrubbed away. After that, I searched the drawers for something to brush my hair. I found a brush and took my time detangling my hair. After I was done, I looked into the mirror and gave myself the biggest pep talk in history.
Finally, I unlocked the door and walked out to find Deke sitting on his bed, watching TV, in a pair of basketball shorts and nothing more.
Sweet Christ.
He stood up and I couldn’t help but notice he still looked pissed. I felt stupid saying, “Uhm, I don’t have my purse with me or anything, so…uh, I don’t have a scrunchie for my hair…”
Deke placed his hands on his hips, looked up towards the ceiling, and let out a breath so deep, I could hear it clear across the room. He didn’t say anything as he brought his head back down, gave me a quick look, and then walked out of the room.
Well.
I sat on his bed because I didn’t want to add to my nerd status by just standing around looking like a dweeb. I had no idea where he’d gone to, but if he was as pissed off as he claimed, it was quite possible he left me here to just go to sleep.
A couple of minutes later, Deke returned with a scrunchie, and my heart dropped.This asshole was giving me a scrunchie that belonged to another girl.A scrunchie another girl left at his house. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the stress of this past week, maybe it was dealing with Winston, the overwhelming association with Deke’s friends…whatever it was, I could feel the tingle in my nose that suggested tears were about to make an appearance.
Who does that?
Who gives a girl another girl’s property? I mean, that takes insensitivity to an entirely different level.
I stood up, and he reached out to hand me the scrunchie. “Uhm, no thank you,” I mumbled. I may feel…defeated whenever I was around Deke, but I wasn’t a complete weakling. And I would not be wearing anything one of his other conquests left behind.
Deke smirked, and I wanted to do him violence. I’d never been particularly physical or violent before, but Deke brought out that side of me. He made my irritation levels skyrocket, and it’s like I wanted to take out every life frustration I’ve ever had out on him.
“My hair can just-”
“It’s Emerson’s or Roselyn’s,” he said. “There’s a shitload of them in the game room.”
I could feel my face flush with embarrassment at my presumptions about what went on in his house. I reached out and took the scrunchie. “Thanks,” I mumbled.
