Page 34 of The Phyre that Burns
“What?”
“I was locked up for thirty-three days, and I came to you as soon as I was released. When no one answered, I asked the girl who lived across the hall how long you’d been gone, and she told me you’d left town a few days prior. I could’ve done some digging, hired a private investigator, and hunted you down, but at the time, my pride wouldn’t allow it. I know I didn’t have a right, but I was pissed at you.”
“You were pissed at me? And why were you in jail?”
“Hell yeah, I was pissed. I had no right to be, but I couldn’t believe you’d left town without hearing me out. I was in jail because I beat my father up pretty bad, . . . some say I almost killed him, and he had me arrested. He didn’t press charges, but he knew the chief and paid him to keep me there for a month to teach me a lesson.”
“Wow. That’s . . . that’s crazy. Do you mind telling me what happened?”
“I didn’t put this part in the letter because I honestly hate thinking about the darkest time of my life, but for you, I will.”
“Thank you.”
“When I left your place, I had murderous thoughts on my mind. I wasn’t positive, but my gut told me Kavia had sent you those messages. I went straight to her place, and when she saw me, her expression told me what I needed to know. She eventually admitted being responsible without any prompting. I don’t condone violence toward women, but I would’ve choked her out had her brother not come over.”
“Oh my God.”
“It was bad. I said some pretty vile words to her before leaving, which I don’t regret, and went straight to my parents’ house with murder still on my mind. When I told them I refused to marry Kavia, and the engagement was off, my father got in my face, pushing me and spewing threats left and right. I stood up to him and matched his energy. He was taken aback when I pushed him, rolled up his sleeves, and challenged me to a fight. I didn’t want to, and I tried to leave. He wouldn’t back down and said if I beat his ass, I didn’t have to marry Kavia. You can assume what happened based on what I’ve already told you.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. Damn is right. He stopped paying for school. I got a job and took out loans to pay for it myself. I can count on one hand the number of times we’ve spoken since then. I probably only see him twice a year at a social event, and we act like strangers. I only visit my parents’ home when I know he won’t be there.”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything, baby, but I won’t talk about the shit with my pops again.”
“Okay.” She quickly agreed. “Why weren’t you up-front with me when things between us got serious?”
“What were the odds of you being cool with it?”
“Tuh. None. I guess you have a point.”
I sat up next to her and tapped her leg. After straddling me, she rested her hands on either side of my waist while I caressed her lower back.
“I wanted to be honest with you, and I tried to tell you many times. You weren’t the type of woman who would agree to that, and I knew once I told you, you’d be done with me.”
“You were right,” she said.
“When I realized I was in love with you, I lost many nights of sleep trying to figure out what to do. I didn’t want to give up my dream of becoming a doctor, but I had no money to pay for school on my own. I didn’t want to let you go, because realizing my dream without you by my side wouldn’t mean as much. I was on the verge of losing my mind.”
“Our last night together, something felt different, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Now that I think back, you’d been different for a few weeks, but I thought it had something to do with school. I mean, you were studying to become a doctor, so I attributed it to your studies.”
“I did my best to hide it, but sometimes I struggled.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t notice. Maybe if I’d?—”
“Nah. I’m not about to let you take any blame . . . accountability for not letting me explain, yes, but I’m the only one to blame. I should’ve been man enough to share what I was going through. It would’ve still hurt, but it would’ve been better coming from me. I can’t imagine how you felt when you got that text.”
“It was like a sledgehammer to my gut, but let’s not dwell on the past.”
“Are you ready to talk about our future?”
“If the future consists of me riding your dick until the sun comes up, . . . absolutely.”
Sunday arrived too fast,and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a weekend as memorable as this one. Phyre and I couldn’t seem to get enough of each other and spent most of it in bed. When his face or dick wasn’t between my thighs, we talked about the good memories from the past and the possibilities of the future.
We managed to find time to snack, but food was secondary. The nourishment we got from each other gave us all the energy we needed. After a day and a half of fucking, I woke up starving and ready to eat enough to feed an army.
