Page 82 of Dirty Dix

The moment I touch her, however, she recoils so quickly she hits her elbow on the dresser and curses, but that doesn’t stop her mad dash toward the door.

“Just leave me alone. Please,” she begs, storming into the living room.

But I will not. I need to know what happened because some heavy shit just went down, and I need to know why.

“No, how about you talk to me? Tell me what happened. Tell me what happened toyou,” I add, and Madison looks as if I’ve slapped her.

“No! I can’t,” she exclaims, racing through my house with me following closely behind.

She’s feet away from the front door, and she’s seconds away from walking out of my life. “Please,” I plead. “I would never judge you. You can talk to me. Youneedto talk to someone about what just happened.”

She spins around so quickly that her hair nearly whips me in the face from the force. “So you can psychoanalyze me? Or try to fix me? No, thank you. I’m broken, and no amount of talking will ever fix that.”

“You don’t know that. Just trust me,” I press, taking a step toward her.

“No,” she barks, lowering her eyes. “I can’t. I can never see you again, Dixon. I’m sorry. I never should have let it get this far.”

Her words leave me winded, but I try my best to be levelheaded and understanding. “Hey, I was right there withyou,” I state, her words making no sense. “You certainly didn’t feel sorry when you kissed me back.”

“It was a mistake,” she harshly rebukes, and I flinch.

I know she’s scared and probably confused, but I’ll be damned if she downplays what just happened in my room.

“You and I both know that’s not true,” I retort with a heated chuckle.

“I…I have a boyfriend,” she pathetically states, clutching at straws, but I see red.

How dare she bringhiminto this because using him as an excuse to hide behind is just cowardly.

“Well, it wasn’t your boyfriend’s hands all over your willing body five minutes ago, was it?” I challenge with a bite to my tone.

“You bastard,” she spits, narrowing her eyes. “This should have never happened.”

“Well, too bad, it has happened, so now deal with the consequences.”

“No, I take it back,” she stubbornly counters, and her bullshit denial infuriates me further.

“I told you,” I say, stepping forward and caging her body with mine as I place both hands against the door behind her. “You can’t take it back.”

“It was a m-mistake,” she stutters, her green eyes fearful, her back pressing further into the door.

“So you call what we just did a mistake?” I question, and she unconvincingly nods.

“You and I, we would never work. It was fun, but we’re both very different people. We want different things,” she says, her words cutting deep as they mirror Lily’s parting speech.

“Fun? It was more than just fun, and you know it. Grow up and talk to me like an adult,” I say. A touch harsh, but I need her to be honest and tell me what’s really going on.

But she’s so damn pigheaded. “So you think I’m a child?” she counters, the hurt reflected on her face.

“As of right now, yes, you’re behaving like a child,” I reply. I don’t understand her actions. This isn’t the Madison I know. But maybe I don’t know the real Madison after all.

“Well, thischildwishes to leave.” Her final words are my undoing. “Like I said, this was a mistake.”

I open my mouth to protest, but shut it quickly when she cruelly adds, “Youare a mistake.”

I take a moment to process what’s just been said, and although I know she’s lying, I refuse to continue this conversation if she won’t meet me halfway. “That’s bullshit and you know it. The only mistake here is me letting you leave.”

I push off the door and step back, my breath leaving me in labored breaths ’cause I’m so pissed off.

---