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“I’m sorry.” I pushed my plate of egg noodles and red Thai chicken away. “I just keep thinking things over and over and I still don’t know what to do.” I bit my lip and then suggested softly, “Perhaps we should take a step back.”
Cole froze for a second before his fork clattered to his plate. “Excuse me?”
I continued thinking out loud. “Just until I breach the distance with my parents. You know . . . ease myself back into the fold, show them I’m trying, and then when they see that, you and I can pick up speed again and they’ll see for themselves what a good guy you are.”
The air in the room turned arctic. I knew immediately I’d made a huge error in judgment by thinking out loud. Anger, incredulity . . . and hurt blazed in Cole’s eyes as he shoved back from the table to tower over it and me. His voice was almost a whisper, it was so choked with emotion. “After everything, after the way they’ve treated you, neglected you, you want to put us on hold to appease them?”
I slid back from my chair, desperately trying to think of a way to calm the situation, to articulate this correctly, because clearly I was messing it up. “No! I mean, just temporarily.”
Wrong thing to say! My eyes widened as his whole being seemed to expand with anger. “You ca
“Cole, please. Try to see it from my perspective. This is my family. And yes, they’re not a great one, but they’re still my family. They’re hurt and scared and I’ve been ru
A muscle flexed in his jaw as he nodded with teeth gritted. Finally he expelled his breath in a hoarse voice. “But I would never have chosen her over you.”
“I’m not choosing anyone over—”
“I can’t do this right now.” He held up a hand to interrupt me. “I need to walk out of here before I say shit I’ll regret.”
Wondering how the conversation could have taken such a bad turn, I pleaded with him. “Don’t. I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m just trying to think of—”
“Not trying to hurt me?” He pushed the chair he’d been sitting in hard against the table. It was my turn to flinch back. “You’re asking me to fucking prove myself. If anyone has to prove themselves it’s them!”
I pressed my lips closed, realizing with a heaviness in my gut that that was exactly what I’d just asked him to do. After telling my family that I would never do that to him, I’d done it without thinking. “I didn’t mean that,” I promised. “I really didn’t. I just don’t know what else to do.”
But my apology didn’t even penetrate his anger. He leaned forward, eyes narrowed, and hissed, “Here’s a hint: You should never have said you wanted to take a break. You should never have asked me to prove myself after all the shit you’ve put me through.” He cut me another disgusted look and strode out of the room while I recovered from his furious attack.
Hearing the front door open, I snapped out of my stupor and raced down the hallway. “Cole!”
He spun around. “And to think I was going to ask you to move in with me. What a huge fucking mistake that would have been.”
Oh heck, this was not happening. “Cole, please—”
The door slammed shut on my face.
I stumbled forward, about to chase after him, when his words started ringing in my ears. He was furious. My continued attempts to rectify the situation weren’t going to change how he felt at the moment.
I leaned my forehead against the door. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” I whimpered.
* * *
My suitcase lay open on my bed, my clothes scattered all over my bedroom, and I was staring at my artwork wondering how I was going to pack it up when the front door slammed.
“Sha
I opened my mouth to explain, but my phone rang before I could. Glancing over at it on the bedside cabinet, I recognized the number. “Oh, I have to take this.” I snatched it up and answered, all the while waving at Rae to get out of my room to give me some privacy.
She stared at me stubbornly for a second but finally edged out of the room.
By the time I got off the phone with my dad to arrange everything, it was late and Rae was lying across her bed fully clothed. Her snores filled the entire flat.
* * *
Rae was already up and gone by the time I woke up. It was puzzling because Rae was never out of bed before me. I’d lain awake for most of the night worrying myself sick about Cole and forcing myself not to call him. There wouldn’t be any point trying to talk to him when he was still riled up.
Exhausted, I walked into INKarnate, heading straight for the coffee machine. I was feeling a little breathless, anticipating seeing Cole after our first huge argument as a couple. Technically I think maybe he’d broken up with me, but I couldn’t even process that right then without wanting to burst into tears, so I concentrated on the coffee.
I chewed on my lower lip, trying to decide if I should take Cole a cup.
“There you are.”
I looked over my shoulder at Rae standing behind my desk. “Morning.”
She scowled at me. “Whatever. Cole called in sick. You need to phone and reschedule his appointments for today.”
My heart took a swan dive out of my chest. “Sick?” Cole never called in sick.
“Like you care,” she snapped.
“Rae.” I stomped my foot in exasperation. “Why did Cole—”
“I can’t hear you!” she yelled childishly, and strode away from me.
I hurried out of the closet onto the main floor. “Rae!”
“Don’t push me.” She stopped and glared at me over her shoulder. “You’re my friend, Sha
Aghast, I stood there, stu
I was still standing there when Simon ventured out of his room. From the look on his face he had heard everything. Whatever he saw on my face made him hold up his hands in surrender. “I don’t want to know. I’m sorry, babe, but I’ve got my own shit going on with Tony.”
I crushed my rising panic. “Are you okay?”
He shrugged glumly and walked past me to get a coffee. “We’re trying to work through this baby thing.”
“I’m sorry.” I slumped against my desk, wishing relationships didn’t have to be so bloody heartbreaking.
Simon gave me a sad smile. “I’m sorry too.”
* * *
Frozen out by Rae for the rest of the day, I’d lost strands of hair from tugging it in frustration so much. I couldn’t believe what she’d said to me. I didn’t even know what I’d done to deserve it.
Finally, after locking everything up for the day, I reached for my phone. I felt so sick I thought I might actually vomit, and the only way to get rid of that sensation was to call Cole.