My friends had been trying to get me out of the house, and I'd been successful at avoiding them, even for my birthday, but somehow, Scarlett talked me into going to De Shield's down the street from my apartment. I figured I needed to eat, and it was a casual hole-in-the-wall, so I didn't have to put on anything other than a tank top, jeans, and Docs. It took no effort, which was good because I wasn't putting forth any. Glancing in the mirror, my cheeks were pink, and my hair looked better than it ever had, thick and shiny. Gray had been right; it was much darker than it had been a couple years ago. It fell in soft, loose curls around my shoulders and down my back. I opted to pull it up into a ponytail for simplicity as my doorbell sounded.When Scarlett and I walked in the restaurant chatting, I instantly stopped speaking when we rounded the hostess stand. I couldn't have prepared myself for the sight I saw as the girl showed us to our table. Not fifteen feet inside the door sat Gray
Seeing Gray with another woman-or girl, rather; she couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen-shattered what little hope I had held on to. Scarlett and I didn't stay long after running into Gray and Erin. I couldn't handle it. I sat at the table letting the tears streak my face before she finally asked the waiter for our check. Food uneaten, we had left. I kept reminding myself we weren't together, although we had never officially broken up. He did whatever he wanted to do. Yet, I convinced myself that only meant hanging out with his friends, not dating other people-it was all a demented lie I chose to believe. The cushion on the couch had formed around my butt as I sat alone in my apartment. I rested my hand on my little bump and talked to Cole as though he could hear me. I reassured him I loved him, and that he had been conceived in that same emotion. But it was me I was trying to persuade to believe the words. Over the next few days, I didn't do much. I had called my teac
My phone was so loud it could have woken the dead. I had no idea why the damn thing wasn't on vibrate or why people insisted on calling me in the middle of the fucking night. Gray's name on the caller ID didn't bring me any joy. Normally, I'd answer, and he'd come over after leaving whatever bar he stumbled out of, probably the one near my apartment, but not tonight. I switched it to vibrate before I threw it back on the coffee table and went back to sleep. Right after I'd fallen asleep, the home phone rang. Gray and his ex-wife were the only people who even knew the number, and it was a safe bet it wasn't Abby. Stumbling to the wall, I pulled the base down and unplugged the phone, silencing the relentless noise. And hopefully, eliminated any further interruptions. Irritated as hell, I laid back down on the couch, covered up with a blanket, and let sleep envelop me. Time had escaped me, and I wasn't sure how much later it was when the beating on the door jolted me from a pain-pill-s
I sat on the floor and struggled to believe I hadn't let him in. He had known I was here, inches away. I'd heard him talking but had chosen not to answer. I needed to let him go, but his loss would have been easier to grieve had he died. Knowing he walked the earth at the same time I did, yet he had chosen not to be with me, wasn't something I could face. I wasn't surprised when my phone rang again minutes later. He couldn't let me go-he wouldn't. As long as I breathed, he'd keep me connected to him, owning me. Regardless of how strong I was, Gray called the shots, abused my loyalty in favor of playing his version of the game of life. He wasn't pained by my absence unless he believed I'd moved on. He wanted me available on his timeline. He wanted me to remain celibate, to wait at home for him. No one could live like that. I didn't recognize the number on the phone, but there was only one person it could have been."Hello?""Hey, baby." He wanted to comfort me-to fix things long
For all practical purposes, Gray had become a whore over the summer. Unfortunately, I still ran into him a good bit because of Topher, Scarlett, and the simple fact we lived in the same town. Every time I saw him, he was with a different girl, each one younger than the last. I talked to him occasionally, and he sent me random text messages telling me he loved me, or he wanted to hook up. Sadly, I usually responded and frequently met up with him. I hadn't dated anyone in the months since Gray. My heart was still his, but since he'd abused it, it was better to keep a distance-I satisfied my carnal needs instead of emotional ones. The sex was still amazing, but the truth was, I would take whatever part of Gray I could get. This way, outwardly, it appeared to be on my terms, that I was the one who had walked away.His friends thought I was crazy. Mine thought I was insane. They both told me all the time I needed to move on, to find someone who would love me the way I loved Gray, but I ha
Moving in with Scarlett was a breath of fresh air. I hadn't realized how lonely I was without Gray around, nor how much easier it was to move on when my mind was occupied by other things. With Gray no longer in the picture, I had picked up my workload at Walton's again and taken on more than I should have, but it gave me a sense of purpose and held the darkness at bay. I was good at what I did, not to mention, I could make serious cash on larger projects, which Jack loved to send me in to score for the company. I wasn't just landing the jobs but had taken on an active role in the work itself. I still sent in implementation teams, but I was no longer a face that made appearances. I was working side by side with my teams from a management perspective, but still involved in the day-to-day grind, and it showed in the success of the projects.This was also my final semester in school-I just had to make it through May. It had taken me longer than the typical four years not being able to go
There were definite benefits to living with Scarlett and being close to Lynn. I shouldn't have wanted to, but it enabled me to keep fairly close tabs on Gray and what he was doing in the eight months since our split without having to ask. I spent a lot of time thinking during my workdays and even more time was spent missing him. Occasionally, I was jealous of my friends who got to interact with him by default, but in the end, I knew it was better that I didn't.The downside was both Lynn and Topher didn't seem to mind sharing things about my life and me with Gray, either. I couldn't bring myself to ask them to stop without losing my Intel on him. Gray had a ton to say about me living with Scarlett-information Lynn freely shared because she agreed with him about the arrangements. Neither Gray nor Lynn believed Scarlett and I should've been roommates, but neither of them paid my bills, so their opinions didn't count for much. It all boiled down to them knowing Scarlett and I did drugs.
As promised, Gray showed up Saturday morning with his truck and a trailer. I hadn't been sure I was going with him, so I hadn't bothered to pack a thing. Scarlett had gone to work early this morning without me ever mentioning the possibility of me moving out. When I heard him pull into the driveway, my heart sank right before it jumped to my throat. I had hoped with a small portion of my being he wouldn't show, and I wouldn't have to make the decision. Lucky me. Gray was back in prime form. I met him at the door and let him in. He quickly glanced around before he groaned his exasperation. "Annie, why is none of your stuff packed?""Umm..." I stumbled for words and coherent thoughts."Baby, what's wrong?" His eyes were sweet and lovingly sought answers."I didn't talk to Scarlett," I admitted."Why not?" Stunned would be an appropriate word to describe the look on his face. I knew what he was thinking. I had always done what he told me to without question and should have t