Blayne

 

I still wasn’t used to my phone ringing.

It was Chase.

He had sent me a picture of a fortune cookie. STILL WAITING TO BE READ, said the message. Cute, Chase. Do you seriously think that’s going to work? I typed back a stiff response. “DON’T CARE.”

I glanced at the room. It was less room and more closet space with rank furniture that smelled of cat piss. I wish I knew where that smell was coming from. The shag carpet was bared in places and had holes everywhere.

Maybe I could somehow live in this room, but there was no way I could eat. The idea of drinking water in this dump made me feel nauseous.

My phone rang again. I didn’t have to see the name to know who sent me the next picture of a restaurant table with food on it. Steaming hot food, delectable food, just the way I liked. Even if it was our third night eating Chinese food, I wouldn’t get bored.

And then he texted me again. “It’s just food, Blayne. After tonight, you can refuse to see me and I won’t fight you.”

That sounded like the best idea. It was just dinner, it wasn’t as though we could have sex anywhere in the bistro. If I brought food anywhere near my motel room, it would probably make me ill.

Be careful, Blayne.

You’re treading thin ice here.

It’s just dinner! 

I was wearing the only clothes I owned. What difference did it make? There was no need to impress him. I didn’t even want to see him again. I did want to know what the fortunes said though.

“Just dinner,” I wrote back.

An excited reply came back asking for my address so he could send Stanton to pick me. Since, I didn’t have money for a cab, I agreed and sent him the address. He wouldn’t dare to come himself, I would have murdered him.

Within ten minutes, Stanton was standing in my doorway. I went with him, and he led me to a parking space near the building. I got in the limo and let Stanton treat me with some champagne.

He drove me back to the restaurant and when I got there the food was still warm. I could see the beaming smile on Chase’s face and God, was he trying to seduce me?

I took my seat opposite Chase and I knew how dangerous it was just looking at him, so I kept my eyes downcast.

“Blayne, what’s wrong? You seem agitated.”

I looked up at him at last. Be brave now. He’s just a man, nothing more. A man with a beautiful toned body, and gentle eyes and high cheekbones but a man nonetheless. You can’t be that overwhelmed by him.

“I’m okay,” I said. “How was your day?”

“Well, some girl left me all alone after a night of incredible passion.”

“Maybe she doesn’t want you now that she’s done with the one-night stand, Chase. Maybe you are being clingy.” I didn’t truly mean any of that. But it was the most appropriate thing to say if I didn’t want another Nick on my hands.

“That’s not fair, Blayne.”

“Can we please talk about something else?”

“Sure,” he said, using his chopsticks to lift a piece of shrimp. “What do you want to talk about?”

I had nothing to say to him. It was good having him around, way too good for me to feel comfortable. But the way he looked in that suit, especially after knowing what he looked like underneath those clothes, it was still making me think about sex. Not just any sex either, but with him.

You need to stop thinking about him without clothes. “Did you go to work today?” That sounded like a safe thing to discuss without any sexual innuendo.

“I didn’t do much,” he said. “I woke up late and then…” he was about to say something related to me but he stopped. “I just thought I’d get dressed and get some dinner. How about you?”

I stayed in a motel that looks like a trashcan for the rest of the city. “I guess I was watching TV.”

“Why couldn’t you do it in my room?” he said. “Do you think I would have raped you if you stayed back?”

I didn’t know if I felt more annoyed or saddened by that. “I barely know you.”

“You knew me well enough to fuck me last night.”

I banged my fork on the plate. “I knew you were going to pester me,” I said. “That it wasn’t just about the dinner!”

I realized that I had been too loud and people were looking at us. I wanted to leave but that would have looked worse.

“You want me,” he said. “I can see it in every word you speak, Blayne. You’re lying to me. Why?”

I glowered at him. “You want to know why?”

He was looking at me with confusion. I took out my phone and went to the Internet browser and opened to a previously saved page. I held it up for him to see. He was silent. He wasn’t even touching his food anymore. “Blayne, I know what you’re thinking...”

“You and your friends, are all part of the Heartbreak Club. You pick a new woman every month just to win a bet!”

“Do you really believe everything some tabloid tells you?”

“Stop playing with my head, Chase. I know I’m nothing more than flavor of the month. Which is fine, Chase Cooper, because the only thing you’re good for is a one-night stand. No girl in her right mind would fall in love with a guy like you. You think you’re the one who uses women? Chase, it’s the women who use you.”

“No one’s born without a past, Blayne. Not even you.”

“You’re right. I do have a past. I have one because I made the mistake of choosing the wrong man. Rest assured, I will not be doing that again.”

“Are you going to be a spinster for the rest of your life?”

“Why not! If I can’t find a guy who is the literal opposite of you, then yes. I would rather be alone.”

He was smiling and then he pushed the fortune cookie toward me. I had finished eating so I broke the cookie and started reading it. “Your happiness is intertwined with your love. Find your love, find your happiness.”

“What does it say?” he asked.

I picked up the strip and stood. “I don’t want to tell you.”

He looked confused about the whole thing. I was just happy that somehow, I managed to get through this without having to fuck him again. I should be counting my blessings. “I should probably go now,” I said, trying to come up with a reason for him not to mention a next meeting.

“Let me drop you home,” he said and started walking ahead of me. He stood there holding the door open and he was too close, but I managed to slink past him without trying to get a whiff of that cologne. I got out, and heard my phone ringing. It was a new number so I thought it might be Chloe. outside the bistro I took the call. “Hello?”

“Did you really think you could hide from me, Blayne?”

The sound of Nick’s voice was like a hard swing from a heavy bat. I stopped thinking straight and I froze.

“Blayne, what’s wrong?” Chase asked me and I started hyperventilating. He came up to me and worriedly took my phone. He put it to his ear. “Who is this?”

But Nick must have ended the call.

“It was him, wasn’t it?” Chase asked me. “It was Nick. He called you.”

I shook my head in an affirmative motion. “How… how did he… get my number?”

“Think about it, did you give your number to anyone?”

“Just Chloe. But she would never do that.”

“You trust her that much?”

I nodded. He thought about it. “Well, if it wasn’t Chloe, then maybe he hacked into your Facebook account and got your number from there. You left a message for Chloe, right?”

“I guess.” I was still flustered.

“Blayne. What really happened that night with Nick?”

Oh God, he picked up on that.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Yes, keep running Blayne, that’s what you’re good at.

Stanton drove me back to the motel and Chase said nothing through the ride. It was a good thing because I couldn’t keep lying and circumventing every topic. I hope that silence meant that Chase was finally giving up.

Just when we were close to the street where the motel was located, Chase started speaking again. “That Heartbreak Club news you read,” he said. “It was a long time ago. Yes, I never took women seriously. I never thought I would need a real relationship but I was fooling myself. Just like you’re fooling yourself now. I told you, I know a thing or two about avoiding my issues. And I know one thing for sure.

“You can’t run away forever, Blayne.”