“You promised me!” Olive shouts as I slam my door shut.
Throwing my truck into gear, I accelerate faster than I should. The wheels screeching as I navigate away from the curb.
Yeah, I did fucking promise her. I promised her that I wouldn’t leave her, and I also promised that I was hers. But she clearly doesn’t know how to reciprocate that because from what I just fucking saw, there’s no way in hell that I’m all she sees. Your worst nightmares are supposed to lurk in the dark, but not mine; they just appeared in broad fucking daylight. To even think that I could trust that something like this wasn’t going to happen makes me feel like a fucking idiot.
Winding through the local streets toward my apartment, sweat pools at the nape of my neck from pure anger and hurt. I’m both regretful and glad I left Liv when I did. Walking away … it seems like it’s the best and worst thing to do. And not wanting to say something I’d regret, it’s easier to just remove myself from the situation and leave it alone. Especially when I have no idea what the fuck to do now.
Parking my car outside the bakery, I jump out of my truck and shove my keys into my pocket. I start pacing up and down the street. I don’t even know why, but I end up walking into the bakery and find Mariel standing behind the counter.
“Hello, young man. What can I get for you?” she says with a polite smile. Looking through the glass cabinet, I settle on the pastry my eyes land on first. “Just a chocolate donut, please. Oh, and can I grab a coffee, too?”
“Sure. Your usual?”
“Please.” I nod my head in agreement. Opening my wallet, I hand her a ten-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”
She sends me a warm smile and thanks me.
Waiting for my coffee, I sit on a nearby chair and immediately slump with my elbows on my knees. Burying my head in my hands, I continue to drown in disbelief. My mind and heart won’t stop racing. Before long, my name is being called, and I look up, confused, to see Mariel holding my coffee in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other. What the fuck am I doing here, buying a god damned donut after just having my heart tossed into a blender right before my eyes? I shake my head and rise from my chair, grabbing my stuff from her hands.
“Chin up, Sebastian. Nothing worth fighting for ever comes easy,” she says with a wink.
Huh? How the hell does she know?
“Thank you. I’ll, ah, keep that in mind.” I shoot her a smile that probably doesn’t look too convincing.
I leave and make my way to my apartment, climbing the usual two stairs at a time. I open the door, juggling my things, and close it firmly behind me.
Walking to my couch, I collapse on it. Throwing the paper bag onto the coffee table, I take a sip of my coffee, wishing it was something way stronger. Feeling unsatisfied as fuck, I place it on the table, too. When what I really wanna do is throw the damn thing at the wall.
Resting my head back against the couch, I let out a heavy sigh.
How the fuck could this be happening?
How could she do this?
After everything Zeke has put her through, it looks as though she’s going to fall back into his waiting arms. At the end of the day, I won the girl, fair and square. He lost—no—he fucking vanished. The dick thinks he’s some kind of fucking god who can reappear whenever the hell he wants. Lifting my glasses, I scrub my palms over my eyes and feel the threat of tears looming. God, I don’t think I’ve ever even come close to crying over a woman before now.
I pick up the TV remote and Xbox controller next to me, pressing buttons as they come to life. Needing a distraction, I scroll through Netflix, settling on a mind-numbing documentary that I’ve already watched. The idea of being able to focus on anything new is comical.
I reach for my donut and shove half of it in my mouth. I rarely eat this shit, but chicks seem to think it helps with coping, so why the fuck not?
After gulping down half of my coffee, I realize I should’ve just gone straight to the bar—the cliché stomping ground for guys with broken hearts. Fuck this shit. I lie down and hit the play button on the controller. The TV screen lights up and starts operation: Mind Numb.
Within two minutes of starting the show, Netflix starts buffering. The internet connection is messing up again. Fuck me. I stop the show then resume, repeating until I finally give up as thoughts of Liv still invade my mind over and over. The way she tried to explain herself as if there was even a way of justifying whatever the fuck I walked in on. Maybe there was, is, but the guilt written all over every beautiful inch of her face said otherwise. An emotion I never thought I’d see on her. It gutted me right there on her driveway.
“Fuuuuuuck!” I yell at the top of my lungs, picking up the Xbox controller and throwing it across the living room.
How could I be so damn naïve?
It connects with the wall, plastic pieces and batteries flying in a downward spiral to the floor. I laugh humorlessly, how fucking symbolic. Breathing deeply through my nose, I try to calm my nerves in hopes that I can stop myself from doing anymore damage. But it’s kinda too late for that. The damage was done when she forced me to break my promise. To fucking break us.
I look at the opposite wall where the controller hit, a deep indent and a black mark now staining the wall. The remains of my outburst scattered on the floor below. The sudden sound of my phone ringing pulls my dazed eyes away from the damage. Would she even dare to call after all that happened earlier?
I lean over and reach into my pocket to pull it out, my heart pounding painfully as I do.
I look at the screen, and my stomach drops.
It’s not Liv.
It’s my brother.