What Did You Do?

(Violet)

I was still in shock when Davis shut the door and I was holding flowers meant for me. Mason had driven all the way here to give me flowers? How did he find Davis’ house?

Davis touched my arm. “No card. Figures. People are going to be coming from every direction now. Wanting a piece of Nona’s pie. I’m sure she has that already figured out down to the damn penny though. Hey, are you okay, sweetie?”

I stared at the flowers.

Mason had made a move. And I had stood frozen.

I dropped the flowers and ran to the door. I tore it open and looked out. Mason was already gone. I stepped out on the porch and Davis was right behind me. I felt his hands slide around to my hips. His lips tried to touch my neck.

I wiggled and spun around. “What are you doing?”

“Fixing this,” Davis said. “We have the entire house to ourselves. We can pick up where we left off. Make it right.”

“Sex?”

“Togetherness.”

“I don’t want to be together with you. Ever.”

“What?”

“You hurt me. You really hurt me.”

“I know. I’ll make it all up to you. Just come inside again. Let’s finish talking. See where it all ends up.”

Everything was shaking. I wanted to kick Davis in his balls.

“This is never going to work,” I said. “You and me. How can it?”

“Because we’re meant to be together,” Davis said. “You’ll see that.”

“Davis, I have to go home. I have to fix everything that’s wrong.”

“Start right here,” Davis said. “You don’t need to run again, Violet. I’m a different person. I’m a man now.”

I shook my head. “No. I’m not listening anymore.”

“It was your fault,” Davis threw at me. “You put the pressure on yourself. And you put the pressure on me. You made me feel not good enough.”

“What?”

He was trying to turn everything onto me. Make it all my problem.

“You know exactly what I mean, Violet,” he said. “You dangled that over me for a long time. Telling me you wanted to, but that you were afraid. That you weren’t sure. That you wanted to talk to friends. And I stood there and stuck it all out. All my friends were getting laid, fucking anything they could get. But I stood there.”

“Until you fucked someone,” I said.

“I slipped and I told you I regret it.”

Time was wasting. Mason was getting more and more away from me. Standing there talking to Davis wasn’t going to fix a thing with Mason. Yet, I couldn’t walk away. There was so much left to say to him.

“Good for your regret,” I said. “And for the record, no, I’m not a virgin. So you don’t get to ever enjoy that feeling.”

“I don’t care about that,” Davis said. “Just come inside. We can do this.”

“No we can’t,” I said.

That was it. I was done. Completely and officially done with him. I smiled even. I looked right at Davis. I nodded.

“What?” he asked.

“I’m really sorry about Nona passing,” I said. “But this… never.”

I turned and walked away. The last time I left Davis I did so like I was slinking through the night. Sneaking around and avoiding all confrontation from him. This time… it was better. It felt better.

And it was all because of Mason.

I got in my car and knew I had to find him and get a final answer.

It was either playtime or romance… and I knew what I wanted.

* * *

Victoria threw her arms around me. I envisioned wine dripping all over my back and butt, staining my clothes. But she somehow kept the wine from spilling. She backed up, shaking her hair like there was music playing. Then she drank the entire glass of wine. She put it on the table and grabbed my wine glass.

“You didn’t drink yours,” she said.

“I’m good,” I said.

“I’ll drink it!” she yelled and went to town on it.

We had every right to celebrate right then. The app was launched, downloaded by a crap load of people, and everything we put together was coming to life. The investors were happy, actually they were thrilled. We saw results and we saw numbers. And the numbers were really big.

Like, really, really big.

Victoria already had her sights on a new sports car off the lot and wanting a new apartment uptown.

Our video chat call ended with our main investor holding up a check with a lot of zeros - before the period - as a down payment on our next idea. An idea we didn’t even have just yet. But he was happy and serious. We come up with one more idea and the check was ours to get started.

“What’s wrong with you?” Victoria asked.

Mason.

That was what was wrong.

I hadn’t seen him in days. Not since he was at Davis’ door. Either fate was keeping us apart or he was avoiding me. Or he was gone on some binge of booze, trying to hate himself. He didn’t answer my calls or my texts either. I even went as far as to call him while putting my ear to his wall to see if I could hear his phone. Then again, his truck and motorcycle hadn’t been at the apartment at the same time in days either.

“It’s Mason,” Victoria said. “The mystery neighbor that you fell in love with.”

Victoria got the short version of me and Mason’s saga. She knew he was my first. She knew about the Davis situation too. It was all a big mess. At the same time, Victoria knew nothing about a real relationship either. So for her, it was love, lose, move on. If that didn’t work, drink wine, cry a little, and find a new boy toy.

That wasn’t my style.

“I’m just empty right now,” I said.

“How? Did you see that check? Did you see what we’ve done?”

“I know. That’s what makes it harder. Everything I’ve worked for is here. Yet, I feel empty.”

“Because of a man. Dammit.”

“No. Because of the situation. I never got the full picture. I didn’t do enough. I stood there when he was at the door, in shock. Davis tipped him, thinking he was a flower guy. I just let it all happen.”

“Let me ask you this… why?”

“Part of me was comfortable near Davis, for about two minutes. Then I realized what he represented. Yeah, he was the hometown thing for me. The first love. The first everything, including heartache. But then I thought about my parents. I even asked my mother once about she and Dad being together so long. They never got mad that I left. They never got mad at me, ever. Because they trusted me like they trusted each other. I don’t trust Davis, and I don’t think I ever will. But I trust Mason. Call it crazy, but I do.”

“Then tell him that.”

“I’ve tried,” I said. “I can’t find him.”

“Oh, Violet, you need to play the crazy bitch card.”

“The crazy bitch card?”

“Stalk the asshole,” Victoria said with a smile. “Go to his shop. Find him. Or better yet, just sit outside his damn door and wait. No matter what, wait. Or text him with an emergency. You want his attention? Then get it.”

Victoria was right. I wouldn’t fake an emergency… well, that would be my last resort if I had to do it.

“But let me ask you this,” Victoria said. “Is it worth it?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Look. We’re sort of rich right now. And we’re going to get richer. Not that money should dictate love or anything, but we’re going to be able to do whatever we want. Do you really want to be in a relationship right now? Do you want to keep chasing Mason because of his past?”

“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “I’m in love with him, Victoria. I don’t care about money. I care about him.”

“Then go get him and figure this out. You’re draining me here a little. I don’t like it.”

“Sorry. This is a big night for us. Pour some wine.”

“For myself,” Victoria said. “You go find your man and do your thing.”

I laughed. “Thanks. I’ve never been in this position before. I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be. If it’s meant to be…”

It was just like Mom told me when I asked her about it. She and Dad were just meant to be so it worked.

Mason was very different, though. He expressed emotions in ways that made people hate him.

That didn’t matter. I still loved him.

But he was going to really try and hurt me.

* * *

I was in the hallway and thought about going straight to his apartment. I skipped that and wanted to play his game for a second. I was going to write him a letter. A long letter. I was going to write the letter to Kate. I was going to explain to Kate that I was in love with Mason. That I would honor her and what she meant to Mason. That anything I found out about her I would keep guarded in my heart because it was a symbol of love and trust from Mason.

Inside my apartment I went to my bedroom. I had a little diary kind of notebook that barely had anything written in it. I made a New Year’s resolution one year to write in a notebook every day. That lasted three days.

As I flipped opened the pages, I heard a noise.

Through the wall.

I heard a woman’s voice.

I told myself it was all in my mind.

But then I heard a noise. Louder. Clearer. The groan of a woman.

I shook my head. Mason was probably trying to mess with me again. Like he did before. Watching porn or something.

Then came a thud against the wall.

The headboard of his bed.

Smashing against the wall.

I didn’t have the pen to paper when I stood up and faced the wall.

I heard the moaning, the thudding, even louder.

I swallowed hard and walked to the wall. I put my hand to the wall and dared myself to listen some more.

When I put my ear to the wall, I heard a voice clear as day moan, “Oh, Mason!”

I jumped back.

My jaw dropped.

Mason, what did you do?

I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t believe it. It was impossible. But it wasn’t impossible. Not with Mason. He would do anything to get to me. To hurt me. To make me hate him. But here was the thing. Mason had changed me. The woman who used to run wasn’t going to run now. The woman that got her heart broken before and took off wasn’t going to let things linger. I wasn’t going to find a new apartment because of Mason either. If I wanted to move it was going to be because I wanted something nicer.

I hurried out of my apartment and stood in the hallway again. I didn’t know how long I stood there, but it felt like days. My heart racing. My mouth dry. My palms sweating. I wanted to run, but I refused to let myself do it.

I took one step. Then another.

I stood at Mason’s door, trying to figure out what to say to him.

I lifted my hand to knock and stopped.

I backed up until my back hit the wall. I covered my mouth. Tears filled my eyes. My heart twisted up tight and started to hurt.

He really hurt me.

He really, really hurt me.

The one thing he warned me about. The one thing he never lied to me about.

I hate you, Mason. I hate you so much.

I began a woeful retreat back to my apartment when I heard the door open behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw a woman emerge from Mason’s apartment.

She was fully dressed, looking perfectly put together.

The pain swirled through my entire body even more.

The woman looked right at me.

“Your neighbor is fucked up,” she said.

“Tell me about it,” I whispered.

“Oh, I will.” She was stumbling. Drunk. “Brings me to his place and won’t touch me. Plays me like crazy. Makes me sit there and waits for you to come home.”

“Wait, what?” I asked.

She waved her hands and made a weird sound with her lips. “Yeah, exactly. He wanted to make you jealous. So he told me to yell his name. Practically begged me to do so. All because you were home. So whatever you are to him… good luck with that guy.”

I was flabbergasted, again.

I shook my head. “I have no idea…”

“Whatever,” the woman said. “My ride is coming for me. I’m done with this. What a waste of a night.”

“Just wait a second,” I said.

The woman stopped. She glanced back at me, raising an eyebrow.

“He didn’t touch you?”

“I kissed his cheek and neck twice. He wouldn’t touch me. He wouldn’t kiss me. But the second your door opened and shut, he dragged me to the bedroom. Teased me with his smooth words, telling me to scream his name. So he could get an idea of what it would sound like.”

My eyes were wide. “Holy…”

“There’s nothing holy about that guy. He’s evil. I hate him.”

“I hate him too,” I said. “So much.”

“Whatever. Goodbye.”

The woman walked away.

“I hate him,” I whispered again. “But I love him.”

“Yeah… well I fucking hate and love you too.”