Page 119 of Nothing to Fear

“Get fucking well,” she said throwing the gift bag over security toward him and spinning on the spot.

Thank God the elevator was still there. She marched in and hit the button. Repeatedly. Yes, she heard him calling her name, but she didn’t give a shit.

Swiping angry tears from beneath her eyes, the numbers lit as she descended. Fucking idiot. Her, not him. Why would he—it didn’t even matter. No.

Thundering outside, she got in the first cab waiting by the door and gave her address. She couldn’t breathe through whatever churned inside her. Anger, upset, grief, anger, yep that one again.

When they got to her apartment, she paid the driver and rushed up the stairs. What would she do with this—she had to do something with this—damn, this was why people shouldn’t be trusted.

THIRTY-NINE

PROMISE. Did that mean nothing?

Going through her front door and up the stairs, she tossed her purse toward the couch and went into the kitchen. She couldn’t stay still. What was she supposed to do? Good luck to him. If he wanted to take risks with his life like some kind of thrill seeker—was one bout of unconsciousness not enough for him? How could his mother have let him out? She wouldn’t. No way. That meant he’d snuck out, like some kind of creep—

“Cherry!”

“Don’t you—” Storming to the balustrade above the stairs, she shouted as he ascended. “I am not your Cherry! I am not your anything.”

“Yes, you are,” he said, reaching her level. When he tried to touch her, she raised her arm out of his reach. “Partners, remember?”

“No,” she said, backing up as he advanced. “Partners don’t lie to each other. Partners don’t make promises they have no intention of keeping.”

“Baby, it wasn’t like—”

“When I left this morning, what did I say?”

His nod acknowledged surrender. “You told me to stay in bed.”

“No!” She pointed up at him when they stopped. “No, Iaskedyou to stay in bed. I said I was worried, and I didn’t want you taking any risks. Didn’t I?”

“Yes.”

“I asked you to stay in bed, only get out for the bathroom, that’s it. You could read, watch TV, do whatever you wanted, but I asked you to stay in bed. And what did you say?”

“I said I would.”

“Youpromisedyou would. Completely of your own volition, you promised! I asked if you would do that for me and you said, you said…” Still panting, her gusto winded her. “You said you would do anything for me. I asked you to stay in bed and you promised you would.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” he said, maneuvering in a few slow moves to put her back to the kitchen counter.

“You don’t promise a woman something, anyone something, if you have no intention of following through.”

His humoring smirk wasn’t appreciated. “I had every intention of following through. I underestimated how boring it was to be in that bed without you.”

“Don’t flirt with me, don’t charm and—you hurt me, Darroch.”

His smile immediately dropped. “Bab—”

“You lied to me.” Much as she tried to convey it, she wasn’t sure he got it. “I can’t be with a liar.”

Suddenly, he got way more serious. “You are not ending this because I got out of bed.”

“Lies, Darroch. I need a man who doesn’t lie to me. Who takes partnership seriously.” She exhaled and ran a hand through her hair. “What was I thinking? This isn’t a partnership, I don’t even have your phone number.”

“I scared you; I shouldn’t have been so insensitive to your concern.”

“You shouldn’t exploit someone else’s feelings like that. It’s like you don’t even care.”

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