Page 78 of Carter

“Maybe I was,” I replied snidely. “What’s it to you?”

His eyes hardened. “Who were you with?”

“None of your business.”

“Who the fuck were you with aside from Melanie?”

“Someone you’ll never come close to!”

“You serious right now?”

I spread my arms wide. “SO serious!”

Andsoblindingly drunk.

He couldn’t genuinely be taking me for my word, right?

But no.

He exploded.

He pushed past me, pacing for a moment before he stopped and swiped the dishrack off the counter. I jumped when it crashed to the floor, scattering the cutlery everywhere. He rubbed his face as he paced the room some more, and I just stood there, shocked.

I’d never seen him react like that before.

“So you’ll fuck a guy out there, but I’m the devil for telling you I’m not the kind of person to want a relationship!” he shouted incredulously.

I tensed, stomach twisting with hurt, pain, anger. “Why do you care? Every time I’m at the bar, you’re feeling some girl up—”

“So you’re trying to get back at me!”

“No, I’m not trying to get back at you.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s me telling you that you have no right to get shitty over something you do too!”

He just shook his head, looking bitterly at me like I was the one at fault. “I don’t fuck them, Leah, I don’t even kiss them, but now I’m thinking I might as well, right? There’s no point waiting around for you to tell me you made a mistake. Fuck it, I’m done.”

“I thought we were already done.”

“Right,” he muttered emptily. He stopped moving for a moment and took a few deep breaths. He started to look panicked. “You’re fucking with my head. Fuck, I don’t know what to do. I’ve never felt this fucked up before, and you just enjoy winding me up, don’t you? You like me being jealous—”

“No, I don’t. Just calm down, Carter. You’re losing it—”

“Because of you!”

“Things only turned to shit when I wanted more, and you didn’t! How am I to blame for that?”

“I can’t be here,” he puffed out, shaking his head repeatedly. “I can’t fucking…”

He grabbed his keys off the counter and stormed out of the apartment, leaving me completely alone and stunned speechless.

I wanted to chase after him and tell him I hadn’t done anything with anybody. That I lied just to hurt him. To make him feel a tiny shred of my pain. I just couldn’t seem to work my legs.

Some part of me needed to drive him away from me. That way he would never bring me back into his arms again and turn my world upside down. If I couldn’t have him entirely, I wasn’t going to be the doormat I was before, taking whatever scraps he gave me like a lovesick puppy.

Nah, fuck no.

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