Page 4 of Crash
I waved him off, opening my book again. “Alright, piss off then. I’m up to a good bit.”
Ash shook his head and sauntered from the room. I knew he always had my best interests at heart, but sometimes he laid it on a bit thick.
When I heard the door to the gym close, I rose from the couch and went upstairs to my room. This was my safe haven, these four walls. I had a large bookshelf along one wall, filled with paperbacks of all my favorite authors. I liked the rows upon rows of spines, the colors and names all lined up… Ash had brought me an e-reader, but it wasn’t the same as flicking through the pages.
I had a TV on the wall at the foot of the bed, all hooked up to the Internet so I could watch Netflix until my eyes bled. Windows lined the other wall and a door at the opposite end led to the en suite and a walk-in wardrobe. As I said, it was my safe haven.
Setting my current book on the end of my bed, I strolled into the bathroom. Turning on the tap, I splashed water over my face in an attempt to chase the anxiety away. Sometimes it worked, other times it didn’t and I had to resort to the breathing techniques that Dr. Ormond gave to me. I wasn’t as bad as I used to be, but I wasn’t so sure that once I went out there I wouldn’t slide. I was afraid of being afraid.Stupid, right?There were so many normal things I was missing out on.Parties for one.Boys…or at my age, I should saymen. Twenty-four years old and still referring to guys asboys.
Staring into the mirror, I ran my fingers over my face. I wasn’t ugly, but I wasn’t beautiful either. I was plain, and the only thing I had going for me was the fact I had a diploma in Business Accounting and Management.Real dateable material.I read all those romance novels and a lot of them had recurring themes.Broken people falling in love and healing each other.It had happened to Ash, so was I a fool for hoping that it would happen to me?
The only way I’d find out for sure was if I started going outside the house. Nobody was going to find me here because real life wasn’t a fairy tale. I had to heal myself since no random prince charming was going to wander by and just knock on the door.
A loud buzz from the intercom interrupted my thoughts, making me jump. My heart thumped as I walked out of the bathroom and over to the little box on my bedroom wall. My hand shook as I pressed the button. “Yeah?”
“Parcel Post,” a man’s voice replied. “I’ve got a package for Violet Fuller?”
I pressed the buzzer to let him in the gate. “I’ll be right down.”
Knowing Ash was in the gym and couldn’t hear,I bounded down the stairs to the front door. Opening the door a crack, I held my hand out for the little handheld machine to sign. I recognized the guy from the last delivery, and this time, he didn’t bat an eye at my strange behavior. He dropped the box on the doorstep as I scrawled my name on the screen and handed it back to him.
I waited until he was through the gate before I opened the door and scooped up the parcel. Yeah, I had problemsalright.
Carrying the box through the house, I dumped it onto the kitchen counter and promptly ripped it open. I pulled out the pile of books I’d ordered and stacked them in a neat tower. Second chance romances, paranormal, bikers, rock stars…they all sat on my kitchen bench taunting me. That kind of love wasn’t real, I got that, but it was an omen. The universe was flinging it in my face and smooshing it around, just to make sure I got it through my thick skull. I had to get out of the house or wither away in darkness.
Taking a deep breath, I left the books behind and walked into the gym, watching Ash beat the punching bag that hung from the roof. He had so much energy that most times he had trouble burning it off.
“Sup?” he called, catching sight of me.
Swallowing my fear, I said, “I’ll take it.”
“Huh?” He leaned forward, placing a hand behind his ear and pretended he couldn’t hear.
Taking a few steps into the gym, I repeated myself, knowing he was taking the piss. “I’ll take the job.”
He bounded across the mat and scooped me up in his arms, squishing me against his sweaty chest. Ash was the only guy I’d let touchme and the only one I trusted, so I didn’t flinch when he pinned me against him.
“Gross,” I complained. “You stink.”
“I’m so fuckin’ stoked,” he exclaimed, setting me down. “You won’t regret it.”
I squirmed out of his grasp. “You better pay me.”
He ruffled my hair, the biggest grin on his face. “Best paid admin assistant out there.”
Two
Lincoln
Staring off into space, the words that sealed my fate for the next six months repeated themselves in my head like a broken record.
Shoulder injury. Sidelined. No training. No fighting for at least six months.
Doctor’s bloody orders.
I sat in my car in the underground carpark at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and thumped my fists against the steering wheel. I’d felt the tear, I fucking felt it, and I kept fighting when I should’ve called time. I made the whole thing worse.
I guess that’s why Josie insisted I come back to Melbourne to get my follow-up scans. She’d been in cahoots with the AUFC doctors and knew I’d be out for a few months at least. This way I would be at home and not in Sydney, moping like a big fucking baby. Some PR manager, she was now acting like my mum.
