Page 14 of One Wild Night
“Shit.” He sat back against the padded leather of the seat and ran his hands through his spiky black hair. He then leaned forward and rested his hands on the table. “Did Gale cheat on her? Is that whathappened?”
Cheat?She didn’t want to say ‘yes’ to that. “I wouldn’t say he cheated. Gale thought they were brokenup.”
“Abi, does that make sense to you? You’re saying you’d be okay if that happened to you?” he asked. She could see the anger building. “You at least wait for confirmation that you’re done with before you jump in the sack withsomeone.”
“Yeah, sure.” She knew that’s what Scott did -- literally. And, as he looked at her she could tell that he knew that sheknew.
Back when she left him, she didn’t know what hurt more -- the fact that he didn’t come after her, or the relieved look on his face that told her he’d go wild and that the first person he’d go wild on was the redhead on his lap. She never needed to see toknow.
“Don’t you agree?” A look of shame filled him. “Didn’tyou?”
That was a typical Scott question, basically asking her how long she waited after their breakup before she slept withsomeone.
“No,” shereplied.
“Well, how long did youwait?”
She never expected to feel the slight tug of hurt that gripped her heart. This was a conversation she didn’t exactly want to have with Scott. As great as it was to be free of him, it took her a long time to get overhim.
“Three years.” When she said it, it sounded strange to her ears. It was three years before she took the plunge to date. The poor guy she’d been with was super sweet, kind, and adorable, but she had no feelings for him. None whatsoever. She broke up with him after six months, realizing that she wasn’t over Scott. Then she didn’t bother with the whole relationship thing. She just serialdated.
The shameful look on his face amplified and reached his eyes. “Oh,” was all he couldsay.
“It’s fine; I know it was, like, five minutes for you.” She cut into her pancakes, suddenly losing her appetite. “You just wanted confirmation, right?” sheshrugged.
“I’m sorry,” hesaid.
She lifted her head and looked at him, surprised by the apology. “You don’t owe me anything. Besides, with how bad things were, I’m sure you didn’t bother towait.”
“I never cheated on you.” He shook hishead.
“Right.” She never believed that, and wouldn’t for one second except for the serious look on his face and in hiseyes.
“Abi, I swear on my life and everyone I know that I never cheated on you.” His chest rose and fell as he pulled in a sharp breath. “It’s fine if you don’t believe me. I know I gave you more than enough cause to believeotherwise.”
The nerves on the side of her head tingled with the onset of another headache. She felt like she needed to splash her face with cold water, or just any kind ofwater.
She stood up and said, “Excuse me,” before going to the ladies’ room. she just needed a moment to herself. Just a moment to think and processthings.
She walked away before he could sayanything.
The room was small with a row of five cubicles. There was a door that led outside. It was open. The sink basin was better than she’d seen in most diners, and at least they had a fruit-scented hand wash and moisturizer. It showedeffort.
Abi looked at herself in the mirror and shook her head at her appearance. What was wrong with her, getting all worked up like this over thepast?
Being around Scott was stirring up bad memories she’d laid to rest. Abi was a new woman now -- a woman who was stronger than the girl she’d been when she was with him. She just had to keep reminding herself that; she couldn’t let down the woman who stared back at her from themirror.
Although she had makeup on, she turned on the tap, allowed the water to run, and then gathered up a handful to splash on her face. She did it in a way that didn’t disturb her makeup. The cool water on her skin was welcoming, much-needed. It soothed her mind. She closed her eyes to absorb the sensation and waited for a few seconds before openingthem.
Hopefully, she could get through this day. She didn’t even bother to wish they could get to Margo quickly because she knew this wouldn’t be a quick trip. If only she could have gotten a damn flight, she would be looking at a handful of hours -- not practically the whole day. Not to mention that they hadn’t really covered much distance yet. Their journey hadn’t even reallybegun.
Abi turned to reach for the paper hand towels in the unit next to her and froze when she saw the creepy man from inside the diner standing by the doorframe.
He’d been watching her. He stillwas.
Her gaze fixed on the black panther tattooed on the majority of his neck and the nasty scar that mixed in with his beard. This guy was what she and Margo called “rough stuff,” with his large, muscular build, greasy hair, and dirty overalls. He was the kind that looked like he’d seen plenty of prison time and didn’t care if he went backin.
Her skin crawled, and a shiver ran down her spine as his mouth lifted into a crude, sinful smile that made fear sweep through her. It knotted her insides and told her she was indanger.
