Page 108 of The Rules Of Attraction
“You spoke to him?”
“Alex, I can’t do this now.” I couldn’t talk about it.
“Are you going back to him?” Something else besides the anger flashed in his eyes. It looked like fear.
“No.” I replied. “I’m not.”
“Do you… do you still love him?”
I shook my head. “No.” That was an answer I could give with ease.
He straightened up at the same time the phone started ringing again.
Shock consumed me when he picked it up and answered it.
“What are you…” I attempted but stopped mid-sentence when Alex started talking to Tom.
“Hello Tom, this is Alex. You need to stop calling Summer.Now. If you don’t, you’ll have me to deal with.”
I brought my hands up to my cheeks.
Alex stood up looking enraged. I wondered what Tom’s response was and what he was saying now.
“Don’t fuck with me, don’t do it!” Alex balked down the phone. My breathing stilled as I continued to look on in utter disbelief. “I’m not a man to be played with. I don’t give a shit about you being any fucking long term boyfriend. I would be ashamed to call myself that if I cheated on my girl constantly. Should have kept your dick under control. Don’t call her ever again.” He hung up and whirled around to face me, nostrils flared and eyes still wide with rage.
I’d never had anyone stand up for me before. Never, and definitely not like that.
He walked over to me an stopped a breath away.
“I’m sorry I don’t usually lose it like that, and I don’t like talking like that in front of you. I –”
“Thank you.” I cut in. “Thank you.”
It was something towards justice for me that I could take from this disaster.
“You’re welcome. Why didn’t you tell me you spoke to him?”
“It’s hard to talk.”
“Summer, are you sure you don’t still love him?”
“I don’t.” That was the truth. “I’m hurt. I’m deeply hurt because I can’t believe that someone I knew for so long, and trusted, could treat me the way he did.”
Tom had disgusted me with his actions. All I wanted now was for him to leave me alone and allow me to move on.
Alex looked like he wanted me to elaborate so I did.
“Tom called a few weeks ago to tell me the wedding was off, and that he proposed to my friend because she’s pregnant. He thought telling me that he felt he was doing the wrong thing would make me take him back.”
“I see.” He sympathized. “That is truly messed up and makes me feel sick. How long were you with him?” Alex looked curious.
“Eleven years.” It sounded so strange to say because it really was a long time.
Alex looked surprised by that, and a little thrown. “That’s a really long time.
“We met in high school. I was seventeen and he was all I ever knew.”
“Allyou ever knew?” He asked with narrowed eyes. It was only then that I realized what I said and my whole body flushed with embarrassment. “He was the only man you’d ever been with?” he asked like it was so hard to believe.
