Page 69 of Moonstruck at Midnight
“Stay put,” he ordered. William placed his arm around my shoulders, lifted me with ease, and led me to the bench by the door. My stomach felt hollow, but I shut my eyes and concentrated on my breath.
William said something to Joel in Swedish, and then my phone buzzed on the treadmill. I opened my eyes, and William had fetched it for me. The caller ID readThomas.I sent it to voicemail and tossed the phone beside me on the bench. William crossed his arms and lifted his eyebrow with an amused smile. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the energy to wipe it off his face.
“Trouble in paradise?” he asked, looking delighted.
I lifted my index finger and closed my eyes for a second, then ran to the women’s bathroom and threw up pure bile.
“Guille!” William cried as he knocked on the bathroom door. “Let me help you. Open up.” There was no way I would let him inside and see me in this condition. Throwing up made me feel better, though.
Although my lips were starting to draw themselves back on my face, the mirror showed no improvement in my face’s coloring. I washed my hands, threw some water on my face, rinsed my mouth, and stepped back into the gym.
William stood outside the door, waiting for me to come out.
“You’re not—pregnant, are you?” he whispered. I punched his arm, hoping it sufficed as an answer. He laughed, of course.
“Girl’s got a killer right hook, man! I like her already!” Grant exclaimed with a laugh. William snorted in disagreement.
“Hey Billie,” Tobias said, walking in with a Coke. “I was told you weren’t feeling okay. Take a few sips of this.” He took a seat next to me on the bench. I thanked him while doing as he suggested. The Coke was ice cold, and it immediately did wonders for my blood sugar. William turned around, and Grant started to bandage his hands. Joel had his gloves on and seemed eager to start training.
My phone buzzed again. Caleb. I took the call.
“Yes? …I’m at the gym…I know,I was running…No…I’m literally beside your apartment…What?Are you afraid I’ll run off?…I’ll make sure to try it next time…I’m fine.”
Two seconds later, Caleb walked into the gym, and the space felt too crowded all of a sudden. There were now six of us there, and the gym wasn’t huge.
“Hope you feel better, Billie,” Tobias said, touching my shoulder. He stood up, and William thanked him as he stepped out.
“You look pale. You should go rest. I’ll walk you,” Caleb said.
“I’m okay,” I replied dryly, withdrawing from his touch. Looking at him reminded me of what we’ve seen at Thomas’s apartment, and I didn’t want to remember. I didn’t want him meddling in my relationship, and I didnotfeel like talking about what happened earlier with him.
“Come on, let’s go. I need to talk to you,” he said more gently.
“She said she’s okay, man,” William said from afar while getting his hands bandaged.
Stay out of it!Why was everyone so nosy?
Caleb shot a glare at William—flames and all. But I just had it with the alpha male energy around me. I wanted to leave, but not because Caleb told me to do so. I felt like everyone was ordering me around all the time.
“Let us know when you’re back in your apartment.” Caleb turned around without making eye contact with me and left. He looked pissed and then some.
William walked in my direction, but I was done with him too. I stood up and said, “Thanks for the Coke.” I was ready to leave. “Nice to meet you, Grant. Goodbye, Joel.”
“You can thank me by unblocking me,” he whispered, then walked backward with a laugh. I sighed and shook my head on my way out. “I’ll make it worth your while!” He actuallyshoutedthat part for everyone to hear, but I didn’t care to look back.
He kept laughing as he always did when he knew he got on my nerves, but I was learning how to make that laugh of his go away. He wasn’t laughing much when he saw me with Thomas in the lobby. I didn’t know what William wanted, but I knew what he didn’t like.
Unblocking him would happen whenever I felt like it, not when he asked me to do so.
I wasdonetaking orders.
All I could think of was Thomas and how to approach the situation. I hated he was away and that we couldn’t talk about what happened face to face. There was no way to know if the condom packages were his or his father’s. I wanted to trust him and what we had. I wanted nothing more but to think he wouldn’t do that to me. But wanting wasn’t enough. I needed to hear him say those weren’t his.
Jumping to conclusions or accusations would do nothing but hurt the relationship beyond recovery. But I didn’t feel ready to talk to him just yet. I texted him saying I had an upset stomach, and that I was calling it a night. It’d give me more time to think about what to do and how to approach it—to sleep on it. Besides, it was true.
A part of me wanted to go back to Thomas’s apartment and turn it upside down until I found something else—something that would give me some clarity. But then I remembered this saying: “If you want to leave your man, investigate him.”And I wasn’t sure if that’s what I wanted.
July 15, 2009
