Page 21 of Falling for the Enemy

Amber

Iwaited in a small, dingy room that smelled of sweat and piss for the bondsman to get there. I had to put up some cash collateral and I was waiting for the paperwork to get finished up, so that they would release Robert. I felt bad about the whole thing.

With no idea what I was going to say to him when he did get out, I knew that it wasn’t going to be happy thoughts. He’d really showed his ass today. I didn’t even know what he was doing here anyway. That part of the conversation had been cut short. Robert wasn’t the sort of person who would just show up for no reason, so I had to think that there was one.

A part of me felt guilty for him getting knocked out by my new lover, boyfriend, I really wasn't sure what to call Frank yet. It was new, but I knew that he was a bit offended when I told him to leave. He was just too much though. He was violent and seeing him in person doing it had messed with me. How many times in a few days was Frank going to get aggressive? Since I’d known him, which wasn’t that long at all, he’d shot someone and knocked someone out. While I did not fear him for myself, in general I didn't like all that violence around me. We are far too civilized to be fighting like animals. I didn’t want to be around it or at least I needed time to process it all. There had been some massive changes to my life the last few weeks. It felt like my life was spiraling and while Robert was my ex, I wanted to hold onto something familiar.

The jail was small, but it was taking its sweet time getting Robert out. He was surprised to see me, but then I saw his eyes scoping the space behind me, probably expecting to see Frank. I didn't think he was necessarily afraid of him, but he definitely didn't want to mess with him again. It was a little comical, but I was civilized, and I didn't laugh in his face for getting knocked out in one punch. It wouldn’t be so funny if Robert wasn't such a caveman-style type.

He was probably the one who had turned me off against fighting and violence in general. It was all fun and games until someone got hurt, or every time we were out he would take offense to something or someone, get jealous and then try to start a fight. I thought I was past this point of my life, considering I had divorced him and all.

“You bailed me out?” Robert asked with disbelief, walking up with an unsure look. His blond hair was tousled, and he had a swollen hand and jaw. Both men were idiots I decided.

When I agreed that I had, he asked the same question that I'm sure Frank was going to ask me. “Why?”

“I think it was a little bit of guilt, you getting hit so hard. I don’t know why you were there, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Where is your new boyfriend?” Frank asked, still looking over his shoulder periodically, just in case.

I told him that Frank wasn't my boyfriend, it was something new. I also told him that it was none of his business, and it was probably for the best for him to think of me as taken. It was funny, because the whole time we were married, Robert never said how much he appreciated or how much he loved me, but as soon as I caught him cheating and started the divorce proceedings, all of a sudden he was in love with me. I felt like this was an extension of that and I didn't really know if I could trust it. That was the problem with Robert, he never could be trusted, and I had no desire to take a gamble on him again. I wasn’t a betting woman. I had learned my lesson.

“Why did you get me out? You have something in mind? You miss me too?” He wanted to know, a little bit of hope on his face, like my actions meant more than me assuaging my own guilt.

“Like I said, Robert, I didn't think that you deserved to stay in jail after what happened. I also wanted to know what you were doing here to begin with. You are a long way from home.”

“I came here because this is where you are. It took me this long to find out where you were staying. Your family was not forthcoming with the information.”

“No wonder why.” I sighed and told him that it wasn’t his concern anymore where I was or what I was doing. It seemed like he had done all of this to keep tabs on me. I did not like the idea of that at all. Not when he knew where I was. I didn’t want him to think that he could just pop in whenever he wanted. It didn't seem fair. I had divorced Robert, which was putting it onto paper that I did not want to have a relationship with him anymore. I did not want him just popping up whenever he wanted to, punching whoever I was with, if I was with anyone.

“I know that I’m not your husband anymore, Amber, but I still worry about you. I can't just turn it off. We can’t just go through life pretending that those years together weren’t real.”

“That is literally what a divorce is, Robert.”

“I just can’t turn it off.”

I scoffed. What was he doing? Now, really? “Yeah, well, I can't turn off the fact that you were with another woman. I guess we all have a little bit of burden to shoulder. I'm sure that you will manage. Denise can help you, can't she?”

He gave me a dirty look like I wasn't supposed to mention her but every time I saw him, that's who I saw next to him. He wasn't the man that I had fallen for. I was no longer the woman that he had fallen for either. We’d changed and grown apart. There was no sense in going backward.

“We're not together anymore. I told you back then that it wasn't like that. She was just my lover, it meant nothing.”

He thought that I would understand because of Frank. He couldn’t understand that he was wrong on all levels. He really just didn’t get it. We were divorced. I was doing nothing wrong by being with Frank. How could Robert twist me all up like he did?

Robert asked a few questions about Frank, wanting to know if he was that to me. I didn’t tell him. It really was none of his business. I didn’t know why I had thought that it would be something important that he was here. He was lonely and trying to get back together. On the way he had made my life more complicated. I didn’t need any more of that.

I finally asked him one last time what it was that he wanted because I had things to do. I had nothing on my agenda, of course, but getting as far away from my ex-husband as possible was certainly top on my list if I had one.

“I told you, Amber, I needed to see you and make sure that you were alright.”

“I’m fine and I’m going to be fine from now on, so you don’t have to check on me anymore. I’m not your concern any longer.”

I made that part loud and clear, so there would be no misconceptions later. I didn't want him checking on me, I wanted to get over him and move on. I think that's what I was doing with Frank, though he might just be too intense for me. His passion the night before had been remarkable, but that passion could turn into the fierce jealousy that I had seen hours later. Maybe I was moving too fast to get over my ex-husband.

He said that he would not come back, and I offered him a ride to the airport. I knew that's not what he wanted, but it was the best that he was going to get. I made it clear as we drove that we weren't ever going to be together again. I wanted to iron out that information and he wanted to ask about Frank. I did not liberate him with any answers. It really was none of his business.

We got to the airport and we said goodbye. I was about to get back into the car when I saw who I could've sworn was Frank. He was with a guy I thought I recognized from his place, but I couldn't be sure. I didn't know what got into me, maybe it was the sort of day that I’d had so far, but I started walking over to the car. I didn’t know for certain if it was Frank or not, but I was pretty sure. I just needed to lay eyes on him and know for sure.

It was Frank, and as I got closer I saw the ‘oh shit’ look on his face, but to his credit, he didn't try to speed away and pretend like he wasn't there. He was following me. That was creepy.

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