me?”
“I am! But it’s not just you tonight, is it? Don’t you play games with these guys all the time? Couldn’t you give me one night?”
Justin crossed his arms over his chest. “I am. I have! God, you act like playing video games is worshiping the devil.”
“I do not.”
“Yeah, you do. I don’t know why you can’t get that this is my downtime. It’s like you and your books.”
“I don’t ever blow you off to read a book, Justin.”
“Whatever.”
I sighed and took a step toward him, opting to take a different approach. I pried his hands away from his chest and took them in mine.
“Please. Can you tell the guys to go?” I couldn’t walk out of this door, discarded once again for a game. Maybe telling him outright would make the outcome different.
Justin arched his head back, staring at the ceiling.
Good. He at least considered it.
He yanked his hands out of mine and slammed his foot into the bedroom door. The force of the kick knocked the door back so hard it hung crooked on one hinge, and I flinched as the air whooshed past my face from the momentum.
“No. I shouldn’t have to choose!” he yelled.
I jumped and took a few steps away from him, eyeing the broken door. I crossed my arms to hide the fact that my muscles trembled.
“I shouldn’t have to turn my boys away,” he said, more of a hiss than a yell. “If you want to spend time with me, then this is what we’re doing.” He turned and stomped back to the living room.
I stood there for a moment as my heart plummeted into my stomach. How many times would I let him do this to me?
HAIL SAT BESIDE my bathtub with her big head leaning over the edge as I soaked and cried my eyes out. No amount of scrubbing my face could stop the tears. I didn’t want to cry over this. This wasn’t new behavior from Justin. I knew how he operated, knew how this relationship worked. What was wrong with me?
I submerged myself completely under the warm water and stayed there as long as I could. Dash’s face popped behind my eyelids. I came up slowly, inhaling the steaming air. It was his fault. If he hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t think I deserved any more than Justin gave me. He didn’t understand the loyalty that came with years of being together, of growing up together. But his words rang in my head and made me expect more from Justin.
And damn him if he wasn’t right. At least in tonight’s situation. I’d let Justin off the hook, and what had it got me? A blowup and blown off, once again.
I dried off and slipped into my softest T-shirt and sweats combo, pulling my wet hair back in a ponytail. I sank onto the couch, welcoming Hail and her fifty-pound butt into my lap. She licked my chin and pouted at me. She could always tell when Justin and I had fought. I scratched behind her ears and leaned my head back, contemplating hunting for the remote and staring at the TV all night until my brain stopped working.
A knock on my door startled me. Hail slid off the couch and waddled to the door, her butt wiggling. I peered through the peephole, my heart pounding.
Dash stood on the other side. I quickly touched my face, wishing I’d tried to hide the redness surrounding my puffy eyes, but I hadn’t expected anyone to show up outside my door.
Damn. Oh well.
Dash’s green eyes went wide when he got a look at my face. He stepped past me without an invite in. Hail jumped and wiggled at his feet. “What happened?”
I sighed. “What are you doing here, Dash?”
He knelt to pet Hail. “I drove by on the off-chance you’d be home already and saw your car. I felt bad about earlier and wanted to talk.”
My heart lifted. We’d only argued a few hours ago and he already wanted to talk it out? Normally I had to wait a whole twenty-four hours, sometimes more, for that.
“It’s all right. Really, you didn’t have to,” I said and shrugged. I was used to arguments and on the fight scale, Dash’s and mine wasn’t even a blip.
“No, I
“I am! But it’s not just you tonight, is it? Don’t you play games with these guys all the time? Couldn’t you give me one night?”
Justin crossed his arms over his chest. “I am. I have! God, you act like playing video games is worshiping the devil.”
“I do not.”
“Yeah, you do. I don’t know why you can’t get that this is my downtime. It’s like you and your books.”
“I don’t ever blow you off to read a book, Justin.”
“Whatever.”
I sighed and took a step toward him, opting to take a different approach. I pried his hands away from his chest and took them in mine.
“Please. Can you tell the guys to go?” I couldn’t walk out of this door, discarded once again for a game. Maybe telling him outright would make the outcome different.
Justin arched his head back, staring at the ceiling.
Good. He at least considered it.
He yanked his hands out of mine and slammed his foot into the bedroom door. The force of the kick knocked the door back so hard it hung crooked on one hinge, and I flinched as the air whooshed past my face from the momentum.
“No. I shouldn’t have to choose!” he yelled.
I jumped and took a few steps away from him, eyeing the broken door. I crossed my arms to hide the fact that my muscles trembled.
“I shouldn’t have to turn my boys away,” he said, more of a hiss than a yell. “If you want to spend time with me, then this is what we’re doing.” He turned and stomped back to the living room.
I stood there for a moment as my heart plummeted into my stomach. How many times would I let him do this to me?
HAIL SAT BESIDE my bathtub with her big head leaning over the edge as I soaked and cried my eyes out. No amount of scrubbing my face could stop the tears. I didn’t want to cry over this. This wasn’t new behavior from Justin. I knew how he operated, knew how this relationship worked. What was wrong with me?
I submerged myself completely under the warm water and stayed there as long as I could. Dash’s face popped behind my eyelids. I came up slowly, inhaling the steaming air. It was his fault. If he hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t think I deserved any more than Justin gave me. He didn’t understand the loyalty that came with years of being together, of growing up together. But his words rang in my head and made me expect more from Justin.
And damn him if he wasn’t right. At least in tonight’s situation. I’d let Justin off the hook, and what had it got me? A blowup and blown off, once again.
I dried off and slipped into my softest T-shirt and sweats combo, pulling my wet hair back in a ponytail. I sank onto the couch, welcoming Hail and her fifty-pound butt into my lap. She licked my chin and pouted at me. She could always tell when Justin and I had fought. I scratched behind her ears and leaned my head back, contemplating hunting for the remote and staring at the TV all night until my brain stopped working.
A knock on my door startled me. Hail slid off the couch and waddled to the door, her butt wiggling. I peered through the peephole, my heart pounding.
Dash stood on the other side. I quickly touched my face, wishing I’d tried to hide the redness surrounding my puffy eyes, but I hadn’t expected anyone to show up outside my door.
Damn. Oh well.
Dash’s green eyes went wide when he got a look at my face. He stepped past me without an invite in. Hail jumped and wiggled at his feet. “What happened?”
I sighed. “What are you doing here, Dash?”
He knelt to pet Hail. “I drove by on the off-chance you’d be home already and saw your car. I felt bad about earlier and wanted to talk.”
My heart lifted. We’d only argued a few hours ago and he already wanted to talk it out? Normally I had to wait a whole twenty-four hours, sometimes more, for that.
“It’s all right. Really, you didn’t have to,” I said and shrugged. I was used to arguments and on the fight scale, Dash’s and mine wasn’t even a blip.
“No, I
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