hear anything more. It’s not about forgiveness; it’s about me looking out for me. I don’t want to be hurt again, Duke, and that’s all. Go back to your life and forget about me.”
He tugs again on his hair and runs the same hand down over his goatee. “You don’t even want to listen to me?”
“No.” I take a good look at him, my heart hollow from the exhaustion visible on his face to his hunched shoulders that are usually so straight and strong. “Good-bye, Duke.”
I sidestep him and walk away, not turning back to him. It hurts to leave, but it’s for the best. I don’t need him in my life and he certainly doesn’t need me in his. After all, I’m nothing and I can’t bring any value to his life. I couldn’t even reach him in the cemetery when he needed to share his pain and confide in someone. It’s for the best.
Chapter Six
“Why not? A coffee sounds good to me,” Kate says with a sweet little laugh that draws the guy’s eyes to her ruby lips, shining under the artificial lights of the underground laundry room, and the little freckle at the corner of her mouth that seems to drive them all crazy.
“Let’s meet up in ten minutes?” His crooked smile is not something I’d trust, but it seems to work on Kate who agrees enthusiastically as the guy leaves the room with his freshly cleaned clothes.
For the last ten minutes I was invisible and it’s relaxing. When Kate and this guy began to talk and flirt a little, I fell silent and focused on my mountain of dirty clothes. I had to make two trips to bring it all downstairs to the laundry. I still don’t understand why I always wait until I don’t even have any clean socks before doing my laundry. I hate this domestic task, but if I did it more often, it wouldn’t be such a hardship.
As Kate grabs the last of her clean clothes and puts them in her basket, her moves are lighter. She’s such a flirt. I shake my head and enjoy the calm. Nobody is here beside us, and in a couple of minutes I’ll have the place for myself to do my second round of laundry.
“Will you be okay staying here alone?” Kate asks, suddenly unsure of herself.
I roll my eyes and wave her away. “I don’t need a babysitter, Kate,” I reply in a clipped voice, the same voice I have had since my confrontation with Duke three days ago. Once again, I want to put some distance between us. Even if I can see the hurt in her green eyes, I don’t want to put myself in the position where she can hurt me whether she means to or not.
She nods and leaves without a word. I think she’s letting me go. It’s for the best. A girl like her with her bubbly personality should have friends that are not wallowing in their own issues. I can’t be the friend she needs or wants, and that’s a fact.
While my second round of laundry is in the machine, I fold my clean clothes and laugh bitterly at them. Boring black and white cotton underwear, jeans that are from my first year in high school and of course, my oversized sweaters. I roll up the sleeves of the black sweater I’m wearing. I remember exactly when I bought it. It was after the first time Sean beat me. I wanted something comfortable, something not form fitting, something in which I could disappear completely.
“Finally alone?”
I jerk and turn around fast. My hands clench immediately. It’s a nightmare. I’m alone, here, with him! Why did I let Kate go? What is he doing here? Oh my God! The muscle in his jaw is jumping.
“What are you doing here?” I ask in a calm voice that doesn’t reflect at all how I’m feeling right now. My heart is beating so fast that it’s painful to just breathe. A gigantic lump forms in my throat and my eyes sting, but I won’t cry … no matter what. Tears make him worse.
“You’re not happy to see me?” he asks me and snickers as he strides toward me. His blue eyes are so cold that it sends a chill down my
He tugs again on his hair and runs the same hand down over his goatee. “You don’t even want to listen to me?”
“No.” I take a good look at him, my heart hollow from the exhaustion visible on his face to his hunched shoulders that are usually so straight and strong. “Good-bye, Duke.”
I sidestep him and walk away, not turning back to him. It hurts to leave, but it’s for the best. I don’t need him in my life and he certainly doesn’t need me in his. After all, I’m nothing and I can’t bring any value to his life. I couldn’t even reach him in the cemetery when he needed to share his pain and confide in someone. It’s for the best.
Chapter Six
“Why not? A coffee sounds good to me,” Kate says with a sweet little laugh that draws the guy’s eyes to her ruby lips, shining under the artificial lights of the underground laundry room, and the little freckle at the corner of her mouth that seems to drive them all crazy.
“Let’s meet up in ten minutes?” His crooked smile is not something I’d trust, but it seems to work on Kate who agrees enthusiastically as the guy leaves the room with his freshly cleaned clothes.
For the last ten minutes I was invisible and it’s relaxing. When Kate and this guy began to talk and flirt a little, I fell silent and focused on my mountain of dirty clothes. I had to make two trips to bring it all downstairs to the laundry. I still don’t understand why I always wait until I don’t even have any clean socks before doing my laundry. I hate this domestic task, but if I did it more often, it wouldn’t be such a hardship.
As Kate grabs the last of her clean clothes and puts them in her basket, her moves are lighter. She’s such a flirt. I shake my head and enjoy the calm. Nobody is here beside us, and in a couple of minutes I’ll have the place for myself to do my second round of laundry.
“Will you be okay staying here alone?” Kate asks, suddenly unsure of herself.
I roll my eyes and wave her away. “I don’t need a babysitter, Kate,” I reply in a clipped voice, the same voice I have had since my confrontation with Duke three days ago. Once again, I want to put some distance between us. Even if I can see the hurt in her green eyes, I don’t want to put myself in the position where she can hurt me whether she means to or not.
She nods and leaves without a word. I think she’s letting me go. It’s for the best. A girl like her with her bubbly personality should have friends that are not wallowing in their own issues. I can’t be the friend she needs or wants, and that’s a fact.
While my second round of laundry is in the machine, I fold my clean clothes and laugh bitterly at them. Boring black and white cotton underwear, jeans that are from my first year in high school and of course, my oversized sweaters. I roll up the sleeves of the black sweater I’m wearing. I remember exactly when I bought it. It was after the first time Sean beat me. I wanted something comfortable, something not form fitting, something in which I could disappear completely.
“Finally alone?”
I jerk and turn around fast. My hands clench immediately. It’s a nightmare. I’m alone, here, with him! Why did I let Kate go? What is he doing here? Oh my God! The muscle in his jaw is jumping.
“What are you doing here?” I ask in a calm voice that doesn’t reflect at all how I’m feeling right now. My heart is beating so fast that it’s painful to just breathe. A gigantic lump forms in my throat and my eyes sting, but I won’t cry … no matter what. Tears make him worse.
“You’re not happy to see me?” he asks me and snickers as he strides toward me. His blue eyes are so cold that it sends a chill down my
Similar Books
