Fury quickly replaced my fright, and I glared at Brian, my ex-boyfriend then smacked him on the upper arm. “You nearly gave me a freaking heart attack, you idiot. What’re you doing sneaking around?”
“Ow.” His brown eyes laughed at my outrage. “Come on, Phebes. I only meant to surprise you.” Alcohol wafted from his direction, and his wavy, chestnut hair lay disheveled, as if he’d been running his hands through it or hadn’t combed it in a while.
The adrenaline in my veins pulsed, but I focused on my breathing to get my racing heartbeat under control. Disgust welled inside of me. I’d always hated it when he drank. “Go home.”
I bit my bottom lip, twisted away, and marched toward my car, fighting between annoyance and pity. Brian Castilian and I had dated for years in high school and college, but we broke up a few months ago.
Well, I broke up with him.
“Come on, Phebes. Don’t be like that.” His boots hit the pavement as he ran to catch up with me, striding at my side. Up close, a tiny network of red veins shone in his bloodshot eyes like little roadways on a map.
“You know I hate that nickname.”
He gripped my upper arm.
I jerked away, not wanting any part of him touching me, but his fingers tightened.
“What? I can’t walk my girl home from work?” His eyelids dropped a fraction, covering a dangerous, challenging glint. “You shouldn’t be out here. All alone in the dark.”
“I’m not your girl anymore.” My tone was harsh. I’d gone over this with him several times before, but he always blew me off, as if he thought I’d change my mind or the breakup was temporary. “We broke up, remember?” Still walking, only twenty feet left to my car, I tried to pry his fingertips from my skin.
He squeezed his grip, making me gasp with pain and stop in the parking lot. “Ididn’t agree to the breakup,” he growled. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re still together.” His fingers crushed my skin, bending me under the pressure of his hands and pushing me downward so I had to crouch at the waist.
“Brian, you’re hurting me.” I compressed my lips and fought my rising temper, knowing I needed to be careful before things got worse.So much worse.“Look, I don’t wanna argue about it. I want to go home.” Gazing up at him, I fought to keep my face calm and my voice soft. “We haven’t been an item for a while, and I’m not changing my mind.”
His grip loosened, allowing me to straighten.
I stood, turning toward him, glad for the respite of his punishing touch. But quiet fury simmered within me. When he’d been younger, he’d not been cruel—or at least he’d never shown it—but, over the past couple of years, something had changed in him. I didn’t know if it was the drinking, the stress of school, or his homelife, but it didn’t give him the right to take it out on me.
“Go home, Brian.” I adjusted the purse and knapsack on my shoulder, trying to decide if I wanted to risk giving him my back while I walked to my car.
A quick flash of rage clouded his eyes, but then his smooth, broad face resumed its usual bland appearance.
He raised his hands palms up. “You’re always saying we’re not meant to be together, but it’s because you don’t want to try.”
“We’ve tried for the past four years. Give it up already. You’ve got bigger problems than being single.”
When he drank, he turned into a bitter, possessive monster, and I’d finally gotten fed up with it six months ago. I had hopes and dreams of becoming an archaeologist; he barely hung on with lackluster grades and skipping classes all the time. And he never missed an opportunity to point out how impractical my degree would be.
“Go into geology, like me, and work for big oil. Now that’s a career which pays for playing in the dirt. Not looking for broken, rotted things left by people who didn’t have the sense to save themselves.”
I shook my head and brought myself into the present. Brian had no appreciation for history and other cultures, only the cold, hard green of cash.
He shifted his eyes to the side and dipped his chin toward the ground. “I’ve cut back on the partying. I can be better. Give me a chance.”
I’ve heard this a hundred times.Brian had suffered a rough childhood, but still, so had a lot of people. It didn’t give him permission to become a jerk.
With a steadying breath, I maneuvered into his line of sight, trying to remember all the good times we’d had while growing up. “You know I care about you, and I always will, but...” I blew out a puff of air and sighed. “We’re too different now, even if you really mean what you say.”
His glassy eyes met mine, but I couldn’t read his thoughts.
Well, he’s quiet, so that’s a good sign.
I plowed ahead. “I can’t be with someone who’s only interested in beer and having a good time. I’ve got goals. You need to get professional help and move on, Brian.” I lowered my voice and tried to take the sting from what I was about to say. “We can still be friends, though.”
He flexed his fists open and closed, open and closed, open and closed. A tic started in his eyelid.
Above, a streetlight cast its cold beam of light on his head.
