I smile. “That’s a big step.”
“You’ve earned it.”
Pride swells in my chest as I wait for him to set it up.
Harrison calls me closer to eight, when I’m showered and in pajamas. I’ve already eaten dinner and am just sitting on the couch, lounging and watching TV. There isn’t a reason to ignore him, but I want to. If I do, he’d only call back. Maybe show up.
“Hey,” I answer.
“You answered.”
“I said I would.”
“Well, I wasn’t sure.”
His tone tells me he’s annoyed. Tired maybe. I don’t know. He wasn’t in a great mood earlier today, and it doesn’t seem like it’s changed.
“What did you want to talk about?”
I expect him to explain what happened between him and Angela. Try to give a version of the story that will make me forgivehim or understand where he’s coming from. Harrison isn’t a terrible person, but after hearing that he thinks I can’t speak for myself, I’ve been wondering how much of our relationship was dictated by him thinking that. Did he manipulate me because he thought I couldn’t speak for myself? Did he use that to his advantage? I’m starting to wonder if I know him at all. I think back on different situations and try to pinpoint when Harrison would have done this to me before, but I can’t think of any. Not off the top of my head. The way he talked about me to his father, though? That isn’t an opinion of me that he formed over night. I want for his bullshit to come, but what comes from the other end of the phone has my jaw dropping.
“Is there something going on with you and my father?”
“What? No! Why would you even ask that?”
“Because he’s being a creep, Sera. Don’t you see that?” He doesn’t let me get a word in to explain that no, he isn’t being a creep. He’s helping me at a time when I need help. Helping me when no one else in this world would. “It’s weird that you work at his desk with him. Weird that he’s paying for your apartment on top of giving you a paycheck. He’s twice your age.”
“I work for my paycheck,” I say.
“Yeah, and what about the rest of it?”
“He pays for your apartment.”
“He’s my father,” he argues. “That’s normal. You’re nothing to him.”
My chest grows heavy at those words.
I’m nothing to him?
It’s not that I thought I meant something to Elliot Caldwell, but to go as far as saying I’m nothing? That’s a little harsh, isn’t it? He’s done so much for me, so there has to be a reason for that. There has to be something… He admitted there was, even if it was only attraction. That’snotnothing.
“He’s just trying to be nice, Harrison. Since you—”
“No, Sera. He’s being a fucking weirdo, and I don’t like it. I don’t think you should work with him. Maybe you should move back in with me.”
Those words have my throat closing up, panic coursing through my veins. It’s not that I’m afraid of Harrison, but the thought of going to live with anyone isn’t a happy thought. I like being on my own. I’ve never had this before; never had the freedom to do whatever I want in my own space. I don’t want to live with him again, especially after what he did to me.
“Harrison, you cheated on me.” The words come out and I hold my breath, waiting for a reply, while in the very deep recesses of my mind, I pat myself on the back for speaking up for myself.
“And I told you I wanted to talk about that.”
“Then let’s talk.” I say it to get him off the subject of his father, because I don’t want to talk about Elliot. Not with him. Also, I think I’m ready to hear what he has to say.
He goes into some explanation about getting caught up in being young and how our relationship got stale, and they were up late one night and things justhappened.I ask about theafternoon I caught them, and he says it was just another weak moment.
Another weak moment.
How many of those is he allowed to have without repercussion? How many happened that he isn’t telling me about? Intuition tells me he isn’t telling me the whole truth. I never questioned Harrison’s words or loyalty before, but lately… I’m seeing him in a new light.
