The rage that churns from my toes is rising to fill every crevice of my being. It’s a good thing this conversation is happening over the phone. Because if he had approached me in person, I probably would’ve completely lost it and lunged at him. Not that I would’ve gotten far, my five foot six, malnourished frame versus his nearly three hundred pound overindulged one.
How has my life come to this?
I’m not a bad person. I’ve never hurt anyone. Never taken what wasn’t mine. Am I paying for someone else’s sins? Did karma just dial the wrong number?
“This feels like a trap,” I say quietly, even though every ounce of me wants to scream. “How do I know things will go any differently this time?”
There’s a beat of silence from the other end of the call before the slimeball says, “Guess you’ll just have to come here and find out.” The line goes dead.
I stare at my phone, the air suddenly too still, like the world itself has stopped breathing.
When will this nightmare end?
24
BEN
After gettingthe update from Max that Grace is boarding another flight to Vegas, I get my ass into gear. There’s no way she’s going back there without me. Not knowing what I do after meeting that asshat photographer. Max seems invested in finding out more about this guy, so I’m trying to keep my eyes trained on my job.Well, and Grace.
It’s unavoidable now. There’s no use fighting it.
Nothing about this makes sense. That sweet girl is the farthest from an attention-seeker of anyone I’ve ever met. She certainly doesn’t carry herself like a model. The ones I’ve dated were full of themselves. Hell, they would’ve bragged about doing a magazine spread like that before I had a chance to stumble on it.
Yet Grace seems to be focused on everyonebutherself.
Once I have all of her flight details, I elicit Max’s help one more time. With a few clever strokes on his keyboard he manages to have Grace’s seat upgraded.So she’s seated next to me in first class.
I can barely contain my amazement at Grace’s shock, finding me here. I’ve become so possessive about this girl I’m not even bothering to hide my antics. Isn’t it obvious this is a setup?
Can’t she see how ridiculous I’ve become?
“How is this possible?” She laughs. Yet the sound is hollow. Not the lively young woman I’ve come to know. There’s a nervousness to her tone. Is it because she’s afraid I’ll figure out why she’s headed back to Vegas, or is she that averse to spending time with me?
Doesn’t matter. Hurt feelings aside, there’s no way I’m letting her do this alone anymore. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s fate?”
Grace seems to fumble with her bag as she settles in beside me. Something is definitely off. I pray it’s her circumstance, not her seatmate.
“Wow. These seats are nice,” she stammers. “I’ve never been in first class before. Did you get upgraded too?”
“No.” I can’t keep lying to her. And whether it’s lies by omission or not, it’s still a lie. “I usually fly first class, Grace.” I want to tell her I have enough for whatever she needs. She doesn’t have to consider doing anything she doesn’t want to do. I’ll take care of her. No questions asked. Whatever that entails. Jesus. What has happened to me? She’s turned me into a love sick sap.
Prepare yourself, Ben.Because if this is what Grace wants, you need to find a way to support her or walk away. No more acting like some caped crusader, swooping in to save her. Loving someone means you let them have the freedom to go after what they want.
Even if it’s not whatyouwant.
After the breakup with Chanel, and the superficial harpies I’d dated back home, I’d avoided women for fear they were all interested in only one thing. But for this girl, I’d give her anything she wanted, if only she’d let me in.
Grace doesn’t seem as chipper as I’d expect after getting bumped to first class. Her smile is polite, but reserved. And her usual playful tone sounds flat. And those eyes. Those luminous eyes are now lifeless, her lids puffy, and a little red around the rims.
My jaw clenches. Allergies, I decide. She must have a cold. It has to be something like that. Because if that asshole made her cry, I will hunt him down and bury him beneath the Vegas strip. I take a slow breath, close my eyes, and count to three before releasing it through my nose.
Get yourself together before you become completely unhinged, you maniac.
Peering out of the corner of my eye, I assess whether she’s watching me fall apart, only to discover her eyes seem anywhere but on me. I attempt small talk, the kind that floats politely above everything we’re not saying. We talk about the weather, the flight time. Whether she’s been back to Vegas since I last saw her. As I said, small talk. Because I’m well aware she hasn’t.
Yet, all the while, my mind is screaming. Why are you going back there? Do you have another gig lined up? Is this really your world now?
None of this feels right. Sure, I haven’t been the best judge of women. But there was never once I doubted this girl’s integrity. Not once. And nothing about this situation is aligned with the sweet woman beside me. Add to it how shady that dickhead, Victor, was when I met him, and everything about this feels wrong.
