But you know what? Now that the confrontation was finally happening, I didn’t care enough to get my digs in. If anything, I was pissed at myself for allowing my bitterness over Nick’s betrayal take control of my life for as long as it had. I’d wasted months moping around, feeling like garbage and using the closure he’d denied me as an excuse to hide away from the world. When it came down to it,Iwas the only one who held the power to heal and move on.
And that’s exactly what I was going to do.
Nick’s life was obviously in the toilet. That was enough revenge for me. Without another word, I pushed my chair back, got up, and walked out the door, my head held high.
My delightful ex, not yet having his fill of dramatics, followed me into the parking lot like the human cold sore he was. For good measure, he broke into a new round of sobs directly in front of the coffeehouse windows so that customers were provided front row seats to act two of the hit productionOlivia Taylor Has Terrible Taste in Men.He carried on wailing while I frantically rooted for my car keys, irked that I’d selected such an enormous handbag for the occasion. Pro tip: When meeting with an unstable ex, keep it simple and use a small clutch.
I finally located the damn keys in the bottomless vortex of my purse, then sidestepped Nick to retreat inside my car. His hand curled around my bicep tightly and then suddenly ripped away before I had a chance to tell him to get his grubby hands off me. At the blink of an eye, he was sprawled on the ground, rubbing his jaw.
Standing above him was none other than the vampire Robert Bramson.
I gaped at my idiotic suitors, who were now wrestling on the pavement like two siblings fighting over the last cupcake. Robert easily could have inflicted serious damage on Nick within seconds, which he hadn’t, so I knew the tussle was merely for show. Color me unimpressed.
Exasperated, I threw my arms up in the air. “Seriously? Oh my God, stop!”
They paid me no attention because now they were on their feet, hurling insults.
Robert: “How dare you place your hands on a lady, vile swine! Cretin!”
Nick: “Fuck off, you pasty, capitalist dick!”
The icing on the whole shit cake evening was the sizable crowd forming around our classy roadside circus. A few onlookers had started taking videos. I was beyond humiliated.
Something occurred to me then, which was that Robert, being a vampire, would have absolutely no reason to be at a coffeehouse. Particularly not one in my neighborhood, with him living on the other side of town. He hadn’t . . . Oh, he betternothave.
“Have you been following me?”
Robert didn’t even have the decency to deny it. On the other hand, Nick would have lied until his teeth fell out to save face if he’d been the one caught red-handed, so I had to give the vamp some credit.Some.
“Why?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“Carl informed me that you were going out, so I wanted to make sure you were safe.”
“You had your driver watch my apartment?”
“You refused my bodyguards,” he said with a shrug.
“Oh, well, then that makes it okay, doesn’t it? So, this is what my choices come down to, is it, a cheater and a stalker? Unbelievable!” I yelled dramatically and the crowd started cheering.You go, girl!some guy with a man bun encouraged.
“See, he’s a crazy stalker!” my ex chimed in, gesturing at Robert belligerently.
I’d almost forgotten he was still there. “Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, Nick,” I said. “I can’t believe there’s a need for me to say this, but I’m guessing you won’t take the hint unless I do. To clear up and delusions you might have, I don’t ever want to see you again. No hard feelings, alright? We had our time, but we’ve grown apart. We’re over. We will never, ever,ever, for as long as we both shall live, get back together. Not ever. I don’t know how else I can make you understand.”
“But—”
“Go home!” I turned back to the mob. “And all of you, the show’s over!”
I waited for the crowd to dissipate and then dealt with the vampire. Before I spoke, I took a steadying breath. “Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do. And thank you, so very, very much for paying off my student loan. Although I wished you would have asked me first, it’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me in my entire life, and I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want you to repay me. It was a gift.”
I knew it was pointless to argue. “The thing is, Robert, that this has all been overwhelming for me. Finding out that vampires exist, Nick hounding me, you following me and then paying off my debt without my consent, and now . . . this.”
“I only meant—”
“I’m not finished,” I said, holding up a hand. “I like you, more than I probably should. But I’m going to need a little space to get my head straight, okay? And, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to postpone our outings for a later time.”
He opened his mouth and then closed it. Finally, he said, “If that’s what you want, I’ll respect your wishes.”
