“You know, if you were thinking about reinventing yourself after walking out, the beard and the shaggy hair aren’t working for you.”
Yup, she’s digging in deep. Don’t know why I forgot about this side of her.
“And what were you planning on doing to me, all tied up to your bed? You realize how insane that was? Kind of creepy, Keller.”
I pause with a carton of oatmeal in my hand. I glance over my shoulder and say, “I didn’t want you waking up and fleeing.”
“Fleeing where?” she asks, extending her arms out. “We’re on an island. Pretty sure I’m not about to go swim in the ocean.”
“You never know with how fucking insane you are,” I mumble as I slam the cupboard door and turn back to the next box that has fresh fruits and veggies in it.
I open the fridge and start stocking it up.
“So you’re really not going to tell me why I’m here?”
“No,” I answer.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t need you getting in my way,” I shoot back at her.
“Ah, you don’t want me getting in your way, so you just go out of your way to perform a very elaborate kidnapping and bring me to an island where it seems like we’re the only two people here. Very intelligent.”
I close the door of the fridge and turn toward Lilly. “I suggest you don’t piss me off more than you already have.”
She points at her chest. “Me piss you off? How? You’re the one who left. How is this my ordeal?”
“Because I wasn’t gone for long before you found someone else.” I grip my hair, tugging on the strands. “Jesus Christ, Lilly, did I really not matter that much to you?”
“Excuse me?” She walks up to me, anger pounding in her every step. “When you left, I was devastated, Keller.Devastated.You have no fucking idea what I went through to reach where I am today, able to stand on my own two feet and go out in public.”
“And you have no fucking clue what I went through either,” I snap back at her before snagging an empty box and moving past her.
I should tell her. I should throw it in her goddamn face.
Tell her exactly what happened and use it to hurt her the way I’m fucking hurting right now, but that won’t do any good.
She’s moved on, so I need to move on.
Telling her will only garner sympathy, and I don’t want her goddamn sympathy. I want her. I want all of her. I don’t want to share her with fucking Evan Sotherby . . .
And what the hell is he doing, moving in on her?
That’s not the kind of man he is. So why now? It almost feels connected in some way.
All of this feels connected, but for the life of me, my brain can’t figure it out. Not when I’ve been tortured for the past three months. I’m still recovering. Still trying to rehydrate. Build up my protein intake to build strength, and get to a point that I can mentally function better.
Until then, I’m going to keep to myself because arguing with Lilly won’t do any good.
* * *
I pickup the bowl of ramen with sautéed veggies I made for dinner and take it to Lilly who is sitting on the couch, legs crossed, in total silence.
When I hand it to her, she looks up at me, skepticism in her eyes, but takes it. “Thank you,” she says, her voice pained having to utter those two words to me.
She curls up on the couch and brings the bowl up to her mouth, twirling the fork through the noodles as I take a seat at the dining room table.
My bowl is much bigger than hers, but then again, I’ve been so fucking hungry for the past three months that I’m stocking up. I even added some tofu to mine. Anything to help me bulk up some more and fill my stomach.
