“He made it clear what we were.”
“That was before.”
“You can’t build a relationship based on that. It’s too much,” she says.
“Does anyone give a shit what I think?” I ask.
“No,” Kal snaps as he keeps looking at her.
And I’m lost. Just as much as I was before.
Chapter 20
Anika
I sit on the edge of the bed after my latest session with the counselor. It feels good to get my feelings out in the open, but that doesn’t fix everything. I still feel lost. I still don’t know where I belong, but apparently, Kal has decided I’m staying here until I get better.
Patch has kept his distance since that first day. The doc has put me on medicine for depression. Each day feels like a struggle to get through. Most days, I don’t know what I should be doing. I’ve talked to some of the girls who were victims of trafficking and went through something similar to what I did. It was nice hearing how they’ve dealt with things. It was nice to know I wasn’t alone.
My feelings are all over the place. The doctor said that would happen until the meds kick in. Ellie left. She had to work, and I understand that, but now, I feel alone without her.
With a sigh, I shove off the bed and walk to the door, heading into the hallway. I walk to the main room and see everyone talking and laughing. I miss laughing. I miss having a good time.
I walk over to the bar, and one of the girls grabs me a drink, sliding it across the bar to me. I smile my thanks and take it before walking over and sitting on one of the couches.
I watch everyone talk and have a good time. Some are dancing, others are singing along to the music. I’ve missed this.
“You’re smilin’.” I hear his voice, and my heart leaps in my chest. I look up to see Patch standing next to me.
“I’ve missed this,” I tell him.
“Yeah. I get that.” Then he walks away. That was it. I lean back on the couch and watch him as he talks to the guys when one of the girls comes up to him. She slides her arm around his waist, and my insides clench. I know we’re not together, but it hurts to see someone touching him. Then, to my shock, he pushes her away. She says something that I can’t hear, and his eyes slowly drift to mine. He doesn’t need to put his life on hold because of me. The thought pisses me off.
I shove off the couch and storm toward him, stopping when I’m close enough to touch him.
“What the hell was that?” I ask him. He slowly turns to look at me, confusion etched into his face.
“What was what?”
“You pushed her away.”
“And?”
“Then you looked at me,” I tell him.
“So what?”
“So don’t stop your life because of me,” I tell him. His eyes flash with something I don’t recognize before he slowly smirks at me.
“Is that what you think?”
“I saw how she was all over you.”
“Are you jealous?”
“What? No!” Then he reaches for the girl who was hanging off him and pulls her into his arms. His lips hover too close tohers for my liking, and I have to fight back the urge to claw her fucking eyes out. I can’t stake my claim on someone who doesn’t want to be in a relationship with me.
A low growl falls from my throat, surprising the hell out of me. I step back, but Patch doesn’t let me get that far. His hand wraps around my good wrist and holds me in place. I glance down at his hand and then back to his face.
