EIGHTEEN
CASEN
It’s been two days since I’ve seen or even talked to Embyr. I’ve shown up at her door, at her job. She is nowhere to be found. If I didn’t have Trinity’s number I would never even know if she was still alive.
“She’s home,” Trin yelled at me through the phone. “She’s alive but she said she doesn’t want to talk to you.”
That didn’t stop me from going to her apartment and sleeping outside her door last night. It’s going to make for a rough shift today but I don’t give a shit. She has to come out at some point, doesn’t she? I can’t figure it out. I thought we were doing okay. She took care of me when I got those damn stitches and spent the night. I told her I loved her and when she left I could tell she was happy, really and truly happy. I don’t understand this. Even a fuck off text would be nice but I’m not getting anything from her.
Just after six o’clock in the morning, and right before I need to leave for work, I bang on her door so hard the walls rattle. After the third attempt, Trinity finally opens it up as much as the chain will allow. She looks like I woke her from a deep sleep but I don’t give a shit.
“Where’s Em?”
Her eyes roll back in frustration. “She doesn’t want to see you, Casen, leave!”
Pain radiates through my hand as it hits the wall. “EMBYR!” I yell over Trinity’s head. “Embyr, come out here now!”
The door slams in my face and I hear the slide of the chain being released before it swings back open. Trinity, in her barely there red tank top and short as fuck boy shorts, comes flying out of the doorway. Both her hands make contact with my chest as she pushes me. I’m a strong guy but she gets me back a few feet.
Her face comes dangerously close to mine. “Listen, asshole! I’ve had enough of you. You fucked her over. You got what you wanted now get the hell out of here before you wake her up!”
“Trin.” Embyr’s sleepy voice comes from behind her. “I got this.”
My heart skips a beat. Embyr is beautiful but even more so when she just wakes up. She’s natural and untouched. Simply amazing. This morning though, she is all of those things but with an added touch of dark circles under her eyes and sadness written all over her face.
She leans against the wall, listening as Trinity whispers in her ear. “I’m sure,” she tells her.
Once Trin is inside, Embyr crosses her arms over her chest. She’s adorned in a white silk robe, and my fingers itch to feel what’s underneath. I know every crevice of her body, and it kills me to feel as though I have no right to it anymore.
She speaks first, softly, dejected. “What do you want, Casen?”
I don’t know what happened from the time she left my bed until later that night but there has been a shift and I don’t like it. Far too much has happened in my life these past six months, and I’m not sure how much more my mind can take. Every time I turn around some other kind of drama is happening. Is it so wrong to want things to calm down for a little while?
“What do I want?” My fingers grab a hold of my hair in frustration. “I want to know what happened. Why are you not returning my calls?”
Her chin falls to her chest, and I spot a tear in the corner of her eye. It’s one lonely single tear that is looking to break the barrier, but I’m afraid it’s a levy about to release the dam.
“You hurt me, Casen,” she quietly responds with her arms still crossed in protection. She looks up with resolve. “But I guess that was the point, right? To get back at me for what I was doing?”
One foot of mine steps closer. I go to reach out but drop my hands quickly. “Please explain it to me. I don’t know what you’re talking about, baby.”
She slits her eyes and the coldness of her stare cuts me. “Don’t call me that. Not after what you did. Not after sending that damn video to all of my coworkers!”
“What are you talking about, Embyr? What video? I never sent anything to anyone. I don’t understand.”
When I reach for her this time she falls helplessly into my arms. She beats on my chest half-heartedly, letting the levy break and the tears come gushing out. “How could you, Casen? I loved you. I was starting a new life, and I was okay not having you. Then you came back and tore up everything, just like I was going to do to you, right?” She pulls back. Tears careen down her reddened cheeks. “You wanted to hurt me like I was trying to hurt you?”
She doesn’t stop me when I open her door and lead us to the couch. She sits, and I get her some water.
“I want you to do me a favor,” I ask, before sitting alongside her. “I want you to tell me what happened, or what you think I did, and pretend like I have no fucking clue what that is.”
Her tongue wets her lips before she takes a few drinks of water and then sets it on the table. Her elbows lean onto her knees, and her fingers intertwine. “The video, the one from high school. You sent it to my job. All my coworkers had it in their inboxes.” Her voice rises. “You sent the video to them, Casen!”
I think for a moment. I’m so confused. What the hell is she talking about? “I don’t understand, Embyr. I never did that. Why do you think that?”
She snatches a tissue from the box on the coffee table and blows her nose. “It came from your email, Casen. You can’t tell me you didn’t send it.”
I shake my head. “I can because I didn’t. Is that why Derrick called you in the other day? Someone sent the high school video to him?”
