I can’t get a flight out tonight. Figures.
I start to toss my phone beside me when a text message lights up on the screen. My blood turns to ice.
“What’s wrong?” Astrid asks.
Lewis Lemon: Heard you were coming into town for the big party celebrating your father. I will be there, too. I thought maybe we could meet up early for drinks or something and catch up? LLx
“Auddie?” Gianna asks. “What is going on?”
My eyes drift over his words again, rereading them one by one.
“I can’t today with this,” I say.
Just seeing his name on the screen, and his sickening LLx, sends my blood pressure soaring.
Gianna peers over my shoulder, not one for boundaries. “Who’s this goofball?”
I’ve never told my friends about what happened with Lewis, mostly because I was humiliated. When things went south that night—when I realized he was intoxicated and I needed to get out of the car—I couldn’t find my voice. I just sat there as he wove us through traffic, onto a curb, and nearly hit a lady with a stroller.
He’s vile, and by not telling anyone what happened, it’s as if he and I have a secret. When I told the smallest part of the story to Brooks, it felt like a lock had been removed that tied me to that jerk. I was a tiny bit freer.
Me: I’m busy. Take care.
Lewis Lemon: No worries. I’ll see about getting us at the same table so we can have some time to chat.
I turn to Gianna. “Now what do I say?”
“Who is this creep?” she asks.
“Remember when I had to get stitches in my leg?” I ask, my voice wavering. “Him.”
“Him what?” Gianna asks.
“We were going to go on a date. Well, we went on one, technically, but it went really bad. He was rude to everyone, talked too loud, just … not good. Bad vibes. I didn’t know what to do, so I tried to duck out and call a rideshare, but it was taking them probably twenty-five minutes to get there because we were so far in the middle of nowhere. So, eventually he comes out looking for me and I’m still there. And he’s pressuring me to just let him take me home.” I sigh, cringing. “He drew a knife out of his pocket and said I had a thread on my dress. And, he bent down to cut it before I could say a word and sliced me instead.”
“Audrey! Oh, my gosh! What the actual fuck?” Gianna yelps.
Astrid pulls away. “He cut you? On purpose?”
I wince because I don’t know. “I want to think he didn’t, but I can’t promise it without feeling too uncertain to recant. And it did get me in his car because I needed a ride to the ER for stitches. We were together probably an hour that night, and I think he tried to kill me twice. Maybe notkill mekill me, but I saw too many terrible ends.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Astrid asks, hurt coloring her features.
“Because I was embarrassed. And I know that sounds like a tired excuse, but I felt so, so out of my league. It was just easier not to talk about it.”
Astrid hugs me. “I’m sorry you didn’t feel like you could talk to us.”
“It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was just leftover rules that hadn’t been discarded in my head about how I was supposed to act, speak, and behave. But, you know, thatdate with Lewis was a catalyst for me wanting to do something different. I mean, it’s terrifying to feel nervous about standing up for yourself.”
Lewis Lemon: I can send a car for you at the airport. Shoot me your information and I’ll get it arranged.
“Pushy much?” Gianna asks.
“I know. I’m going to have to play dodge the lemon all night Saturday, which is precisely what I don’t want to do.”
Astrid twists her lips in thought. “Are you scared of him?”
“Yeah. Of course, I am. He’s a lunatic. I’ll just have to be on high alert.”
