I bolt to the door and catch Jared slamming the truck’s door through the peephole. Panic bubbles inside me and I lock the door. I’m not ready to talk about it. About Caroline. To listen to his excuses. Or to have him confirm my worst fear. That I mean nothing to him.
“Come on, babe,” Jared yells through the door. “Open up. Give your man a proper welcome!” The tension lacing his words makes my skin crawl. His outbursts always made me shrink, but now it’s worse. “Eliza!” he yells, and the bangs reverberate in my ribcage. “Open the damn door, or I’ll open it for you. Stop being dramatic.”
Carter’s still by the island, looking angrier by the second.
“You’re only making things harder for yourself. If you come home with me now, I’ll be a forgiving boyfriend,” he chuckles and I’m too shocked to grow a backbone and tell the cheater to fuck off. I lean against the door, frozen, a dark mist dancing over my vision.
There’s a shift in the air and I sense Carter slowly approaching. He’s getting bigger and angrier with each step. This is the moment he’s had enough of my drama. He’s coming to kick me out. The trembling in my limbs is uncontrollable. Each bang on the door brings Carter closer until his hand shoots out. Instead of reaching for the doorknob he slides his large palm under the back of my head and pulls me to his chest. The deafening thrumming vibrating in my head could be his heartbeat. But it’s mine.
Bending his head, his lips move against my hair.
“Go in the bedroom. Don’t come out,” he says in a soothing voice. In complete contrast to the angry set of his jaw.
I can’t say anything, knees trembling so badly, I can barely stay upright.
“Eliza, do you hear me?” The familiar irritation in Jared’s question makes my stomach drop.
I nod and rush to the only place that feels safe. Sliding down the wall in Carter’s bedroom, my lungs fight for air.
Jared’s pounding stops for a moment as Carter steps outside and closes the door behind him. Carter’s words are muffled, but my ex-boyfriend bellows again. I’ll never be able to look Carter in the eye. There’s a high chance I’ll die of mortification.
“Who the hell are you?”
I creep toward the hallway where Carter’s low, dangerously calm voice carries. I catch some parts of his answers.
“Are you keeping my girlfriend from me?”
My roommate’s answer is short and hushed.
“I’m going to call the police for kidnap!” Jared pushes back.
Carter’s voice rises dangerously. “Go ahead, if you want to end up in jail for trespassing. Isn’t that her truck?”
“What?! How do you—”
“Keys. Now. Or do you want to add theft to the list?”
“But…you can’t,” he stutters before yelling again. “Eliza! Come out! Who’s this clown?”
“Maybe I’ll call the police since you don’t understand simple instructions.”
“Not man enough to fight me yourself?” Jared mocks him and I shrivel with embarrassment.
“You’re not worth a trip to the police station,” Carter chuckles humorlessly. “Move.”
“Fuck you, city boy. You about done warming the bed for me?” A hurt gasp dies in my throat. Who is this man?
The next moment, heavy steady footsteps thunder on the gravel and hurried shuffle ones follow.
“OK! OK!” Jared pleads. “Keep the damn junk.”
The metallic clink of the keys hitting the gravel is followed by Jared’s parting yells.
“Eliza! I know you can hear me! This is not over! I love you.”
“Leave.” The hairs on the back of my neck prickle from the sheer force of Carter’s command.
I hold my breath waiting to see if Jared tries anything stupid. A sigh of relief whooshes out when the front door closes gently, and the sound of Carter’s leather shoes approaches the bedroom.
