“I’m not going back there!” I criedwhen Sal had caught up with me.
“Okay, get in the truck,” he saidquietly.
“Promise me you won’t make me go backto Cole’s house. I want to go home,” I whimpered.
“I can’t do that, honey. You know yourplace isn’t safe. You can stay in my guest room. Kat’s already at my place,” hereminded me.
I simply nodded, trying desperately tohold back the onslaught of hysteria. I didn’t want to break down in front ofSal. I’d suffered enough humiliation already. The drive felt unbearably longbut we finally pulled up in front of his place. He ushered me inside and led meto his guest bedroom.
“I’m sorry,Scarlet.That was fucked up,” he muttered. I could tell he was out of his depth. Wedidn’t even know each other that well. But I knew him well enough to know thatdealing with emotion wasn’t his strong suit. “Get you anything?” he asked, histone concerned and hesitant.
“No, thanks,” I managed, barelyholding it together.
He simply nodded and closed the doorquietly behind him. The moment I heard the door click, my eyes filled withtears and I stifled a sob. I lay down on the bed and tried to be quiet as mybody shook with the force of my tears. It was mere moments before I heard thedoor quietly open and felt Kat’s body slide into bed with me. She put her armsaround me as I faced the wall and sobbed into the pillow.
“What happened?” she asked quietlyafter I’d been sobbing for an indeterminate amount of time.
“I…God, I have no idea!” I cried, mybreath coming out in gasps. “He didn’t come home, so I got worried and I calledhere to see if Sal had seen him. He said Cole was at the club so I went to gotalk to him. And he was just so….cold!” I sobbed. “He said he couldn’t look atme, that I shouldn’t be there. It was like he was a completely differentperson!” I wailed, no longer able to control the volume of my distress.
I heard Kat’s intake of breath as shesqueezed me tighter.
“After everything I told him today,how could he hurt me like that? I have never felt so humiliated or ashamed. Hecan’t look at me?” I cried. “How could he ever say something like that to me?”
“Oh, honey I’m so sorry,” she soothed.
I started crying again and couldn’tspeak. She just held me and whispered soothing words that I didn’t understandthrough my haze.
“It’s over,” I mumbled, my breathhiccupping. “I don’t ever want to see him again,” I said vehemently.
Kat didn’t say anything but just keptrubbing my back.
“What I don’t get is why he went toall the effort of dragging me back here when just hours later he was so capableof such cold indifference?” I asked.
“I don’t know, sweetie,” she saidsoftly.
“I can’t believe it’s over,” I mumbledhoarsely.
She continued to rub my back,murmuring soothing words.
I must have finally drifted offbecause the next thing I knew I heard yelling from the living room.
“You have completely gutted her!” Iheard Kat shrieking. “There is no way in hell I’m letting you back there. Shefinally lets someone in and this how you fucking repay her?”
“Get out of my way,” Cole’s deep voiceboomed.
“Put a hand on my woman and we’ve gotproblems man,” I heard Sal interject. “You need to go home and cool off.”
“Why the fuck is she under your roof?”Cole demanded angrily. How on earth had he thought he’d go home to find methere? I wondered how drunk he must be.
“Because after how you treated herthere was no way she was willingly going back to your place, and I wasn’t goingto let her go back to hers. So here she is,” Sal stated. “You need to get yourfucking head together man. I don’t know what that was about tonight but if youcare about her, and I know you do, you’ll go home.”
“She doesn’t want to see you, Cole,”Kat added angrily. “You’ll be lucky if she wants to see you again at all.”
“Fuck,” I heard Cole clip. “Fuck!” hebellowed again a moment later, his emotion apparent even through the walls.
“Go sleep it off man,” Sal instructed.
“It doesn’t feel right, leaving withouther,” I heard him say flatly.
