I was sitting on the floor with my back against the couch, staring at the slice of pizza in my hand, trying to avoid looking Elle in the eye. Since I’d gotten home I had showered, done laundry and even went for a run to keep from telling her what had happened with Marcus.
The problem was, of course, my best friend knew me too well. The offer of a large extra-cheese with the works was impossible for me to pass up. And so here I was, completely outfoxed, betrayed by my own stomach.
My would-be interrogator chewed silently, patiently. When I finally risked meeting her gaze, she struck.
“Oh, you’re not asleep with your eyes open?” Elle snarked.
I sighed. “Stop torturing me, please. Get on with the ‘I told you so’ before the rest of our pizza gets cold.”
Elle shook her head. “Absolutely not. One text in the middle of the night, then you avoid me all morning? I’m savoring this as long as possible.”
“That’s fair,” I admitted.
Elle dropped her half-eaten slice and slid over to sit next to me. “Spill it, Ol. What happened with Marcus Moore, man of mystery?”
“Nothing,” I muttered, biting into my pizza and avoiding her gaze. “I don’t want to talk about him. I want to forget all about that high-handed asshole.”
“Fine, fine.” She raised her hands in mock surrender, a grin spreading across her face. “I can’t make you talk. But I do feel the need to remind you that you basically said the same thing before running off to spend the entire night with him, so… if you ended up in the same place, where’d the journey take you?”
“I know. You were right, okay?” I grumbled. “Let’s just eat our pizza.”
“Alright,” she agreed, digging back in to our overpriced lunch, though her smirk told me she wasn’t done teasing me yet. We continued eating in silence for a moment until Elle couldn’t resist poking me one last time. “You know, it’s hard to forget someone as sexy as Marcus. Especially when he’s got those tattoos and that body—”
“Elle!” I snapped, throwing a balled-up napkin at her. She laughed, batting it away and holding up her hands in surrender.
“Okay, okay, I’ll stop,” she promised, still chuckling. “For now.”
“Thank you,” I muttered, taking another bite of my pizza. But despite Elle’s promise, I knew she wouldn’t let this go. But I was too embarrassed to tell her yet. I knew Elle would be as horrified as I had been about Marcus basically trying to make me the latest in a long line of kept women. And, secretly, I was afraid that Elle would see a part of me was sad to have to let him go.
“Anyway,” Elle said, changing the subject as she gnawed on a bit of crust. “I ran into one of the rabbits downstairs earlier.”
“No way!” That got my attention. There was a couple on the top floor of our building who’d gained a real reputation for getting it on constantly. And loudly. Day and night, anytime we went into the hallway, we could hear them going at it. Thus our nickname for them, the rabbits.
“Oh yes. Mr. Rabbit. Honestly, I was surprised he could even walk down to the lobby.”
“I am too,” I added. “What was he doing, and where was Mrs. Rabbit?”
Elle giggled. “That’s the best part. He was down there getting a delivery.”
I leaned in, lowering my voice jokingly. “Condom restock?”
“Better. Energy drinks. Two cases!”
We collapsed in a heap of hysterical laughing. “That explains the stamina,” I gasped out.
“I’m going to steal the next delivery, or at least swap it with herbal tea or something. They need a break, the whole building needs a break,” Elle said.
“I just wonder how they afford the rent and the energy drinks. Unless they’re porn stars, they don’t stop banging long enough to go to work.”
“Good question. Speaking of work,” Elle said, glancing down at her phone as it buzzed and lit up. “My new boss just texted me and wants me to run an errand for him.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “The plight of a personal assistant, I suppose.”
“Ugh, that sucks,” I sympathized, reaching over to pat her hand. “Don’t worry, it’ll get better.”
“Thanks,” she sighed, giving me a weak smile before standing up to clear away the remnants of our pizza. “You’re lucky your job actually gives you proper work to do. All I get are menial tasks like picking up his dry cleaning or fetching him coffee.”
“Hey, everyone has to start somewhere,” I reassured her. “He sees how smart and dedicated you are. You’ll work your way up in no time, I’m sure of it.”
“Here’s hoping,” she said with a rueful smile, grabbing her purse and heading for the door. “I’ll see you later, Olivia. Have a good evening.”
“Bye, Elle,” I called after her, forcing a smile onto my face as I waved her off. With her gone, my thoughts drifting back to Marcus and how badly things had ended between us. It sucked that Elle had to work, but I was relieved to not have to tell her the whole sordid story yet.
I stood by the window, watching Elle make her way down the sidewalk. My eyes caught sight of the dark sedan parked across the street. It seemed out of place in our neighborhood—a little too fancy for the area. I couldn’t help but wonder what it was doing there.
“Who’d bring a car like that around here?” I muttered to myself, my fingers tapping the windowsill anxiously.
With a sigh, I plopped back onto the sofa, the plush cushions enveloping me as I tried to figure out how to spend the rest of my afternoon. My gaze landed on my phone, and for a moment, I found myself hoping Marcus had called. But then I remembered he didn’t even have my number.
“Good,” I told myself firmly, trying to sound convincing. “Since I don’t want to speak to him ever again.” Despite my words, I knew deep down that I wasn’t being entirely truthful with myself. Remnants of feelings for him were too stubborn to shake loose yet..
I picked up my phone and began scrolling through social media, desperate for any sort of distraction. But as I skimmed through the endless stream of pictures and posts, my thoughts kept drifting back to Marcus—his muscular arms, his confident stride, how alive I felt when I was with him.
“Enough,” I said aloud, setting my phone aside and standing up. “I need to get out of here.”
Determined to shake off my thoughts of Marcus, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door, locking it behind me. As I walked down the street, I noticed the dark sedan again, its presence seeming to loom over me. I tried to dismiss the nagging feeling that it was following me, chalking it up to paranoia.
I headed towards a nearby bookstore and coffee shop that had become one of my favorite places to unwind. Upon entering the bookstore, I breathed in the familiar scent of old paper and freshly brewed coffee, immediately feeling a sense of calm wash over me. This small sanctuary was nestled between two loud bars already crowded with day-drinkers, yet somehow it managed to maintain a quiet, cozy atmosphere. The gentle hum of patrons flipping through pages and tapping on their laptops provided a soothing background noise.
I scanned the room, noting an older woman with silver hair and horn-rimmed glasses engrossed in a mystery novel, a college student scribbling feverishly in his notebook, and a young couple whispering feverishly as they shared a graphic novel. I smiled, comforted by the presence of fellow book lovers.
I had barely settled into my usual spot when I felt someone approach me. I looked up to see a cute guy, around my age, grinning at me. His eyes were warm and friendly, and his dimpled smile made him instantly likable.
“Hey, can I buy you a cup of coffee?” he asked, with a somewhat nervous yet charming tone.
Before I could even respond, an enormous figure suddenly appeared between us. The newcomer was tall and built, with a shaved head that gave him an air of menace. He reminded me of Marcus in a way, but there was something different about this man – less polished, perhaps.
“Buzz off, kid,” the stranger growled, causing the younger guy to blanch and retreat without another word.
“Who the hell are you?” I demanded, baffled by this stranger’s rudeness.
“Tommy,” he replied gruffly. “We have a mutual friend.”
I doubted that.
“Marcus Moore,” he added, lowering his voice so no one else would hear.
My heart skipped a beat, suspicion flaring up inside me. “Did he send you here?”
“Promise he didn’t,” Tommy assured me. “In fact, he’d kill me if he knew I was here talking to you like this.”
“Then why are you?” I asked, crossing my arms defensively. More weirdness. It seemed to be just how things were in Marcus’s world.
“Look, I just wanted to make some things clear,” Tommy said, his voice softening slightly as he sank down into the chair next to mine.
“How did you find me?”
He shrugged. “It’s what I do. I was heading over to your place when I saw you duck in here.”
I frowned. What was it with these guys acting like stalking is normal behavior? A big part of me wanted to tell him to go away, but I was also curious. “You’ve got five minutes.”
“Fair enough,” Tommy replied. “Look, Marcus is a mess. He’s an idiot. But he’s not a monster.”
“My dating standard is a bit higher than just ‘not a monster’,” I replied coldly.
“Of course, as it should be.” Tommy laughed, his deep voice filling the small space around us. “I meant no disrespect, Olivia. I just wanted to see for myself what it is about you that’s got Marcus so twisted up. I get it now. You’re not like the girls he usually fools around with.”
“Great, so I’ve got that going for me. I feel so special,” I muttered sarcastically. My heart raced as I tried to understand why any of this mattered. “So what does that mean? Are you here to warn me away from him or ask me to give him another chance?”
“Neither,” Tommy said, leaning back in his chair. He cracked his knuckles, making me wince at the sound. “I’m not like Marcus; I don’t feel the need to tell people what to do. I just wanted you to know that despite his many flaws, he’s a good man. He’s done some bad things, but he’s also been through a lot.”
“Are you trying to make me feel sorry for him?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. I couldn’t understand why Tommy felt the need to defend Marcus to me when he’d already admitted Marcus would be furious if he knew he was here.
“No, I’m just telling you how it is. How he is.”
“Thanks for that,” I said. “But it doesn’t change what happened between us. Tommy, do you even know what Marcus tried to do?” I hesitated for a moment before continuing. “He wanted to move me into his building and give me a job. Already.”
“Damn,” Tommy chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “The sex must have been really good.”
My cheeks felt hot with embarrassment, but I couldn’t help but be charmed a bit by Tommy. I could see him and Marcus being good friends. “We had a good time together,” I admitted, trying to regain my composure. “But I’m not sharing details, and that doesn’t explain his actions.”
“Olivia,” Tommy said, leaning back in his chair with a grin. “You don’t strike me as the prudish or judgmental type.”
“Maybe not,” I replied, playing with a loose thread on my shirt. “But Marcus’s crazy possessiveness and you know, his work or whatever. The shady stuff. That combination scares me.”
Tommy sighed, rubbing his beard thoughtfully. “That’s smart. And it’s fair to feel that way. But just consider that people are complicated. We’re all better than the worst thing we’ve ever done. Marcus is, at his core, a solid guy. Even if his brain is sometimes in his ass.”
I grinned, considering his words. It was clear that Tommy cared deeply for Marcus, and he seemed to genuinely believe that Marcus meant well. But could I really trust someone who’d already proven himself to be so unpredictable?
“Thanks for telling me all of this,” I said finally, standing up and shouldering my bag. “But I need some time to think. I can’t make any final decisions about whether or not to see Marcus again just yet.”
“No problem,” Tommy agreed, also getting to his feet. “Just remember that life’s too short to live it afraid, Olivia. Whatever you decide, make sure it’s what makes you happy. And as someone who’s known him for years, I can promise this one thing. Life with Marcus is never boring.”
With that, we exchanged a brief nod before parting ways, leaving me with more questions than answers.