Page 134 of Demo
I sigh. “Any chance I can get another ride today?”
“Don’t tell me you have more car trouble?”
“No.” I grab a towel off the rack in the bathroom and turn on the shower. “I left my car at the hospital—”
“The hospital?!”
“Yes. Oh, shit, no! Sorry, I buried the lead.” I give her the Cliff’s Notes version of night, and she says she can give me a ride, no problem. I call Bram next, and Emily answers the phone. She informs me my car is still at the hospital.
I get out of the shower and dress quickly in tight jeans and a Foo Fighters T-shirt, then dry my hair so I don’t get pneumonia when I go outside. I still have a few minutes before Dee will be here, so I apply some makeup.
Truth is, I’m not going to work today. I have someone I have to visit. And it’s long overdue.
And I don’t want to look like shit when I get there.
I swing open the bedroom door to find Knox sitting on my couch petting a sleeping Kennedy, who is curled up next to him. “You’re still here,” I say as I come to a screeching halt.
He looks me up and down before he replies. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“No,” I shake my head. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant. It’s just, I thought you would have left.”
“You don’t have your car here.”
“Oh, yeah, I called Dee. She’s coming to get me. She’ll be here any minute.” I head toward the coat closet and pull out my jacket, then shrug into it before grabbing my sneakers, and I lean my ass against the wall as I slip them on and tie them.
Knox runs his hand over his jaw as he works it back and forth, then splays his hands wide, his elbows resting on his knees. “Why wouldn’t I just drive you to get your car?”
I pull my hair out from under my jacket as I straighten up, then let out a sigh. “Because, Knox, we’re a little fucked up right now, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Oh, believe me, I noticed,” he grunts.
I grab my purse off the counter and sling it across my body. “I don’t have time for this. Please lock the door when you leave.”
I’m halfway down the stairs when I hear Knox’s heavy footfalls behind me. I turn and see he is shrugging into his own coat. “Lizzie, look, I know we’refucked up, as you so eloquently put it, but I think I should stay here until we figure out why the hell Sanders and another asshat broke in here and left drugs.”
“Yeah, not gonna happen.” I push open the door to the outside and find that, despite the snow on the ground, it’s quite a bit warmer than it was yesterday. And sunny.
“Then come stay at my dad’s with me. Or, you can stay at my dad’s, and I’ll stay here. Either way, I don’t want you to stay here by yourself.”
I spin on my heel to face Knox. “No, you see, you don’t get to do this.”
“Do what?”
“Try to rescue me!” I shout, arms outstretched. “You did this. You chose this.” Now I’m pointing my finger at his chest. “And you know what? You don’t get to ask me about a phone number you found on the refrigerator. You don’t get to know what’s going on in my life. You had plenty of secrets when we were together, so now you can live with the fact I’ll have some of my own.”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t have any secrets!” Knox is now flailing his arms. “Jenny and I didn’t have a relationship. We weren’t screwing around. It was one dark, messed up time and you found out the very next morning.”
“After I found the used condom in your truck! Oh, and after you fucked me the same night!” We are both breathing heavily now. A beat goes by. “That wasn’t the first time you disappointed me, was it?” I can see the anger starting to boil behind his eyes, and I like it.
“OK. OK, so we’re digging up the past now? Is that what we’re doing?” Knox wipes a bead of sweat from his brow despite the chill in the air.
I can’t answer him.
“Tell me,” he pleads. “Tell me I’ve never been good enough for you. TELL ME!”
I jump at his sudden rage.
“Tell me I partied too much. Tell me I played fast and loose with the drugs. Tell me I couldn’t measure up to your college buds. Tell me all I was ever bound to do was hang onto my daddy’s coattails. TELL ME!”
