Page 45 of Run
I wasn’t even disappointed. These days I expect him not to show, and then send a lame text afterward. But, when a photoof him and some busty blonde chick came up on social media, I decided not to give him the time of day today.
The night goes by quickly, and after serving drinks and wiping down sticky tabletops, when I get home, all I want to do is take a shower and relax. While playing some music on my laptop and stepping into pajama pants and an old T-shirt, my phone vibrates and I see it’s Sean calling. I hit ignore and turn the music up a notch, but the phone keeps vibrating as I towel dry my hair.
Then a pounding at the door makes me jump. “Yo, Ari! Open up!” I stand just inside the door and wait, hoping Sean will leave, but he doesn’t. Instead, there’s more banging. “Hey! I can hear the music. I know you’re in there. What are you doing?”
I unlock the chain and the deadbolt, then turn the lock on the knob before pulling the door open. “What the …” He looks me over. “Why are you in those clothes? I thought we were hanging out?” Sean pushes past me into the apartment.
“It’s two in the morning.” I cross my arms over my chest and look down at my bare feet. “The day’s over.”
“I know I said I’d take you out,” he says as he plops down on our secondhand couch, “but something came up. Anyway, I’m here now.” Arms stretched over the back of the sofa and legs resting wide, he jerks his chin at me. “Come over here.”
I just look down at my feet. But when I hear the click of a lighter, my eyes dart over to see him lighting a cigarette. “Sean, I’ve told you, you can’t smoke in here.”
“Why?” He blows smoke out of his nostrils. “This place is a dump. I’m sure there’s nothing in the lease about it.”
I straighten my spine. “Because Sophie and I don’t like it.”
“That fat hog should probably start smoking. Maybe then she’d give up the Twinkies.”
“Stop it!”
“What?” He feigns innocence.
“She’s my best friend, and she’s the one who celebrated with me when you stood me up last night.”
Sean huffs. “Oh, OK, here we go. So that’s why you’re all bitchy. Look, babe, I told you, something came up.”
“Something with big boobs and blonde hair,” I mumble.
“Excuse me?” he snarls. I look at the floor and shake my head. “Huh?” he presses, standing up, and I see his shoes come into view on the floor, only inches from me. “Hey, look at me. Yo, Earth to Ari! Eyes up here!” He snaps and then grabs my face and jerks it up so I’m looking at him. My mouth is smooshed in his grip. “I asked you … What. Is. Your. Problem?”
Now that our faces are inches away from one another, I can see his bloodshot eyes and smell the alcohol on his breath.
“Nothing,” I grit out.
“Well, it sure as shit seems like something, seeing as you’re giving me hell right now.” He eases up his grip on me and I push away from him, putting a few feet of space between us. “Are you jealous? Is that it?” He takes another drag from his cigarette.
Squinting at him, I find my voice. “Forgive me if I don’t feel like letting you put your hands on me after you did God knows what with God knows who just last night. Or tonight, for all I know.”
He inhales, takes the cigarette out of his mouth, and exhales, nodding. “I understand.” He places the cigarette back in the corner of his mouth, talking around it. “Let me show you, Ari baby, just how much more you mean to me than any of the other women.” Sean starts to unbutton his jeans and I scoff.
He freezes. “Did you just roll your fucking eyes at me?” The cigarette bobs with every word. “When I’m over here, willing to make things up to you? Telling you that you’re important to me, and you’re mocking me?” Rage simmers behind his bloodshot eyes.
I know that look. I know it all too well.
“No,” I stammer. “I’m just tired from work tonight. Let’s make plans for another night, OK?” I try to take steps around him, but he takes a step to the side to block me.
Slowly reaching his hand up, Sean curls it around my neck, then slides it up so he’s gripping me right under my jaw, my head inclined. “I thought not many dudes would be into a stupid, white trash, snaggletooth bitch like you, but maybe I was mistaken. Maybe all the old fucks at the bar like to tap this little fire crotch. Huh?” He reaches his other hand down and cups my groin through my pajamas. “Do I need to stake my claim on this hot little ass? Huh?”
Plucking the cigarette from his lips, he blows a mouthful of smoke in my face, then releases me. We stare at each other for a moment before he reaches out and tugs me forward by the waistband of my pants, and I yell.
“No. Sean, what are you doing? Stop it.” Struggling in his grip, arms come around my middle and grab me from behind, lifting my legs into the air as I kick out. “Get off of me!” I claw at his arms, drawing blood.
“What the fuck?” He drops me on the floor. “You little bitch. You’re out of control, you know that?”
Scrambling on my hands and knees, my attempt to get my feet under me is futile because soon he’s on my back, straddling me as he pushes me flat to the floor. With a hand on the back of my head, he pushes my face into the hardwood with so much force I think my nose might break. With his other hand he tugs my shirt up, exposing my back.
“I’ll teach you a lesson for talking to me like that.” The words come out mumbled, around the cigarette again. I feel pressure on my back as he leans down, his face next to mine. He plucks the cigarette from his lips and blows a stream of smoke into my face. “You know, I thought Axel would have groomed you to be more obedient than this,” and he“tsk tsk tsks”into my ear.
