Page 47 of Pretend I’m Yours
“I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said, but didn’t move. I didn’t want his friend there to hear what I had to say, though I had a feeling he was already aware of the situation. The man just stood with his arms resting on top of his pool stick, and he stared at the table, not even acknowledging that I was there.
“Maybe we could step outside?” I suggested.
“No. If there is something you want to say to me, you can say it right here,” he said.
“I was hoping for a bit more privacy,” I tried again. I felt the lump in my throat returning, and I was afraid I was going to break down. I hadn’t thought that I would mind crying in front of him, but this isn’t how I wanted it to happen. “We’ve got all the privacy we need right here. Brody is aware of our situation, so you don’t need to worry about blowing your cover. Though, you already did that earlier with Mommy and Daddy, didn’t you?” He still wasn’t looking at me, only staring at the pool table, lining up his next shot.
“Drake, please look at me, I owe you an explanation,” I tried again.
“Listen, Hannah, it’s been a lot of fun spending that time with you, and I’m glad I was able to help you get through that shit with your ex, but the fact of the matter is that you and I come from two different worlds, and nothing is going to change that. We can pretend all we want, but that’s all we’re doing, pretending,” he said.
His words hit me like a punch in the stomach, and I could no longer stop the tears from springing into my eyes. I wanted to scream, I wanted to beg him to listen to me, I didn’t want to turn around and walk away, forgetting all that I’d put into this for the past period of my life.
But I could see that his mind was made up, and there was nothing I could do. He didn’t feel like he belonged, and after hearing what I’d said, there wasn’t any way I was going to change his mind. I had to just face the fact that I’d blown it and move on with my own life.
“If that’s how you feel,” I said at last, “I’ll have your check ready by tonight and we can go our separate ways.”
He didn’t look at me. His face was stone cold and expressionless as he continued to stare at the pool table in front of him. I stole a glance toward his friend, who looked much the same way. Both were clearly more invested in the game than in what I had to say.
I may as well not even exist. I waited for a moment, hoping that he would say something, anything. Wishing that he would change his mind and tell me he’d listen, just listen and hear what I had to say.
But, after a brief moment of nothing, he merely gave a slight nod. My heart pounded so hard in my chest I felt it might burst, and I turned on my heel, walking out as quickly as I could before the tears took over.
I swiped my hand across my eyes when I was back on the sidewalk, then I turned and started back in the direction from which I came. There were so many emotions swirling through me and yet I felt nothing at all. I couldn’t believe everything had come crashing down like this, and it was all my fault.
I passed an alley, not bothering to look in either direction. There was a part of me that almost didn’t care if I got struck by a car. Hell, it couldn’t hurt more than what I was dealing with now.
But it wasn’t a car that hit me. No, I was suddenly roughly grabbed, one strong hand around my waist and another clamped over my mouth. The scream that escaped my lips was muffled almost entirely. No one heard.
No one was coming to help me.
I didn’t know who this assailant was, but I knew I had to fight back. I tried to struggle, but they were much too strong. The next thing I knew, I was being shoved into the back seat of a vehicle, locked in with the interior handles removed.
I was a prisoner, and no one even knew I was missing.
21
Drake
“Dammit!” I said loudly. I didn’t care who looked in our direction. I was pissed. It didn’t matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t hit a ball straight to save my life. I would get in the right position, line up my cue with the ball, and hit in a steady, fluid motion. But, inevitably, the ball would go the exact opposite way I wanted it to, ending up in me losing my turn time and time again.
