Fight With Me (Fight and Fall) (8 page)

             
“Yeah, I moved here last week. I’m from Arizona.”

             
“If you don’t mind me asking, who are, or
were,
you dating? And which guy harassed you? I pretty much know everybody around town. I’m not a gossip, so you don’t have to worry about me repeating anything you say,” she says firmly.

             
Hey, she might be able to shed some light on Marcus. Telling her everything might be a good idea. And if she ends of blabbing everything to the entire town, who cares? I’m well past the point of caring about what people think of me.

             
“Well, my boyfriend was Aiden Crowe and the guy that threatened me was Marcus something. I don’t know his last name, but he’s a mechanic over at the shop around the corner,” I say.

             
“You’re probably going to think this is a huge coincidence, but I’m very familiar with Aiden and Marcus,” she says.

             
I flinch. Oh my god! Did she fuck both of them or something?

             
She sees my expression and instantly starts talking.

             
“Oh, no. Not in the way you’re thinking. Sorry about that,” she says laughing nervously. “Do you know what happened between him and his wife? The details of how she left him?” she asks me.

             
I nod in agreement, wanting her to continue.

             
“Well, the guy that she left Aiden for…that was my former boyfriend,” she says embarrassed.

             
“You’ve got to be shitting me?!” I yell, looking around to see if anybody heard my outburst.

             
Thankfully no one did.  I need to make sure I use my inside voice. Pretend you’re in a library or something, Emma.

             
“I told you it was a small town. Everybody knows everybody, unfortunately. My ex, Brian, uh, I hate even saying his name, they ran off together as you well know. He had been hooking up with her before she moved to California with Aiden. We started dating around that time and I had no idea. I found out that he ran away with her from a text he sent me.”

             
I give her an incredulous look. What a fucking cocksucker! Wow, I’ve never met this guy but from what I know about Jessica, they are perfect together. A match made in hell.

             
“Yeah, I know. The text basically said I found someone prettier and younger than you. She’s better in bed, blah, blah, blah, pretty much all the things that you never want to hear from the person you love and were with for years. At the time I was heartbroken but I got over it. He did me a favor, and I realize that now. I won’t lie and say that I’ve had even worse relationships since then but I’m learning. I’m finally standing on my own two feet and growing a backbone,” she says triumphantly.

             
Her eyes look away from me as she fidgets with her fingers. What? Why is she all nervous now?

             
“So, about Marcus,” she says.

             
I cringe, only imagining what she’s about to say.

             
“He’s…there are rumors that he does a lot of illegal things, I guess. Drugs mainly. I haven’t had much contact over the years with him, but we did grow up together. All through school actually,” she says frowning.

             
“I never had a run in with him but the other girls would talk about him. He was kind of a player and hooked up a lot. They said how he would choke them and tie them up during sex. Not in the kinky way but in a harmful way. Some even admitted that they passed out during. I think that they were really stupid and thought that it was just taboo sex.”

             
“He would always get into fights with other guys during school about stupid things. Like if somebody looked at him the wrong way. I heard that Aiden and Marcus had a scuffle a few days ago, and I was shocked because I haven’t heard about Marcus in years. He doesn’t date anybody, I don’t think. I don’t know…something about him bothers me. I don’t trust him and obviously with good reason if he’s harassing you. What did he say to you exactly, if you don’t mind me asking?”

             
“He pretty much goaded me and told me that he wanted me to attack him. He said that after I did, that I would be punished. He would snap my arm and choke me. Aiden and he got into a fight over me. He told Aiden that we slept together when I got into town, which is fucking impossible. I went home with Aiden the first night I arrived,” I say blushing.

             
Well if she doesn’t already think I’m a slut, she does now.

             
“I really have no clue why he’s bothering me. I first saw him at my work and he gave me the evil eye. It’s really weird. There’s something going on that I don’t know about. I want to find out what but I sure as hell won’t go all Nancy Drew on his ass. He fucking scares me,” I say truthfully.  

             
“Just be careful and watch your back, okay? I’m worried by what you told me. If you ever need to talk or you don’t feel safe, I’m here,” she says to me.

             
I don’t know her very well but from what I can tell, she’s good people. I really need to get friends of the female variety. Girl’s nights are something I need to start doing again. I can’t lean on Lucas all the time and I can’t wallow in heartache for Aiden. I need to follow her lead and grow a backbone too. I’ll save the crying and sobbing over a wounded heart for bedtime.

             
“Hey, I know this is kind of like, hey, be my friend, but I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. You know, like, have girl time. We could go shopping and bash men, or whatever is it that women do. I have no idea,” I say laughing.

             
“Yeah, that would be fun. I’m normally an introverted person, but when I saw that you were distraught, I had to see if I could help. Part of turning over a new leaf kind of thing,” she says.

             
I see the guy with beanie come up behind her, as I signal her of his arrival.

             
“Hey, Riley. You’re break is almost over,” he says to her smiling.

             
Is this her new boyfriend? He seems to really like her by the looks I see him give her.

             
“Okay, Robert. I’ll be over there in a second,” she says smiling back at him.

             
He walks back to the counter and I wiggle my eyebrows at her.

             
“So, is that your boyfriend?” I ask curiously.

             
“Robert? No way! He’s the owner, well, the son of the owner. He’s pretty much my boss,” she says.

             
“Well, he totally has a thing for you. Just saying. If you want to tap that, I doubt that he’d be opposed. Every time I look over at him, he’s practically drooling,” I say to her.

             
“He probably was just looking at somebody else when you saw him. Robert’s not like that with me,” she says, oblivious and in total denial.

             
“Let me text you my number so you have it in your phone,” she says changing the subject. “I’m Riley, if you didn’t realize by him calling me that,” she says laughing, reaching out her hand to shake mine.

             
“Nice to officially meet you, Riley. I’m Emma,” I say returning the shake.

             
She texts me her number and I save it in my contacts, hitting a bunch of buttons by accident. Fucking new phone! I feel like a caveman trying to understand how to use it.

             
I wave goodbye to her and walk out of the coffee shop. I start walking towards Lucas’s apartment, in a somewhat good mood. Well, at least a better mood than when I arrived there.

             
Today may have started out shitty but it definitely improved. Who knows? Maybe I just got through the heart of the storm and the sunset is waiting for me on the other side.

             
Who the fuck are you kidding, Emma? This is
your
life that we’re talking about. Fat fucking chance.
 

I open the door to Lucas’s, fond memories of him and I against the door last night. Memories that can never occur again. Those are naughty thoughts, Emma.

             
I go over to his kitchen, rummaging through cabinets. The only thing I see are a few cans of soup and ramen noodles. What is it with single guys and their fucking ramen? Jesus Christ!

             
I realize that I can’t make the food now because it takes about a second to make. I’ll wait a little bit before his shift is over to pop it in the microwave. I hope he didn’t expect a gourmet meal tonight because all he’s getting is a sad, lonely bag of sodium soaked noodles. Bon appetite, Lucas.

             
I start tidying up the apartment, which isn’t difficult to do. The only thing he has a lot of are DVDs. Maybe I can rearrange them alphabetically. I’m bored as fuck and need something, anything to keep my hands busy and my mind distracted.

             
I start sifting through his collection and come across
The Goonies
. I need a pick me up flick and this will do the job just fine. I put it in, engrossed like I’ve never seen it before. I squeeze the pillow from the couch in between my legs, hanging on every line from the movie.

             
I hear the door open near the end of the movie, putting the DVD player on pause. I look over at Lucas, who looks worn out. He smiles slightly at me, collapsing on the couch beside me. He puts his arms around me, enveloping my body in a bear hug. I try to pull away from him, not fully comfortable with the proximity.

             
“Lucas…” I start to say.

             
“Please, Em. I had a rough night and I just want to hold you. I won’t try anything, I swear,” he says sighing.

             
I exhale too, unable to resist his request.

             
“Okay, but if there’s anything going on down south, no dinner for you,” I say saucily.

He laughs, moving his head into the crook of my shoulder. He smells like sweat and booze. On most men, that combo would be
gross, but on him it smells amazing. The mixture makes me inhale deeply. I bask in his warmth. I don’t feel anything sexual anymore though, not since this afternoon with Aiden. I just feel safety and comfort in his arms.

I move
away from him, not wanting him to think that I’m encouraging him. Plus, I really want to know why he had a bad night. I hope it wasn’t because of me.

“Lucas, talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong,” I say in a
n almost motherly tone.

Maybe if I act like a mother hen it will to
tally turn him off. Not likely though.

“
Em, it fucking sucks when you’re not at work. I don’t know if I just don’t notice things because I’m always focused on you or what. Everybody was just being an asshole today,” he says frustrated. “Leslie especially.”

My ears perk up at this little tidbit. Very interesting.

“What happened?” I ask intrigued.

“She kept bitching at me more than usual and I confronted her about it. She said that I had my head so far up my ass that I wouldn’t even understand if she told me. She also started
talking shit about you,” he says growling.

I inwardly chuckle. I think I know exactly why Leslie doesn’t care for me. It doesn’t bother me because she has every right to dislike me. Lucas is fixated on me and she wants him. I just have to figure out a way to make him
see that and want her too.

“Oh yeah? What did she say?” I ask
, hiding a smile.

“Just that all you do is cause drama. Ever since you came into town
there have been fights. I told her that none of it was your fault and she flipped out on me for defending you. She said you were just using me to get over Aiden. I guess she heard that you moved in with me and decided to try and protect me. I told her to mind her own business and she freaked out and flipped me off. She went home before we settled anything,” he says sighing.

“Lucas, Leslie is right about me,” I say, looking him straight in the eye.

He starts to protest but I cut him off. I need him to see the real me.

“No, it’s fucking true. Look at all of the stuff that’s happened since I’ve come here. All the bullshit that’s occurred was my fault or happened indirectly because of me. I’m a magnet for trouble
. Always have been and probably always will be,” I say.

“
I wanted to talk to you tonight, so here it goes. I’ll tell you about my life in Arizona and what’s happened since I’ve moved here. I want you to know everything.”

Well not everything. Not the main reason I moved here.
I can’t do that yet. If I tell anybody, it will be Aiden first and foremost. I owe him that much at least.

I reiterate my past to him, telling him every detail that I told Aiden. I tal
k about Jeremiah and the cancer, my panic attacks and my indiscretions. I mention Aiden but not about my love for him. He would think I’m crazy and just think that my feelings for him or irrational at this stage of knowing each other. Hell, I would think I was crazy too.

I talk about
what Aiden told me earlier, even though I probably shouldn’t have. I’m sure Aiden wouldn’t appreciate but I had to let him know where I stand. I can’t give him false hope. I want Lucas to give up on me and move on. Hopefully with Leslie.

I break down a few times, crying as he consoles me, whispering that everything will be okay.

I tell him everything that went down with Marcus and he is none too happy. Scratch that. He’s livid.

“He fucking pulled that shit right outside the bar in front of people?” he asks, trying to figure out the nerve Marcus.

“Yep. That was the only thing making me feel somewhat safe. I knew that if I started having a panic attack, he might drag me back behind the building and hurt me,” I say, chills breaking out across my flesh.

“Shit! I’ll ask around and see if anybody knows more about him. I only moved here when I was a freshman in high school
, so I never really associated with the guy. Fucking douchebag!” he bites off.

“I’ll call my dad later and tell him what’s up. We’ll have to keep a very close eye on you, especially now
that Aiden’s gone. I’ll make sure that you’re safe, Em. I’ve got your back,” he says arching his eyebrows, “and your front if you want me to,” he says smirking.

Fucking, Lucas. Can only stay serious for so long before his flirty side comes out. I smirk at him, realizing I wouldn’t have him any other way.

“I’ll pass but thanks anyways,” I say to him.

He shrugs, acting like my rejection is no big deal.

“So, I promised you dinner and I will
deliver on the commitment right now. We definitely need to grocery shopping tomorrow. Since we both have the day off, you can have the pleasure of accompanying me to the store,” I say sweetly.

“Ugh
, Em. I hate grocery shopping. I’d rather just go and eat out for every meal,” he says groaning.

“Hey, grocery shopping tomorrow. End of story,” I say firmly, cracking a smile.

“Fine. You win. We’ll take my car though because it’s too far to walk. I was thinking we could stop by the house where they filmed
The Goonies
. I’m guessing you haven’t been there yet, right?”

“Oh my fuc
king God, that would be awesome! I’ve just been so busy lately and I totally forgot about seeing it,” I say squealing.

He smiles at my enthusiasm. I wish Aiden could be there with me but a girl can only have so many good things.

I get up off the couch, heading into the kitchen. Lucas follows in behind me, resting his arms across his chest while he leans against the counter.

“What if we invited Leslie along? We could all hang out tomorrow,” I say, trying to gauge his reaction while I open the packet of noodles.

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea, Em. She fucking pissed me off when she started talking about you. I really don’t want to be around her, and I doubt that she would even want to come,” he says annoyed.

“Look, you guys seemed like you were friends before I came into the picture. I don’t want to be the one to ruin what you guys have. Leslie seems really cool and she’s one of the few people who don’t take your shit. I
like that about her. You need to be with someone like that,” I say.

“Well, I thought that I already found somebody like that. You pretty much just described yourself there,
Em,” he says looking at me.

I can
’t read his expression, so I don’t know if things have gotten heavy or he’s just being his usual flirty self.

“Yeah, but you forget that I’m not in the running. I’m off the cutting block,” I say smirking.

He looks at me frowning, obviously not liking my response. What does he expect me to say? That all of sudden I changed my mind? That I really want to be with him and not even bother trying to work it out with Aiden?

I see him struggling to respond, but his eyes and posture
finally relax again and he smirks.

“You win,
Em. I’ll text Leslie in a little bit and ask her to hang with us.”

“Thank you. I promise, you won’t regret it. We’ll have
lots of fun.”

I pop the noodles in the microwave and
tap my fingers on the counter, waiting for them to be done.

Lucas walks over to me, a predatory look in his eye. I swallow deeply,
afraid of what he’s about to do. He comes closer to me, causing me to be pressed up against the edge of the counter. My eyes widen.

“I know what you’re trying to do,
Em” he whispers huskily.

“Huh?” I choke out, un
comfortable by his presence.

“You’re trying to set me up with Leslie so I’ll leave you alone. Pretty sneaky of you but not good enough,” he whispers, looking deeply into my eyes.

He presses his body against mine and I feel him lengthen within in jeans, the hardness pressing against me. I gulp, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. Him being this close makes me nervous.

“Lucas, we can’t,” I choke out.

His body against mine feels so right yet so wrong. My body might be in it but my heart isn’t.

“
Shhh,” he whispers to me.

He grabs my ass with his hands, lifting me up onto the counter. His palms knead my flesh, making me shiver. He angles his head up towards me, kissing the flesh on my neck.

“I just can’t seem to keep my hands off of you, Em. There’s just something about you. It makes guys crazy. I see how they look at you at work,” he growls.

He thrusts himself into my center and we both groan. This is wrong, I need to stop this. I have
flashbacks of earlier today with Aiden. Him driving himself into me and coming inside of me. What if I’m truly pregnant? It might not just be about Aiden and I any longer. There could be a tiny life growing within me and here I am, letting another man touch me. I can’t do this to Aiden, to my possible unborn child.

A loud beeping sound comes from the microwave, letting us know that the food is ready. I jump from the sound, pushing Lucas roughly away from me.

I sit on the counter, breathing heavily with need. You’re fucking insatiable, Emma. You had Aiden fuck you senseless earlier and now you almost let Lucas do the same? Enough is enough.

Lucas looks at me, his eyes glazed over with lust. He rubs his hands over his eyes in frustration. I’m sure he has a terrible case of blue balls because of me and my mixed signals. Sorry to be such a tease, Lucas.

“I’m sorry, Em. I shouldn’t have done that. I lost control. I haven’t had sex in over a week and it’s finally catching up with me, I guess,” he says sighing.

“It was my fault too, Lucas. Don’t take all the credit. The
re’s just something genuinely wrong with me. When it comes to sex, it takes every ounce of willpower to just hold myself back. Before I got married, I pretty much fucked any guy with a working dick. It was fun and I had a good time but then it got old. I got married and realized how nice it was to be with just
one
person. Then I started dating Aiden and it’s just…I want you, I truly do, but it’s not something that can happen. Too many people will get hurt because of it. I need to stop being selfish and you need to realize that I’m not the person for you. I’m not the woman you need, Lucas,” I say.

“Maybe I should move out. This is just getting too hard and we’ve only been
living together for two days,” I say regretfully.

“No, I don’t want you to move out. Not at all,
Em. I really wants us to stay roommates and friends. I like having you around. We have fun together and you make me laugh my ass off. I guess you and I are similar when it comes to sex. I sleep several women a week because I can. I guess I’ve always wanted a relationship but never found that one person who made me want to try. I think that I’m attracted to you because you’re just like me. We joke around and you have no idea how hard that is, to find a women who you can just laugh and have a good time with.”