It was a single word, but it cut me to the bone. I was losing her faster than I could figure out how to make it right, and it was terrifying.
“I love you,” I choked out, but she remained agonizingly quiet.
“I love you too,” I whispered inaudibly to the ceiling with tears streaming from my eyes. “I love you too.”
“YOU STUPID SON OF A bitch!” Flint yelled as he charged through the front door.
My eyes swung to Quarry as I tried to figure out what he could have possibly done to warrant this kind of explosive reaction, but when I turned back to Flint, his rage had homed in on me.
“Are you talking to me like that?” I asked, dumbfounded.
I’d seen Flint lose his cool before, but never like this. That just wasn’t who he was. Me or Quarry, sure. But with the exception of when he’d lost it at the gym on Derrick Bailey, Flint was pretty chill.
“You’re an idiot. You fucked us all!” he screamed, stopping only inches from my face.
I wasn’t sure what the hell kind of Freaky Friday bullshit had happened that had transported Quarry into Flint’s body, but clearly, something unnatural had taken place. I was so confused that I couldn’t even formulate a stern response.
“Me?” I asked one more time just for clarification, causing Quarry to laugh beside me.
“What the hell is wrong with you? You couldn’t get your shit together, so now, she’s dating Derrick.”
“Who?” I questioned even though I knew the answer. But my throat had suddenly closed, and it was the only word I could force out.
“Eliza!” he roared, shoving my chest with both hands.
I stumbled a few steps, but it had less to do with his physical push and everything to do with her.
“No.” I shook my head, rejecting his statement.
“Oh yeah. I just passed them strolling arm in arm to his Mercedes.” He stepped back into my face. “Why? Why? Why!” he screamed.
“Why what?”
“Why can’t you get your shit together? Goddammit, she’s going to leave us! He’s a fucking piece of shit who hates you. You might as well have wrapped her in a pretty, red bow and handed her to him.” He stepped away and started to pace a familiar pattern. “Till, he’s rich. He’s gonna take her to nice places and give her nice things. She’ll get a taste of that life and won’t want to come back to us. She’ll be gone. ”
He was irrational, yet I hung on his every word.
“He’s gonna charm her into believing that he’s something he’s not and then take her away.”
“She’s not stupid. She won’t fall for his bullshit.” I stated matter-of-factly, but in my head, each sentence was punctuated with a giant blinking question mark.
“Why would she go out with that douchebag?” Quarry asked, but I couldn’t focus.
“You have to fix this.” Flint stilled. “Start using the fucking door.”
I sighed and grabbed the back of my neck. “It’s not that easy.”
“Oh yeah?” He turned and stormed out of the front door only to immediately walk back in. He made a show of turning the knob and swinging the door. “I’m pretty sure it is that easy, brainiac.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I shot back.
“Oh, I don’t? Maybe you’ve forgotten that these floors work both ways. I’ve heard all your fantasy bullshit arguments with her.” He gave me a pointed look.
“Truth,” Quarry chimed in.
“Then you should understand that I can’t give her what she wants!”
“Pull your fucking head out of your ass and stop being such a pussy. You living in this ridiculous-ass fantasy world is fucking up reality for the rest of us. Including her.” He strode to his room, slamming the door behind him.
“Christ.” I dropped my head into my hands, feeling more lost than ever.
“For the record, are you not going to yell at him for cussing?”
“Get out of here, Q.”
“I’m just saying that—”
“Go!” I barked, and he wandered down the hall, joining Flint in their bedroom.
“What the fuck am I doing?” I whispered to myself, but Eliza wasn’t there to answer for me. She’d know exactly how to fix this.
I sat on those stairs for well over three hours. I repeatedly flipped through the pages of her sketchbook, tracing my fingers over the lines just because I knew her hands were the ones that had drawn them. It mildly calmed the chaos in my mind.
Finally, around ten, she came strolling up the sidewalk—surprisingly alone.
“Hey,” I said, taking in her sexy, red heels and hating Bailey that much more because he’d gotten to enjoy them.
“Hey,” she replied, nervously twirling her ponytail.
I sighed. “Really, Doodle? Derrick?” I shook my head in disappointment—at myself.
“He’s not a bad guy, Till. He’s actually pretty nice.”
“Sure.” I nodded. “But why him? Is this to get back at me? Some sort of punishment for not giving you what you want? Because you should know, it’s working. Really fucking well.” I laughed without humor.