He is in his office on a conference call when the doorbell sounds. Rose told me earlier that she was stopping by today, so I assume it’s her. A quick look through the peephole confirms it. I unlock the door, swinging it open to smile at my best friend. “Oh, my God,” she squeals as she pulls me into her arms. “You look so much better, chick! I mean, not that you looked bad before…” We both look at each other before bursting into laughter. “Yeah, you looked like Hell warmed over.”
I pull the cardigan I’m wearing over my T-shirt and yoga pants closer around my body and motion her to the leather couch in the living room. The bruises on my face have started to fade some and now are more of a molten purple color than black. My face is freshly scrubbed and devoid of makeup and my hair is up and tied with one of the ponytail holders Lucian bought for me. I think he was secretly afraid I would use more of his designer underwear to make my own. After we’re settled side-by-side with our feet tucked under us, I say, “It’s so good to see you. I’m sorry I missed you the last time you were here. Lucian was determined that I sleep around the clock for the first few days after being released from the hospital.” I don’t add that I really haven’t wanted to see anyone. Here in this apartment, staring at the walls, I don’t have to pretend to be okay. Well…maybe when Lucian is with me, but even then, I don’t put a lot of effort into it. I just need time to deal with what happened to me in my own way, away from prying eyes that see too much.
“That’s okay; I got to stare at your hot boyfriend for a few minutes at least,” she jokes. Then she adds, “At least he’s not a complete cheating asshole like mine.”
My mouth drops open at her statement. Is she talking about Jake? I look at her carefully, thinking maybe she’s joking, but by the way she’s twisting her hands together, I don’t think she is. “Rose, what’s going on?” She lays her head back wearily against the couch.
“I shouldn’t have said that. The last thing you need is to hear about my problems. Just forget I mentioned it.”
I’m already shaking my head before she finishes speaking. “Oh, no, you don’t. You can’t drop something like that on me and then clam up. And trust me; I’d rather focus on anything other than myself right now, so spill.”
She groans loudly before turning to look at me. “Jake’s been cheating on me. I started suspecting something a few weeks ago when things just didn’t add up. Suddenly he would forget to call me or show up late for our dates. He was going off the grid for long stretches of time with no real explanation for where he’d been. Then there was the perfume I smelled on him, and when I asked him about it, he actually had the nerve to get angry with me for questioning him. So…I followed him one night when he said he was studying with the guys. He went to a house I didn’t know and locked lips with some skank right in the doorway.”
“NO!” I interrupt, unable to contain my amazement. Oh, my God, Jake cheating on Rose? They were like a super-couple. Together forever and sure to marry in the near future. They always seemed perfect for each other. They were one of the few things in my life I thought of as a constant. “Oh, Rose, surely there is some explanation. Maybe she’s just a friend.”
“Hmph, you don’t stick your tongue all over a friend’s tonsils while grabbing her ass.”
“Wow,” I say, still shocked. “I can’t believe that. Did you confront him?”
Fidgeting in her seat, she smirked, “Well, kinda…”
“Uh-oh.” I know that look well. Rose has done something evil; I can always tell.
“I might have waited until they went in her house and took out my heartache on his car…and possibly got arrested.”
She tagged the last part on so fast I almost missed it. “Wait, what?” I ask as my mouth falls open. Rose, smut-mouthed but law-abiding Rose.
“Yeah,” she says while shaking her head. “I guess the gunshots woke the neighborhood and my shouting match with Jake when he came flying out of the whore-bag’s house probably didn’t help much.”
“Holy crap, gunshots?” I know my eyes are bugging out of my head, which no doubt makes my battered face look even more unsightly than it already does.
Rose shrugs her shoulders. “I got a little excited and took my emergency shovel out of the boot of my car and knocked his windows out, but I wasn’t strong enough to puncture his tires with it, so I had to use my gun.” She looks so matter-of-fact that I feel like I’m overreacting for a moment before I shake it off. Hell, no I’m not!
“Oh, my God! Are you crazy? And what are you doing with a gun and a shovel in your car?”
Sounding perfectly reasonable, she says, “You know how much it snows around here in the wintertime. Sometimes, you need a shovel to navigate sidewalks or parking lots. As for the gun, I’ve had one for years. My daddy is a firm believer in protecting yourself. I’ve been able to hit a bull’s-eye in target practice every time since I was eight.” Cocking her finger, she points at me, adding, “Honey, if you’re ever in a gunfight, you are going to hope and pray I’m on your side.”