“Yes,” I said, moving to the back door. Before my hand could reach the handle, Calvin had me by the waist, crying and begging for me to listen and not to leave him. “Get in the car, Calvin,” I ordered. “You’re gonna be arrested for public intoxication.”
I opened the back door and guided Calvin inside the cab. My fingers smashed against the metal frame as I created the barrier to stop his head from slamming into it. Once he was safely inside, I thought about sending him home alone, but where would I go? All my clothes were at Calvin’s, so I climbed into the back seat next to him.
“I’m so sorry, Whitney. Please forgive me,” he pleaded. “It wasn’t how it looked. I… she… it wasn’t how it looked.”
I didn’t respond. There was nothing to say in that moment. I was pissed. I had no idea who that girl was, or why she was spreading her legs for my man, or why he allowed it. He was drunk, useless right now, and I just wanted to get him to bed.
The cab pulled up in front of Calvin’s apartment building. He was nearly passed out, leaning heavily against the window, and had drool falling from the side of his mouth. I reached into my purse and handed the cab driver a twenty.
“Thank you,” I said, embarrassed beyond measure.
“Do you need help?” he asked.
“No, I got it,” I replied and clenched my fingers around Calvin’s nipples, twisting and pulling until he let out a yelp. “We’re home.” My voice was amazingly calm.
His eyes were so red I could barely see the blue in them. He climbed out of the cab, stopped at the steps of his apartment building and puked on the sidewalk.
Great, now I’m supposed to take care of him?
“I love you,” he mumbled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I guided him into the building and then up the three flights of stairs. My back was aching from supporting most of his weight, and my head hurt from the anger that was raging through my veins.
Finding the key was no easy task with Calvin leaning on me as I dug through my purse, but I finally managed to get us both inside before waking any of the neighbors.
Calvin tried to fall onto the couch, but I pulled him down the hallway to his bedroom. A large king bed was situated in the center of the room, perfectly made thanks to me. Two glasses of champagne sat on the nightstand where I’d planned a romantic greeting when he arrived home.
But he didn’t come home, did he? No, he was busy getting a lap dance from some slut!
I let him fall back onto the mattress and pulled off his shoes. I wasn’t sure if he had a bag or anything at the bar, and as soon as I started worrying about it, I stopped myself.
He doesn’t deserve my concern.
I worked the button of his jeans open then pulled down the zipper. He was like dead weight, not cooperating at all as I lifted his backside to pull the denim away from his body. His legs were dangling over the edge of the bed, and his eyes would barely stay open as he tried to speak. I couldn’t make out anything he said, just “sorry” and “love” stood out from the mumblings. My body was too sore, and I was too angry to bother with pulling him up higher onto the mattress. Instead, I grabbed a pillow, shoved it under his head and tossed a blanket over his limp and lifeless body.
He should be thankful I didn’t put that pillow over his face!
It was obvious he wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon, so I shut off the light and moved to the living room. I had already made myself at home here during the hours I waited for Calvin to arrive, but now it didn’t seem like home at all.
My phone vibrated in my purse. I searched for it until it was found near the bottom under my wallet. My best friend’s face appeared on my screen and tears welled up in my eyes.
“Hello,” I said as calmly as I could.
“What’s wrong?” Holly asked frantically.
“Nothing.” I wiped tears from my cheeks as I spoke.
“Bullshit, Whitney, spill it!” Holly demanded.
We’d been best friends since grade school, probably even before. As far back as I can remember, Holly was there. So it wasn’t a surprise that she picked up on the anxiety in my voice. “It’s just been a long night,” I admitted.
“Is the apartment bad? Are you in the ghetto?” she asked, her voice filled with panic. “If you are, don’t stay there, get a hotel.”
Her panic made me laugh a little. “No, the apartment is really nice and in a wonderful neighborhood.”
“Has Calvin done something?”
My throat clenched and swallowing became more difficult as I fought back my tears.
“Whitney?” she asked softly. “What did he do?”
My heart raced as I gripped the phone tightly in my hand. I wanted to tell her, but then again I didn’t. She was almost like a little sister to Calvin, always making wise cracks about him and saying he wasn’t good enough for me. And she was mad that we’d both moved away.
Did it matter now?
After a deep breath, I told her everything.
“What are you going to do?” she asked, her voice small. She seemed as shocked as me.
“I don’t know,” I admitted quietly.
The thought of going back home saddened me. I didn’t want to leave, not really, but how could I stay? Our life had been all planned out. After college, Calvin would go on to play in the majors, then we would be married, have a family, and live happily ever after. Nowhere in that plan was a blonde slut grinding her skanky twat against Calvin while he ignored my calls.
Who was this man? Only a day with his new team and he was already putting them first. Where did that leave me, us?
“Come home,” Holly murmured.
“No, I’m going to stay,” I stated firmly. “I want to hear his explanation.”
“Then I’m coming there.”
“No, please, there’s no reason for you to come, I can handle this,” I assured her, walking to the window and looking out.
“Whitney, you’re in a strange city, alone, and Calvin is acting like an ass. Just how do you plan to handle it?” she demanded.
I had no idea. “I’ll talk to Calvin, I’m sure it was just a mistake.” The moment the words came out of my mouth, I regretted them, knowing Holly would think I was excusing Calvin’s bad behavior. I was right. It clearly infuriated Holly by the growl coming from the other end of the phone.
“Fine, talk to Calvin, but I’m still coming,” she said.
Before I had a chance to protest, she’d already hung up. My heart sank at the thought of how she would handle things once here. I knew she loved Calvin, even with the digs she constantly tossed in his direction. She was jealous that he had taken me away, but that wasn’t his fault. I wanted to spend all my time with him, I loved him. I love him.
My throat was dry and my belly grumbling. I hadn’t eaten since I thought Calvin would take me somewhere special when I arrived. So much for that.
The kitchen floor creaked as I stepped onto the old wood slats and I thought I heard Calvin stirring in the bed. I paused and heard snoring, he was still asleep. I opened the fridge, searching for something to snack on. All that was inside was a pizza box with one slice of cheese pizza that was beginning to look more like a science experiment than a meal, two cans of beer, a jar of mustard, and cartons from a Chinese take-out place that I didn’t dare smell.