Cornered (Braving Love Trilogy #1)

by Ariana Gael

  “I just don’t understand, Annie. Where’s Michelle? I gotta talk to her. I gotta tell her that I’m sorry. Is she even okay? How did I not know if my own little girl is okay?” he cried.

  “Shhh, Frank, it’s okay. The last thing she wants to do is talk about it some more, and certainly not with her dad. She’s fine,” Annie promised him. “She just needs some time.”

  “Bullshit!” Frank yelled, becoming angry again as he sprang up from the sofa with an energy he hadn’t had in a long time. “She needs her father to go rip that guy’s face off his head and feed it to him through what’s left of his mouth! Who was this guy, anyway?”

  Annie wrung her hands, horribly aware that this situation had blown itself into a full-fledged hurricane. “I already told you, Frank, it was one of her professors. But she just wants to let it go and put it behind her!”

  “She’s not doin’ so hot at getting over it, Annie! Have you taken a good look at her lately? She goes from being an A student to being a waitress, and dates that loser guy in the meantime. What she needs is someone to pick her up and tell her she didn’t do anything wrong, and that I’ll kill the guy if that’s what it takes to bring her back to life. Now, are you comin’ or not?” Frank slung his work jacket around his shoulders and wrestled his arms into the sleeves. He was old and injured, but it was still easy to see where he had once been an impressive man.

  Annie shook her head. “I can’t go through this again,” she whispered. “This time it’s your job. I already heard enough to keep me from sleeping for the next hundred years.”

  Frank nodded before turning to leave. At the door, he turned back and kissed his wife quietly on the forehead, then walked out of the house.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Lars turned off the hot water and reached for the towel he had flung over the shower rod. He was disappointed to see grease from his hands smearing across the faded white towel, a sure sign that his hands hadn’t come clean again, not that they ever would. The black slime under his fingernails and around his cuticles and embedded in the grooves of his fingerprints were marks of the job, just like the navy blue coveralls or bandana he kept in his pocket for wiping his hands before touching anything important. He couldn’t be sure, but even after a shower every night he thought he could still smell the fumes from the garage.

  When he finally emerged from the bathroom and into the single main room of his apartment, it wasn’t even a full step to reach the table just inside his door where he kept his cell phone. He could see that he’d missed a call while he cleaned up and he grabbed at the phone, hoping it was Michelle who’d finally called.

  She’d been possibly the most confusing date he’d ever met. First, she reluctantly agreed to go, and then she’d insisted on getting herself to the restaurant, like she hadn’t already been driven around by him before. Maybe getting in cars with men she didn’t know that well only applied to emergencies.

  At lunch, she’d talked pleasantly enough, but Lars never got the feeling that she’d warmed up to him. She almost seemed to be tolerating him, as if she’d lost a bet. But the weird thing was he never got the impression that she didn’t want to be there. He’d been out before with girls who made it clear that they were only there to get a free dinner and had no intention of calling again.

  But Michelle had acted differently. Maybe she was just reserved, or on the shy side. Either way, he’d had a great time talking to her and was excited that she said she would call him again. Only, it hadn’t happened yet.

  Lars scrolled the screen of his phone with his blackened index finger, frustrated for the millionth time by how hard it was to do anything with that tiny little device. It would have been funny if it hadn’t looked so stupid in his gigantic hand. He finally pressed the voicemail button to listen to the first of his missed messages and his heart sank when he heard the screechy voice of his ex-girlfriend playing through the tiny speaker, her message so loud he didn’t even need to hold the phone to his ear.

  “Lars, it’s Vicki. We need to talk about some stuff, so I’m on my way over. ‘Bye.”

  He looked frantically around the tiny screen to see when it was that she’d left that message, heart-broken when he glanced at the clock on the microwave and figured out that he didn’t have enough time to get dressed and get out of there before she’d be standing in his doorway. Just like an ominous sound in a bad slasher movie, a loud knock on his door scared him into dropping the phone, leaving the case snapped in half..

  Lars held perfectly still, wondering what the chances were that Vicki hadn’t heard that crashing sound.

  “I know you’re in there, Lars, I can see your shadow under your door,” Vicki called in that horribly grating voice of hers. “Don’t be a coward and pretend you’re not home.” Lars rolled his eyes and let out a long breath before walking over to the door and throwing it open. Vicki eyed him up and down, stopping to stare at the small towel around his waist. “I’m glad I called first, it gave you time to get ready for me.”

  “Don’t start with me, Vicki,” Lars growled.

  “Who’s starting? You’re the one who answered the door practically naked,” she droned, sliding past Lars’ body where he mostly blocked the doorway.

  “I guess that means you’re coming in,” he said, shutting the door loudly behind her. “So, you’re here. Now what do you want?”

  “That’s no way to greet me, baby,” she began, batting her eyelashes at him playfully.

  “Don’t call me baby,” he shot back. “I never did like it, even back when you weren’t a cheating whorehound. Tell me why you’re here so you can leave.” Lars planted himself by the door; ready to open it and shove Vicki through the moment she finished talking.

  “I can’t believe you’re going to stand there and call me names,” Vicki began, her locally famous temper starting to flare. “You were the one getting some tail on the side all those nights you pretended to be at work.”

  “No, that was how it played out when you discussed it with the voices in your head,” Lars said sarcastically. “I was actually at work, taking double shifts and covering for the on-call drivers because you like to spend money.”

  “Whatever, honey, that’s all water under the bridge now,” she began, lowering her voice seductively and coming to stand directly in front of Lars, staring at his muscled chest like a parched man in the desert. “I came over because I want to really talk to you. I want to put that stuff all behind us.”

  “Behind us? It’s pretty hard to put something behind you when it happened right here in this apartment, Vicki. I came in from work and you’ve got some guy in my bed. Forget cheating, you brought some guy into my home!”

  “Oh, your home? What, is this your palace now? Are you the king of your domain in this dump? Don’t get high and mighty, you live in a slum, just like the rest of us.” Vicki bit her lip at her last remark, realizing that her ploy wasn’t going over as planned. “Baby, I didn’t mean that. I’ve just been tense. I really miss you. I miss us.” She placed a hand directly on Lars’ chest and looked up at him, leaning in to kiss his neck when he didn’t immediately shove her away.

  Her lips were so close to his skin he could feel the heat of her breath just above his collarbone, but he was saved from having to physically move away from her repulsive body by another knock on the door, this one far quieter and undemanding. Vicki jerked suddenly to stand back from Lars, an annoyed smirk crossing her face at the interruption. Lars glared at her for a second before turning to open the door.

  “Michelle!” he said, instinctively reaching a hand to his waist to make sure the towel was fully in place. She looked embarrassed to see him undressed, and he was surprised by how much the pink color rising in her cheeks amused him.

  “I tried to call, but only got your voicemail,” she began hesitantly. She looked past him at a sudden movement inside his apartment, her eyes widening when she saw Vicki come to stand behind Lars. Her expression clouded when she took in the situation. “I’m so so
rry, I can see that you have company.”

  “Michelle, wait!” Lars called, roughly brushing Vicki’s hand off his bicep and chasing after Michelle’s retreating form. A woman scorned may not always be furious, but she sure can be fast. Michelle made it all the way down the stairs and out to the street before Lars caught her, gasping for air at the unexpected chill as the cold air of dusk froze his mostly naked body. “Michelle! Look at me!”

  “No, Lars, it’s okay. I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have come over like that. I just got some tickets to go somewhere and they’re for tonight, but when I didn’t get you on the phone, I thought I would come see if you’re interested. I didn’t realize…” Her voice trailed off quietly, thrilling Lars once again. Any other girl would have screamed and made a scene at having been on a date with a guy only a day ago, and then finding another girl in his apartment while he walked around in a towel. Instead, Michelle made her apologies and moved to leave.

  “No, it’s not what you think, that’s my ex-girlfriend. She just showed up! Tell me about this ‘opportunity,’ I’d love to go.” Lars smiled broadly, still holding the edge of his towel tightly to make sure nothing else humiliating happened.

  “You don’t even know what it is,” Michelle said, smiling a little.

  “It doesn’t matter! You said tickets, that’s a magic word to guys. So, what are these tickets for? Basketball? A movie? Horse racing, maybe?”

  “The museum,” she replied, watching with a grin as Lars’ face fell ever so slightly, only to be replaced by one very fake smile.

  “Yeah! The museum! Gotta love some of that!” Lars said, trying to mask his surprise with an abundance of enthusiasm. Michelle wasn’t so easily convinced.

  “You’re freezing, you need to go back inside. Really, it’s no big thing, just some tickets my roommate’s dad gave her. She can’t use them, so I thought…but really, don’t worry about it. Please go back inside before you get sick.” She turned to walk away, but Lars put a hand on her arm to stop her. He felt her flinch oddly at his touch and immediately pulled his hand away, running around in front of her instead.

  “That’s just a myth, nobody gets sick from standing outside wearing just a towel.” He hit his chest with his fist. “See? Totally healthy. Please come back inside and tell me about your plans.”

  “What about…her?” Michelle pointed a finger back in the direction of Lars’ apartment.

  “Trust me, she was just leaving.”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I was,” Vicki’s nasally voice called from behind Michelle, causing the girl to jump. “I only came over to talk, that’s all. Oh, and to tell you some news.”

  “What’s that?” Lars demanded, forgetting to speak kindly in front of Michelle.

  “That our baby is due in May.” Vicki waved at Lars before giving Michelle a sneering grin. “See you later, Daddy.”

  Lars stared after her, open-mouthed, while Michelle’s gaze dropped to her feet. “I should go,” she said quietly, walking away as fast as she could. Lars stood frozen in place, alternating between staring after both women, the temperature the furthest thing from his mind.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “Well, how did your first experience with taking control and asking the guy out go?” Angela asked with a devilish grin.

  “We are never to speak of it again,” Michelle growled, throwing her coat and scarf on the back of the couch and storming off to her bedroom. Brooke and Angela exchanged worried looks for only a second before chasing Michelle down the short hallway.

  “Honey! What happened? Don’t tell me that jerk said ‘no,’” Brooke said softly before coming to sit on the bed next to Michelle’s prone form and putting her arms around her shaking shoulders.

  A muffled reply came from under the pillow on her bed.

  “Sweetie, c’mon, sit up and talk to us,” Angela said, pulling her by her elbow. Michelle pulled her head out from under her pillow and faced them, her eyes already red from crying on the walk home.

  “Now, seriously. How bad could it have been?”

  “It’s bad. I mean, completely, unfixably bad,” Michelle said as she hiccupped a sob. She reached for a tissue off the table between the two beds and wiped at her runny nose. Brooke pulled her into a hug for a minute, rubbing her shoulders soothingly.

  “Nothing is so bad that it can’t be fixed. Remember, Angela took karate.”

  Michelle laughed for only a second, and then drew a deep breath. She let the whole story out with that one breath, ending with the badly timed announcement of the mystery baby. Brooke and Angela exchanged a look before either spoke.

  “Honey, so what if his ex-girlfriend is having a baby? It doesn’t mean anything,” Brooke suggested. “I mean, it’s a surprise, but it’s not a deal breaker, is it?”

  “I can’t possibly date someone who wouldn’t care if his ex is carrying his child,” Michelle said. “So either he’s a stand-up guy who does the right thing, in which case I’m out of the picture, or he’s a low life who would date me while the mother of his child is in labor. Either way, it’s just not something I need to be involved in.”

  “Well, I see what you’re saying, but I also don’t think you should be too hasty. Don’t write this guy off over something that happened months ago,” Angela reminded her. Brooke gave her shoulders another squeeze before announcing that she was running to the store for ice cream, the winter weather be damned.

  “This is the kind of pain that only caramel can handle,” she said bravely, grabbing her boots out from under her bed. “I’ll be right back!”

  Brooke thudded to the door in her winter boots, throwing it open and screaming in surprise. Lars yelled too, his hand still poised to knock on the door. Brooke recovered, then laughed softly. “I’m so sorry! I know how much fun it is to be screamed at!”

  Lars didn’t laugh. Instead, he looked miserable. “Is Michelle here? Do you think she’ll talk to me?”

  Brooke nodded. “Angela’s talking to her now. We’ve both been trying to talk some sense into her. Go on in, sit on the couch and I’ll tell her you’re here.” She disappeared down the hall and came back a few minutes later, flashing Lars a thumbs-up sign before running out of the apartment to the store.

  Lars sat down and waited for what seemed like an impossibly long time. He began to wonder if there was a back exit to the apartment and if Michelle had escaped through it. Just as he leaned towards the window to see if he could catch a glimpse of her fleeing down the fire escape, the bedroom door opened and Michelle came out, smiling politely if not very warmly.

  “Hello,” she said, coming over to the empty chair and sitting down.

  “Hi,” Lars answered quietly. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Yes,” Michelle replied, nodding her head and sitting up very tall, very formally.

  “Oh. Wow. I didn’t think I was gonna get this far, so I don’t really know what to say. I guess I just came over to say that I’m sorry you saw all that with Vicki,” he began timidly. He looked at her to gauge her reaction but continued when her expression didn’t change. “I called her up after you left and demanded an explanation, and I promise you she was just yanking your chain.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, looking up at Lars for the first time.

  “I mean, she was just taking a stab at you because she was jealous. She didn’t know how to hurt you and me both at the same time, so she blurted that out.”

  “How can you be sure of that?”

  “Because her math doesn’t line up, for starters. She never was really bright, you know. If she’s even having a baby, there’s no way it’s mine. She said she’s due in May, late May is what she told me on the phone. And now here we are, already in January. But we broke up way back in September, and it was August since we…well, you know…” Lars looked sheepish at almost blurting out something a little too private for mixed company. “And the whole reason we even broke up was because there were other guys. Plenty of them, according to mos
t of my friends and a few of hers. Like I said, if she didn’t actually make up the whole pregnancy thing right there on the spot, her numbers still aren’t working for her.”

  Instead of looking relieved, Michelle only looked somewhat uncomfortable. Sure, it was a good explanation, but it still had the ring of an excuse to it. She looked around the apartment for a minute while Lars sat on the hot seat. Finally, she spoke.

  “I still have those tickets if you want to go. Or, we could go get something to eat?” She spoke without any trace of hope in her voice, already disappointed by what had been her first attempt at trying to have a normal relationship. Schnoozler didn’t count as a relationship; even Michelle knew he was more of a crutch than anything else.

  “That’d be great!” Lars said. He would have willingly agreed to practically anything if it meant she would speak to him. “It’s up to you, lead the way!”

  Michelle smiled for the first time before standing up and retrieving her coat from behind him. Lars looked confused for a minute when she began putting her arms in the long sleeves.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Don’t you want to go?”

  “Well, yeah. I just assumed you’d need time to go get ready or something.”

  “Is there something wrong with the way I look?” she asked, her feelings crumbling all over again.

  “No! You look gorgeous! I just thought, you know, girls always say they have to go freshen up, or whatever it is they do.”

  “Sorry, buddy, this is as fresh as it gets.” Michelle eyed him cautiously for a second, unsure of what to make of his remark. Was he hinting that she needed to go put on a little makeup? He would be waiting a very, very long time if that were the case.

  “Well, I don’t know how hungry I am now that I’ve shoved my foot in my mouth,” Lars said with a nervous laugh. “How about we go before I insult your entire family?”