by Hess, Andrew
“Yeah, usually I am. But this guy is different. He doesn’t seem like he’s a douche like the other guys you dated. He actually makes you happy. I saw it in your eyes the night you met him at the bar.”
“Then why’d you give me shit for going out with him?”
“Because I wanted to make sure you were going after him because you really liked him, not because you thought it would be cool to bang an author.”
“You know I don’t do that kind of thing.”
“I know, but you’re like my little sister. I need to look out for you.”
Sara blotted her eyes with her hands. “How can I trust him not to hurt me? He’ll be gone for three months.”
“How much do you like this guy?”
“A lot.”
“Then trust him.”
“But we already broke up.”
“So what? Tell him you freaked out and didn’t mean it.”
“I can’t do that. I’ll look like a crazy person.”
“Then tell him that your incredibly smart, incredibly good looking best friend talked some sense into you.” Sara laughed at her friend’s joke. It felt good to laugh after crying her eyes out all morning. “Come on; just call him already.”
Sara picked up her phone and found she had received half a dozen missed calls from Evan since she hung up with him earlier that day. She clicked on the phone icon. It rang several times before launching into his voicemail.
Sara’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “He didn’t pick up.”
“I’m sure he was either on a train, or at work, or didn’t hear his phone. If you don’t hear back from him, try him again later.”
“What the hell am I supposed to do in the meantime?”
Julie had a mischievous grin on her face. “You know; happy hour starts in a couple of hours. We could catch a movie and then hit up the bar.”
Sara silently stared at the phone, hoping Evan would call her back. After a few minutes, she looked up at Julie with a puddle of tears building in her eyes. She wiped them away and jumped off the bed. “Sure, let’s go.”
Sara slipped on a pair of jeans and a black tank top, meeting Julie at the top of the stairs. They left together with Julie taking the wheel and Sara sitting “shotgun.” The car lurched forward, but Sara paid little attention to her friend. Her eyes were focused on her phone. She toyed around with the idea of calling Evan again, but wondered if it would make her look too desperate. Instead, she decided to send a quick text, hoping he would message her back.
S: Hey, sorry about this morning.
Evan’s reply came quicker than Sara hoped.
E: Okay.
S: No, I mean it. I freaked out and overreacted.
The replies stopped immediately. Each minute that passed caused Sara’s heart to slow. It was becoming more apparent Evan didn’t want anything to do with her. She started typing another message, telling Evan she didn’t mean what she said earlier, but a single chime stole her attention.
E: Sorry, I had a customer. I get why you freaked out, but you shouldn’t have ended things.
S: I know. I wasn’t thinking. I just…I don’t know what I’d do with you on the road for 3 months without seeing you.
E: Let’s talk tonight when I get home.
S: Okay. Call me.
The smiley face emojicon appeared on her screen. Seeing that face filled Sara with relief. “Change of plans,” Sara said. “We’ll go to the movie and pick up food on the way back.”
“Wait, no happy hour?”
“No.” Her rosy pink cheeks brought life back into her smile.
“What was that,” Julie asked. “Was that a-a-smile?” She turned to Sara while trying to keep her eyes on the road. “What just happened?”
“I texted Evan. I apologized for my freak out, and we’re going to talk when he gets home from work tonight.”
“Damn it; I was looking forward to happy hour.”
“You can go without me if you want.”
“And leave my girl at home alone? I don’t think so.”
“Thanks Julie. I appreciate it.”
“I’ll come up with a way you can pay me back later.”
Chapter 13-Evan
“Night Evan,” those were the last words Evan could remember hearing as before walking the three miles back to his parent’s house. After the last battle he had with his mother, his parents proclaimed he was forbidden to use the car anymore. It was their way of controlling him. They wanted him to work for his brother instead of doing what he wanted, and they were going to take everything away until he did.
Evan focused on everything good in his life. He had three successful book signings, met an amazing woman that he couldn’t stop thinking about, and was informed he would be leaving to go on tour in the next month. He wanted nothing more than to tell his parents off one more time and rub the tour in their faces, but he wanted to make sure everything with the tour was finalized.
The house blurred into view. He was hot and sweaty. Three miles was more than he walked in the last month. His hair was plastered to his head, leaving a few strands to stick up out of place. He stumbled up the front steps as the keys dropped from his fingertips. He dropped to his hands and knees in search of them, finding it increasingly difficult since the light over the porch wasn’t turning on. He heard the jingle as his hand grazed the ring.
“Thank god,” Evan mumbled as he picked up the keys and unlocked the door. He barged into the house, using the walls to keep his balance until he made it to the stairs.
A woman’s whispers could be heard in the living room, causing Evan to turn his head. His parents sat on the couch. Their eyes glanced at Evan as he ascended the stairs. Their grins displayed their look of satisfaction. There was nothing left in him to argue with them. It was a battle they had already won. Hi whole body felt like it had been through a war. He was tired, dehydrated, achy, and ready to pass out. The moment he entered his room, Evan fell face first onto a pile of pillows.
The next morning, he woke up in the same clothes he wore to work. The pillows had dried droplets of drool all over them. His eyes flickered to the clock on the nightstand. Seeing the red numbers display ten o’clock jump started Evan’s heart. He shot up like a bolt of lightning and snapped his head towards the windows. Light was fighting through the heavy curtains, trying to find a way in. His hand sunk into the pockets of his jeans, frantically searching for his phone.
“Where the hell is it?” His hands smoothed the surface of the comforter, checking the bed, finding it underneath one of the pillows. He scrolled through the dimly lit screen filled with missed Facebook posts, emails from companies advertising the latest product, finally noticing the missed calls and text messages. He saw there were three missed calls from Sara, and five text messages. The phone beeped as he tried to read them. A pop-up screen alerted him there was only four percent battery left on the phone. He tapped the message box and typed a quick reply.
E: Sorry about last night. Family drama caused me to walk home from work, and passed out when I got home. Phone’s dying now. Will call you later.
The screen turned black seconds after he hit send. Shit, did it go through? He plugged his phone into the charger, hoping it would turn on quickly. Knowing it would take a few minutes to boot up, Evan unbuttoned his pants, slid them down his legs and threw them in the corner. His shirt was next. It reeked of dried sweat from the night before. He took another step forward before the door to his bedroom opened.
“Well, now this is a hell of a way to welcome me.” Audrey Stone stood in the doorway eying Evan up like a piece of meat. Her eyes glanced down at the tighty-whities he was wearing. “Those need to go.” She took out her phone and made note of it in the notepad.
“What was that? And what the hell are you doing in my room?”
Audrey paced around the closet, examining the clothes and shoes before making another note in her phone. “I told you yesterday we would begin first thing in the morning. I would’ve been here
sooner, but traffic was dreadful and was nearly impossible to find your house.”
Evan inched towards the bed. He pulled the comforter back and slid underneath it. “You could’ve at least called first.”
“I did. Apparently someone needs to learn to answer his phone.” She spun on the heels of her Loubutins. “And a blanket won’t stop our progress.” She snapped her fingers, bringing a muscular man in a tight black fitting tank top and matching nylon gym shorts. His fingers gripped the comforter and ripped it away from Evan.
Evan heard the snap of her fingers, but didn’t know what it was supposed to mean. He felt a violent tug on the comforter. He fought to keep control of it, but felt the blanket leave his hands with a second pull. “Hey, what the hell?” Evan quickly grabbed a pillow to shield himself from Audrey and the muscular man standing several feet from his bed holding the blanket.
“I’d like you to meet Theo. He’s going to be your personal trainer for the tour.” Evan looked up at the man blocking his door. The muscles bulged from every inch of the man’s body, surrounding the black nylon tank top and matching basketball shorts. Audrey sauntered to the foot of the bed. “I suggest you get up and get dressed before Theo makes you run around in your underwear.”
Evan watched Theo toss the comforter aside before cracking his knuckles. “Okay, but can you guys get out of my room first. I’d like some privacy before getting naked.”
“Come along Theo.” Audrey’s hand was placed on Theo’s lower back, pushing him out of the room. She turned back towards Evan. “You have five minutes. I suggest you hurry.”
Evan closed the door behind Audrey before scurrying around the room. He pulled out a pair of green basketball shorts, and a gray t-shirt. The loud vibration from his phone stopped his progress. He ran to the table and pulled the phone off the charger.
S: It’s okay. Are you free to talk now?
E: Not a good time. My publicist and a personal trainer just showed up unexpectedly. Can I call you when we’re done?
Evan waited for a response, but heard Audrey outside his door. It swung open, smacking the wood against the wall. A shout of “Don’t slam the door,” could be heard from downstairs. Evan knew his mother wasn’t happy about the intrusion. How Audrey and Theo got past her in the first place was still in question.
Evan scrambled to pull his shorts on as Audrey entered the room. “I’ll be ready in a minute,” he said in a panic. He threw the shirt over his head and started pulling on socks and shoes. “What exactly are we doing?”
“Theo will be taking you to the gym to start your cardio and how to use the weight machines. He’ll go over your schedule when you get there.”
“What about you?”
“I have calls to make and business to tend to, so I’ll be working from the gym’s office for a little while.”
Evan decided to take a stand against Audrey. His new attitude helped him achieve things he didn’t think was possible. He hoped it would do the same by putting Ms. Stone in her place.
“What if I don’t wanna do this?”
“Then the tour will be cancelled, your publisher will drop you, and you will be considered a failure in the literary world.”
Hating the thought of spending the day at the gym, Evan conceded defeat. His head hung low as he moved away from the bed. “Fine, let’s go and get this over with.”
A ten-minute drive took them to the closest gym. Evan stood in front of Theo while Audrey handed papers to the twenty-something year old behind the counter. He typed the information into the computer before handing two cards to Audrey.
“You boys are all set.” She handed a card to Evan and Theo. “Have fun guys. Don’t work too hard.” She let out a cackle of laughter as she walked towards the office doors.
Evan was led to an open space. “First, you need to stretch,” Theo said sternly. Evan brought his right leg back and reached for the ankle. He held it there for five seconds before Theo interrupted him. “No, not like that. Keep your eyes on me, and do what I do.”
Evan followed Theo’s lead and stretched his arms and legs further than he ever had. Beads of sweat dripped down his skin until he was nearly out of breath. He looked up at the clock, seeing twenty minutes had past.
“Are we done yet?”
“Yes.” A wave of relief washed over Evan as Theo patted him on the shoulders. “Now, let’s hit the treadmill for your warm-up.”
“Warm-up? Are you serious? What the hell’ve we been doing for the last twenty minutes?”
“Stretching. You don’t want to be pull a muscle.”
“Maybe you don’t, but I do,” Evan mumbled.
“What was that?”
“Just said you’re right I don’t.” They moved over to the treadmill and started him out on level three. “This isn’t so bad. I can do this.” Evan kept pace with the machine, hoping this would be as bad as it would get.
“Good, let’s up the speed a little.”
“Whoa, what do you mean?” He watched as Theo’s finger stabbed the speed button, raising it to the fifth level. His feet slapped against the machine as it forced Evan to switch from walking to running. “I thought this was supposed to be a warm-up?”
“Don’t tell me this is too much for you.” Evan shook his head vigorously. “Fine, I’ll drop it down to four.”
Evan quickly regained his balance. “Thank you,” he gasped.
“Don’t thank me yet. You got a long way to go.”
*******************************************************
Sara
Sara was close to giddy as she sat in the passenger seat of Julie’s car. Despite having a good time with her best friend, Sara couldn’t wait to get home. Her leg bounced anxiously while she stared out the window.
“What the hell’s gotten into you, girl,” Julie asked. Sara merely smiled in reply. “You’re thinking about him again; aren’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Bullshit! You know damn well what I’m talking about. I know you two were texting back and forth before.”
Sara sighed like a love struck school girl. She shook her head from side to side, as if she was just waking up. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve never acted like this over a guy.”
“Because you actually found a decent guy for a change.” The car pulled up to a stop light, allowing Julie to look Sara directly in the eyes. “Look, I’m sure by now you know I helped set up that big surprise date the other night. I don’t know how he got my number, but he seemed like a nice guy. He seems genuinely interested in you. If you really like him, I say do whatever you have to do to see where this goes.”
Having Julie’s approval meant the world to Sara. None of her exes received it, not like any of them deserved it. The men Sara typically dated were tall, muscular guys that had the “bad boy image.” Each relationship was the same. An attractive guy flirted with her, took her out a couple of times, and seemed like someone she could have fun with. After a month or two, the guys got what they wanted out of the relationship and dropped the façade. Sara knew she was worth more than the way they treated her and left them before she fell for them. But Evan was different. He was the kind of guy she would be proud to introduce her parents to. He was the type she could have fun and a future with instead of someone that just wanted some fun.
When the car pulled up to the apartment, Sara nearly sprinted out the door and up the stairs to her room. Quickly kicking off her shoes and jumping onto the unmade bed, Sara pulled her cell from her bag and stared at the screen.
Minutes flew by, increasing the anticipation of Evan’s call. He should be out of work soon. It was what Sara needed to tell herself to keep calm. Waiting was never her strong suit. She let an hour go by before making the first call. It rang several times before going to voicemail.
“Come on Evan; where the hell are you?”
She called several times throughout the course of the night and sent three text messages as well. Her m
ind assumed the worst possible scenarios. Is he okay? Did he have to work late? Is he dead? Did he change his mind about being with me?
Sara’s grasp of control slipped away in a few short hours. Indentations in the center of her pillows remained after slamming her fist into them repeatedly. The desire to break something was all she could think about, but knew that wouldn’t solve the issue.
Sara grabbed her phone and dialed Julie’s number. “Hey you wanna get a bottle or go out to the club?”
“Why what’s the matter?”
“Fucker stood me up and didn’t call.”
“Maybe he got stuck at work. Maybe he’s on the phone with his agent. Maybe he…”
“Maybe he changed his mind and decided it was better to ignore my calls than tell me to my face.”
“Sara, he wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble to set up a perfect date for you if he didn’t want to be with you. If he didn’t call like he said he would, then something must’ve prevented him from calling you.”
An image of Evan lying in a pool of blood with a shadow of a man popped into her head. Another showed broken glass littering the concrete. The front end of a car was smashed in with the driver leaning over the steering wheel.
Fearing the worst brought a river to Sara’s eyes. “I have to find him. I have to make sure he’s okay.”
“Whoa! What got into you?”
“What if something happened to him? What if he’s hurt?”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that he must’ve had a good reason for not calling you.” She paused to let her words sink in. “I’m sure he’s fine. You just need to relax and get some sleep. He’ll probably call you in the morning.”
“Okay, but can you come over anyway?”
“Sure, I’ll be over in a half hour.”
The next morning came quicker than Sara hoped. The sun was peeking out through the heavy clouds, letting glimpses of sunshine light the room. Sara’s eyes fluttered open, catching the momentary beams of light. A blinding pain erupted in her head, reminding her of the consequences she faced from the night before. An empty wine glass sat on the corner of her table with two uncorked bottles resting beside it. A glass of water with two tablets sat on her nightstand. Sara popped the pills into her mouth, downing them with a long swig of water.