A Prior Engagement

by S. L. Scott

  Tom pushed off the tall desk and made his way down the hall toward his office. He stared out at his amazing Manhattan view, reaffirming how great he was when Everleigh’s backpack caught his eye. The police had given him the bag the day he got her back, the day her friend was arrested. He laughed at how well that played out in his favor.

  Leaning down, he dug through the bag looking for clues to her betrayal with the messenger boy. He tossed it to the side, irritated. It held nothing but school related stuff, which frustrated him in his quest for more details about their relationship.

  He wasted time making a few phone calls and returning e-mails before he sat back down in his custom made Italian leather chair and propped his feet up on his solid mahogany desk as if waiting for something to happen. He didn’t have to wait long once he called the front desk and told her to go ahead and send the messenger back.

  William was too caught up in his own misery to notice Tom saunter into the lobby. If he’d been paying any attention, he would’ve had enough warning to know what he was walking into.

  He wasn’t sleeping much and was now a walking zombie. He tried to play the free puzzle app on his phone, but focusing was impossible with his heart broken and from the utter fatigue. He was hurt and that pain was eating away at his soul piece by piece, driving him to distraction.

  He stopped his knee from bouncing by slamming his hand down on top of it. As the minutes ticked slowly by, his agitation grew. He sat in the well-appointed lobby of the downtown high-rise not even tempted by the free coffee and snacks like he usually was when he was working.

  Flipping through his phone photos, he landed on the one of Evie he’d taken. William felt his heart begin to ache, but he stared anyway, trying to reason that she must be tied up. She must be so busy, that she didn’t have time to call or text him.

  His pain was being replaced with rage. He stood up, not giving two cares about some random suit’s package, no matter how much he needed this job, and was about to head for the exit when the receptionist told him he could go to Mr. Whitney’s office to retrieve it.

  William decided to do his job since he was already here. He walked down the long corridor, the weight of his hurt weighing heavy on his thoughts. He still couldn’t come up with anything that would explain what really happened that day and why Evie chose the monster over him. William felt a twinge of pain in his heart thinking about the memories of being with her and then it twisted at the reality of her betrayal.

  “Of course, it’s the corner office,” he mumbled under his breath while clutching his bag tight to his side. Only a jackass with a corner office would believe he’s important enough to make me wait twenty minutes. Like I don’t have anything better to do, jackass! These thoughts continued as he entered the office without knocking.

  “Mr. Ryder, do come in,” Tom said. His voice was too threatening to sound welcoming as he stood up.

  William froze in his tracks, shocked that he was in this jackass’s office. But his shock gave way to anger again and he rushed him. Diving over the desk, William tackled him to the floor, both of them rolling and slamming against the floor-to-ceiling window. He got in one good punch before Tom pushed him off by hitting him back in self-defense.

  Tom yelled the only thing he knew would stop this attack. “I want to talk about Everleigh!”

  William’s heart was pounding from the rage inside, but when he said her name out loud, it felt like it had exploded in his chest. He grabbed Tom, dragged him by his lapels, and slammed him against the large wood bureau. It took all of William’s self-control to not beat the shit out of him. “Don’t you ever say her name, you fucker, you girl beating fucker,” he yelled through gritted teeth.

  Tom managed to put his hands up in surrender, and although he enjoyed provoking and hurting William, he was still a coward, and smart enough to know he would lose if they continued as they were. Tom was going in for the kill, not the fight. “I know what I’ve done is wrong, okay. I just wanted to give you an update.”

  Tom sounded sincere and even though William didn’t want to trust him, he knew he had to. He was desperate to find out anything when it came to Evie’s well-being. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself and get the information he most desired. “Where is she, you prick?”

  “Back up to the door over there and I’ll tell you.” Tom directed William by pointing across the room, putting his own safety first.

  William released Tom’s suit, shoving him back into the window for good measure before crossing the room. Wanting the information about Evie, he was willing to play Tom’s game to get it. Turning around, he positioned himself across the room with his arms crossed and his jaw tense before he demanded. “Tell me now!”

  Two beefy security guards walked in and seized each of his arms without a fight. William didn’t struggle because he was concentrating so hard on Tom who was currently stalling in front of him.

  Knowing he had backup now—unwavering and heartless—Tom mocked William with his words. “She’s in my bed right now.” His eyes darkened, leaving no trace of sincerity in them as he continued. “And she’s already put my ring back on her finger. She’s fantastic when she’s feisty. She was like that when I met her. But, like a wild stallion, she’ll be broken. She was before and she will be once again. She’s mine and if you ever go near her again, I’ll make sure you aren’t released next time. Take the other night as a warning, Mr. Ryder, and leave my fiancée alone.”

  William’s body reflexively lunged forward, but the two large guards gave him no leeway and he was jerked backward, against his will, and dragged out of the office. William did what any man in his position would do, he fought back and struggled, but to no avail. He yelled every curse word that came to mind, but it made no difference to Tom who stood there smug and protected behind his desk. Tom smiled, crossed his arms over his chest, and raised his chin proud in his victory.

  William was thrown onto the sidewalk in front of the building with no care to the passing pedestrians. He didn’t even care when a guy stepped over him as he hit the pavement, because in that exact moment of impact, it became clear he had been set up again by Tom. He pushed himself up off the ground and walked to the building’s brick wall, kicking it as hard as he could.

  The asshole baited me and I fell for it. He’s trying to get me to screw myself and I almost did. He can forget that because I won’t give up on Evie!

  Evie woke up at two in the afternoon, groggy with a fuzzy mind. She sat up rubbing her face and then saw it, her chance. With the door cracked open, she lunged for it, opening it all the way and peeking out before taking a step into the corridor. There were no sounds of anyone around, but realizing she was in her pajamas, she went back into the bedroom and got dressed in a haphazard fashion. Rushing toward the front door, her pace was stealthy.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Wright,” Tom’s housekeeper said with a smile.

  Startled from being caught in her escape, Evie jumped. “Hi, Barbara, I’ve got to go.”

  “Would you like something to eat first?”

  “No, I have to go. I’m sorry. Thank you.” Her words were rushed as she backed out the front door then turned and ran. She didn’t remember even taking a breath until she was a block away from Tom’s building.

  Evie slowed her pace and exhaled a deep sigh of relief. She had just walked another block in the direction of William’s apartment when a car pulled up next to her— his shiny sports car—to be exact. The window rolled down as she continued walking, ignoring the car the best she could, but the tears gave her away, and she started running.

  “Everleigh, I’ll drive you home,” Tom said as soon as she stopped another block down for a breath, his tone was controlled.

  The word home had new meaning to her these days. She turned to Tom with spite. “You’ll drive me to William’s?” She had no intention of getting in that car, but she used the only weapon she had in her arsenal to hurt him.

  “No, I’ll drive you home.”


  “That is my home now.”

  Tom looked down at the steering wheel before speaking, as if choosing his words carefully. When he looked back up, his expression broke her heart, not for him, but because she could tell what was coming. She knew right then that he had done something to William.

  His smug smirk reinforced that thought. “He came by the office today, Everleigh.”

  Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. “Why?”

  “He doesn’t want to deal with all of this. I hate being the one to tell you, but he put the burden on me to hurt you. He’s a coward for not telling you in person.” Tom paused for effect then held her backpack up. “He dropped this off and said he didn’t want to see you again.”

  She glanced at the backpack. William had been holding it for her when this all started a few days earlier. It didn’t make sense for Tom to have it unless he was telling the truth, but William wouldn’t give up on her like that. Would he? Tom held the evidence in his hands that William just might. Why else would he give it to Tom and not her? Her heart splintered into a million pieces realizing he chose to give it to Tom because he didn’t want to see her—not even to say good-bye.

  “Yeah, he said he’d had enough. I’m really sorry, sweetie.”

  Her heart sank as she stood on the empty sidewalk staring into the distance ahead.

  “Everleigh?”

  She looked back to him, and as much as she wanted to walk away, she had nowhere to go. With a broken heart, she walked to the car, losing all dignity, pride, and hope. As she slid into the soft leather seat, she quietly requested, “Home, please.”

  As he drove her to her parent’s apartment, Tom was smart enough to leave her with her thoughts, letting William’s betrayal sink in, even if false. That was torture enough for one day.

  Once she entered her childhood bedroom, she dropped down on the edge of her bed, disheartened as she stared at the soft pink wall in front of her. She hadn’t noticed the change in light or the sun setting. She didn’t see the day disappear into night through the large window. She sat there, lost in thought of a future that would never be.

  Her sister entered her room with a tray of food and a glass of water just after nine that night. Audrey set the tray down on the desk and knelt at her feet.

  Everleigh stirred, looking down at Audrey below her. “What are you doing?”

  “I came to talk with you. Are you all right?” Audrey asked.

  Everleigh looked confused for a minute noticing the dark city through the window. “It’s night time.”

  “Yeah, are you hungry? I brought some of your favorites.” Audrey hopped up, carried the tray to the bed, and as Everleigh looked over the food, the faintest of smiles crossed her lips. Audrey then held a soda with a straw up for Everleigh to take and she did.

  “What’s today?”

  “It’s Wednesday.” Audrey realized her sister was not in a good state of mind.

  “I was supposed to be in class today.” Everleigh started making statements that were strange and incoherent. “He doesn’t want me.” Standing up, she walked to the window to look out. “Kyd wrote the one paper. We found proof in Boston.”

  “Boston?” Audrey didn’t understand what Evie was going on about and became alarmed at her weird comments.

  “I want a bowl o’noodles.” Everleigh turned to Audrey and said, “You can’t hear the street noise up here.”

  “I know. That’s why we live on this floor.”

  “It’s too quiet for me to sleep here.”

  Audrey walked to her sister. “Do you want me to get Henri to make you noodles?”

  Everleigh smiled, knowing she didn’t want the fancy version. The fifty-nine cent version was what she was craving. “No, no thank you. I think I’m going to shower. Do you know the last time I showered?” Audrey shook her head and Everleigh replied, “I don’t either. Isn’t that strange?”

  “Are you going to be all right?”

  She stopped in the doorway. “I don’t know, Audrey. I really messed things up.” She walked into the bathroom, started the shower, and then shut the door. Steam surrounded her inside the shower and reality struck her hard. She may never get to be with William again, but he would forever own her heart.

  Chapter 24

  After storming out of work earlier in the day, William went to see Bobby at the construction site where he worked, a new high-rise in lower Manhattan. He watched the men laboring with their tools and large cranes for over an hour before Bobby clocked out at five and walked over giving William a hand up. “You look like shit, my friend.”

  “I feel like it,” William replied, feeling worse than that on the inside.

  “I’ll buy you a beer and you can tell me about it.”

  The childhood friends walked to the closest bar and ordered food and beer. William retold the story and then added the latest episode in Tom’s office.

  “You’ve got a war on your hands, brother. Are you willing to fight it for her?”

  “Forever, but it seems she’s not willing to fight for me.”

  “Do you trust what that ass says?”

  “I don’t know what to think. She hasn’t returned my calls. I think she’s made her choice.”

  “I don’t know. It just seems like . . . like something’s not right. I saw how that chick looked at you. She seemed pretty into you.”

  William rested his head in his hands. “It probably sounds like cheesy bullshit, but she changed my insides. I’m different because of her and this pain is excruciating. It sucks. I don’t feel like me without her.”

  Bobby wanted to crack a joke, but knew better. William didn’t want cheering up. William needed someone to listen, so Bobby did. They left several hours later—a little drunker and a lot more numb—just the way William wanted to be. He had developed a bad habit of checking his phone every couple of minutes to make sure it was on and still working and continued to on the long walk back to his place.

  After his usual nighttime shower and quick snack, he checked all his forms of communication: His phone, his e-mail, even his online friends’ account, which he rarely did. Nothing. He didn’t understand why she hadn’t called, come by, anything. He felt like he had shown her his heart, given her his love, and supported her, and yet she hadn’t even called to see if he was all right. He lay in bed and his eyes filled with tears, but he refused to let them fall.

  Once he managed to suppress the tears and the pain in his heart, he tried to sleep. He missed the warmth of her body next to him, her voice, her touch, and her smile. As he rubbed his nose into the pillow, he discovered it still smelled of her. He would never be able to wash these sheets if this was all that was left of her, all he would ever have from her again.

  Evie lay in her bed tossing and turning. There was too much room, she thought. This bed was too big. She sat up frustrated, realizing there was still no outside noise or any noise at all in this room. How am I supposed to sleep in these conditions? Walking to the window seat, dragging her pillow and her blanket, she curled up on the two-by-five foot cushioned seat. She could hear a faint siren in the distance when she pressed her ear against the cold glass. She fell asleep on the cramped seat in the room that before a week ago was the epitome of comfort to her. Now, it just gave her a hollow feeling and was a poor substitute for a place to sleep.

  William arrived a few minutes early for Lang’s class on Friday. The professor spoke as William was settling into a leather recliner in the student lounge where the summer class met. “Good morning, Mr. Ryder. I appreciate your attendance knowing you’ve had a difficult week.”

  William looked over at him giving him the respect he deserved, but remained silent.

  “We’re starting a project that should occupy a lot of our time for the remainder of the week left in class. I’m assuming you don’t mind taking on a larger task right now. It might ease the mind of other worries.”

  “I think that’s a good idea. I look forward to the assignment.” Today was the
first day he started to feel his words again. Day four without Evie is going to be the turning point, he thought. He could cry and dwell on the loss all day long again, but his heart begged for a reprieve and his head refocused as Lang doled out the assignments.

  When William walked out into the first day of a sunny July, he gave in to his logical side by laying down an ultimatum. I will allow myself to call her one more time and then that’s it. The only way back to each other is down a two-way street. He dialed the number and waited. When her voicemail came on, he closed his eyes and took in every word she spoke. Then it beeped, and he left his message. “Evie, this is my last message, my love. Thirty messages a day is where I have to draw the line.” He laughed at how stupid he felt for revealing that he knew he had called her a lot. “I miss you. I don’t know what they’ve done to you and I’m worried. Please call me. If you chose him, then please call me and let me know that you’re okay. I have this bad feeling in my gut. I don’t really understand what happened the other day and can’t remember the days since, but I know they’ve been empty without you in them. Please call me. I love you, Evie.”

  When he hung up, William dropped onto the bench holding his head between his hands. Suddenly, he realized he had been to her building, he knew where she lived. He had to try once more, hoping he’d at least get to talk to Walter. He might find an ally in the friendly doorman.

  He rode his bike over, not bothering to lock it as Walter greeted him at the door. “You’ve got to help me. Is she here? Is she okay, alive? Please, Walter, help me.” William was pleading, feeling as if he was on the verge of a breakdown.

  Walter stepped outside, letting the door close behind him, and said, “She came home yesterday. I don’t know where she was before then. I can assume she was at his place. He drove up yesterday, mid-day, and she got out and went straight upstairs. Neither of them acknowledged me. She didn’t look happy. I haven’t seen her since, but he’s up there right—”

  William knew he could trust Walter, so he went ahead and asked what he really wanted to know. “Did he hit her? Did he hurt her again?”