lived. My bad day just went from really bad to worse. I called him again. When the voicemail picked up, I left a message.
“Tony, Tyler is standing outside my door and he won’t go away. He keeps knocking and he won’t stop. I’m scared and I don’t know what to do.” I hung up.
I felt guilty for lying but I knew it would work.
In less than ten minutes, he was banging on the door. “Cassie! Are you there?” He banged his fist again.
I answered it.
He stormed inside. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Where the fuck is he?”
I shut the door and stood in front of it. “Tyler isn’t here and he never was here.”
His eyes widened. “What?”
“I made it up.”
He glared at me. “You tricked me?”
“I want to explain what happened.”
Tony shook his head. “I know exactly what happened. You were picking up guys in bars while we were dating. Why would you do that? We were happy together. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
“Tony, shut the hell up and listen to me.”
“It looks like I don’t have a choice.”
“Danny is my ex-boyfriend.”
His eyes narrowed.
“And when he asked if I had a boyfriend, I didn’t want to say I did if I couldn’t prove it. It would be like I was lying, and I didn’t want him to think I was saying that because I was miserable or something. So, I just said no. Of course I wasn’t going to go out with him. I was asking him to leave.”
Tony paced in front of me. “I—I didn’t know that.”
“I wish I could just be honest and tell people we are dating. That’s what I want, Tony. You’re the one stopping us from doing that. Not me. So if anyone should be upset, it’s me.”
He sighed. “You’re right.”
“I know I am.”
“We’ll talk to her soon.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Very soon,” he said.
I moved away from the door so he could leave. “Goodnight, Tony.”
“I’m not leaving.” He locked the door and came back to me.
“I don’t want you here.”
He circled his arms around me and held me to his chest. “I’m sorry.”
I stared at his chest.
His lips brushed my ear. “Baby, come on.”
“Baby?”
“Yeah.”
“That sounds like a name couples use.”
“We are a couple.”
“No we aren’t,” I said.
“I want to be one.”
I stared at him. “I’m not going to be your girlfriend. Nothing changes.”
His eyes sagged. “Cassie, I really like you. I want to be something more with you.”
“Only if you tell your sister the truth.”
He sighed. “That’s fair.”
“I know it is.”
Tony held me to his chest then ran his fingers through my hair. “This has been a really bad day.”
“It has.”
“I wish I brought your jersey over to cheer you up.”
“That would have been nice.”
He pulled away and kissed my forehead. “Can I sleep with you tonight? I miss you.”
I didn’t know what was going on anymore. I loved being with Tony. He was perfect in every way. I wanted to be in a real relationship. It seemed like he did too. “No.”
His eyes lost their light. “I said I was sorry and I meant it.”
“I don’t know anything about you.”
“What are you talking about? You know me better than anyone else.”
“I’ve never seen your apartment. I don’t know what you do for a living. You won’t tell me that you’re loaded and you keep trying to hide it from me. You won’t tell your sister about me. This isn’t real, Tony. We’re just fucking around.”
“No, we aren’t,” he said firmly. “I care about you, Cassie. This isn’t a fling.”
“Well, it seems like it is.”
“I only had sex with you because you wanted me to. I would have waited as long as you wanted.”
“That isn’t what I meant either.”
“Cassie, what do you want?”
“I want the truth. I want you to tell your sister about us and I want to know what you’re hiding. If that’s not something you can do, I want to end this—relationship—and act like it never happened.”
He
“Tony, Tyler is standing outside my door and he won’t go away. He keeps knocking and he won’t stop. I’m scared and I don’t know what to do.” I hung up.
I felt guilty for lying but I knew it would work.
In less than ten minutes, he was banging on the door. “Cassie! Are you there?” He banged his fist again.
I answered it.
He stormed inside. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Where the fuck is he?”
I shut the door and stood in front of it. “Tyler isn’t here and he never was here.”
His eyes widened. “What?”
“I made it up.”
He glared at me. “You tricked me?”
“I want to explain what happened.”
Tony shook his head. “I know exactly what happened. You were picking up guys in bars while we were dating. Why would you do that? We were happy together. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
“Tony, shut the hell up and listen to me.”
“It looks like I don’t have a choice.”
“Danny is my ex-boyfriend.”
His eyes narrowed.
“And when he asked if I had a boyfriend, I didn’t want to say I did if I couldn’t prove it. It would be like I was lying, and I didn’t want him to think I was saying that because I was miserable or something. So, I just said no. Of course I wasn’t going to go out with him. I was asking him to leave.”
Tony paced in front of me. “I—I didn’t know that.”
“I wish I could just be honest and tell people we are dating. That’s what I want, Tony. You’re the one stopping us from doing that. Not me. So if anyone should be upset, it’s me.”
He sighed. “You’re right.”
“I know I am.”
“We’ll talk to her soon.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Very soon,” he said.
I moved away from the door so he could leave. “Goodnight, Tony.”
“I’m not leaving.” He locked the door and came back to me.
“I don’t want you here.”
He circled his arms around me and held me to his chest. “I’m sorry.”
I stared at his chest.
His lips brushed my ear. “Baby, come on.”
“Baby?”
“Yeah.”
“That sounds like a name couples use.”
“We are a couple.”
“No we aren’t,” I said.
“I want to be one.”
I stared at him. “I’m not going to be your girlfriend. Nothing changes.”
His eyes sagged. “Cassie, I really like you. I want to be something more with you.”
“Only if you tell your sister the truth.”
He sighed. “That’s fair.”
“I know it is.”
Tony held me to his chest then ran his fingers through my hair. “This has been a really bad day.”
“It has.”
“I wish I brought your jersey over to cheer you up.”
“That would have been nice.”
He pulled away and kissed my forehead. “Can I sleep with you tonight? I miss you.”
I didn’t know what was going on anymore. I loved being with Tony. He was perfect in every way. I wanted to be in a real relationship. It seemed like he did too. “No.”
His eyes lost their light. “I said I was sorry and I meant it.”
“I don’t know anything about you.”
“What are you talking about? You know me better than anyone else.”
“I’ve never seen your apartment. I don’t know what you do for a living. You won’t tell me that you’re loaded and you keep trying to hide it from me. You won’t tell your sister about me. This isn’t real, Tony. We’re just fucking around.”
“No, we aren’t,” he said firmly. “I care about you, Cassie. This isn’t a fling.”
“Well, it seems like it is.”
“I only had sex with you because you wanted me to. I would have waited as long as you wanted.”
“That isn’t what I meant either.”
“Cassie, what do you want?”
“I want the truth. I want you to tell your sister about us and I want to know what you’re hiding. If that’s not something you can do, I want to end this—relationship—and act like it never happened.”
He
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