It was with tremendous effort that she kept the false smile on her face while she zipped her coat and prepared for a cold walk home. With each button, the prospect of the dark, lonely night became more appealing. It so perfectly matched her mood. “Well, good night.” She turned toward the door, hoping David hadn’t heard the tremble in her voice.
“Hold up,” he called. “Let me grab my coat.”
“No!” She was desperate for solitude. She whipped around and noticed Ellie sleeping on the couch with a science text lying open on her chest. “I’ll be fine,” Jen whispered. “My apartment’s not that far.”
“Don’t be stupid. I’m walking you home.” He came over and wrapped a scarf around Jen’s head, glancing sideways at Ellie. “She won’t even notice I’m gone.”
Jen was too fragile to argue. As they walked through the frigid night, Jen was grateful for the scarf, not only because it kept her head warm, but because it also kept David from seeing the misery etched onto her face. She burrowed her head deeper into the scarf while David pulled up the collar on his wool coat.
“I gotta get a car,” he complained.
The cold weather kept conversation to a minimum, so Jen was able to torture herself by replaying the last hour in her mind. She wasn’t Gigi anymore. But wasn’t that what Dave wanted? Hadn’t he been pushing her to be bad? So why when she gave in did he suddenly want nothing to do with her? She wondered if there was something else that’d changed his mind about her. “David?”
“Yeah,” his muffled voice answered.
“Have you ever said anything to Dave about you and me…last year?”
“No.” He sounded offended. “That’s nobody else’s business.”
“Okay.” She believed him, which led her to a worse theory. A sick feeling of dread crept in on her. Dave had used her. He’d wanted to get the good girl to do something naughty and he’d succeeded. Now he had no more use for her. Unless it was the drugs or whatever that had made him act like such a jerk.
They finally arrived at Jen’s building. She wanted to dash to her bed, climb under the covers, and let her tears flow freely. But it was bitterly cold outside, and David still had to make the return trek to his house.
“Come inside to warm up before you head back,” Jen ordered.
They stepped onto the inside landing and stood under the harsh light of a bare bulb. Jen turned her head so David wouldn’t notice the few, silent tears that had escaped, but he reached his cold fingers under her chin and angled her face toward him, wiping away a tear with his icy thumb. “What did I tell you about going out with guys who won’t walk you home after dark?”
“Jason was supposed to drive me,” she explained.
David tilted his head and pursed his lips. He knew she was full of crap. Jen looked into his soft, brown eyes and saw pity there. It was more than she could handle. The dam broke, and Jen’s shoulders shook as she let her tears loose. David directed her head to his shoulder. She pressed her face into his coat and cried and cried and cried while he gently stroked her hair.
Her breathing eventually regained a normal rhythm. For a while, the only sound in the entryway was Jen’s sniffles and the lightbulb’s quiet buzzing. David broke the silence. “Don’t call him.”
Jen pulled her head away from David’s coat. She was caught off guard by the venom in his voice. He looked at her intently, and she wrapped appreciative arms around his waist, pressing the side of her face back against his chest. “You know I don’t call boys.”
“Good rule.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
Even though his wool coat scratched her face, Jen felt like she could’ve stood in David’s protective embrace all night. But she was tired, and he had to get home to Ellie. She thanked him for walking her home, and he ventured back into the cold, stopping with the door halfway opened. He reached into his pocket, and
“Hold up,” he called. “Let me grab my coat.”
“No!” She was desperate for solitude. She whipped around and noticed Ellie sleeping on the couch with a science text lying open on her chest. “I’ll be fine,” Jen whispered. “My apartment’s not that far.”
“Don’t be stupid. I’m walking you home.” He came over and wrapped a scarf around Jen’s head, glancing sideways at Ellie. “She won’t even notice I’m gone.”
Jen was too fragile to argue. As they walked through the frigid night, Jen was grateful for the scarf, not only because it kept her head warm, but because it also kept David from seeing the misery etched onto her face. She burrowed her head deeper into the scarf while David pulled up the collar on his wool coat.
“I gotta get a car,” he complained.
The cold weather kept conversation to a minimum, so Jen was able to torture herself by replaying the last hour in her mind. She wasn’t Gigi anymore. But wasn’t that what Dave wanted? Hadn’t he been pushing her to be bad? So why when she gave in did he suddenly want nothing to do with her? She wondered if there was something else that’d changed his mind about her. “David?”
“Yeah,” his muffled voice answered.
“Have you ever said anything to Dave about you and me…last year?”
“No.” He sounded offended. “That’s nobody else’s business.”
“Okay.” She believed him, which led her to a worse theory. A sick feeling of dread crept in on her. Dave had used her. He’d wanted to get the good girl to do something naughty and he’d succeeded. Now he had no more use for her. Unless it was the drugs or whatever that had made him act like such a jerk.
They finally arrived at Jen’s building. She wanted to dash to her bed, climb under the covers, and let her tears flow freely. But it was bitterly cold outside, and David still had to make the return trek to his house.
“Come inside to warm up before you head back,” Jen ordered.
They stepped onto the inside landing and stood under the harsh light of a bare bulb. Jen turned her head so David wouldn’t notice the few, silent tears that had escaped, but he reached his cold fingers under her chin and angled her face toward him, wiping away a tear with his icy thumb. “What did I tell you about going out with guys who won’t walk you home after dark?”
“Jason was supposed to drive me,” she explained.
David tilted his head and pursed his lips. He knew she was full of crap. Jen looked into his soft, brown eyes and saw pity there. It was more than she could handle. The dam broke, and Jen’s shoulders shook as she let her tears loose. David directed her head to his shoulder. She pressed her face into his coat and cried and cried and cried while he gently stroked her hair.
Her breathing eventually regained a normal rhythm. For a while, the only sound in the entryway was Jen’s sniffles and the lightbulb’s quiet buzzing. David broke the silence. “Don’t call him.”
Jen pulled her head away from David’s coat. She was caught off guard by the venom in his voice. He looked at her intently, and she wrapped appreciative arms around his waist, pressing the side of her face back against his chest. “You know I don’t call boys.”
“Good rule.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
Even though his wool coat scratched her face, Jen felt like she could’ve stood in David’s protective embrace all night. But she was tired, and he had to get home to Ellie. She thanked him for walking her home, and he ventured back into the cold, stopping with the door halfway opened. He reached into his pocket, and
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