No Choice by C.M. Steele

and make things better?”
    I briefly went into the story. It still fucking bugged me that she moved on. So when she came out of the bathroom, I hung up with my father and asked her, “How long after you got that call did you start seeing that fuck again?”
    “It’s bothering you. Good. Maybe next time you won’t lie to me or be around one of your ex skanks.”
    “You didn’t answer me.”
    “Last night was the first time I’d spoken to Jeff since he and I broke up a few months back. Before Emmy reminded me that I needed to live, I’d been wallowing too deeply in my own pain of you fucking her to think about fucking someone else,” she hissed before grabbing her dress and storming back in the bathroom.
    She came out two minutes later after I tossed on a pair of boxers.
    “You’ve got a lot of nerve. I didn’t cheat on you. I had to deal with that bitch reminding me that you’d been with her. I let it go because I knew that you’d been too injured to have cheated on me with her. Just know if I run into another one of your bust-downs, I might choke the hell out of her.”
    “Are you done?”
    “What?”
    “You heard me. Are you done yelling at me?”
    She huffed.
    “You want to know why I’ve got the nerve? Because even though you dumped me, which you did by changing your number and not actually telling me, I didn’t go to anyone else. I wasn’t wrapped up in someone’s arms getting ready to go fuck. That’s why I have the nerve. I’m pissed because if I was a few minutes later, you’d have tossed me to the side for someone else. I was heartbroken too, you know. I didn’t know she contacted you. I just thought you were angry with me for not calling sooner. Then you go and change your fucking number, like that shit was going to stop me. It guts me because I didn’t want anyone else, yet you did.”
    “I really didn’t, but I wanted to make the pain go away, and he actually cared for me.”
    “Come here.” She came to me, and I tucked her into my body.
    “Listen, I’m not going to let anyone come between us. Enough with this—we belong to each other. I love you, Natalie.”
    “I love you too.” She rested her head on my chest. I was so happy that I didn’t notice the pain in my body from standing so long. With her, I felt stronger. I’d never needed a woman before, but with her I felt more vulnerable than I’d been at the mercy of an unstoppable speeding car. In that vulnerability, I forgot that she’d been destroyed by that bitch.
    “Give me your mouth, babe. I want to kiss the love of my life.” She smiled with my words and lifted her face to mine. Our mouths had just met when there was a pounding on the door.
    “Fuck, go away,” I shouted angrily.
    “Cam! You open the door this instant,” my sister shouted from the other side, sounding just like my mom.
    “Grr.” I tried to walk to the door, but the pain was getting worse, and I damn near buckled on the floor but caught myself by grabbing onto the chair. I was embarrassed, but my woman was tending to me in a second. “You didn’t take any medicine this morning?” she worriedly asked.
    “I didn’t take any meds since before my flight, and the pain is getting to me. Babe, can you get the door for me?”
    “Of course, then I’ll get your medicine.”

    Seeing him slumped on the chair, I remembered that he’d almost been killed. My heart was pounding in fear. After getting him righted, I walked to the door and opened it to an angry Vanessa and the big behemoth.
    “Vanessa, calm down. Whatever you need to yell at him will have to wait. He’s in pain.”
    Vanessa’s rage calmed instantly, and she ran to him. “Damn it, Cam, they told you to take it easy. Have you used the cane? Of course you haven’t. You fight with guys when you’re broken. You don’t need a cane.”
    I went into his luggage and grabbed the bathroom bag. I pulled out the pills and got him some water. “Here, Cam,” I said as I handed it to him. He