Page 27
I didn’t say anything, and Jeremy got off the couch, stepping toward me. “Delia, are you safe?”
His question caught me off guard, and I dropped my crossed arms. “Safe? What do you mean?”
“I know people are bothering you at work. And you started taking those self-defense classes.” He stepped even closer to me, his hands out as if to wrap me in a hug.
I brought my eyebrows together. I couldn’t seem to wipe the look off my face. “I—bothering me at work?”
“Didn’t a man bother you the other day at work? Or is that not true?”
The man with the wallet. But how would Jeremy know about that?
The expression on my face turned from confusion to anger as I realized exactly how Jeremy would know about that.
“Did you talk to Robert about me?” I accused, tilting my head at him.
“So it’s true then? Do you need resources, Delia? We could get you another job if you need money that badly.” His voice was soothing, but his eyes were expressionless, simply prying.
He moved to take my hands, and I stepped away from him. “I don’t need another job.”
“So you feel safe?”
“Of course, I feel safe. But, I’m not—I’m not doing this, Jeremy, I’m sorry. You’ll have to find someone else.”
“Delia!” he called after me as I grabbed my purse and walked out the door. I bumped into Robert’s knee as I did, and I stumbled slightly.
Robert’s hand shot out to catch me, and his hands on my body again brought up memories that I didn’t need rolling in my head at that moment.
“Excuse me,” I muttered, looking at him at the insistence ofsomethingin his eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked me. He looked strangely sad, and for a moment, I almost considered staying.
Almost.
“I’m fine. Let me go please.” I extracted myself from his grasp and kept walking down the hallway, out of the space, down the hallway of the building, into the elevator, and out of the building into my car.
How could they? Who do they think they are talking about me together? What business is it of either of theirs? What business amIof either of theirs?
I drove in a blind rage, my mind racing with images of the two of them cozied up together, discussing my job and how dangerous they thought it was.
How dare they? Neither of them had any claim over me, and they certainly couldn’t tell me where to work. Neither of them paid my bills!
I felt my mouth going dry and my heart racing, and I pulled over to take inventory of how my body felt. The anxiety was all over my body, in my pounding heart and in my quick breathing. I was definitely triggered by the idea of the two of them talking.
And this time, it wasn’t guilt. No, it was the memory of all they had put me through the year before – the two of them chatting away about me and Jeremy and our relationship. Theyhad been conspiring together, those two, until it destroyed my relationship. And now it seemed they were back at it.
Those two needed to stop discussing me. It wasn’t fair. I didn’t deserve it then, and I didn’t deserve it now.
I breathed out of my mouth slowly and closed my eyes, hearing the racing of the cars on the road beside me. I would be okay.
But I needed to figure out how to make this stop. I couldn’t deal with them talking about me anymore.
It wasn’t good for anyone.
twelve
Robert
“Robert, I’m ready for you,” Jeremy said, opening the door and looking at me seriously. I hated it when Jeremy got into therapist mode. I knew I needed him to, but I hated it. I hated that I was in therapy at all.
His question caught me off guard, and I dropped my crossed arms. “Safe? What do you mean?”
“I know people are bothering you at work. And you started taking those self-defense classes.” He stepped even closer to me, his hands out as if to wrap me in a hug.
I brought my eyebrows together. I couldn’t seem to wipe the look off my face. “I—bothering me at work?”
“Didn’t a man bother you the other day at work? Or is that not true?”
The man with the wallet. But how would Jeremy know about that?
The expression on my face turned from confusion to anger as I realized exactly how Jeremy would know about that.
“Did you talk to Robert about me?” I accused, tilting my head at him.
“So it’s true then? Do you need resources, Delia? We could get you another job if you need money that badly.” His voice was soothing, but his eyes were expressionless, simply prying.
He moved to take my hands, and I stepped away from him. “I don’t need another job.”
“So you feel safe?”
“Of course, I feel safe. But, I’m not—I’m not doing this, Jeremy, I’m sorry. You’ll have to find someone else.”
“Delia!” he called after me as I grabbed my purse and walked out the door. I bumped into Robert’s knee as I did, and I stumbled slightly.
Robert’s hand shot out to catch me, and his hands on my body again brought up memories that I didn’t need rolling in my head at that moment.
“Excuse me,” I muttered, looking at him at the insistence ofsomethingin his eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked me. He looked strangely sad, and for a moment, I almost considered staying.
Almost.
“I’m fine. Let me go please.” I extracted myself from his grasp and kept walking down the hallway, out of the space, down the hallway of the building, into the elevator, and out of the building into my car.
How could they? Who do they think they are talking about me together? What business is it of either of theirs? What business amIof either of theirs?
I drove in a blind rage, my mind racing with images of the two of them cozied up together, discussing my job and how dangerous they thought it was.
How dare they? Neither of them had any claim over me, and they certainly couldn’t tell me where to work. Neither of them paid my bills!
I felt my mouth going dry and my heart racing, and I pulled over to take inventory of how my body felt. The anxiety was all over my body, in my pounding heart and in my quick breathing. I was definitely triggered by the idea of the two of them talking.
And this time, it wasn’t guilt. No, it was the memory of all they had put me through the year before – the two of them chatting away about me and Jeremy and our relationship. Theyhad been conspiring together, those two, until it destroyed my relationship. And now it seemed they were back at it.
Those two needed to stop discussing me. It wasn’t fair. I didn’t deserve it then, and I didn’t deserve it now.
I breathed out of my mouth slowly and closed my eyes, hearing the racing of the cars on the road beside me. I would be okay.
But I needed to figure out how to make this stop. I couldn’t deal with them talking about me anymore.
It wasn’t good for anyone.
twelve
Robert
“Robert, I’m ready for you,” Jeremy said, opening the door and looking at me seriously. I hated it when Jeremy got into therapist mode. I knew I needed him to, but I hated it. I hated that I was in therapy at all.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97