Page 26 of Revealing Mark

Damn him! I wanted to rip up every photo and every memory of him, but I didn’t. Instead I held the folder, wondering how I would ever be able to face him again.

A little later he knocked on the door and told me my bag was outside the door. Like a coward, I waited for him to leave before I slowly peered through the opening to ensure he wasn’t there before I got it.

It was getting late and I was tired. It had been an eventful day. But I knew it wasn’t going to be easy for me to shut off and get any sleep.

I kept myself busy by getting ready for bed and got under the covers before I heard another knock.

“You can’t stay in there forever.”

I refused to answer. He had hurt me badly and I wasn’t ready to play nice.

“You have to eat.” He sighed.

In response I lay down on my side and switched off the light. I stared into the darkness, feeling my stomach grumble. I would rather die of hunger than have to deal with him again.

I was tired and grumpy. But it was the pain of rejection that ached in the middle of my chest that hurt the most. Sleep hadn’t been within my grasp. Dark circles beneath my eyes would make my lack of sleep glaringly obvious. I managed to cover them up with some makeup but I was still sitting on the bed,trying to build up the courage to leave the room. It was after nine already.

Mark had already been up for an hour. I’d heard him while I had lain in my bed, trying not to relive what had happened in the study.

I had work to do and I couldn’t put it off any longer. I took a deep breath before I opened the door and walked to the living room. It was empty. I was tempted to slip out and get an taxi to my appointment so I wouldn’t have to face him, but the longer it went on the more difficult it would be to address.

The smell of coffee drew me to the kitchen where Mark was seated and drinking his coffee with a newspaper. When I appeared in the doorway, he folded the paper.

“You’re up.”

I nodded.

“Coffee?” he asked, and I nodded again. I would have helped myself but I had no idea where he kept anything.

He got a plain white mug out and made me coffee. He added two sugars and cream. I was a little surprised he knew how I took it. I watched as he stirred it.

“Thanks,” I murmured when he handed it to me.

“You hungry?” he asked.

I shook my head but the truth was I was starving. The hunger pangs were stabbing but I refused to admit I needed anything from him.

“You didn’t eat last night. You have to be hungry.” The disapproval was clear in his face.

“I don’t need you to fuss,” I said in a clipped tone, unable to even pretend to be nice.

“You have to eat. I can make you something if you want,” he suggested, still pressing on.

“No, I’m good.” Taking a long sip of my coffee, I managed to ease my grumbling tummy. “I have to get to my first appointment and I don’t want to be late.”

“Fine,” he relented. He got something out of the bowl beside the fridge and turned to hand me an apple. I was about to hand it back but he had already left and I hurried after him. I shoved the fruit into my purse.

The boxes that held my equipment still stood in the living room and I gathered up what I needed.

“Look, if you can just drop me off at my place I can get to the appointment on my own.” I slung the camera bag over my shoulder.

He stood, feet apart with his arms crossed, shaking his head. “No. That’s not what we agreed on.”

“We didn’t agree on anything.” I felt compelled to remind him.

“Like I said, it’s up to you. Either we do this my way or I call Matt.” He raised an eyebrow at me.

I glared at him but he wasn’t backing down.