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Daphne
“So how long did he stay out there?”
I shrugged as I passed Talia the bread bowl. “According to my security camera, an hour.”
“And what were you going to do if he was still there this morning?”
I would have given Talia the answer, but she would have thought I was insane. Everything that happened to me had taught me a lot about surviving on my own. A way to be safe and still live a full life.
Step one of that was having more than one way out of my flat.
“I would have figured something out.”
As she chewed on a piece of focaccia dripping in olive oil, she watched me carefully. “How did it feel seeing him?”
“Fine. I’m fine, Talia. You don't have to worry.” I lied.
“Worry? I'm trying to get you laid by the last man who ruined your vagina for anybody else.”
“He didn't ruin it.” He totally had ruined it. I had tried to go back to my life. And I also had to go back to therapy. Because apparently when a homicidal maniac tries to kill you, it is not conducive to sleep.
But somehow in those therapy sessions, I never mentioned how Drake and I got together. The way he kidnapped me. The way he'd washed and deep conditioned my hair. The way he'd cared for me.
I couldn't talk about it. All I told the therapist was that I'd had a bad breakup. She could sense I was holding something back. But every time I tried to talk about it, my heart broke all over again.
And this fucker was back? Hell no. I did not accept it. I was not doing that.
“So you don't want to see him again?”
“I do not. I feel nothing Talia.” Liar.
She threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, please. This is the most animated you have been in weeks. Is he a bad boy? Yes. Is he a walking, talking red flag? Also yes. But does he make your body sing? It would seem so because just talking about him has put a little color in your cheeks.”
“I'm not doing this Talia. I'm not talking about him. He's out of my life. Besides, I'm running the London half marathon tomorrow. I just want to eat, spend some happy time with my bestie, go home, and crawl into bed. I've been training hard, but I've never run this long and I have a feeling it's going to hurt, so I want to keep my focus.”
I could tell that Talia wanted to argue, but she didn't. Instead, she let me sit in my delusions like a bestie should.
My delusions, however, did not allow me to sleep, and I tossed and turned on the night before the bloody marathon. When I woke up in the morning, I was exhausted. The only thing that picked me up was a text message from Reginald.
Good luck, dear. Have a good race. Remember to bring your own hydration. It'll make you feel better. And don't forget your Gu packs to help give you energy through the run.
After our ordeal, Reginald checked on me like a doting father. Never, not once, did he ask about Drake and myself. He only ever asked about me. Sending me congratulations and encouragement when I would conquer some new fear or even just attempt it.
For the first time in my life, it felt like I had a father. He often checked in on Gran too on my opposite weeks. True to his promise, Drake had completely taken care of Gran’s bill. I never had to think about it. Which I was grateful for and simultaneously annoyed by.
I had to focus on my race though. Luckily my adventures were one place he hadn’t infiltrated.
At the race starting line, I was dressed and ready, or at least as ready as I was ever going to be. When the gun went off, I started with the thousands of other runners. I'd eaten a good breakfast and had my little snack pack. I also had my Gu energy packs. The texture was horrible, as was the taste, but for a quick hit of energy on the run, they couldn't be beat.
Three miles in, I was regretting my life choices. I still had nine bloody miles to go. Along the trail, I recognized the pack of runners I’d been at the starting line with. We'd been keeping pace along the way. Every now and again, they kept looking over at me. I wasn't sure if they wanted to run with me or if something was up, but it kept triggering the paranoia.
Halfway, at mile six, one of the girls from the pack started running right next to me.
I smiled over at her in what I hoped looked like a smile of solidarity, but her smile looked right through me. She was smiling at someone else. Someone on my other side.
I glanced over and nearly tripped over my bloody shoelaces, but Drake and his fast reflexes caught me.
“What the fuck?”
