Random Encounter by Allyson Lindt

Twenty-Eight

Adrienne

Despite my resolve to not let Sean push me out of my house, I didn’t want to go home after work. Just thinking about being alone in my apartment twisted my gut into knots. I didn’t know how to get past this feeling—I’d find a solution, and probably a new apartment, but I didn’t have that today.

Phillip said I could stay with him as long as I needed, but despite what I told Dustin, I wasn’t stubborn enough to stay caught between them. Though, Dustin came out of the office and worked in the same room as us that afternoon—promising.

When Graham called and told me Cole had a rental that had opened up, and I could stay there for a little while, I didn’t ask any questions before saying yes please.

I felt bad that everyone was going out of their way for me, because of this one thing, but I wasn’t going to turn down the help.

Cole dropped the keys off a short while later. When work was over, Phillip drove me to my place, hung out while I packed enough to stay somewhere else for a while, and walked me to my car.

“I’m still around if you need anything,” he said.

I nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind, thank you.”

“See you at work tomorrow. I’ll wait until you’re gone, to make sure you’re safe.”

I nodded again. Adrienne the bobblehead, that was me. A strong pull wanted a goodbye kiss, or at least a hand squeeze, but we didn’t have that kind of relationship. So I climbed into my car, and drove away, leaving Phillip in my rearview mirror.

The new place was near the University, in the foothills. Traffic was a little heavy, since everyone was going home for the day, but not so much that it kept me from going a decent speed.

Despite being displaced, life was pretty good. Me from a year ago would be looking at me now and wondering how someone who fucked up so badly—who made so many mistakes, not seeing what my marriage was—deserved what I had.

A job that was challenging but fantastic. I only saw things getting better.

Two gorgeous, intelligent men who wanted me. How was that even a thing? Especially since I was greedy enough to want them both. They’d need to get real cool with each other real fast though; I hated that Phillip and Dustin were fighting. I wanted them to make things right with each other. I also wanted to figure out better what I meant to them, but I wasn’t unhappy with the current conversations.

I took the messiest interstate loop ever to get from the freeway to Foothill Drive, and headed toward the address Graham gave me. There was a grocery store along the way, and I pulled into the parking lot. The fact that it was underground made me a little claustrophobic, but being surrounded by the after-work crowd made me feel safe. Paranoid—Sean wouldn’t know I decided to stop at this one store, in the entire valley, nowhere near my work or home or friends.

I made my way through the store, grabbing enough essentials for the next few days, especially coffee and milk. I threw a box of Twinkies in the cart, too. Just because.

Maybe I could invite the guys over later this week, after Harmony and Alana were back with their mom. See if I could get them to make up, make them dinner to thank them for everything. See where the night took us—how they took me. And I was looking forward to dinner with Dustin. Was it a date? It felt like a date.

I paid for everything and headed to the parking lot. As I drew within visual range of my car, I saw a familiar shape near the vehicle. My heart paused for moment. It wasn’t Sean. It couldn’t be.

It was. He hadn’t seen me yet. I could go inside. Call someone.

No. I’d been direct with Dustin and Phillip, telling them they couldn’t treat me that way, and they hadn’t even been on the same continent as Sean. He couldn’t control me through fear.

Still, when he turned, his gaze meeting mine, and he smiled, my stomach threatened to empty itself. I swallowed the nausea, forced my back straight, and pasted on a mask.

“Adrienne.” He stepped in my path when I was close enough. “I was hoping to catch you without your dick of the week hanging around.”

“Move. I’m done with your shit.” My voice didn’t shake at all, and I had no idea how I pulled that off. How did we get here? A few weeks ago, he was my annoying ex, and now there was no better term for him that stalker.

He didn’t move.

Fine. I stepped around him, opened the trunk of my car, and put away the groceries. It killed me to keep my back to him, to not know if he’d left and not hear him speak. Voices and tires on pavement echoed strangely down here, and it was disorienting.

I finished putting my groceries away, closed the trunk, and turned. Sean stood right there, pinning me in place and sending my heart into my shoes. He wouldn’t see my fear. I wasn’t backing down.

“Back the fuck up,” I said as firmly as I could, “I’m sick of your bullshit, and I’m not doing this anymore.”

“God damn it, Adrienne.” His voice was a low growl. He slammed his hand into my trunk. The clang reverberated around us, ringing in my ears and amplifying the hammering of my pulse in my ears.

I shrank away in fear; I couldn’t help it.

“I’m sorry.” His voice softened and he took a step back. “You just... Sometimes you're so very unreasonable.”

“Are you all right?” A man stopped next to us, eyeing us both.

“No.” I needed to say more. The words froze in my throat.

“Yes.” Sean gave him a warm smile. “Couple’s disagreement, you know how it goes. How old is your baby?”

A bag of diapers sat on the bottom of the cart.

The man smiled softly. “Six months. Total angel.”

“I bet.” Sean had flipped a switch inside, and adopted angelic himself.

I was wrong to want to confront him myself. “Please help me. Call the police. Something,” I said.

Sean laughed and waved a hand dismissively in my direction. “She’s such a drama queen. You forget to pick up milk one time, and the world is ending, am I right?”

I knew this Sean. This was the man who convinced me for years that everything was my fault. Who made it so easy to doubt myself and the people around me.

The stranger laughed along with him, then looked at me. “Cut him a break. He’s trying.”

The stranger moved on, and so did everyone else who had slowed to watch the spectacle.

Fuck.

I rebuilt my courage from shattered fragments and clung to the pieces until I thought they might cut into my soul. “Leave me alone.” I was firm, despite how badly my hands shook. “I’m leaving, and you’re letting me. You’re not following me. Walk away now or I’ll scream.”

“All right, Love. Don’t get excited. I just wanted to work things out.” He held his hands up, as if surrendering, and stepped back. “I’ll give you some time to cool down.”

It was too easy—there was no way this was over. I climbed into my car, my hands shaking so badly I dropped the keys twice before fitting them into the ignition. I expected to look up and see Sean standing next to my window when I finally got the car started, but he was nowhere to be seen.

New apartment would wait. Graham’s house was closest, and I was going straight there. I navigated the underground lot, and hit the sharp slope leading up to the street. As I waited for an opening in traffic so I could turn, I checked my rear view mirror.

Sean was in the car immediately behind me.

Bile rose in my throat and I couldn’t swallow it down.

The street was too busy. I couldn’t put any distance between us, especially with him riding my ass as cars inched forward.

The freeway was only a couple miles away. That would give me more room to maneuver, and maybe put a few cars between us if I did a little aggressive driving. As we drew closer to the on-ramp, I found an opening in the cars, and stomped on the gas to grab the spot.

Sean must have had a similar idea, because suddenly his car was beside mine, amid the blare of horns and screeching tires. I glanced sideways at him, then back at the road. There was a lot of mountain here, and a distinct absence of guard rails. I hit the on-ramp faster than I should for the sharp turn. Despite the one-lane road, he was still there.

His car flew sideways into mine, jarring me with the screech of metal and tearing the steering wheel from my hands.

I struggled to regain control, but two of my tires had already left pavement and hit dirt.

He jerked into my car again, and my stomach and heart left my body as my car tumbled down the slope.