Bedroom Bully by Harper West

7

Rebecca

“Rebecca Loren?”

I turned at the sound of my name and found the man from the dating app standing behind me. Not the accountant, mind you. But ever since I upped my data plan and refused to connect my phone to the internet at work, I had the freedom to do as I wished.

So, I smiled as the man approached. “You must be Michael, then.”

He held out his hand. “You look even more beautiful in person. Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to have dinner with me.”

I giggled as I shook his hand. “So formal. You’re welcome, though, nonetheless.”

He pulled me close as our hands connected. “A woman who uses ‘nonetheless’ properly in a sentence. I’m impressed.”

I winked. “Wait until you see what I have in store for the word ‘mononucleosis.’”

He linked my arm with his. “Ready to be seated? I made us reservations for five minutes ago, so we should be able to breeze on--.”

“Michael, party of two?” the hostess asked.

The man I was with nodded. “That’s us.”

The kind woman dressed in all black smiled. “If you’ll follow me, it’s right this way.”

Michael was not only kind with his words, but with his gestures. He pulled out my chair for me and helped me sit. He asked me my opinions on the wine menu before ordering us a bottle. We talked back and forth about the menu that apparently changed every Saturday evening, and he even had a few jokes about trying snails for the first time.

But something still didn’t feel right.

“So, you said you work as an accountant?”

His voice pulled me out of my mind. “Yes, I do. I work at--.”

“That TechGiants place, right?”

“Wow, you remembered.”

He shrugged. “I’m a doctor, I’m supposed to be able to remember a few things.”

I giggled. “I think you need to remember more than a few things.”

He chuckled. “Maybe a little more than a few.”

His green eyes sparkled as I reached for my wine glass. “How was your day today? Pretty busy at the hospital?”

His cheeks puffed out with a sigh as he reached for a piece of bread in the middle of the table. “Things are always busy at the hospital. But I consider it a good day when it’s not all hands-on deck in the E.R.”

“Like with big pile-ups and things?”

“Exactly.”

I sipped my drink. “Huh. I figured that kind of stuff was only for television’s sake. But it would make sense that it would happen in real life.”

He smoothed some butter onto his bread. “Do accountants find a life of crime in the numbers they crunch all the time? Because that’s what I see on T.V. during my cop procedurals.”

“Oh, oh! I love those kinds of shows. Do you watch NCIS?”

He scoffed playfully. “Do I watch NCIS? That was my gateway show.”

“Gibbs is fantastic. His character arc over these last few seasons has been insane.”

“And necessary. I honestly think they’re gearing up for a spin-off.”

I groaned. “No, don’t say that. So many other people are saying that.”

“Well, if it’s true, you could get a show with just Gibbs.”

I grinned. “Actually, now that doesn’t sound too bad.”

We started laughing at the table and it felt so… normal. And I should have enjoyed things that way. A dose of normal was what I needed in my life. It was what I needed in order to pull away from JoJo and the conundrum he had created in my life. But the more Michael and I talked, the more I yearned for that normal.

And I hated myself for it.

I mean, he was an amazing guy, from what I could tell. He wasn’t pushy, or bossy. He didn’t call me names or expect crazy amounts of… whatever from me. In some ways, I envisioned settling down to a bland life with a cookie-cutter home with the guy in front of me. You know, two kids—a boy and a girl—him going off to work at the hospital while I did some part-time work from home after both of the kids were in school. I saw it, and part of me enjoyed it.

But it was only a small part of me.

“Rebecca?”

I cleared my throat. “My apologies, something with work caught my attention.”

He chuckled. “Do numbers run through your head all the time like my diagnoses do?”

I furrowed my brow. “Do you second-guess yourself after work when you should be sleeping or eating?”

“All the time. You?”

I rolled my eyes. “More than I care to admit.”

He smiled and laid his hand out on top of the table for me to take. “Well, at least you aren’t alone in how your brain works.”

My eyes dropped to his offering, but I knew I couldn’t take it. He was so kind, and his presence was so comforting. Yet, all I continued to do was compare him to JoJo. Yes, Joseph was an asshole. Yes, he had a lot of growing to do. Yes, he had compartmentalized a great deal of shit that changed him at his core that he needed to unpack. But, deep down, I knew the playful, romantic, caring JoJo I saw back in high school still existed.

And I didn’t want to give up on him like so many others had.

“I’m so sorry,” I said softly.

I grabbed my purse and stood, causing Michael to stand with me. “Is something wrong?”

I sighed. “I just—you are so kind, and you look so handsome. But--.”

“There’s someone else?”

I cleared my throat. “Sort of, yeah.”

He slid his hands into his pockets. “Well, I appreciate you being honest with me.”

“I’m really sorry.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be. You can’t control who you heart wants. Does he treat you well, though? Because you deserve to be treated well.”

He treats me like his good little girl. “For the most part, yes. He’s got some baggage he needs to unpack, but we all know how that goes.”

He nodded. “Well, I can give you a ride home if you’d like.”

I stepped out from behind the table. “No, no. I’ll take a cab. That’s how I got here, so I’ve got no issues taking it back home.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to strand you.”

I smiled. “You’re very kind, but I promise I’m okay. Thank you for being so understanding, though.”

He tilted his head. “Sure you don’t just want to enjoy the meal?”

I looked down at the bread. “To be honest, I can’t say I’m that hungry. Just got a lot on my mind and all.”

“Well, I hope things work out for you. But, if you change your mind, you know how to find me.”

I giggled softly. “I do, yes.”

He held out his hand. “Our time, however brief, was wonderful.”

I shook his hand, but there was no spark like there was when JoJo touched me. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

“Take care of yourself.”

“You too, Michael.”

As I wandered out of the restaurant and toward the sidewalk, I found myself alone with my thoughts. I kept peering over my shoulder at the place behind me, wondering if I was making a huge mistake. Maybe that was my shot at a normal, regular, beautiful life. And maybe I had just squandered it on the most broken, most insane man on the face of this planet. But, deep down in the pit of my gut, I believed that JoJo was worth it.

If I could just get him to talk about all the shit he was holding onto in the pit of his soul.

Cars whizzed by me like I didn’t exist, and people flooded the streets for their nighttime routine. Clubs started blasting music with thumping bass notes and all I wanted was some peace and quiet. I dug around in my purse and pulled out my phone. Loneliness crept into the stomach of my heart as I looked down at my phone and started scrolling through my contacts. I begged myself not to do it. I tried to ignore the tug in my gut as my finger hovered over his name.

I was weak to him, even without his presence, and as I dialed the number, I held the phone up to my ear.

“This is Joseph,” he said gruffly.

Panic gripped my heart, and it began racing. I quickly hung up the phone and held it against my chest, wondering what the fuck had come over me. My cell phone quickly started ringing in my hand though. It vibrated and dinged with the little mechanical song I had chosen when I first purchased it, and I yelped as I stuffed it back into my purse.

Why the hell I thought calling him was a good idea in the first place, I had no clue. I couldn’t believe how easy it had been to invite him back into my world after some of the shit he had pulled. Shouldn’t I want better than him? Someone who protected me and kept me safe? Someone who loved me and didn’t find that to be a shameful thing?

Then again, he does make me feel safe.

After all, he protected me from Tommy in the garage. He protected me from Brit whenever she started breathing down the back of my neck. In his strange way, he gave me all the things I was craving, plus things I didn’t know I craved.

“I wonder when that court date is,” I murmured to myself.

And a quick Google search told me that the trial date was still three months out.