Waking the next morning, I felt stiff joints in my body protesting against the altercation that happened the night before. James had been a man of his word. He stayed with me all night and held me until the rising sun shone through the curtains.
Unsure of how to take everything in, I slid from the bed and made my way towards the bathroom, my eyes not wanting to look into the mirror to see how awful I looked, and even though James told me it wasn't bad, I knew otherwise.
The pain radiating across my head proved just how bad it was, and as I found the courage to look in the mirror I gasped.
My hands came to my mouth as I took in the sight before me.
Massive bruises covered the side of my face from my cheek down to my jawline. A minor cut slashed the top of my head from when I hit the wall when I fell. Even my arms had small bruises on them, and more were black now that time had passed.
“Oh, my god…" I gasped again, wiping the few stray tears that escaped my eyes.
I couldn't believe this was the gift I was left with from Chad. After all those years of being nothing but kind to him, this was how he had repaid me.
It was disgusting, and as much as I wanted to call the cops, there was no point.
Chad's family was wealthy, and I had seen what they had done to other women. His father would paint a picture of how I liked it rough, and that Chad was just giving me what I wanted. That I had invited him to come over.
Something like that would make national news, and there was no way I would allow the incident to tarnish my future. Something like that would make Yale try to get rid of me.
Being so close to graduation, I couldn't afford for my future to be destroyed.
No matter how much I wanted him to pay.
“Becca?" James' voice caught me off guard, and pushing a smile on my face, I stepped from the bathroom to meet him in the middle of his room.
His eyes seemed sad, but he held a white take-out bag and a tray with coffee and juice. The fact he had taken the effort to go get me food made my heart swell.
“You went to pick up breakfast?" I asked, trying to divert his attention away from the marks on my body.
“Yeah, I figured you may want to just take it easy today. So I was thinking… takeout and movies?" he replied, pushing a smile onto his lips.
Stepping forth, I moved towards him, running my hands over his tight, rippling chest as I smiled and leaned in, kissing him.
“That sounds amazing. Thank you."
“You don't have to thank me, Becca." He set the bags and drinks on his dresser. He kissed me again, wrapping his hands around my waist, pulling me close.
“I do though," I sighed, casting my eyes down, ashamed of myself. “I have done nothing but caused drama for you, and I hate that this happened in your home. I shouldn't—"
Words escaped me, but he didn't seem to pay any mind.
Instead, he lifted my chin with one finger and forced me to look at him, teary-eyed.
“You are mine to worry about, Becca. Never think you're a burden to me."
As much as I wanted to cry again, I held myself together. Because, the more I grew upset, the more Chad was winning.
I couldn't continue to let myself be affected. Instead, I had to be strong and show I wasn't someone who could be affected this way.
“Oh, I was going to tell you that your dad tried calling you earlier. I didn't answer your phone or anything, but it was ringing. You were just so tired, I didn't want to wake you up," James said, changing the subject.
“Oh–" I said smiling. “Well, why don't you pick a movie, and I will go into the next room and call him quickly? It's just our regular weekly conversations."
James nodded as I picked my phone up from the nightstand and padded my way towards my room. My finger hesitated over the call button next to my father's phone. Usually, I would FaceTime him, but today I'd have to play it off and just make it a normal call.
I couldn't allow my father to see me like this. He would flip his shit.
“Becca?" my dad said in a curious tone. “Why aren't you video chatting with me?"
Of course, he would start off like that.
“Oh, because I just got out of the shower. That's why I missed your call. I'm a bit sore from my run." It was a lie, but he did know how I liked to run.
“I have told you about overworking yourself." His concern caused me to smile. “So tell me, what's new?"
“Nothing much. I spent some time on the beach and what not. Just a little rest and relaxation," I replied, not going into many details.
My father was a stickler for the details, and if I started telling him too much, he would ask a lot of questions that would eventually cause me to spill the truth.
“Sounds like fun. With school starting in a few weeks, you need it, hunny."
“I know, but… I actually wanted to speak to you about that," I replied, letting out a heavy sigh as I considered what I was actually going to say.
As much as I enjoyed my time here with James, I felt a little out of place. There was so much going on and too many complications. Part of me missed my father terribly, but the other part of me didn't want him to worry.
“Well, spit it out. What's happened?"
“Oh, nothing's happened. I just was thinking about coming to stay with you for a few weeks before school goes back in session. I haven't been able to spend much time with you lately, and I miss you." Thinking about missing him brought forth so many emotions.
Emotions that I had been ignoring, and trying to bury, so that I didn't face facts that my life was completely messed up.
“Well, you know you can always come here, hunny. You don't have to ask me to do that. I just thought you were enjoying your summer with Tally."
Ah, Tally… that f*cking bitch was not what I called fun anymore.
“Honestly, dad… she has really shown her true colors this summer, and I'm considering she and I will have to go our separate ways after this summer. Her outlook on life is not the same as mine," I explained, hoping that he could understand.
He always thought my friendship with her was wonderful. Then again, he had never seen the side of her I had.
“You do whatever you think is best, Becca," he replied, catching me by surprise.
“Thanks, Dad. I'm going to get off here though so I can get dressed and get some food. I'll call you this weekend?"
“Sounds great. Be safe. I love you."
His words forced a rush of emotions over me as I choked out an I love you, too.
I hated that this was how things had turned out, but I always had a way out. I could leave at any moment and go home to my dad's, and he would take me with open arms.
That was something a lot of people in the world today didn't have the chance to do.
Collecting myself, I pushed back the building emotions and made my way back towards James' room. He sat on the edge of the bed with the remote in his hand, staring at the TV screen.
“So you're leaving?" he whispered before his eyes met mine.
I hadn't known he was listening to what I was saying to my father, and guilt filled me, hearing him acknowledge what I was planning. Biting my bottom lip, I sighed and moved towards him.
“I don't want to, but things have become so complicated here, James. Between Tally and Chad… then this situation with you. What do you expect me to do?"
My question caused him to be silent, but as he stood, he shook his head, running his hands through his hair. “I don't know. Not leave, maybe?"
“We both knew eventually I would leave to go back to school," I reminded him to show him there was no difference in leaving then or two weeks sooner.
“Yes, I know. Even though I wish you wouldn't."
“Why? You don't want a relationship, James," I replied, watching him stare at me with confusion. As much as I wanted it to be more, it couldn't be. I would never be accepted this way with him by anyone outside of the two of us.
He was old enough to be my father, not that it mattered to me.
Also, he was Tally's father. A girl who had been my best friend for years.
“What if we could be?" he finally asked, catching me off guard.
“What if we could be what? More than this?" I asked, with confusion.
“Yeah." He smiled. “What if this could be more? Would you stay then?"
James was acting completely differently than he had before. I wasn't sure what to say to his offer because I wasn't going to change schools for this. He would have to accept me finishing a year there and then coming here.
Also, his daughter—my friend—wouldn't accept this.
“What about Tally? She doesn't know, and we can't keep this a secret forever. She would find out eventually, and that would be bad for the both of us. This would create a scandal… and even if that wasn't an issue, I want to finish my last year at Yale. Would you be okay with long distance?"
He stared at me in disbelief, as if thinking about what I was saying. In all honesty, I cared about him way more than I expected myself to care. I wanted to be with him. I wanted to have a life with him, and I was terrified to lose him.
“If we could sort Tally out, you would stay with me…" he said again, and with a shrug of my shoulders, I nodded.
“In a perfect world, yes, I would, but things aren't as easy as that. Things aren't perfect all the time, and right now, I don't want to think about the future. I just want to spend time with you. I want to be with you however I can until the time comes for me to go back to school."
There was no telling what would end up happening over the next few weeks, but I wasn't going to allow that to affect the present. All I wanted to do was be with him.
He made everything better, and if I could be happy like this, then so be it.
Even if it was only short-lived.