Cowboy
My goddamn head felt like it was splitting in half.
I shuffled into the bathroom. The light coming through the windows hurt my eyes, so I closed the blinds.
I took care of my morning routine, though it was slow.
It barely made me feel human. I retrieved the Tylenol from my medicine cabinet and poured a glass of water.
Downing the pills, I began the trek back to my bedroom.
Back in it, I flopped face-first on the bed.
A groan escaped as my head throbbed and my stomach churned at the sudden change in position.
Better not do that again. As I lay there, I recalled the party the night before last. Even until the last moment, when the Colemans entered the clubhouse, I’d held out hope that Saranya would come with them.
My disappointment was bitter when I saw they were alone.
It increased when they shared the excuse for her absence.
The others might believe it, but I didn’t.
I knew why she wasn’t there. She was avoiding me.
After the debacle at her place, I’d taken a day to calm down and think more clearly.
I recalled her expressions as she spoke, the way she held herself.
I wanted to believe the things she told me about herself and War were lies, but I wasn’t sure.
The thought that I had somehow pushed them together and led to their confession of feelings drove me mad.
My head had been whirling, and the one hope I had was to speak to her when her family came to the party.
With her not there, I threw myself into drinking and having a good time.
Since it wasn’t a typical party night, the sluts and hangers weren’t there.
However, the following night was a regular party night.
Again, I drank too much, but even though I had, when the club sluts or a hanger tried to cozy up to me, I turned them away. I’d fallen into bed alone.
You’re an idiot. Stop pining for a woman who wants nothing to do with you. She has someone, and a lifetime of emotions and memories with him. You can’t compete with that, I argued. It made my head hurt more.
At some point, I dozed off. I had no idea how long I was asleep when the ringing of my cell phone jarred me awake. Fumbling around, I found it under me on the bed. Yanking it free, I blinked my bleary eyes at the screen. It was Boden. Wondering what he wanted, I answered.
“Yo, Boden, what’s up?”
“Two things. I took care of the horses this morning like you asked me to do last night.”
“Ah, thanks, man. I owe you. What’s the other thing?”
“There’s a man here insisting he has to see you. He says he’s not leaving until he does.”
Sitting up, I frowned as I replied, “Oh, he does, does he? Who the fuck is he? Did he say what he wants?” I snapped.
“His name is War, and he doesn’t look happy.”
At the mention of Saranya’s boyfriend’s name, all fuzziness was swept away. I was alert and raring to go. But there was no way I wanted to talk or punch this bastard in the middle of the clubhouse, especially if any of the kids or old ladies were there. This conversation was best kept between us.
“Bring him to my house,” I ordered.
I was on my feet, going to the closet to get a pair of jeans and a shirt, as Boden said he’d be there in two minutes.
After tossing on my clothes, I ran my fingers through my hair.
I hurried to my front door and opened it.
I stood there, watching as Boden led War to my house.
War had on a pair of sunglasses, so I wasn’t able to see his eyes, but his jaw was set and rigid.
He was moving like a bull about to steamroll over someone, and reminded me of some of the tougher bulls I’d ridden in the rodeo.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, I sent Boden on his way. “You can go, Boden. I’ve got this. I’ll see him out when I’m done.”
“Oh, okay, Cowboy. If you need anything, let me know,” he said hesitantly. I saw the way his gaze jumped back and forth between War and me. When the prospect walked away, War remained standing there.
“Well, you came here insisting on seeing me. Are you coming in or standing there all day?” I snapped.
War came bounding up the stairs, whipping off his glasses. His eyes snapped with anger. “You don’t want to fuck with me, Cowboy. I have very little patience with you at the moment. Don’t make me take you down a peg or two,” he growled.
“I’d like to see you try, asshole. Keep that shit talk up, and you’ll be picking your ass and teeth off the ground. Come inside. You have five minutes, then you’re gone. Count yourself lucky that I bothered to see you,” I said, waving him to precede me into the house.
As he passed me, he angled himself so his back wasn’t turned to me. Smart move, not that I would jump him. Once inside, I motioned toward the living room. He took a seat on the couch. I sat in my favorite chair. I offered no drink. He wouldn’t be here long enough to drink it.
“Clock is ticking. What brought you to my club’s compound? Shouldn’t you be in Ormond Beach with your woman instead of here bothering me?”
Referring to Saranya as his woman left a sour taste in my mouth. Undoubtedly, she told him about our conversation, and he was here to warn me to stay away from her. I had news for him. If I wanted to be around her, I’d do it.
“You’re right, I should be in Ormond with Sari. We should be sacked out on her bed, having a great time. But instead, I’m here dealing with you. Don’t worry. As soon as we’re finished, I’m heading there to be with her.” He smirked.
A menacing rumble worked its way up my throat and out of my mouth. War’s eyebrow hiked up when he heard it.
“Sounds like someone doesn’t like my idea.
Care to elaborate why? Would it have anything to do with the conversation the two of you had a few days ago at her place?
The one where you half-assed apologized for thinking she was a slut and sleeping with every man she spoke to in Vegas.
The one where you made your offer for her to be your slut.
Proving to her that you’re no better than ninety-five percent of the guys she’s met or dated?
I’m not leaving until you swear that you’ll stay away from her and never make that kind of offer again.
Sari is meant to be loved, not fucked and discarded,” War snapped.
“Oh, is that what you’re doing? Loving her? Are you here to ask her to marry you? To have your children?” I seethed.
“I’ll always love her, and no matter what she needs, I’ll be here for her. But a man like you doesn’t know what to do when you have a quality woman. You treat them like shit. It’s a good thing she decided not to give you a chance with her. You’ll hurt her,” he sneered.
A bellow escaped as I shot to my feet and took a swing at him. He ducked it but threw a gut punch that winded me. He was on his feet, and we circled each other. As we did, his prior words finally began to sink in after he punched me in the gut. They rolled around inside my skull.
“Offered to make her my slut? Saranya told you that?” I asked.
“She did. And she was distraught. You made her cry and then stay home alone and get drunk. Sari doesn’t do that. So I decided to come here and ensure you stay away from her. Let her forget you exist and find a man she can build a future with.”
“She cried? Got drunk? You’re not making any sense. There’s no reason for her to do those because of me. She’s already got someone to build her future with. You. And I never asked her to be my slut.”
“What else was she to believe when you never said a word about wanting her for anything more than that? You didn’t say you want to date her.
You didn’t ask her to give you a chance to see if you can be more than what you have with those sluts.
What else could you mean other than you want to have fun with her until you’re tired of her and then go your merry way?
It pisses me off that you can’t see she’s not that kind of person,” War snapped.
He took a step toward me, but I held up my hands. “Hold it. Hang on. I did tell her those things about wanting to date and see if we can be in a relationship,” I protested.
“No, you did not. Think back. She was distraught for a reason.”
I thought back to the conversation. As it played in my head, my heart sank. He was right. I hadn’t said those words. It suddenly made sense why she’d run into the house and refused to come out, and why she stayed home on New Year’s Eve. I dropped my hands and groaned. I shook my head.
“Fuck me, you’re right. I didn’t. Christ, no wonder she was mad. But what about you two? She said you’re together.”
“She said that not to lose face. She wanted you to stay away from her, moron.”
Joy began to overtake the despair I’d been living in for the past few days. “Can I get you something to drink?” I asked, willing to play host now that I might have a chance with Saranya.
“About time you offered. You got a beer around here?”
“I do. But if you don’t mind, I’ll stick to water. I’ve had enough alcohol for a while,” I informed him as I went to the kitchen. It was visible from the living room, so he kept me in sight. I was back in less than two minutes. Retaking my seat, I was ready to hear the full details.
“Tell me what she told you,” I demanded.
“I will if you change your tone. Tell me exactly what you remember.”
I recounted the conversation to the best of my ability. I saw that there were several hazy parts. When I was finished, War pointed out where I went wrong in the conversation.
“Alright, I get it. I’m a moron. Tell me what she said when she called you and cried.”