4. Cataleya
In my peripheral vision, I watch as he drives away in his car. I’m standing in the middle of my apartment complex lobby, wanting to take a wooden bat and destroy the first thing I see.
“Bastard. Fucking bastard,” I mutter, unable to contain my anger anymore. “I can’t believe he fucking did this to me. Who does he think he is? I should—”
“Ma’am?”
A young woman looks at me with wide eyes. Heat rises up to my head, humiliated by the fact that Christian has me acting like this in public. She’s dressed formally and the nametag on her blouse lets me know that she works here.
“Do you need anything? Like a cup of water or…?”
“No, no, I’m fine. Thank you, though,” I reply hastily before making my way to the elevator. I jam my hand into my purse and rummage around for my phone. My vision’s muddled by some angry tears trickling in. “Fucking Christian.”
He treated me like a damn child back there! Dragged me out of the bar and shoved me into his car as if I’m his property. I have half a mind to go after him for a kidnapping charge for that.
But no. I have a better idea. The petty part of me starts shooting out thoughts in rapid fire succession, looking for the best way to get some revenge on Christian for embarrassing me back there.
Meanwhile, I text a furious message to him as I ride the elevator up to my apartment floor. A scathing voice message would also do the trick, but I’m too angry to talk straight right now.
I will not be available to talk to you tomorrow. I have yet to understand why you feel entitled to my presence and time when I have made it clear multiple times that I want nothing to do with you. Do not come to my apartment. I do not want to engage with you.
The elevator door dings open and I shove my phone back into my purse, intending to ignore any message Christian wants to send in reply.
Once I enter my apartment, I make a beeline to the fridge so I can get a cold glass of water. My hands are trembling as I search for a glass. I sit down and gulp down the cold liquid, rejuvenated by the crispness that courses down my throat.
I sigh, standing at my kitchen counter. I haven’t even turned on the lights, so I’m standing in the darkness with only the city lights in the distance providing some illumination. My fingers tap rhythmically on the glass.
“I know exactly what I’m going to do to Christian tomorrow,” I say with firm resolution, speaking out to the open air. My voice echoes off the walls. “I’ll make him regret taking the flight over here.”
The next morning, I wake up bright and early, even before the sun starts trailing across the skies. If I’m going to make this work, I’ll have to beat Christian at his own game.
He likes to arrive prim, proper, and on-time to whatever occasion he attends, so that means he will absolutely be making his way here soon.
Heading to my closet, I toss open a duffle bag and throw in multiple sets of outfits. One is for the gym, the others are for running errands. I work as quickly as I can, throwing frequent glances at my watch to make sure I’m not burning my minutes up.
Once I’m done, I take my bag and my purse, then hurry out the front door. I take the elevator down to where the communal gym is located, keeping my guard up in case I bump into Christian on the way down.
Thankfully, he’s not here. When I look at our text conversation, I can see that he completely ignored my last message and instead let me know that he’s nearby. And that he’ll be dropping by soon.
“Asshole,” I whisper, shaking my head as I head for the treadmills.
His awful treatment towards me is what makes this plan so sweet to unfold. He can chase me around all he wants, but he’ll never catch me. I won’t let him.
As I start my work-out, I send him a text.
Sorry! Not home right now. Check back later maybe.
It only takes a few minutes to get a reply from him.
Cataleya, what are you talking about? I told you that I was going to stop by. Where are you now?
Sorry, I must’ve forgotten.
I laugh quietly to myself as I send that text.
I have a lot of stuff to do today. No time to wait around!
I cut my work-out short and grab my things. Then I hurry to my car, toss my stuff into the backseat, and get out of that apartment complex. Now that I know what car Christian’s driving, I keep an eye out for the vehicle on my way out.
Each stoplight makes me antsy. I find myself picking at my skin if I stay put for too long. The thought of Christian chasing me around New York City both excites and terrifies me. This has become a cat-and-mouse game, and I’m the unfortunate latter.
“God,” I whisper to myself, tapping the steering wheel as I wait in traffic. “Christian, if only you acted a bit more normal, we would’ve been the perfect couple. But no. You just had to be the most boring and stand-offish person in all of Solvaria.”
Glancing down at my phone, Christian sends me an influx of texts, asking where I am and why am I wasting his time. I say I’m at the mall, but then I switch up my plans and say that I’m out for lunch with some friends.
In reality, I’m driving around and avoiding all of the places I’m leading him towards.
Eventually, as the sun starts setting and the day’s exhausting events start catching up to me, I decide to check into a hotel for the night. Christian knows where I live, after all.
I had an emergency and had to go home.
That’s my latest text to him. His last message to me is laced with venom, asking if I think that he’s dense. Why, yes, but I would never say that to him directly.
The hotel is located near Central Park, so I feel relieved to be surrounded by so many people. I check into my room without issue and feel a weight off my shoulders once I make it into the room. The view is incredible and I nearly forget to check my phone.
You’re going to regret messing with me like this, Cataleya.
I hum softly to myself. “Highly unlikely.”
Leaving him on read, I head for the bathroom and start a bath. While I’m in there, I glance at the hotel’s dinner menu and skim through all of my options. I settle for the garlic lemon chicken dish with a side of wine, a perfect end to the mischievous day I’ve had.
As a final fuck you to Christian, I send him one last message.
I’m going out to a party tonight if you really want to talk to me. I’ll give you your chance to speak to me there. It’s in Manhattan. Until then, see ya!
I snort out a laugh as I shake my head at my phone. “I can’t believe he fell for this shit. I thought the Crown Prince of Solvaria was supposed to be a smart guy?”
Once I finish with my bath, I hear knocks coming at the hotel door. My food’s here, thank God. I haven’t eaten all day. Tricking Christian took a lot of effort and attention on my part. I didn’t have any time to stop by and get a meal in fear that he would somehow catch up to me.
At that, a small thought crosses my mind. Is it possible for him to know where I am right now?
Don’t be silly, Cataleya. That’s just your paranoia trickling in. Christian will be wasting his time in Manhattan for the rest of the night. There’s no need to worry.
Sighing as I throw on my bathrobe, I allow myself to relax. The bath did me well and I’m sure the dinner will make me feel so much better. And once I drive Christian out of New York City, I’ll feel on top of the world.
Until then, there’s no need to worry. I keep telling myself this as I make my way towards the door.