Chapter 5 - June
June
A cool breeze sweeps away my disgust with Dad the moment I’m outside. The music and voices become muffled when the door closes behind me.
Other guests are on the balcony, but it’s quiet out here. I lean against the metal railing and admire the breathtaking view of the night skyline. Jeremy’s parents must have paid a pretty penny to book this rooftop restaurant for the party.
My phone pings from inside my clutch. I take it out and read the new text message in the notification bar.
Denise: How’s the party? Met any cute guys? ;)
I make a face, hesitating to respond. The party was going well until I saw my dad flirting with a woman who isn’t his wife, and the only cute guy I’ve paid attention to is forbidden.
June: None that are available. :( How’s your night going?
Denise starts typing. Several seconds pass as the ellipsis animation plays, then her message finally pops up.
Denise: Looking at apartments.
I smile. All that typing for just three words? I thought she was tapping out a whole short story. What she said is surprising, though.
Denise and I were in the same year at high school, but we shared different friend circles. We became good friends after we wound up living in the same apartment building by coincidence.
When she and her boyfriend—well, ex-boyfriend now—got evicted, her stepbrother Isaac generously offered his basement to them rent-free. Matt went to prison, and Denise ended up dating and living with Isaac.
Why would she be looking for an apartment? Denise calls me as I’m typing out the question.
“Because Isaac and I are moving to Vancouver,” she says, as if she read my mind.
My smile falls, my shoulders slumping under the weight of the news.
“What? That’s so far away! Why?”
“Isaac got a really good job offer from a company there.”
“Oh.” I pause. “But that’s a new province. Are you sure you’re ready for a big move like that?”
“Yeah, I’m ready.” Her excitement infects her voice, which worsens my disappointment.
“I’ve never been outside of Ontario my whole life, so this will be interesting.
I also found some salons there that pay better than where I’m working.
It’s not so scary since I’m not doing it alone. Isaac and I will be together.”
We chat some more about her impending move, then end the call on a promise to meet up before she leaves Toronto.
My eyebrows pull together as I stare at Denise’s text. This night is truly like a five hundred dollar vacuum cleaner. It super sucks.
It’s bad enough Penny moved out three months ago. Now my closest friend is moving several hours away too. We’ll keep in touch, but I’ll miss seeing Denise and hanging out with her. What worries me the most is that the long distance might weaken our friendship.
No, I should be happy for my friend. She’s living her best life. She found a man who is crazy in love with her, and she’s about to go off and start a new life with him.
What’s funny is that Denise hid her relationship with Isaac from me for a while. Which is understandable since it’s taboo. But I knew they were dating before she admitted it to me.
They were always stealing glances at each other and taking every opportunity to touch.
What convinced me the most: I saw Isaac caress Denise’s lower back once.
His hand was drifting lower until he remembered I was in the room and yanked it away.
Denise didn’t even react like how I expected.
Instead of yelling at him or smacking his hand, she was blushing.
I inhale deeply to clear my mind, but instead of enjoying the fresh night air, an overwhelming scent of sickly sweet body spray assaults my sense of smell.
Oh, no. It’s him.
A presence draws closer and I turn to face him, my poor mood falling another notch. When I didn’t see Tyler tonight, I thought he’d changed his mind and stayed home. My relief came too soon.
“Look at you, my sexy lady in pink.”
He switches his can of beer to his other hand, then caresses my bare shoulder. His cold, damp fingers are unpleasant on my skin despite the warm night. There was a time when his touch used to fill my belly with flutters. Those days are long gone.
“Don’t touch me.” I jerk away and take a step back. “Leave me alone. Stop texting me, too. I don’t want anything to do with you.”
His smile drops. “That hurts. How can you say something like that?”
“What you did hurt me. How could you do something like that?”
“I said I’m sorry a bunch of times already! What more do you want?”
He looks away, his hair swaying with the movement. He’s always had a surfer-boy look with his lithe body and wavy, shoulder-length brown hair. After a sip of his beer, he meets my gaze again.
“Look, there’s no point in dragging this out. You need to forgive me.”
I scoff and shake my head. “It doesn’t matter how many times you apologize. I don’t need to do anything either. We’re over. We’ve been over for almost a year now. You need to move on.”
He grabs my arm. “I did move on. When we met the other day, I realized I made a huge mistake letting you go. Please, baby. Give me—give us another chance.”
I yank my arm. “No. Let me go.”
He tightens his grip, a determined gleam in his blue eyes.
“We were good together. Maybe a kiss will remind you of that.”
Fear surges inside me when he leans in, but he doesn’t get far. Malcolm appears beside us as if he teleported into existence. He grabs Tyler by his lapels and shoves him away from me. Tyler stumbles backward, his beer can clattering to the floor and spilling its contents.
“Get lost. Don’t even think about coming near her again.”
Malcolm’s voice is cold. The rest of his threat is unspoken, but his clenched fists speak the words.
Or else you’ll regret it.
Tyler sizes up Malcolm. He’s dumber than I thought if he thinks he can fight Malcolm barehanded and survive. He must have realized this because his expression turns surly. Without another word, he storms past us back into the restaurant.
Malcolm faces me, his features softening with concern.
“Do you know that guy?”
I let out a shaky breath. “Yeah, he’s my ex. We broke up last year when I found out he was sexting other women. He’s been bugging me to get back together.”
“And you don’t want that.”
“Hell no.”
The corner of his mouth quirks up, then his expression turns serious again.
“Did he hurt you just now?” He takes my arm and examines it before I can answer. “He’s a piece of shit for harassing you, but he has good sense to know when he’s lost something worth holding on to.”
His words draw attention to his hold on my arm and his thumb’s idle sweep across my skin. It would be a lie if I said my heart is beating faster because my ex just tried to forcibly kiss me. The fear is gone, replaced by awareness of Malcolm’s gentle caress.
It feels intimate. We’re standing close, and we’re alone again, somewhat secluded in this spot on the balcony. As if he detects the inappropriate energy between us, he abruptly releases my hand.
“Thank you for rescuing me again, Mal,” I say softly.
I move on instinct, wanting to show my appreciation. Even in heels, I have to raise myself to kiss his cheek. The short hair dusting his jaw are soft, tiny needles on my lips. I barely resist breathing in his pleasant scent like a weirdo.
When I pull away, Malcolm is still, his gaze locked on me. I’m frozen too. My innocent kiss might have been a mistake. This feels like that charged moment we shared before we left for the party, and I don’t think I’m imagining it this time. He looks like he wants to devour me.
His expression changes, becoming closed-off.
“You’re not safe out here by yourself.” There’s an edge to his chilly voice. “Let’s go back inside.”
Malcolm walks behind me as we return to the party. His stare is palpable. Unnerving. And I wonder if his warning was referring to Tyler or himself.