“You’re an adult now. We should be able to talk about these things. You know I was lucky with your father. I hit the jackpot you could say.”
“Ewww mum, STOP!” I screech. “If you mention anything about your sex life again, I’m hanging up. There are some things a child doesn’t need to know about their parents.”
I hear her giggle. “Fair call, sweetheart. I’m sorry.”
“How are daddy and CJ?” I ask trying to change the subject.
“They’re good. We’re going to spend the day with your grandparents. Chris might drop in later. He has band practice first.”
“Oh that’s nice. I miss them. I miss all of you.”
“We miss you too, baby,” she says. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want your father and I to come down and spend a few days with you, or I can come on my own? I can fly down this afternoon.”
“No, mum, honestly I’m fine.” I really hate lying to her, but I think it’s for the best. If I tell her my date tried to rape me last night, it’s not going to go down well. Things are complicated enough without adding my parents to the mix.
I try again to reassure her I’m okay before ending the call. I get the feeling she doesn’t really believe me though.
“I love you, baby girl,” she says.
“I love you too, mum. So much.” I feel tears burn my eyes again, but I manage to hold them in. “Give my love to everyone, okay.”
“I will, baby. Just remember if you need me I’m only a phone call or a flight away. I’ll be there in a heartbeat. I’ll call you later, when I get home.”
“Thanks, mum.” I hate knowing she’s going to spend the rest of the day worrying about me. Hopefully by tonight I’ll be feeling better and it’ll ease her mind.
After getting off the phone, I lay in bed for a while until my mind starts to drift to the events of last night. Immediately I roll over and climb out of bed. Laying around thinking about Riley is not going to help me. What I need to do is stay busy, so I don’t think too much. I’m not sure what I need to do to get past this, but I have to try. One day at a time I guess.
What worries me most is going back to Uni on Monday. I don’t know how I’m going to face Riley. Seeing him every day isn’t going to help. Thankfully it’s Saturday, so I have the whole weekend before I need to worry about that.
Going for a run, or spending some time at the beach is what I usually do when I’m troubled or upset about something, but the thought of leaving the house now petrifies me. I hope that feeling passes, because being cooped up inside is something I hate. I’ve always been an outdoorsy kind of girl.
I walk into the bathroom, splash water on my face and brush my teeth. I resist the urge to have another shower. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to forget the feeling of Riley’s hands on me. God, I hope so.
After running a brush through my hair and putting it into a messy bun on top of my head, I head to the kitchen for a cup of tea. I’m still half asleep, so when the internal alarm goes off I almost jump out of my skin.
When realisation hits that I set it before going to bed, I run to the box near the front door to deactivate it. Before I get a chance to put in the complete code, there’s a loud banging on my front door. My heart starts to race and panic sets in. What the hell!
“Angel…Angel, it’s me, Chase. Are you okay?” Why is Chase here this time of the morning? He continues to pound the door whilst calling my name.
After punching in the rest of the code and shutting down the alarm, I open the door. I find Chase with his hand raised, ready to knock again. The look of panic on his face surprises me.
“Fuck me,” he says as he pulls me into a crushing embrace. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I barely squeeze out because he’s crushing the life out of me.
He lets go, pulling back and cupping my head in his hands. When he looks over my face, I see relief settle over him. “You scared me half to death,” he says, pulling me into his arms again.
“I forgot I set the internal alarm before going to bed last night,” I inform him as I try to push out of his arms. He releases me and steps back.
“Sorry,” he says, anxiously putting his hands in his pockets.
“What are you doing here?”
“I…ummm…” He turns and points to a shiny, hotted up black pick-up parked out front. “I came back last night just to keep watch. You know, to make sure you were okay.” He runs his hands through his hair nervously as he talks. I’ve never seen him so unsure of himself. He’s usually so confident and put together. It’s kind of sweet.