“What the hell were you doing with Riley Sloan?” David asked through clenched teeth.
The way he said Riley’s name made her want to punch him in the face. Suddenly, she felt the full force of why everyone always called him Douchebag David. She had never been able to see it before. But now, the derisive note in his voice as he slurred Riley's name really brought it home to her.
Still, she had to admit – he wasn't the only one that viewed Riley that way. People always treated Riley like a delinquent, a troublemaker, like he was some kind of hoodlum. She hated it. That wasn’t the Riley she knew.
“It’s really none of your business, David,” She said calmly as she made her way to the kitchen, hoping that a glass of water would calm her jangling nerves.
“Like hell it’s not. You’re my fiancé!”
Chelle spun around faster than she even thought was humanly possible. “No, David, I am NOT your fiancé,” she said tightly, her voice trembling with barely contained rage, “Your fiancé is about ten years younger than I am, has blonde hair and stellar filing skills, and is currently pregnant with your child. Ring a bell?”
“Kayla and I are over, Chelle.” He made the announcement and looked at her expectantly as if she was going to swoon, or jump for joy. When she did none of those, he actually moved to take her hands in his.
Seriously? Wow! There were just no words.
He actually looked surprised when she snatched her hands away.
“I’m done with her,” he explained, as if the only problem with what he was saying was that Chelle didn't understand the implications of the situation, “We can be together again, doll.”
He stepped towards her and she quickly turned away from him.
The way he said ‘doll’ made Chelle’s skin crawl. How could she have ever agreed to marry this man? The thought caused a chill to run down her spine - and not the good kind, either – the heebie-jeebies kind.
She shook her head and continued into the kitchen. She worked hard to keep herself under control. She was, after all, heading into the room in the house that contained the knives...
“David,” she said, carefully modulating her voice and speaking slowly, as if she were addressing a recalcitrant child, “We are not getting back together.”
“Is this because of Riley? Have you been seeing him behind my back? Is that why we haven’t slept together in over six months?” David, in contrast to Chelle's efforts, apparently saw no value whatsoever in attempting to modulate his own voice, and it rose several decibels louder with each question/accusation.
“You have some nerve!” Chelle yelled back, then took a deep breath and lowered her voice, continuing in a voice that was as calm as she could muster. “This has nothing to do with Riley. You and I are not together, and will not ever be getting back together, because of YOU, David! Look in a mirror if you want to know why we haven’t slept together in over six months. You cheated on me. You were seeing Kayla behind my back. She’s pregnant for God’s sake!”
“There’s no baby,” David said, looking dejected, “Kayla lied. She’s not pregnant.”
Chelle was momentarily stunned. Not because she cared whether or not Kayla was pregnant…she didn’t. But the look of complete and total sadness she saw in David’s eyes caught her off guard. He looked utterly bereft. She realized it may be the first time she had seen an authentic emotion in them.
She was just about to ask if he was okay, her nurturing instincts getting the better of her in spite of herself, when there was a loud knock on the door.
Her stomach dropped and she felt her heart skip a beat. It took her a moment before she realized that it wasn't the sudden loud noise that had caused this intense reaction. Oh, that had startled her, sure. But she was flushed and filled with adrenaline right now mainly because her mind had immediately assumed that it was Riley outside, pounding on the door.
Her breathing became labored as she walked the few steps to the front door. She looked out through the peep hole and was flooded with a confusing mixture of equal parts 'relieved' and 'disappointed.'
She opened the door and her brother Eddie pushed his way inside.
“What are you doing here?” Chelle asked, more than a little irritated. She was so not in the mood to deal with her big brother!
Eddie leaned down and kissed her on the top of the head. He had done that since they were kids. It had always made her feel safe and loved. The sweet gesture made her revisit her initial reaction to his appearance in her doorway.
“Riley called. He said Douchebag is drunk and he didn’t feel good about leaving you alone with him.”