“Get the fuck out and don’t ever come back. Do you understand me? Don’t call, text, email, or even think of me again. Is that understood?”
“Saxon…” Amber whines.
“GET OUT!” he shouts, getting in her face. Amber stands in shock, her lip quivers, and her eyes fill with tears. She swallows hard before turning to go. Saxon is moving toward me before she even has a chance to leave.
He gently lays his hand over my clenched fist, which is still hovering back in the air, and slowly pulls it down to rest at my side. “Are you all right?”
I blink a few times but don’t answer him. Amber slams the door and I jump, bringing me out of my zombie like state.
“Wow, Brooke. Were you really going to hit her? I never pegged you for a punch thrower.” Saxon laughs, trying to lighten the moment, but for once I don’t appreciate it. “Nate never mentioned you had a wild temper.”
“I didn’t with Nate,” I say coldly. Even though I’m looking past him towards my office door, I can see his face drop.
“I’m so sorry, Brooke. I have no idea what she was thinking or why she was even here.”
My legs give way beneath me, but before I can hit the floor Saxon is picking me up and carrying me to the couch. He places me down as he kneels, hovering over me. I can feel the shock wearing off as tears fill my eyes. I place my hands over my face as the sobs begin to take over.
“Fuck, Brooke, don’t cry,” Saxon pleads as he sits down next to me on the couch. “She’s a fucking psycho. It wasn’t about you, Brooke. It was all about me. I should’ve never let things get this far.”
“Well, if it was all about you maybe she could’ve gone into your office and gone crazy at you then.” My speech isn’t clear through my sobs but the anger is.
“Brooke, please. I’m so sorry.” I can hear the concern in his voice, but I just don’t care. He lays his hand on my back, and I flinch away from his touch.
“Don’t touch me,” I scream. He jumps back, his face pale and eyes wide.
“Brooke …”
“Just go,” I cry.
“Brooke, please …”
“Saxon, go.”
“Brooke …”
“Just fucking go. Leave!” I shout.
His jaw tightens as his eyes shift around the room before he stands to leave, saying nothing more to me before closing the door behind him.
I don’t watch him go as I turn to lie on the couch while the crushing sobs overtake my body. My tears are flowing uncontrollably. My body is shaking from head to toe.
What was all that? What the hell was she talking about? I try to remember her exact words as I was too shocked to take them all in during the moment.
Ruining their relationship? Saxon following me like a puppy? Me confusing his feelings and emotions? Why does she think that? Why does she think I’m sleeping with him?
Does he feel trapped here? I’ve made it more than clear that I expected him to leave. As a matter of fact, the last time I brought it up he got really upset with me.
My sobs begin to wane, and I start to gain some control over myself. I sit up on the couch and begin to go over and over the scene which just played out in my office. I sit and analyse every word said, every look given, and every hidden meaning there could have possibly been. Just like any other woman would, I go over and over this. Thinking of all the things I should have said.
“FUCK,” I yell, storming down the hallway from Brooke’s office to mine. Ruth jumps and I instantly regret it.
“Saxon?” she asks concerned.
“Please get me Rachel Schaefer on the phone.”
Shutting my office door, I make my way to my desk and slam my hands down on it. “Fuck.”
The phone rings and I quickly pick it up, knowing Ruth has connected with Rachel.
“You need to come to the office now. It’s Brooke.” My heart is beating wildly. I need to fix this, even if she won’t let me be the one to hold her.
After explaining as much as I have to in order to get Rachel here immediately, I lean back in my chair and run my hands down my face as I think about what just happened.
Fucking Amber. I have been blowing her off for months now. I don’t get how she translated that into hey, come to the office and abuse my best friend’s wife. Fuck. It’s my fault. I haven’t been leading her on, but I haven’t ended things either. I knew she was getting too attached and clingy.
When my email had dinged from Ruth with a message Amber was here, I knew I was in for some kind of trouble. It was when Ruth came in flailing her arms about, while I was on the phone, I knew something bad was going down.
I ended my call abruptly before Ruth had a heart attack. “Saxon, I don’t know what is going on, but there is a lot of yelling coming from Brooke’s office. Amber is in there.”