Chapter 10: Chapter 10

ANNA

Xander drives me home in silence. He doesn’t ask any questions or lash out. I appreciate the silence and the soft music that’s playing on the radio.

My throat is sore and my eyes are filled with tears. I keep staring out the window, thinking about what just happened.

I see how she dances on his lap and how he looks at her. It plays in my head like a scene from the movies. I’m so furious and heartbroken all at once.

We drive up to my apartment. Xander kills the engine, turns, and faces me. He hands me a tissue, eyes filled with sympathy.

I take the tissue from his hand and wipe away the tears from my cheeks.

“Thank you, Xander, for the lift and the tissue,” I say as I get out. He nods in response. I go inside and watch as Xander drives off.

I go straight to my room, grab my saggy sweatshirt and sweatpants, pull them on, and fall face-first on my bed. My heart aches, my head hurts, my eyes are on fire, and I feel alone and confused.

I sit up, pull my legs to my chest, and rest my chin on my knees. The heartache overwhelms me. Tears run down my cheeks like wildfire. My whole body is shaking.

The next thing I know, Ray’s hand is on my back. I didn’t even hear her come in.

“Shh. It’s okay, sweetie.”

I wrap my arms around my friend, and she slowly strokes my hair.

“Oh, Anna, he doesn’t deserve your tears,” Ray tries to comfort me, but it hurts. It hurts so bad. I just want to scream and wish it away.

After a few minutes, I let go of Ray and curl up in my bed, trying to swallow back the tears. She leaves after a while. Sleep doesn’t come, though I drift off now and then.

***

I wake up for good at eight in the morning, exhausted. I make my way downstairs, dragging my feet.

I get to the bathroom and see myself in the bathroom mirror. I’m a mess. My eyes are swollen and bloodshot. My head is pounding, and my skin is on fire.

I turn around and turn on the shower. I let the warm water run over my body, washing away my tears.

~Okay, Anna, it’s done. You’ve cried your eyes out. Now get a grip.~

It’s like the warm water is my energy source, and I stand there absorbing it.

When I get out, I hear a knock on the front door. Ray opens it, then slams it closed so hard the whole city could hear it. I look at her and see the worry in her eyes.

“Ray! Please, I need to see her!” I hear Damitry shouting from the other side of the door.

He keeps on banging on the door, calling for Ray to open up.

“Fuck off, Damitry!” Ray is furious.

I stroll up the stairs, grab my comfy sweater, and pull on my comfy pants.

Ray is in the shower, having decided to ignore Damitry, so I go to the door and open it.

Damitry is sitting on the steps with his hands in his hair. He looks up at me and slowly stands.

“Anna,” he says in a whisper.

I can feel the tears building up but I blink them back.

Damitry slowly makes his way to me but I hold up my hand, stopping him. He freezes in his steps and scans me, waiting for me to make a move.

“Anna, please, I’m sorry.” His eyes are filled with regret.

“Damitry, I need time. Can you give me that?” My voice cracks. I can hear the heartbreak in it.

He nods in response.

I slowly shut the door and hear Damitry speed off in his car.

~He’s mad, and I think he’s hurting as well.~

Jordan comes by in the afternoon to check up on us. Ray doesn’t want me to be alone, so we stay in. They order some burgers but I’m not hungry. I go upstairs, grab my book, and start to read, but doze off.

When I wake up and check my phone, it’s seven in the evening. I hear the TV, so I get up and go downstairs. Ray and Jordan are watching a new 007 movie.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” Ray turns to me as I make my way to the kitchen.

I flash her a smile. My stomach is growling; I’m starving. I grab my cold burger and go to join Ray and Jordan in the living room. When the movie is over, we go to bed and, to my surprise, I fall asleep.

***

The next week is hard. I know time will heal my broken heart, but still, it’s not easy. At least I have my work—and Ray, my BFF.

We have one hard case at work. Dr. Gordon calls me in to assist him with multiple car crash victims. It looks bad, and we are busy. He looks tired, and I know he’s overworking.

Lucky for us, we don’t lose one patient; I wouldn’t have been able to handle that.

Later that week, we deliver two super-small and sweet baby girls into the world who didn’t want to wait to get to labor and delivery. Dr. G. is a great mentor. He is molding me into a better doctor. It is wonderful to save lives.

Every day after work I go home and fall asleep. We are so busy that I’m exhausted, and I didn’t think about Damitry the whole week—I don’t have time. It helps that he gives me space and leaves me be, doesn’t call or text.

Ray and Jordan plan to go away for the weekend. She offers to stay home, but I tell her to go because I don’t want to spoil her time off. We deserve a break; work was hectic.

Saturday morning I pull on my big girl pants and call Damitry. He picks up on the first ring.

“Anna.” He sounds relieved.

“Hi, Damitry. Can we talk?” I ask. I hear my voice is all shaky.

“Yes. Can I pick you up in an hour?” he asks, all business.

“Nope,” I reply, popping the “p.” “Meet me at Café Grumpy in an hour.”

I kill the call and head upstairs. I grab my sexiest jeans and a white tank top from my closet and pull them on. I let my hair flow freely down my neck and apply just a little light makeup.

Satisfied, I grab my black leather jacket and my black ankle-high boots, rush downstairs, grab my car keys, and out I go.

Damitry is already waiting for me at a table. He stands up when he sees me, scanning me as I move toward him.

I pull out the chair and sit down, ordering a coffee and a bagel.

“Hi, Damitry. You look nice.” I flash him a smile like I’m all good, which I’m not.

“Anna, you look amazing,” he says, smiling brightly.

“Well, thanks.”

He clears his throat and leans in closer.

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but whatever it is, I like it,” he whispers. Then he leans back in his chair, smirking at me.

I gulp and take a deep breath.

~He’s so sexy.~

“Well, I thought about it, and I think we need to be friends. Just friends.”

He smiles wider and lifts one of his eyebrows at me.

“Friends?”

“Yes, Damitry, friends. Ray’s my best friend and she’s dating your friend so, to make it easy for them, we should be friends.”

I smile brightly at him and take a sip of my coffee, not breaking eye contact.

“Well?” I raise an eyebrow at him, waiting for his response.

“Okay, Anna, I’ll play your little game.” He slowly moves forward.

~What game?~

“I’ll be your ‘friend,’ and I’ll show you a good time.” Slowly placing his hand on mine, he draws circles on the back with his thumb.

“Just friends,” I said as I clear my throat.

“Just friends,” he replies, smirking.

I let out a breath I don’t realize I was holding. It’s so good to see him and so great to feel his touch. He’s so sexy.

We finish our coffees and bagels. He insists on paying. We walk to my car.

“Well, friend, see you soon,” I say as I am about to open my door.

Damitry places his hands on my car, caging me in. I turn around and meet his gaze. He gives me his panty-dropping, hot-as-hell smile.

I take one huge breath.

~Uh-oh. I know that look.~

“Um…bye, Damitry.” I try to turn around, but he places one hand on my waist, keeping me in place to face him.

“I can’t be your friend. I love you, Anna. This past week was hell on earth. I couldn’t focus.

“I need you, Anna. I crave your touch, your taste. I’m going crazy without you, Anna,” he says in a soft and gentle tone.

I can feel the tears building up. I want to scream.

“It breaks me, seeing you like this.” He wipes away the tear that escapes.

“And the worst of all is I know I’m responsible for this, and I hate myself for it.” He lets me go.

I lift my hand and slowly stroke his jawline with my fingertips, not breaking eye contact.

“I love you, too.”

~Shit, did I just say that out loud?~

He smiles at me and places both his hands on my waist.

“So why must we pretend to be friends when we both know that’s not what we want?”

~Okay, he has a point. And I forgave him a week ago.~

I place my hands on his chest.

“So what now?” I ask in a whisper.

He pulls me in and plants a soft, gentle kiss on my lips.

“Now we go to my apartment.” He smiles at me and takes my hand, and we walk to his car. He opens the door for me to get in.

“Um, my car?”

He holds out his hand, waiting for me to give him my keys, so I place them softly in his hand.

All of a sudden a huge man approaches him, dressed in a fancy suit. He looks like a mix of a bodybuilder and the Men in Black.

Damitry hands him my keys, and he practically disappears into thin air.

~What the hell?~ ~He just handed my keys to some stranger!~

I stand there in shock. Damitry starts to laugh.

“Come on, let’s go.” He helps me close my door and moved to his side.

“Who’s that monster of a man?” I ask.

“My head of security, Shané.” He looks at me, flashes me a huge smile, and we drive off.

His apartment is huge. He lives in a penthouse with a breathtaking view of the city. It’s beautiful inside. The decor is perfect.

There is an open-plan kitchen with white marble countertops and a breakfast nook with four black leather bar chairs.

A round fuzzy black carpet sits in the middle of the living room with two beautiful white leather couches perfectly arranged on it and a coffee table placed in the middle. The glass dining table is surrounded by six dark wood chairs.

The whole ceiling has small LED lights that look like stars shining on the white oak floor. There are stairs leading up to another floor.

“This is a beautiful place,” I say in amazement.

He wraps his arms around my waist and places a soft kiss on the back of my head.

“You should see the view from my bedroom,” he says, smiling against my hair.

I spin around, smiling at him. He pulls me in and locks his lips on mine, wrapping his arms around me tightly. I wrap my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss.

~Oh, how I missed him.~

He runs his hands down to my thighs, pulling them up so I wrap my legs around his waist.

He presses my back against the wall, running his hand up and down my thigh. He moves his kiss to my neck and a soft moan escapes my lips as I give him full access to my neck.

He kisses all the sensitive spots and my whole body heats up.

“Oh, sweet lord,” he says against my neck. “You drive me crazy.”

He makes his way back to my lips and locks on them once more. He grabs my ass, settles me around his waist, and carries me up the stairs to his bedroom without breaking our kiss.

He slowly pulls away and gently places me on his bed. We stare into each other’s eyes, I give him my sweet smile and he smirks.

“Anna, I want you.” His voice is a whisper. His eyes are undressing me and I love every second of it.

I slowly stand up, make my way to him, and start to unbutton his shirt. He watches my every move. I run my fingers down his exposed body, down to his waistline, undo his belt, and let it fall to the ground.

I look up and meet his gaze. He has a sexy smirk on his face.

“Oh, babe, let’s put out that fire.” He gently pulls off my jacket and off comes my tank top.

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” He scans my exposed body and starts to kiss my neck, making his way to my chest, and with one hand he snaps my bra off.

I close my eyes, losing myself in his touch.

He slowly unbuttons my jeans and I slip out of them. He pulls back, looks me in the eyes, and places a soft kiss on my lips.

I pull him by the waist and he grins against my lips. Slowly we move to the bed.

We get lost inside each other, and it is magnificent. I don’t keep track of time or how many times we had sex. All I know is that I’m going to be sore the next day and won’t be able to walk.

Later, I lie on his chest, out of breath, tracing patterns on his stomach.

“I love you, Anna,” he says out of nowhere.

I look up at him and smile so sweetly at him.

“I love you, too.” I snuggle back onto his chest.

We lie like that for hours before my stomach starts to growl. Dmitry starts to laugh.

“I think someone is hungry,” he says, and gently pushes me aside.

“Nooooooo!” I pout as he gets out of bed, exposing that sexy ass of his.

He turns and places a soft kiss on my head.

“I’ll be back. I need to feed you before I take you again,” he says with a devilish smile on his face, grabbing his clothes and heading to the bathroom.

My cheeks heat up and I look after him shyly.

He orders pizza, we eat, and then we take a very, very, ~very~ long shower. We go back to his bed and we fall asleep in each other’s arms.

***

Damitry is in the bathroom. I stand up from the bed when my phone rings. It’s Ray.

“Hey, Ray.” My throat is a bit dry.

“Hi, Anna. Are you okay?” She sounds worried. I hear loud music in the background.

“I’m great, where are you?” I grab my clothes and throw them on the bed.

“We’re heading home. We’ll be there in an hour. Jordan said he wants to take us out tonight. Will that be okay?” She sounds excited.

“Yes, I’d love to go.”

~It will be great. I can’t wait to tell her about me and Damitry, and that’s definitely a face-to-face conversation.~

As we talk, I make my way to the walk-in closet. I need a new shirt. He ripped mine.

“Okay, see you soon. Love ya.” She ends the call.

As I rummage around in the drawers looking for a shirt to wear, I find a small blue box.

~Oh shit, is that what I think it is? Nuh-uh, not ready for this shit yet~.

I pull out a shirt and get dressed as fast as possible.

“Anna, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Damitry says, smiling at me as he walks into the room.

I grab my shoes and try to put them on but as luck would have it, I slip and fall on my ass.

Damitry rushes to my side and pulls me up.

“Anna, what’s gotten into you?” He scans me, worried. I look down at my hands.

“I found a ring box in your closet,” I mumble.

He starts to laugh. I look up and frown at him.

“Oh, my sweet Anna, Jordan bought it for Ray a week ago.” He places a soft kiss on my head. “He asked me to keep it for him. He’s going to propose to her tonight.”

~I don’t know if I should be disappointed or relieved.~

“I’m not ready for that kind of commitment yet.”

~Okay, I sound relieved.~

He smiles at me. “I know, but I hope someday you will make me the luckiest man on earth and say yes.”

He kisses me on the head and helps me with my shoes.

***

At home, I find Ray in her room, busy getting dressed.

I walk up to Ray, hug her, and sit on her bed.

She smirks at me. “Talk, bitch. You’re way too loving, and you smell like sex.”

“Well, Damitry and me…we’re back together.”

Ray spins around, overly excited, and jumps onto her bed.

“Tell me everything!”

I laugh at my friend and start to tell her my whole story. She is so happy for me and I know in two hours she’s going to be super happy. Jordan is a great guy and he loves her a lot. They are perfect for each other.

When Damitry and Jordan come to pick us up, it’s pouring outside. They are soaking wet, and look like wet dogs.

“Hey, guys, come on in.” Ray rushes to Jordan with a towel. He kisses her and starts to laugh at her mothering him.

I kiss my man. He hands me an umbrella, picks me up bridal style, and carries me to his car while I laugh at him.

“We’re going to be late.” Jordan hands Ray another umbrella, scoops her up, and carries her to his Aston Martin.

“Why are we driving in two cars?” I ask Damitry as he climbs in. He smiles at me and kisses me on the forehead.

“Jordan is taking Ray someplace special after dinner,” he replies.

We drive off with Jordan and Ray in front of us. I look over at Damitry, who’s concentrating on the road.

“It’s pouring. Did Jordan fetch the ring?” I ask, a little bit worried. I hate driving in heavy rain.

“Yes, he did,” he says, keeping his eyes on the road.

Suddenly, Jordan’s car spirals out of control and goes flying through the air. Damitry hits the brakes, swearing.

My heart stops beating. I hear a ringing in my ears. I sit there, helpless, as I watch the car with my best friend inside it tumble across the street.

~Are they okay? Please, God, let them be okay.~

I recite the little mantra over and over in my head until the car comes to a halt and lands on its roof.

I swing my door open, screaming their names over and over again. My legs are wobbling.

~Move, dammit, move!~

I can feel the world caving in under me.

~Please be okay, please.~