Cigarettes & Coca-Cola✔️

Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Asleep

TW: Mentions of the r-word

"You just...wouldn't wake up." He inhales deeply and sits down on the chair beside the bed. The beep of the machines were the only sounds in the room.

I don't know what to say to him, my mind struggling to even form a word. I don't know how I got here. I fucking hate hospitals, so much death looms in the air. I swear I could taste it on the roof of my mouth. 

Opening my mouth I go to say something, ask him. Why is he here? He despises me. I want to explain, to tell him everything. But he would he listen. Before a sound leaves my mouth, a man wearing a long white coat, steps into the room, he looks down and scans what I'm assuming are my medical files. 

He takes a breath, looks up at me, and smiles.

"You have given your husband quite the scare, Mrs. Solaris." He speaks. My eyes bug out of my head. Husband? I go to correct him but Corbin takes my hand in his and squeezes tightly. I look up at him, confused. His focus is still on the doctor.

"What happened?" The man beside me asks.

"You have a minor concussion. But it is very strange that you didn't gain consciousness." He says stroking his chin. How the hell did I get a concussion? I look at Corbin again, hoping he'll provide some answers.

The doctor speaks again, "Do you have any serious illnesses that run in your family?"

I hesitate. Only for a moment before the nasty word leaves my lips, "Cancer."

It's like everything goes silent. A church bell ringing in the distance, am I going to die? The question lingers in my mind. Am I going to die?

The doctor nods but then gives me a smile. "We did a CT-Scan and we can confirm that you do not have brain cancer."

I release a relieved breath and Corbin squeezes my hand, "So what can it be then?"

"Well you were severely dehydrated and your husband said you were asleep almost the whole day. Which probably means that you haven't eaten anything. I could assume that your body and mind were not strong enough to wake up."  He says staring down at my file again.

I remember going to lay down because my head was pounding. I don't think that my body or my mind wasn't strong enough, it was the fact that Corbin Ambrosi shattered my heart that now remains on the living room floor. I sigh deeply and shake my husband's hand out of mine.

"When can I go home?" I ask with a sudden urgency to be curled up in my soft blanket.

"Well you have been here for more than 14 hours, so I believe it's safe for you to go home." He bids us farewell and leaves the room. 

"I brought you some clothes," Corbin says. I forgot that he was here, no that's a lie, I wish he wasn't here. It is impossible for me and him to be in the same space and not be aware of each other.

"Thanks." 

When I finished dressing...slowly I might add. I go stand right in front of him.

"What happens now?" I ask.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, "Now we go home and you get some much-needed sleep."

"What about..." I trail off.

"Look, Ana, we can talk about that later. The only thing that's important is for you to get better." He places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes it gently. I sigh and turn to walk out of the hospital room.

We reach his car and I don't bother waiting for him to open the door. The drive back home was awkward...silent. I knew how I got the concussion and I knew that he did too. I look over to him and stare at his profile. This man was gorgeous. Too bad he was such an asshole most of the time.

When we turn into the driveway I unbuckle my seatbelt, and as soon as the car stops I jump out.

"Ana!" He yells. I ignore him and keep moving towards the house.

"Ana! Goddamnit! Wait." 

He yanks me around by my shoulder. I yank myself away from his body. "I don't have the strength to fight with you, Corbin."

"I don't want to fight. I wanted to say...sorry," he says releasing a deep breath.

"Now you want to apologize!? God, you're the fucking worst. No. You don't get to play with my emotions. Make me think you actually care about me and when we have a fight you fuck my best friend?" I glare at him. Trying to focus on my anger and let the rage push me forward.

"The same best friend who told you I raped her? What the fuck, Ana? You're telling me that I fucked around with your emotions when every time we get close you fucking push me away? Saying that you 'can't do this" He scoffs and folds his arms over his chest.

"You know why I couldn't," I say in a soft breath.

"Because after months of toying with my emotions, and making me think that we actually have something. You were too much of a coward to see that I would never force a woman. You were afraid that I wouldn't love you back and you used that lie to protect you from me. Even though I'm not a danger." 

I stare at him, a tear silently running down my cheek. I harshly wipe it away. "I wasn't afraid that you wouldn't love me, Corbin. I was afraid that I'd somehow grown to love you."

He goes to say something but catches himself. With a shake of his head, he turns around and walks away. I stare at his retreating figure until it fades, and all I can see through my clouded eyes are the empty roads. The streetlights flick on, one at a time.