Just a Number

Seven

Once we got back to my apartment and I got Drew to sober up, we showered and sat in the living room to talk about last night.

"I can't believe it." Drew says staring blankly at my coffee table.

"Drew I already told you – you didn't actually get raped."

"I know but you actually got dumped, drugged, seduced, and robbed in one night." He chuckled humorously. For a moment, I wasn't even thinking about Shelly. Honestly, all the time that I spent with Bonnie – before the drugs – I wasn't thinking about Shelly. It's as if she distracted me from Shelly, and honestly, I liked it.

"I know, man." Was all I said.

"Have you called her?"

"She changed her number." Saying it out loud made me remember the way she left me and exactly how I felt. It was horrible.

"It'll be okay. You had fun last night to keep your mind off of her. I mean, besides everything that happened, I'd say you did pretty good without Shelly."

"Thanks." Without Shelly. That sounds so odd.

Drew stands and does a stretch that makes him cry out like a hyena then says, "Well, this was fun, but I better head home and you gotta go to the office soon so I'll leave you to it."

"Yeah." I stand and let him out before forcing myself to prepare for work. I work as an editor for the local newspaper and being late is not an option since my boss is a total ass.

I head to the job with a raging headache and manage to edit only one story. What did I expect? I did let Drew take me out for drinks. I probably should've just stayed at home and sulked in peace about Shelly. Oh, Shelly. Grabbing my phone, I scroll through my contacts and stop right on her name. My finger hovers over the call button for a moment as I contemplated whether to call or not. Shelly had told me that I shouldn't bother calling but I mean I can't just let her go that easily. I loved her. She was my heart for as long as I could remember.

A knock at the door distracts me from my thoughts.

"Come in." I lock my phone and put it back in my pocket.

When the door opens, it reveals Anna Philips. Anna is one of my many co-workers. Although, she is a bit too friendly when it comes to me out of all of us. She is a petite woman with the palest blonde hair and bright green eyes. Today, she brings in a batch of cookies covered in clear wrap.

Placing it on my desk, she beams, "Good Morning, Tyler."

"Good Morning, Anna. How can I help you?" I try to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

"Well, I saw that you were having a rough day, so, I, um, brought you some cookies." She says before pushing the plate closer to me.

"Oh, that's very sweet of you. Thank you, Anna."

"You're welcome." She smiles. I give her a head nod, dismissing her but she doesn't leave. She stands there silently, staring down at her feet.

"Anna?" I call.

"Yes?" She pipes up again.

"You can leave now."

"Oh, right! Yes. Okay, so, I'll see you around. Enjoy the cookies!" She beams.

"Okay. I will." I say uncomfortably. Creepy girl. I am not eating those cookies.

After the awkward encounter with Anna, I manage to make it through the rest of the long day and prepare to head home. Grabbing Anna's cookies, I drop them on the table in the break room and quickly head to my car before I run into Anna. On the way to my car, I hear an odd struggling sound. Glancing around, I don't notice anything until I hear a woman's voice cry out. I pick up my pace and turn the corner to see a man struggling with a woman. The man has his hand up her shirt and the girl is punching him with her free hand. He then slams her on the wall and she cries out. I quickly rush over and snatch the man off the woman, but not before giving him a quick punch and saving the girl. Looking at the girl's face, I am honestly not surprised to see her; it's Bonnie.

She quickly clings to me and begins to weep.

"Get out of here, you asshole!" I yell at the man and he scurries away.

"Bonnie, are you okay?" I hold her close to my chest and she simply cries harder. "Okay, it's okay. You're okay now." Without thought, I lead us to my car. Once we're in, I'm not sure what to say or do next. Honestly, I'm just happy that she's safe again. Should I be feeling like this?

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