Resisting Temptation

Chapter 18

Around ten that night I heard a knock come from somewhere in my room. I'd been lying awake, staring at the ceiling again. I realized the knocking was coming from my balcony door. I got up and warily approached the door. When I stepped in front of it I saw a beaten Brendan standing there.

"Oh my god!" I rushed over to the door and let him in. I pulled his arm and led him into the room and sat him down on my bed. "What the hell happened!" I was panicked, concerned about his bruises. He had a busted lip, a bleeding nose, and scratches in random places. His jaw also looked to be bruised.

"Don't sweat, it's not as bad as it looks." He tried to assure me, but I was still worried.

"Stay right here." I went into my adjoining bathroom and wet a rag with warm water and soap. I got rubbing alcohol, healing cream, cotton swabs, and bandages. I came back and cleaned his face and bruises with the soapy washcloth. He hissed as I applied rubbing alcohol to each bruise to make sure that they were clean. Then I applied the healing cream to his bruises and a bandage to the underside of his lip. He looked a lot better than when he'd shown up.

"Now will you tell me why you look like you got into a street fight?" I crossed my arms over my chest, standing in front of him.

"Because I did," he muttered.

"Nigga what the fuck is wrong with you? You better be fucking joking," I yelled, but he was looking anywhere else that wasn't me. I sank beside him on the bed. "Why?"

"Because I need to get my anger out one way or another." I was about to question him but he continued. "I heard what you said to ya girls earlier." I was sure my face drained of color. "I couldn't handle it. Just remembering it make me wanna shoot some shit." He was delivering blows to my ego, back to back.

"I understand, and I'm sorry you feel like that." I hung my head.

This seemed to piss him off. "You fucking sorry!? That's all you have to say? I thought what we had was special and rare. You wanna go and fuck that up?"

I visibly flinched at his words. "I agree that is was special and rare. But obviously it wasn't special enough if what I said earlier makes you this mad." I couldn't even say the words anymore. He'd killed all hope for me.

"How else did you think I would act!? Did you think I was gon' be okay with it? Hearing that shit kills me, B!" He was full blown shouting, so I knew that Kamille had to have been able to hear us. But she was giving us privacy and letting us work it out ourselves.

"Nigga why would such a beautiful damn feeling kill anyone inside, I don't fucking understand you!?" I jumped up and started pacing. "You act like it's the end of the fucking world. Am I that horrible?"

He stood up also, as if I wouldn't feel the full force of his disgust while he was sitting down. "You don't understand me!? You're damn right it's the end of the fucking world. I finally find somebody that I can give a damn about that isn't blood and she go and stab me in the back!"

"How in the hell is that stabbing you in the back?"

"Oh I don't know why, you loving somebody that's not ME, would be stabbing me in the back. Forgive me, I made a fucking mistake!" He yelled sarcastically, confusing me.

"What do you mean somebody who's not you?" I'd stopped yelling now.

"You know what, I'm done. I am done with this shit! Be with whoever the hell you want to." He turned to leave, but I stepped into his path.

"Before you go, tell me who I love." I think we had a misunderstanding and I really needed that to be true. Because if it was, then he hadn't meant anything I'd thought he meant.