Annihilation - h.s.

Chapter Seventeen.

Author's Note:

4.3K WHAAAAAT?!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxo

****

I push the hideously green door of my apartment open, knowing what - or should I say who - will confront me from the other side. The hinges groan as the doorway widens; Cory's pacing seizes. He looks up at me with concern and stress scribbled throughout his features, but he soon relaxes and walks over to me.

"So it really was a date then, huh?" He says while swiping his thumb under my lip to rub away smudged lipstick - the aftermath of Harry and my heated separation.

"Yep," I say in a neutral tone as I push past him to deposit my bag on the kitchen counter. I'm not holding a grudge over him for disappointing me during our last sexual endeavors; I just know how what's going to happen if he's here right now and I'm too exhausted to deal with it.

I take a glass out from the cupboard and fill it with water, turning to see Cory leaning his back in to the counter beside me as I take my first sip.

"So, who is this guy? When did you meet him?"

Cory's questions spark a slight curiosity in me as I think through all of my encounters with Harry: dinner tonight, the parking lot incident this morning, our meeting outside of the bathroom at work... that's it? I've only known Harry for a little over twenty-four hours. I shake my head; it feels as if I've known him for much longer.

I swallow the water that has now become warm in my mouth before I answer Cory. "His name's Harry and I met him a few days ago." I shrug. "Honestly, I'd rather not do an interview right now, I'm tired."

I try to move away from him, but his strong build blocks my path. He steps closer to me, nearly pressing me in to the counter. "Only a few days," he repeats me. "So this was the first date?"

I press my palms to the marble behind me, jumping to sit on the cold surface. I sigh, thankful for the newfound space between us. "Yes, Cory. This was the first date."

He presses away from me, flexing his arm to rub at the short blonde hair covering the back of his head. "And you let him put his hands all over you that quick? Fuck, have some class, August." As Cory speaks, his voice crescendos until he's almost yelling at me.

I'm completely taken aback by his words; he is the last person who would ever be able to say something like that to me. I'm back on my feet in seconds, my voice matching the tone of his.

"Are you fucking serious, Cory? Look at yourself. You ended our two-year relationship so you could go around fucking the apparent handfuls of college girls throwing themselves at you! You texted me pictures of three different girls sleeping sprawled across your chest. I went on one date - months after our relationship ended - and I didn't even let him inside my apartment, I've still only ever had sex with you!"

I'm standing less than a foot away from him when I realize that I'm yelling, too. I take in a much-needed breath of air before I continue in a calmer fashion. "Think about it properly and then tell me which one of us should have some class, you misogynistic hypocrite."

Cory follows me further in to my apartment as I strip off my heels and walk to my room. I ignore him as I remove my dress, leaving it in a heap with the rest of my discarded clothes on the ground, before I slip on a spacious, and much more comfortable pajama shirt. He stays silent until a pair of soft cotton shorts is pulled up my legs, and I'm piling my hair on top of my head.

As I pull a black hairband from my wrist, Cory wraps his arms around my waist in attempt to calm me down. His lips are at the shell of my ear while he whispers, "You're right, I'm sorry."