Pretty Boy (manxboy)

Chapter Nine

Gabe

It had really started over the littlest thing.

Serena had asked me to pass her the olive oil while she was cooking dinner—I was pulling a can of pop out of the fridge and happened not to hear her.

Five minutes later we were in the middle of an intense screaming match.

It had escalated so quickly and we were both yelling while Jack wailed in his highchair.

But I was the one that probably took it too far.

I screamed at her, "You don't even want me here! You're not happy I'm home!"

"I never said that!" She shrieked.

"Just admit it! You don't want me here, do you?!...DO YOU?!"

After I had raised my voice to new heights—yelling louder than either of us had before—she quickly fired back, "WELL NOT RIGHT NOW!"

There was only anger in her eyes. I didn't see any remorse cross her face after the words left her mouth.

I didn't need any other incentive.

Actually, it was the perfect excuse for what I wanted to do since we began fighting.

I said nothing else to her and walked away, grabbing my keys that were hanging on a hook by the door before leaving the house.

She didn't try to stop me and I slammed the door behind me—leaving her and a screaming Jack behind.

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I just drove around for a long time, trying to dissipate my anger.

I didn't want to go anywhere or do anything before it was almost gone.

It was dark by the time I thought I was finally calm enough.

I pulled into an empty parking lot in front of a closed Target.

I looked at the clock in the car and saw that it was past ten pm. I had been driving around for hours.

I checked my phone and saw that there were no new messages—nothing from Serena at all.

That didn't make me angry at all...It actually made me feel relieved.

I went to my contacts as I contemplated calling her.

I didn't want to go home until I knew for sure that our fight was over.

But I also really didn't want to talk to her.

I was about to close out of my contacts when my eyes caught on another name that started with a S.

Serena had given me Sam's number a couple weeks ago in case I needed to get ahold of him anytime he was out of the house with Jack.

She didn't have any idea that if Sam left the house with Jack, I usually went with him.

I would've never asked him for his number myself. Because I felt like that would be crossing the line—even though I could've covered it up by lying and saying that it was only for the reason Serena had given.

I had only texted him once before...even though there were some times I thought about it for awhile. And even that had felt like crossing the line.

But tonight, as I looked at his name for a long time...I no longer cared about crossing the line.

Not tonight anyway.

I quickly typed something and sent it his way.

I didn't even feel guilty when it said it had delivered.