Blessing In Disguise

Sequel | Six

"So, Samantha was at Timberline Knolls?" Wilmer reiterates as we split the boxes of Chinese food between two plates.

I nod. "And now Sierra won't stop asking me about her."

"Why don't you just tell her the truth?"

I arch an eyebrow at him. "You want me to tell her that her mom is even more screwed up than she originally assumed?"

"No." He rolls his eyes. "Not like that."

"Well, I can't describe the woman in a way that makes her sound normal."

"You know better than anyone that normal doesn't exist."

"You know damn well what I mean." I join him on the couch.

"I still can't believe that you're not pressing charges."

"She's not that much of a threat to me," I shrug, popping a piece of sweet and sour chicken into my mouth.

"She knocked you unconscious."

"I'm the one that left my apartment door unlocked." I nearly laugh at his unamused expression. "Look, she wants to get to know Sierra. She's honestly not that much of a threat. She knocked me out because I was going to call the cops. Nothing more, nothing less."

"It honestly worries me how indifferent and calm you are about this."

"Well, what good is freaking out going to do?" I snort. "Even if I did want to press charges, it'd more or less be her word over mine. It's just not worth it. It's not like she's trying to murder me."

"And yet you'd rather risk it than stay here?"

"Yes."

"I think she did worse damage than just knocking you unconscious." I roll my eyes at his feigned concerned expression. "Your mom told me that Sierra is staying over here tomorrow."

"She told me that I was watching Sierra tomorrow."

"She assumes that you're going to be here."

"Well, I'm not."

"Why would you staying here be so awful?" I scoff incredulously at his question. "You act like you didn't practically live-"

"That was when we were together! That was when I could actually trust you and not feel as if I was looking at some stranger!" I take a deep breath. "You did this, Wilmer, not me."

"I get it, okay?" He snaps before his tone softens. "I fucked up. You can remind me everyday for the rest of your life, if it'll make you happy."

"You think that doing this," I gesture between the two of us, "makes me happy?"

"No," he says as he places his head in his hands. "Anybody can tell that you're miserable, and don't you dare even try denying it. You can deny that you're not miserable because of our situation, but don't sit there and pretend like everything's okay and that you're fine."

"I am fine."

"Are you honestly? Because that's not how I see you."

"How do you see me then?" I hiss through gritted teeth. "Do you see me as the woman whose heart you completely shattered, or do you see a woman who, in reality, you don't really give a damn about?" His jaw clenches as he looks away from me, and I know that accusing him of not caring about me upsets him simply because of the absurdness. "I'm going to bed," I mumble, trudging towards the stairs, my will to argue through our predicament suddenly draining from me. "If all goes as planned," I turn around to face him once I reach the stairs, "I'll be gone before you wake up."