"You've made your choice."
"You kept telling me to."
I feel as if he's hit me. My accusation was a real one, but for him to agree, to try and justify it, was not planned.
"Guess you finally grew a pair." I spit. "Took you long enough to finally listen."
"Mare, you're making this harder than it needs to be, just come with me!" Cal yells.
I laugh once. "You think ordering me to do something will make it happen? I'm not one of your little maids, no matter how much you wish I was. I don't care how much money you have."
"That wasn't an order." He rolls his eyes, pushing himself off of the counter he was sat on. I know he wants to find something to throw, something to break.
Moonlight pours in through the kitchen window, illuminating the candle-lit room. The power's turned off, the cold weather just too much for the apartment complex to handle.
Instead he takes a step towards me, reaching for my hand in attempt to steady himself. I back away.
"You've made your choice." I push him . "You chose your career over me. You knew I wasn't ready to move. You knew I wouldn't be able to go." He barely moves from the shove. It makes me want to hit him again.
"Mare, please. Think about what you're saying."
"Think about what you did!" I exclaim.
I may have what's considered a short temper, but no one makes me angry like Cal. When he's like this, it's like I can't control it.
When Cal does things like this, my body goes through stages. Quick as lightning, I'll be turned to ash and brought back up to fight him feeling cold as ever.
I shove him towards the door of the apartment. "Leave. Go away."
Cal doesn't move, so I do, but he grabs my wrists, twisting them away from his body to keep me still. "Stop hitting me!" This time, it's an order. "Stop hitting me and act like a grown up." His voice softens, but it doesn't matter.
"I'll stop hitting you when you stop thinking that I'm just here to go along with whatever you want. I am not your doll, or your child, and you can't just drag me away from the people I love!"
The grip on my wrists loosens. I snap my hands away, rubbing them even though they don't hurt.
"So you don't love me?"
His bronze, flaming eyes are too much to handle when he looks at me. The pain in his voice too real.
"I didn't mean it like that..." I mutter.
Cal storms out of the apartment, leaving a warm spot in the room that disappears much too quickly. In its place comes the inevitable cold. The breeze from the door blows out my few candles, the lonely moon my only company now.
I sink to my knees and hug myself tightly.
...
After a few moments alone in the dark, I force myself off the floor and into my bed.
The logical thing to do is call my brothers. Bree would probably hunt down Cal, while Tramy would help me pack a bag so that I could stay with mom for a little while.
Sleeping alone is not my strong suit.
I wrap myself in a thick blanket and reach for my phone. When I find Bree's number something keeps me from pressing it.
I instead stare out the window at the moon, begging her for answers. Maybe she could tell me what to do.
But that's stupid.
Scrolling through my contacts for anyone else to call, for no particular reason at this point, I get the sudden urge to check my blocked numbers.
The first name sends me spiraling.
Just thinking of allowing the coldest being I know to keep me warm confuses me. Something possesses me to write a message and click send. Something...wrong with me.
he left me
im on my way.
Cal made a choice today.
And so have I.
