Restart

Chapter 62. That hurts.

I thankfully arrive at the office on time and Paul is there already, looking awful. God! I forgot to text him!
"Where were you Claire? I was worried sick about you. You weren't answering my calls, nor replying to my messages." He looks enraged rather than worried.
"I am so sorry I made you worry. I went from the apartment to pick up the rest of my things and... well... Alexander was there and you can imagine how that went, so I was too upset to think straight. Then I fell asleep and forgot to text you not to worry. Please forgive me for being such an awful friend."
"You spent the night with him?" He asks without making eye contact, showing me he already knew the answer.
I only sigh as I don't have the guts to confirm it and hurt him like that. My sweet Paul, this is not fair to him. Thankfully my first patient arrives so I disappear in my office for the rest of the day.
I avoided contact with him the whole day and when it was finally time to go home, I knocked on his door, only to see he had already left.
I drive to his apartment and I only find Stephanie there waiting for me in her tights for our self defense training.
"I can't come today Steph. I am not feeling well. Can you drive?"
"Yes I can, but what's up with you? Where were you last night. Paul and I were worried sick about you, but when I told him to call Alexander, as I don't have his phone, he refused and went to his bedroom.
"Yes, that's where I was and I am honestly sorry I didn't text you not to worry. Take my car and we'll talk when you come back."
"Do you know where Paul is? His phone is off."
"No, he was gone before I finished with my last patient."
"Ok, please one of you text me when he gets here."
"Sure."
Stephanie may be somewhat different as a person but she is a loving, caring friend you can trust and count on. She always answers our texts no matter what she is doing or where she is and I know I was so wrong last night for letting them worry like that.
Why didn't he call Alexander, as one would expect for his ego to be second after his need to find out if I'm ok? Maybe because deep down he already knew I was there with him. That's why he was mostly angry rather than worried when I saw him this morning.
It's been over two hours now and I hear my phone beep. It's a text from Stephanie saying she'll stay over at Yiannis and we'll talk tomorrow. Then I call back Alexander, as I was avoiding him up until now, not knowing what to tell him, but then I decided truth was the best way to go.
"Hey baby girl. Where are you?"
"I am at Paul's. He hasn't returned yet and I need to talk to him as last night I was a complete jerk, by not letting him and Steph know that I was ok and that I wouldn't return for the night."
"Ok my love, I understand. Please come back to me, no matter how late it is. I've been counting the minutes to get off work so that I can finally be with you."
"I will stay here tonight, but I promise to come there tomorrow right after work. I'll even skip gym for you and you don't know Luke. He will be furious that I missed the gym two days in a row."
"I can't! I am coming over just for a kiss. I need my oxygen, as you left me suffocating."
"Please Alexander don't. I need this ok?"
"I can never refuse you anything."
"Thank you. I love you!"
"You do?"
"You know I do."
"Will you go to Paris with me? Our flight leaves tomorrow." He asks hopefully.
"Alexander I have to speak to Paul about this, as tomorrow is our last day before Christmas holidays and it's very busy for the both of us."
"Fuck it! I'll change the morning flight to a night one. Is that ok with you?"
I smile and I say yes. Oh my God! Did I actually agree to this? Paris with Alexander. I never thought we would go after all.
It's past midnight and my eyes are heavy. I call Paul, for I don't even know how many times but he doesn't pick up. Should I worry? What if something happened to him?
"Steph, did Paul call you?"
"No Claire, fuck! Where is he? Did you guys have a fight or something?"
"Or something."
"Oh, I see. Well whoever hears from him first, has to contact the other."
"Deal."
It's now 3 in the morning and I can't sleep, as I am so worried something happened to him. He wouldn't do this on purpose to get back at me, as that's not who he is.
Another hour goes by before I hear the key turning the lock and he enters the apartment completely wasted.
"Paul? Are you ok?"
"As if you care!" He says in a demeaning way, but the way he is looking at me is even worse than his words, reminding nothing of the Paul I knew.
"You know I do, but you are drunk so I think we should both go to bed."
"No! I am not done drinking." And while saying that he is already feeling a glass with vodka.
"Could you pour me one as well please?" I ask.
"Really? Don't you need to ask Alexander first? Maybe he won't approve this." His words are full of sarcasm stabbing my pride.
I feel so sorry for him as I can only imagine how much he is suffering right now.
"Don't. I'll pour one myself." I say trying to play the reverse psychology game on him hoping he is too wasted to see it.
"You are forgetting I am a psychologist Claire. Don't play your games with me!"
"Ok, you are right. But I can't reach you and I am hurting to see you like this. You know how much you mean to me, so please don't shut me out."
"Yes ma'am! As you please!"
"Paul stop this."
"Why? Do you even care? Is that how you treat your friends? Now I know why you don't have any!"
"Paul! That's enough!"
"That's nothing compared to what I am going through. So if you could please leave me alone, I'd like some peace and quiet." And by that he swallows half of the vodka in one gulp.
"Paul, please don't drink any more."
"You promised me you wouldn't go back to him and not only you broke your promise by sleeping with him, you also left me worrying all night. Was it so damn hard to text me and just let me know that you were ok?"
"I already said I'm sorry what else can I do?"
He is now sad looking rather than angry. My honesty must have softened him up.
"Nothing, there is nothing you can do. I'll see you tomorrow at the office."
He takes the bottle of vodka with him, but I know he won't be able to work tomorrow if he finishes that and I know I am responsible for this so I have to find a way to fix it. I follow him to his room and I grab the vodka from his hand. He doesn't do anything, just stares at me. He removes his clothes and he is now on his boxers, looking at me in a way that frightens me.
"Paul, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because I am too intoxicated to suppress it like I always do, so get out of my room please."
"Ok, I'll see you in the morning. Can I please handle your first appointment so you can get some extra time to sober up? My first patient isn't coming for until an hour later."
He doesn't say anything. His eyes are darker than before and I immediately exit his room as I think I am provoking him.
The morning comes but I didn't get much sleep. I am in the kitchen having my third cup of coffee when a blond girl comes out off his room.
"Good morning." Is the only thing she said before she left.
Paul comes out right after her and waves hi like in a cowboy way. Is he smiling?
"Morning. Are you feeling better?" I ask him.
"Never better. Sorry for last night, I am usually a fun drunk."
"I am surprised but happy you are in such a good mood today."
He smiles at me with his dimples showing and making my heart beat faster and he leaves me entering the bathroom. What was that? Why am I sort of attracted to him lately? Who was that girl? Was she just a one night stand, or something more? Why do I even care?
We drive separately to work but arrive there simultaneously. He takes the stairs before I even got the chance to invite him in the elevator with me, as he was making such a good progress all this time when using it daily as long as I was right there holding his hand and distracting his thoughts while talking to him.
I am already in the office when he comes. I turned on the heating as it's freezing today and it's heavily snowing outside which means it's only going to get worse. It's now 10 o' clock and both of our appointments are cancelled due to extremely bad weather conditions.
"Great! Just great!" He says annoyed and disappears in his office shutting the door behind him.
I don't even knock and I enter his office, now standing in front of him extremely irritated by his behavior.
"Ok, for how long am I going to be getting the cold treatment. I forgot ok? I am sorry!"
"You forgot? Of course you did, as you were too busy fucking, to think that your 'best friend' would be worried sick. Do you know that I called him and he answered the phone?"
"What? What are you talking about? Who are you right now? I don't even recognize you. My Paul doesn't lie like that."
"He did! He answered the phone so I could hear what you guys were doing. Do you know how that made me feel? No! You don't! You live in your own pink little cloud ignoring the monster this man is."
"He didn't!" I say furiously.
"Oh, so now you honestly believe I am lying? Whatever princess, suit yourself. I know what I heard as I know how I would vomit when I would replay your sounds in my head."
"Paul...I ...I don't know ... I...."
I pick up the phone and I call him right there in front of him and I put him on the speaker.
"Hey! I was just about to call you. I was about to change the flight when they called me first, to tell me it's canceled due to extreme weather conditions."
"Good! I wasn't going to go with you anyway."
"What? Why? Why would you again change your mind on me like that baby?" He complains.
"Did you answer the phone when Paul called you last night?"
"What? No, no, no ,no, no, without even seeing who it was I hang up as we were in the middle of...something. It wasn't only until next morning that I saw who it was. Please don't be angry about that, I was planning to tell you to call him back, as I knew he must have been desperately worried to have called me, but then I forgot, getting caught up in the moment, just like you did. Don't accuse me for doing the same thing you did yourself. As much as he gets on my nerves for being in love with my girl, I didn't want him to worry about you the way I did that night when that freak basically kidnapped you, but I swear I completely forgot to tell you to text or call him back."
"Alexander you didn't hung up! You answered his call and he heard the two of us making love."
"What? No! He didn't! I hope he hung up the moment he realized what he was eavesdropping or next time it's not going to be just a small bruise on his face."
"So you didn't do it on purpose."
"Claire! What the fuck do you think of me? I would never do that to you. That's disgusting."
"I think so too. That hurt him a lot Alexander and I think you owe him an apology."
"I don't owe him shit! Claire you are taking this too far. It was an honest mistake, if he stayed on the speaker for longer than a couple of seconds, it's he that owes us an apology."
"Look, I am trapped in the office due to the snowstorm, so I don't know how my day will go. I'll call you when I finish work."
"Ok. I miss you baby girl. Please don't be late."