The young couple gets off at the same stop. The boy eyes me with suspicion and they give me a wide berth. When the hell did I become the bad guy?
I have a sudden and desperate need to get away from the manufactured lights and thick stone walls, and I rush up the stairs. Somewhere below me, the couple laughs; at me or with each other, it doesn’t matter.
I find myself in familiar territory. I didn’t mean to come here, but somehow, I ended up here again – like I often do. I don’t know why. Despite everything that’s happened, I still come here. I’m like an addict in search of my dealer, the one that has the best product, the most poisonous, the most devastating.
I stand outside the Seven Eleven. The harsh light from inside falls across the tarmac like broken sunshine. I gulp at my whiskey. I’ve almost had enough to make another day vanish like the harsh vapours when I spot her. I do a double-take and blink through the haze, but it’s her.
Amy has her hair up in a tight ponytail and her hair swishes across her shoulders. She’s wearing a tight, fake leather jacket and one of her signature skirts. Her leggings are ripped in places, showing off bits of skin before they sink into her boots. She’s holding two bags of groceries and she looks so fucking content – like everything is fucking perfect.
I tear across the road like a demon and cut off her path, startling her. “Amy,” I growl.
She stops dead for a second, her eyes large and her face drawn. She searches my face and then hers seems to fall back into place as she recognises me.
“Joe.” She smiles at me.Fucking smiles. “How are you?”
Anger slithers inside me like a burning snake and it scratches my insides. The fire fuelled by the alcohol sets a maddening rage beneath my skin. I grab her elbow and pull her away from the light and into the nearby alley where we can have some privacy.
I push her against the wall, and she huffs a little. She’s still smiling at me. I lock a hand around her wrist and push it up against the wall, pinning her there.
“How am I?” I move in closer to her, my face inches from hers. I can smell her wild scent over my own, and my body remembers all the things I wish it never knew. “You ruined my life,” I growl at her.
“You were the one who wanted to end things, but it’s not too late.” Her hand reaches for my face, and I flinch away.
“You’re fucking crazy—”
“Miss, are you okay?” a voice interrupts us.
My eyes flicker over to the intruder. A police officer is standing just outside the alley. He is about my height, clean-shaven and neat. My eyes go back to Amy’s. “She’s fine. It’s you who should be careful.”
“Step away from her, sir,” he says, and I sigh as I release Amy and take a small step back from her. I’m not the dangerous one here. He needs to read the situation better and take my advice. “Now move along.” He’s trying to get me to leave, but he doesn’t understand. He needs to save himself.
I turn to the police officer. “Walk away while you still can.”
“Sir, I think you’ll find you’re the one who needs to walk away.” I know he’d rather I leave. I know he has no interest in arresting some drunk fuck and spending his night doing paperwork.
“Look, I’m warning yo—”
“Don’t threaten me.” He reaches for his baton and his body tenses. I think through my options. I can get arrested and save this idiot the heartache, but that would mean I’d need to involve my lawyer and Annie would be informed, and that would mean more time away from my girls. I sigh and stare at the cop, noticing the ring on his finger. On the other hand, I can set her sights on another man and get rid of her once and for all.
I know what the clever thing to do would be…
“It’s not what you think,” I try one last time.
“It never is, now, final warning.”
I turn back to Amy. “This isn’t over,” I warn her. But she just smiles at me and turns towards the officer.
“Miss, are you okay?” he repeats as I dissolve into the darkness, and she walks out of the shadows.