“Maybe you should leave, Dan,” says Kate. “Sorry, Ruby, I never realised. Alison wasn’t sure either—we thought Jax is your other half.”
I widen my eyes. What the hell did she say that for? I glance between her and Dan, whose expression scares me.
“Me and Ruby had a bad fight because I thoughtthatabout her and Jax too. You haven’t replaced me, have you, angel?” he asks.
At the word ‘angel’, I want to vomit. I cross my arms and step to one side as he moves closer, pissed off with myself that his bulk and presence intimidate me. If I keep replying, we stay engaged, and then the further he worms his way into my new headspace.
“Okay, I see this is a bad time. I’ll catch up with you later. I could drop by the café after work and take you for a drink? Or I’ve seen you at The Lions Head with the guys—maybe I could catch you there?”
His hardened look accompanies the veiled threat: ‘I can find you’.
“Don’t bother! I don’t want anything to do with you!”
“I’ll come over you when you’re on your own, then we can talk properly.” Dan smiles in a way that chills my soul and I’m frozen in the moment as he says his polite goodbyes to my housemates and strolls out of the house.
Just like that.
Aware the fear coursing through my body will lead to outbursts at the two girls—something that could get me kicked out of the house—I run upstairs before any words escape.
I close my bedroom door and lean against the wood. What if Dan changes his mind and comes back to the house? Comes for me? This man has been part of my life for five years in one way or another—how did I think I’d get rid of him so easily?