Pulling my keys from my pocket, I look for the spare key to her apartment. I never thought I’d have to use it. I only kept it in case she locked herself out.
It’s another dick move on my part, intruding on her privacy, but I have to see her.
I let myself in, shutting the door behind me before I walk to Evie’s room.
The sweater, shorts, and boots are lying in a heap in the middle of her room. Hearing water running, I walk to the bathroom, and when I see Evie, relief floods me.
I’m in time. Thank God.
Evie is splashing water on her face. She grabs a towel, and as she dries her face, she starts to walk towards me.
“Hey,” I say so she won’t bump into me.
She lets out a piercing shriek, throws the towel at me, and stumbles back. Her face pales from the fright, and she loses her balance. I rush forward, but I’m too late. I watch with horror how Evie’s butt slams into the floor. The back of her head collides with the bath, the sound sickening and scary.
I drop to my knees beside Evie. She groans as she reaches for the back of her head.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper as I slide my hand behind her neck, and pulling her forward, I check to see if there’s blood. With her hair still piled up on her head, it makes the task easier. Luckily there’s no blood, only a goose egg that’s already forming.
Positioning one arm behind her back, and another under her knees, I lift her to my chest as I climb to my feet.
She weighs next to nothing as I carry her to the bed. Once I’ve set her down, I rush to the kitchen to grab a bag of frozen vegetables from her freezer. When I get back to her bedroom, I sit down beside her and gently press the frozen bag to the back of her head.
She takes it from me and moves away, putting plenty of space between us.
“What are you doing here?” she says softly, sounding worn out.
I know it won’t be easy to fix what I’ve broken, but I’m determined to try.
“I came to apologize,” I say, turning my body to face her.
I wish I could take her hand, but her whole body is closed off, and her walls are back up.
She doesn’t say anything as she stares at the floor.
Needing her to look at me, I hook a finger under her chin and turn her face to me. I see red blemishes around her eyes, and it’s evidence of just how much I hurt her.
“I was a dick, Evie.”
She pulls her face away from my hand. “Can we talk tomorrow? I want to be alone right now.”
Her words are a punch to my gut. Evie’s biggest fear is being alone, and she’d rather face that than have me here.
She drops the frozen bag on the floor, and when she gets up and walks over to her closet, it sinks in that she’s only wearing boyshorts and a flimsy tank top. The bastard in me would take advantage of this moment, and stare my full. Her ass and tits have given me many wet dreams over the past few months.
But not tonight. My eyes are drawn to Evie’s face, washed clean of makeup. The evidence of her tears makes me feel guilt-ridden as fuck.
I’ve kept my distance from Evie because she’s so innocent and I didn’t want to corrupt her with my depravity. How she managed to remain pure with the past she’s had to deal with, goes beyond my understanding.
Evie is as decent as they come, and I called her a whore.
I wait while she drags on a pair of sweats and t-shirt. When she’s done, she lets out a tired sigh as she finally lifts her eyes to mine.
“Say what you have to say so you can go, Rhett.”
I would’ve been able to handle her anger, but the hollowness in her voice guts me even further.
She just wants me gone.