“Just us two today,” Luke tells her as she leads us to a quiet corner in the back with a round little table. We sit down and she lights a candle that’s sitting in the center of the table. Only then does it dawn on me how much this looks and feels like a date.
“This is not a date,” I say when the woman leaves after taking our drink orders.
“Call it what you want,” Luke answers unimpressed while looking at the menu. “The veal is amazing, you should try it.”
I grit my teeth wanting to slap the stupidly smug look right off his face. Before I even look at the menu, I know that I’ll be ordering anything but the veal now. I don’t care if it’s the best freaking veal on Earth, I won’t eat it now that he’s basically told me to.
When a different waitress returns to take our food order, I realize that I’m not even really hungry. Still, I can’t bring myself not to order anything at all, god knows I won’t hear the end of it. “I’ll have the soup of the day.”
“You need to eat more than that,” Luke says sternly.
“You need to not tell me what to do, you lost your chance at being a part of my life, of making choices for me when you made your own.” I stare down at the red table cloth.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the waitress’ face pale, clearly uncomfortable with witnessing our little spat.
“I’ll have the veal,” Luke tells her, his voice tight, as he hands over both of our menus before she scurries away. I should care that I’m making a scene, but I don’t, not really. There is too much anger and sadness, too much betrayal and pain residing inside of me to forgive him. My heart wants me to give in, but my brain knows better. I won’t be made a fool of twice.
“Why fight me on the small things? All I want is for you to be happy and healthy.”
“You’re delusional. I’m not happy, and I never will be with you trying to dictate my life.”
“You should be glad we’re in public, or I would show you just how much you like me dictating you.”
“I’m never sleeping with you again.”
Luke chuckles as if something I’ve said is amusing, “I’ll remember that the next time I have you on the verge of coming, when you’re begging for my cock to be inside of you.”
My leg starts to bounce impatiently. I really hope this food is going to come out quick, I can’t stand sitting here like this with him, acting like we are a couple. Gritting my teeth, I look up at him, the smug look on his face is something I know I can only wipe clean with the cut of my words. “I’m not even sleeping in the bed with you. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
His gaze darkens, and the hand he has wrapped around his drink tightens, “You will sleep next to me and nowhere else.”
“Fine, I’ll sleep on the floor then,” I snap back. Luke sighs loudly as if he is annoyed by our bickering. Well, too bad for him. I have no plans to give into him, not now, or tomorrow. I had a lapse in judgement when I slept with him and I won’t make that mistake again.
Our food is brought out a short time later, and we eat in silence, I can feel Luke’s eyes on me while mine remain on the bowl of soup. I can hardly wait to escape the confines of the restaurant and apparently Luke feels the same way.
As soon as I push away the bowl of half eaten soup, he pulls out his wallet and puts two fifty-dollar bills on the table, like we’ve eaten steaks and lobster, and gets up. “Come on, let’s go home so you can sleep on the floor like a dog.”
“I’m not a dog, but I would much rather sleep on the floor than beside you in bed,” I snarl.
“You are being impossible,” he grunts on the way out to the car. He opens the door for me, and I get into the car, only because there is no way I could walk back to the house. The drive home feels even longer than the drive to the restaurant. The only difference is that I feel even crappier than before.
My stomach aches and my muscles are sore. I’m just so tired all of a sudden and all I want to do is go to sleep. Now thinking about it, the floor sounds like a horrible idea, but I’m too stubborn not to go through with it. I won’t make myself look weak in front of the enemy.
We pull up to the house and this time I don’t give Luke the chance to open my door. I get out when he gets out, which only seems to frustrate him. We walk to the front door together, and as soon as he unlocks it, I push past him and waltz up the stairs into the bedroom. I pull the blanket and a pillow from the bed and put them on the floor making a makeshift bed. Then I start stripping out of my clothes, quickly tossing them to the floor. A moment later I’m in nothing but my undies curled up in the spot I just prepared.