Chapter 7

James woke up to the sound of someone moving around the bedroom. It was late at night and it was pitch black outside. He tried to adjust to the darkness and he managed to see Angela getting ready to leave.

"Going somewhere?"

"I'm going home", she replied and she sounded cold and indifferent.

"Why?", he asked acting like he didn't understand the reason for her departure.

"Honestly?"

"Of course", he said but he doubted that she would tell him the truth.

"Georgia is coming and I don't want her to find me here".

There was a hint of regret in her voice and he felt the sudden need to hurt her. How could she regret the past 12 hours?

"Were you planning to wake me up?"

"No", she answered truthfully. She bent to get her shoes and he noticed that she was wearing a dress for the first time since he had met her. She was beautiful.

"So, you would just leave, let me take care of Georgia while you would stay at your house safe and far away from me?"

"Something like that", she said and it was clear that she was mocking him.

"Ok. You can go anywhere you please but first you will answer my questions".

"What do you want to know James? If it was fun? Of course it was. If I feel sorry? Yes, I am sorry and yes I value my friendship with Georgia more than a day of great sex".

"Am I supposed to tell Georgia all that?" He was being ironic trying to piss her off, trying to evoke some kind of emotion from her, any kind of emotion.

"No. I told you before. What you do with her is your business. I don't want to be a part of it". She was ready to leave now and was standing closer to the door.

"What do you want Angela? Do you want me to stop you?"

"Is that what you think? You think I'm leaving because I'm being melodramatic?"

When he didn't answer she clenched her fists. Probably she wanted to hit him but James was very pleased that he had managed to irritate her.

"Goodbye James and I suggest that you forget what happened between us. As for Georgia, I'm not going to tell her anything".

James sat and watched her go away. He didn't even flinch. How was that old saying? If you own something let it free and if it belongs to you it will come back. And if it doesn't it meant that it was never yours in the first place.

Angela was sitting in the bus crying. She had tried to stop it. She hated feeling so weak but the tears were forcing their way through her throat hurting her.

She should have known better. There was really no use for tears now. She should have managed to say no to him yesterday but she couldn't.

A kid was looking at her and she glared at him furious. How dare he look at her? It was her pain and her right to experience it alone without other people feeling sorry for her.

She tried to calm herself and focus on what others were doing. There was a couple in front of her that was kissing. She wanted to kill them, she wanted to tear them apart. How could the world go on as usual? Why didn't others suffer as she did? It really surprised her that people went on with their lives, with their everyday habits when she felt like the universe had turned upside down.

What hurt even more was that she actually wanted him to stop her. She wanted him to tell her that it wasn't just one day of sex. If he told her that he felt something for her, that he felt something besides that sexual desire she would stay.

But he didn't say a word. He didn't even get out of bed. It was as if she meant nothing to him. As if she was just a fuck.

The bus stopped and she got out almost running. She needed to escape from the crowd, she needed some isolation.

The apartment was empty and silent. After two days with James, Angela found the silence deafening. In his place there was always the TV on or James playing music and she liked the noise. Her apartment reminded her that she was alone in this life.

The phone rang and she growled. She had no desire to talk to anybody, so she let the machine answer instead.

"Honey ... It's me Georgia. I just arrived and I wanted to thank you for helping James. Call me ... Oh! I almost forgot! Nick is looking for you, something about his father dying ... Be careful and if you need anything I will be with James".

Angela fell on the chair shivering and feeling suddenly very cold. I don't care, she said to herself. Why should she care after all these years?

She had promised to herself that these people could never touch her again and after all these years she suddenly felt that she could no longer protect her heart, body and soul. It was as if all her defenses had weakened and it was all because of James.

That man would destroy her. She could fight Nick, his father or the past but all that was before James. Now after his kisses, the way he touched her and the things he whispered to her ear she could never be the same person again. She could fight the world but she couldn't fight James.