Page 22 of Abe (Marked Skulls MC 3)
Chapter 23
Alexis
I woke up feeling dazed. The past few nights had been a struggle for me, I just couldn’t go to sleep. I’d kept waking up every few hours and imagining Abe sleeping beside me, his warm muscular body shielding me, making everything all right. But I always woke up alone and filled with that sinking feeling again.
Now, when I looked at the clock in my room, I saw that it was nine already. I jumped out of bed, thinking I was late for work and then I remembered that my shift didn’t begin till after lunch.
Dragging my feet on the floor, I walked over to Oz’ room and knocked on his door.
“Oz? What do you want for breakfast?” I called out, and when there was no response, I opened the door to find his room empty. I sighed as I stared at his messy empty bed. I’d just have to get used to it now, I’d openly accepted his new lifestyle—which meant that he would often not come home for the night and I would just have to deal with it.
I went to the kitchen to make myself coffee. I felt exhausted from the lack of sleep and from thinking about Abe constantly. I had been trying so hard to believe that he had done me a favor. That was what it should have felt like. Ending things between us was the wise thing to do, it meant that I wouldn’t have to sit around waiting for him to break my heart at some later date. It was done now, we weren’t going to see each other anymore; and I could start moving on.
But moving on from Abe was probably the hardest thing I’d done, even though we weren’t actually in a relationship. I didn’t even really know him, I had no idea what kind of food he liked or what his childhood was like or how many siblings he had. All I knew was how I felt when I was around him, and how safe that feeling was.
For the first time, I felt like I was with a man who wouldn’t treat me like I was worthless. When Abe looked at me, he really did look at me and not through me.
And now, he’d ended it before I had a chance to and it was probably all my fault. I was the one who had asked him all those questions about Vanity and I’d spooked him, making him think that I was looking for more from this relationship.
I felt like a ghost walking around the apartment in my pajamas and an old t-shirt. I made coffee but I hadn’t drunk it yet and I wasn’t hungry; I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d eaten.
When the doorbell rang, in my delusional mind; I thought that it was Abe and I rushed to the door.
It was Vanity, and one look at her and I wanted the ground to swallow me up. It was early in the morning and she was in a slinky pink dress with spaghetti sleeves; which looked more like lingerie than something I would wear outdoors.
She stormed into the apartment before I had a chance to react to her presence.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, leaving the door open because I expected her to leave immediately.
Vanity looked about with her nose scrunched up, before she assessed what I was wearing and gave a snort.
“You look like you’re ready to go out,” she said, with a chuckle in her voice.
“I just woke up,” I said and she widened her eyes.
“If that is what you sleep in, you’re not going to hold on to him very long. The man has high standards,” she said, cocking a perfectly shaped eyebrow.
“Who are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb, Alexis. We both know who I’m talking about. Abe, the man who is supposed to be waking up in my bed. Is he here?” she screeched and went running across the living room to Oz’ open door. She peeped in there while I chased after her down the hall. She rammed open my bedroom door and checked there too.
I grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her out, while she struggled against me.
“Get the fuck out of my house! Get out!” I screamed, and she managed to pull her hand out of mine.
“Where is he?” she screeched.
“I don’t know where he is! He isn’t here. Shouldn’t you be keeping an eye on him?”
Vanity walked slowly back to the living room and I followed her. She suddenly looked distressed and I almost felt sorry for her. Her thick pink-lipsticked lips were quivering. She looked on the verge of smudging her mascara.
“I thought he’d be shacking up with you here, now that he’s broken it off with me,” she said and I crinkled my brows as I stared at her. Abe had ended things with her too? He seemed to be on a heartbreak rampage. But why? He was free to sleep with whoever he wanted, now that we were not going to see each other again.
“Well, he’s not here,” I said and placed a hand on my hip.
Vanity roamed her eyes over me again, assessing me.
“It’s weird that he wants you. Why?” she asked, and her expression turned into like she had tasted something sour.
I felt thoroughly scrutinized and my cheeks turned pink and I could feel the back of my neck growing hot.
“If it makes you feel any better, he doesn’t want me either. We’ve ended things too,” I said and Vanity’s eyes grew wide. She was just as shocked to hear it as I was to hear about them.
She sat down with a thump on the couch, tucking in some stray golden curls behind her ears.
“What the actual fuck?” she said, in a daze. I licked my lips and sighed.
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t going to work. So you’re free to go after him, do whatever you want, just get out of my apartment,” I said. I hadn’t forgiven her for trying to scratch my eyes out the other day.
Vanity gulped and then shook her head.
“You’ve done something to him. You’ve broken him. He’s not himself anymore. Why won’t he want me if he’s not with you?” she continued, in that same ghostly voice.
I could feel my eyes watering up again. The last thing I wanted was to explore Abe’s intentions. He was a complicated man, someone I hadn’t figured out yet and he’d broken my heart without even realizing it. I didn’t want to sit here, discussing him with a stripper who he was also sleeping with.
Vanity looked at me, with a confused expression on her face.
“What did you do?” she asked.
“I didn’t do anything. I told you, it wasn’t going to work between us. What do you care anyway? It’s over, go to him if you want. Just leave me alone!” I barked at her, hugging myself with both arms because I suddenly felt very alone and heartbroken all over again.
“I can’t. He’s made it clear that he doesn’t want me either,” she said.
“Then go find someone else. I don’t care!” I continued, and I was the only one screeching in the room because Vanity was calm and composed. I knew she could see the heartbreak on my face.
“Yes, you do, you clearly care,” she said; just as we heard footsteps approaching. Oz appeared at the door, with his hair disheveled and his eyes looking exhausted.
“What’s going on?” he asked, staring at Vanity.
She stood up from the couch, threw me a knowing smiling look and then walked slowly towards Oz.
“You’ve grown into quite something,” she said, with a sizzle in her voice. She ran her fingers seductively up Oz’ chest, before she walked away from him. Oz followed her with his eyes, before he dragged his gaze away to look at me again.
“What did she want? I didn’t know you two were friends,” he said, closing the front door behind Vanity.
I collapsed on the couch, feeling completely drained. The day had just begun but I was already feeling like I was ready for bed.
“I don’t, we have a mutual friend. How was your night?” I asked and Oz threw himself down on the couch beside me.
“Eventful,” he said, nodding his head and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
“What’s your plan for the day?” he asked me and I closed my eyes, hoping I might be able to steal a few minutes of sleep like this.
“Work and after that, I have a date,” I said.
“A date? I thought you guys ended things?” Oz sounded excited.
“Not with Abe, with Joshua, he’s a co-worker at the store,” I said, while I drifted off t
o sleep.
Chapter 24
Abe
I called for a meeting at a different bar, because I needed to talk to the guys somewhere other than T-Bone. I knew I was taking a risk here, but I couldn’t do this alone; I needed my brothers with me.
Oz showed up first, and looked like he’d finally gotten some sleep.
I, on the other hand, had spent the day walking around the house, trying to avoid falling asleep because I knew I’d end up fantasizing about Alexis. I needed to keep myself awake and my mind occupied with anything other than her. She was going to be a hard habit to break.
Oz sat down beside me and ordered a beer, just as Girth and Rodeo walked in.
“Why are we meeting here?” Rodeo asked, as our beers arrived.
“I needed to discuss the Garcia situation in private,” I told them and I saw Rodeo and Girth exchanging looks.
