A Deeper Shade of Bad (7 page)

I
woke up and I wasn’t sure what to do. I was hungry but I didn’t want to go
downstairs without knowing Alex’s mood. I decided it would probably be best to
wait for him to get me. I got up and showered. I took my time not really
feeling like ever leaving the safety of my room.

I
left my hair down and put on a pretty purple dress. I sat at my vanity and put
my makeup on; taking my time and making it look perfect. My phone buzzed and I
looked at the message. It was Jake,
‘How is paradise
?’ he asked.

‘Not
great what about for you
?’

‘
Ok,
was just checking in’
he text.

‘Everything
is good here’
I said not really meaning it.

I
jumped when my door opened. Alex looked at me and I wasn’t sure about his mood.
“Are you going to come out at any point today?” he asked a little
condescendingly.

“I
just didn’t want to make you mad,” I said quietly.

“I
am already passed mad there isn’t much else you can do to piss me off. Come
eat,” he said and walked off.

I
sighed and got up. I walked downstairs and he had the table set and full of
food. I sat down and ate quietly while he read the paper. He glanced at me
every once in a while but didn’t speak. The doorbell rang and he cussed and got
up.

I
didn’t move I just stayed still. I could hear him speaking and he sounded
annoyed. The person he was speaking to sounded like his mother. I strained to
listen.

“Your
acting like your father, there was a reason I left him,” She said sounding
disappointed.

“I
am nothing like him, I barely touched her, and if she wasn’t whoring around
with my brother she wouldn’t have to worry about getting hurt,” Alex snapped.

“She
wasn’t, she was speaking to him and you went off. That is beside the point
anyway. How often do you hit that poor girl?” she asked sounding horrified.

“When
she needs it,” he snapped.

“This
is unbelievable, after all I taught you. You even took another man’s name
because you disliked your father so much yet you are acting just like him,” She
snapped.

“It
is my life and my girlfriend. I don’t need you telling me what to do,” he
snapped.

“Just
remember, Alexander, there is no other woman that has come close to putting up
with you like this girl has. Do you really want to risk that just so you can
smack her around when you think she has stepped out of line? Is she worth
losing so you can protect your pride?” she asked.

“Like
I said, I have it handled. She is fine if you want to see her you are more than
welcome to come in,” he said.

“No,
I don’t need to see her. I just wanted to try to talk some sense into you,” she
said quietly.

He
said something else then they said their goodbyes. He came back in and I
focused on my grapes. He took his seat and I wanted to ask who it was but I
knew better. I had a million questions about what I just heard but I didn’t
dare open my mouth.

“Would
you like to go shopping today?” he asked without looking at me.

I
looked at him unsure, “I don’t need anything,” I said quietly.

“It’s
not about needing anything it is about getting things you want,” he said like I
was annoying him.

“I
guess it sounds fun,” I said quietly.

“Good
go get your shoes on and we will leave.”

I
nodded and got up. I hurried upstairs, put my shoes on and grabbed my purse and
phone. When I walked back down he was waiting. He held the car door for me and
I climbed in. He headed straight to the mall. It was Sunday so it was busy. He
parked and offered me his hand when he got out. I took it and we walked into
the mall. We browsed several stores and I bought a couple things like perfume.
He led me into a lingerie store and picked out several slinky outfits for me.

I
was getting annoyed with how the girls that worked there acted like they would
model the outfits for him if he asked. He spent almost five grand on lingerie
and I nearly had a heart attack but he didn’t even flinch.

From
there we went to a jewelry store. I had never been bought anything from such a
nice place. I couldn’t find a single piece under five thousand dollars.
There
was no way I was asking for anything here. He went to the back with the manager
when I was looking around. He was getting his watched sized or something.
 

After
the jewelry store we were walking back toward the car. “There is a good Italian
place we can go for dinner” He said softly.

I
nodded, “Sounds good” I said and smiled.

He
drove the short distance to the restaurant and we went inside. We sat at a
booth at the back and he ordered a bottle of wine. He was playing nice but I
could tell he was still angry. His eyes had a particular glint to them when he
was angry and trying to act nice.

The
waitress came over and batted her eyes making me want to smack her. He ordered
the wine and our meals. I told him he could order for me since everything was
literally in Italian.

When
she left he smiled at me, “Did you have fun?”

“Yes
it was nice,” I said and did my best to smile back.

“I
made an appointment at the college so you can get signed up for school this
year.”

“That
sounds good, I really need to get going on it,” I said quietly.

He
nodded, “It is in the afternoon. I will drop you at your grandmother’s after
dinner then pick you up tomorrow.”

“Sounds
good” I said trying not to sound too disappointed about the whole being sent
home thing.

The
waitress brought the wine which was a nice distraction. We made small talk
about the news mostly over dinner. After dinner he walked me back to his SUV
and opened the door for me.

I
climbed in and he climbed in next to me. He started the car but didn’t
immediately pull away. “I want to apologize for last night, I shouldn’t have
been so rough.”

“It’s
ok, I’m not angry about it,” I said quietly. I looked at him and he was
watching me. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking but I could tell he was
fighting himself about something.

I
took my chance when he was vulnerable and I climbed into his lap and pressed my
lips to his. He didn’t respond to my kiss at all. He just looked at me. “I
don’t want you right now” he said quietly. His eyes were cold and I felt like
he had punched me in the stomach.

I
blushed embarrassed and move back to my seat. I couldn’t even look at him. He
didn’t say anything. I didn’t speak the entire drive to the bookstore and
neither did he. I was confused and hurt. He intentionally hurt me. I was
suddenly very angry but I kept my mouth shut.

He
pulled in front of the bookstore and I didn’t waste a second. I didn’t speak
and I didn’t wait for him to get my door I just got out. I hurried to the
bookstore and unlocked it and went inside. He pulled away as soon as I was
inside. I went upstairs and Granny was watching her game show. “Have a good
weekend?” she asked.

“Ya
ok” I lied. The truth was it sucked, but I wasn’t about to say that. I wasn’t
sure what I was going to do anymore. I knew it was crazy but I wasn’t lying
when I said I loved him, he was just going to make it as difficult as possible
for me. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to handle his mood swings and
jealous rages. The fact that he didn’t even want to kiss me or touch me hurt
the most. I knew it wasn’t going to work and that thought weighed on me. I took
out my phone and text him determined to end the battle.
‘I can’t be in a
relationship like this anymore. Something has to change,’
I text and
waited.

He
text me almost immediately,
‘I agree the contract is void.’

I
felt my chest tighten and tears threatened to spill down my cheeks. I bit my
lip and pushed the feeling back. Maybe it was for the best.
‘I agree,’
was
all I replied.

Stay
tuned and find out what happens between Amelia and Alex in Volume 2 of A Deeper
Shade of Bad.