Anchor Line (59 page)

 
           “Morning Hun. Coffee for Conrad...how sweet.  He's gonna need it.” Nathan laughed.

 
           “That bad huh?”  Addie smiled.  “I thought maybe it'd be the other way around.”

 
            “Holy shit...no.”  Nick said shaking his head. “Off the chain” But his face was grim.  He wasn't joking.

 
           Nathan followed Addie as she walked through the open door to Conrad's room.  The comforter was on the floor and Conrad lay upon the bed naked as the day he was born, diagonally in the middle of it, in one hell of a provocative position.  The black sheet only covering his groin and one leg. One arm behind his head, the other stretched out with his hand hanging off the side of the bed, his exposed leg, cocked out, the foot off the bed as well.

 
            Curled up in a little ball wearing only a t-shirt was a young woman with short black hair, sleeping just as soundly next to Conrad, just her legs from the knee down under the sheet. She was facing away from Conrad toward the far wall of the bedroom on Addie’s pillow.  Addie stood at the bottom of the bed staring in shock.  Nathan’s mouth literally fell open.

 
            “Addie, I’m sure he didn't do anything with her.”  Nathan started whispering, “He kept saying he wanted to go home to be with you and I made him stay.” 

 
            “Nate don't...” Addie started to say, closing her eyes, squeezing them shut. Totally not wanting to see the sight before her now, thinking that maybe if she closed her eyes it would go away.

 
           “Last night, I asked him to help Amy up the stairs because I was being selfish when he was already walking across the parking lot to you. She's a friend of the girl I took home. He left her on the sofa last night. I saw it with my own eyes.”  Nathan took a step back from Addie with the intention to look down the hallway to see if Amanda was out of the bathroom and found her standing in the doorway, just as shocked as Nick and Addie. A hand covering her mouth. He looked back at Conrad lying in the bed. 

 
           “I'm sure he's just pass...”

 
           Nathan didn't get to finish as Addie had opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and launched a travel mug at Conrad's head screaming at him.

 
           “Wake up you mother fucker!”  She huffed in disgust, hoping to hit him in the face instead of the forehead.  Hoping in some way to mar his gorgeous face with a cut or split open that strong jaw.

 
           The metal travel mug clunked Conrad right square in the middle of his forehead, startling him awake. His arm that was above his head flailed out hitting Amy in the head and using it for leverage to push off the bed as he jumped out of it stark naked, rubbing his forehead ready to fight. He saw Nathan standing near the door with his stripper girlfriend.

 
           Amy rolled off the bed onto the floor and then stood up staring in shock, her eyes focusing on Addie at the bottom of the bed.

 
           “What the FUCK!”  Conrad yelled at Nathan. “What the hell was that?”  Turning, he saw the mug on the bed with a small stream of coffee coming out of it and soaking into the sheet and mattress. He grabbed it and turned to look at Nathan with surprise, a death grip on the mug ready to launch it back at him. It hadn’t registered that it was the mug that he’d used from Addie’s every morning.

 
           “Really douchebag?”  He growled. 

 
           Nathan quickly pointed to Addie on his right

 
           “Babe?” Conrad's voice softened instantly as he suddenly saw her standing at the end of the bed poised again to strike him with the other travel mug. The hand that held the coffee mug lowered, and he focused totally now on Addie. She looked pissed beyond belief and...hurt. So hurt. But he had no clue as to why she would be so pissed off as to retaliate like this.

 
           “Don't babe me you fucking jerk!  How could you?”  She lowered the other mug, and shifted it to her left hand as she pointed to Amy, who was now standing on the other side of the bed wearing a Steelers t-shirt. “Knowing that I was waiting for you at my apartment...you slept with her!”  She stared at Conrad now, who started to rub his forehead, on which a bump was now forming. 

 
            “I wanted so badly to say last night, 'no Conrad, don't go.'  'Stay with me instead.'  But nooo...I said that I trusted you and told you to go. What do I find when I get here?  Another woman wearing the Steelers t-shirt that I got you. I knew this was going to happen. I knew it!” She screamed the last sentence. “I wanted to show you that I trusted you and look what happens.”

 
           Conrad looked at Amy, “Who the fuck are you?”  When Amy just fish-mouthed, he looked back at Addie. “Babe, I didn't sleep with anyone.  I mean...we didn't have sex.” Conrad looked from Addie to Nathan who just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Baby, please believe me.” 

 
           “Yeah and what about the stripper that just literally fell out of your bed? Am I supposed to believe that that didn't just happen?”  Addie asked, then turned to leave but saw that the doorway was blocked with Nathan and his girl. So she turned back around and took in Amy with a look that would desecrate her. “Get that fucking shirt off your back!”

 
           Amy had the decency to look scared. “I didn't know you guys were together or anything.”  She whispered as she pulled the t-shirt off and placed it on the bed, then bent down to pick up her own shirt off the floor and pulled it on. “I'm so sorry. I was just cold.”

 
           Addie cocked her head at Amy first, then looked at Conrad and pursed her lips. After a few minutes she spoke in a voice so calm, it belied the rage that she was really feeling, then looked back at Amy.

 
            “Honey, we aren't together anymore. So you're in luck...he's all yours. I'm done with him.” With that said, Addie turned again with a death grip on the mug in her hand and walked past Nathan as he held Amanda to him by the shoulders giving Addie room to walk by.

 
           “Addie...” Conrad started, as he stepped toward her, setting the mug on the dresser. “Babe, please.” Conrad pleaded with her, still naked as he too brushed past Nathan and Amanda. “I got drunk last night. I was pissed off about being there and not with you. There is no one else I'd rather be with than you.  I don't remember...”

 
           “You don't remember.” Addie interrupted turning around. “Really Conrad?  That is soooo not what I want to hear right now.  I don't want to hear that you don't remember.”  She started walking toward the front door as Nathan came to a stop a step behind Conrad in the living room.

 
           “Addie, honey.”  Conrad started again as Addie got to the front door with one hand on the knob.

 
           She’d had enough. She turned around to face Conrad with such rage in her eyes, it made Conrad take a step back and he bumped into Nathan.

 
           “Here's your fucking coffee asshole.” She yelled and launched the other travel mug in her hand straight at Conrad. He caught it and hot coffee sloshed out and splashed on his chest, but he didn't flinch from the temperature. “The other one your stripper girlfriend can drink. Keep the mugs.”

 
          Yanking the door open, she stated sternly, “Don't talk to me! Again! Ever!” Then walked out pulling the door shut firmly behind her.

 
           Conrad stood there shocked.

 
           “What the fuck!” He yelled throwing the metal mug across the room to the wall by the front door where it hit with a thunk as it dented the wall and then a clang as it hit the tile, coffee spraying out of it as the top popped off. His hands went to his hair like he was ready to pull it out. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath for a few seconds. Then he turned around and brushed past Nathan as he walked into his room and stared at Amy and her friend as they were talking in low voices standing at the foot of his bed.

 
           “We didn't did we.”  He stated more than asked her.  He knew the answer, but had to ask anyway.

 
           Amy shook her head slowly.  “No.”  She said in a low voice.  “I was cold, and the sofa didn't have a blanket.  But nothing...”

 
            “Get out!” He yelled. “Get the fuck out!”

 
           Conrad didn't stick around to hear the girl finish her explanation as he turned for his bathroom, throwing the door closed. He cranked on the water, then pulled the shower curtain closed as he started to scrub off the stale smoke and alcohol smell from last night.  Dear Lord, how did he find himself in these situations when things with Addie were going so well?  He stood under the hot spray of water for a few more moments, then turned the knob and reached over for his towel. Dried off, he came out of his bathroom and found that he was alone, his door was closed. He walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and put them on, and a t-shirt, then his socks and Nike's. He went over into the closet and pulled out a red paper bag from next to his winter Army gear and pulled out the little box leaving the bag on the shelf, grabbed his phone and shoved his wallet in his back pocket and headed out of his room and down the hall where he ran into a freshly showered Nathan. 

 
           “Hey man...”  Nathan started.

 
           Conrad didn’t turn around to face his friend. “Not now Nathan.”

 
           “Conrad.  I'm sorry...”

 
           “No, man.  It's cool.” Conrad paused. “We're good.” 

 
           He swiped his keys off the counter and opened the front door noticing that the coffee mess was cleaned up. As he opened the door, he looked over at Addie's apartment and shook his head rubbing his forehead.  He ran down the stairs and across the parking lot, then back up the stairs to Addie's apartment.  He tried the door and obviously, it was locked. He picked the key she had given him from his key chain and unlocked the deadbolt.  Opening the door cautiously, looking through it for flying mugs of coffee or anything else that would suddenly be airlifted towards him. With none in sight, he walked through and closed the door quietly.  He walked down the hallway into the living room and still no sight of Addie. 

 
           He set his keys and phone on the bar in the kitchen, then walked back to Addie's bedroom. He didn't see her on the bed that was made perfectly, but heard sobbing coming from the bathroom. He looked in his right hand looking at the box that he still held.  It was now or never.  First he had to get her to calm down and believe him. He put the little black box down on the edge of the dresser and pushed the bathroom door the rest of the way open to see her sitting on the edge of the tub with a box of tissues in one hand and a tissue in her other.

 
           “Addie.”  He said so softly as he walked forward to her and got down on his knees in front of her. He put his hands on her knees, rubbing them softly as she continued to cry. He laid his head on her legs and wrapped his arms around her waist and they sat like this for several minutes.

 
           She went to wipe more tears from her eyes but Conrad was faster. He sat up and took his finger and gently took the tears on his finger.  “Aw honey.” He started. “Babe, don’t cry. Please.” He wasn't sure how to continue.

 
           He didn't do anything wrong so he wasn't really sure how to proceed. So he stated simply that, “We didn't do anything.  She said that she was cold and the sofa didn't have a blanket, so she slept on the bed with me.  That's it.”  He took a tissue from the box and wiped her tears as they continued to fall. He loved her more than anything he loved in the whole world. It was tearing his heart out that she was crying because she was hurt by him. He looked up into her teary hazel eyes with his and the care and love and concern for her shown through. 

 
           “Hey sugar tits.”  He said smiling up at her as he brushed her tears gently.

 
           “Conrad, please don't.” Addie lightly brushed his hands off her and stood up. “I need some time to sort this out.” She tossed the tissue box on the counter by the sink and walked out of the bathroom.

 
           He got up and followed her out to the kitchen where she started making a cup of coffee from what was left in the pot. Conrad propped up against the doorjamb watching her. God, this was Italy all over again he thought. He remembered how he had to deal with the aftermath after Olivia had phoned while Addie was coming out of the bathroom her first night there and then it blew up. Once they had hashed everything out, he and Addie had ended up having sex. Now, here he was. Only, he was in Addie’s kitchen and on the defensive again.  And like last time, the evidence was pretty damning.  And this time, it was a woman in his bed.  He was naked, she may as well have been.

 
           “How much time do you need babe?”  He asked.