Curtains (14 page)

"
Oh my GOD
!
"
I screamed, studying my face. I had run to the restroom half an hour ago, sensing an oncoming attack. And at the moment, I looked like the deformed Sloth from that movie
The Goonies
. I was a cauliflower ear short of being his double. My eyes were swollen shut and I could
n
'
t stop sneezing.

This was not good.

Rhys knocked on the door and I stuck my foot in front of it to keep him from coming in, shut it quickly and locked it. I turned back to the mirror in the bathroom at his parent
s
'
house, watching my face explode from an allergic reaction.

"
Rhys, get me a Benadryl
!
"
I said, searching the cabinets desperately for an antihistamine.

"
What the hell is going on? Everyone is waiting downstairs
,
"
he said impatiently.

"
Nothing
,
"
I said, trying to muffle my voice. My swelling tongue would impair my speech for a while.

"
Yo
u
'
re full of shit, babe. Now open this door
!
"
he demanded, his voice filled with worry.

"
Ca
n
'
t a girl have some privacy
?
"
I asked, every single word coming out strangled.

"
Violet, please open the door
.
"

I splashed cold water over my face, as if that would help, and stood to my full height. I warned him about my allergies, but it just so happened my first attack of the season occurred the very night his parents planned a dinner party so the family and I could get better acquainted. I could
n
'
t stay in the bathroom. They were waiting. This was going to be bad.

I opened the door and saw the horror cross Rhy
s
'
s face.

"
Oh my GOD
!
"
he exclaimed, mortified as he gripped my shoulders.

Yeah, i
t
'
s just as bad as I thought it would be.
I
'
d never seen him so horrified. I began crying immediately as he raced out of the room.

Man, that was fast. All it took was one look at my Shrek face.

Vain bastard.

I sat on the edge of the bed sobbing as Rhys rushed back in the room with four Benadryl in his hand and shut the bedroom door, clearly not wanting anyone to see me.

"
This is just allergies
?
"
he asked, wiping my tears away.

"
Yeah, for years the doctors said it was a food allergy and then they said it was something in the air. Ther
e
'
s no way of stopping it. It happens at least three or four times a year.
I
'
m sorry but I ca
n
'
t face your family. You can take me home
.
"

He pulled me to him as he whispered in my ear
,
"
I would
n
'
t leave you, even though you look like the elephant man on steroids
.
"
He chuckled as I elbowed him in the chest
.
"
I
'
ll be right back
.
"

I sat at the edge of the bed, feeling terrible about ruining the dinner party I knew his mother had worked so hard on. Sh
e
'
d been planning this for weeks, and though I had been out with Heidi a few times and we quickly became close, I was excited to get to know the rest of his family.

The last few months with Rhys had been the exact opposite of our first months.
I
'
d refused to peek around the corner, dreading the next disaster, and because of that the
y
'
d been the best months of my life. I was certain with my new love there would always be something there that threatened to shake us, but I was more certain I would refuse to let it get in the way. I heard Bryce calling for me from downstairs and my heart squeezed. I knew my appearance would only frighten him.

I
t
'
s just an allergy attack, Vi.

Rhys walked in a few minutes later carefully balancing two plates of food, two plastic glasses, and a hand full of movies as his arm cradled a bottle of wine.

"
They are going to watch Bryce and you and I get another picnic in bed
,
"
he said, setting the plates on the nightstand next to me and sliding off his shoes. He walked over to me, stripped my dress off and gasped at the rash on my back
.
"
Oh man this i
s
… bad
.
"
I nodded, embarrassed, then quickly got under the covers. He pulled me to him and kissed me gently.

"
I
'
m sorry
,
"
he whispered. I nodded again, still a bit emotional from him seeing me this way. But he loved me and it showed now more than ever. I felt sick and took two of the Benadryl he offered. He quickly handed me the movies to choose from.

I sifted through them
.
"
How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days
,
Steel Magnolias
,
Cider House Rule
s
..
.
Rhys, these are all chick movies
.
"

His smile was devastating
.
"
I know. I told them to hand me the cheesy love ones
,
"
he said, putting our plates on pillows and setting mine in front of me.

"
This is awesome. Thank you so much
,
"
I said, my voice shaky.

"
This is us. Good or bad. Butt ugly or not
,
"
he said as he deadpanned
,
"
I may have to brown bag your head and get you from behind tonight
.
"

"
NOT FUNNY
!
"
I said, offended, as he laughed. He cupped my face and pulled my swollen lips to his. I could
n
'
t help but laugh with him.

He pulled back as he chuckled
.
"
Told you I can be a prick
.
"

I walked through the market picking up various items to cook for Rhys tonight. We had the house to ourselves and I wanted to do something special for him. The last few months had been amazing, and though my skills were rusty, there was no time like the present to remedy that. I smiled when I reached the aisle that carried his favorite bath salt. I reached for it when I heard a voice behind me.

"
Predictable
.
"

I did
n
'
t bother to turn and look at the source of the voice. No good would come of it.

"
What do you want
,
"
I hissed.

"
Nothing
,
"
she said passively
.
"
I just thought I would come over and see how the happy couple is doing
.
"

"
Ask Rhys
,
"
I said, facing her head on and gasping at the sight of her. The whole left side of her face was purple and swollen. Her lips were busted and I saw a small amount of dried blood in the corner.

She completely ignored my reaction to her
.
I had no doubt her condition was a direct result of her sick fetish
.
"
So tell me something
,
"
she said, trailing her pointer on the box of salt I was holding in my hand
.
"
Do you think you satisfy him
?
"
Her eyes were icy as she tried to regard me calmly, though there was nothing but contempt in the air between us.

I ignored her question and stepped past her. She gripped my arm painfully, forcing me to confront her.

"
Sandra, I wo
n
'
t let you do this or anything for that matter. No matter how hard you try, yo
u
'
ll never come between us. Whatever yo
u
'
re thinking, give it up. We are too strong and you wo
n
'
t succeed
,
"
I said confidently.

"
I
'
m well aware yo
u
'
re the woman he wants. What I ca
n
'
t figure out is why
,
"
she said, studying me.

"
Maybe because
I
'
m nothing like you
,
"
I said, ripping my arm away.

"
Maybe, and maybe you are just better at playing the game
.
"

"
And just what the hell is that supposed to mean
?
"
I asked, taking an intrusive step toward her.

She smiled at my irritation
.
"
Oh, come on, Violet. We both know you came after me. You found out abou
t
Alex and m
e
and went after Rhys. He may not have figured it out, but I have. I took your family away so yo
u
—
"

"
No, Sandra, you
gave
me my family. It was never a game for me.
I
'
m not a sick bitch like you. I do
n
'
t thrive on othe
r
'
s misery. I did
n
'
t have to play with his emotions to get him to love me. I did
n
'
t have to manipulate my way into anyon
e
'
s life. I won your game without ever picking up the dice. Deal with it.
I
'
m nothing like you
.
"
I watched her wheels turn at my admission
.
"
By the way, I heard through Ale
x
'
s parents that he moved to Atlanta with his best friend Chris. Sorry for your loss
.
"

I smile
d
then
,
as she stood speechless
.
"
I
'
ve got to get going now, Sandra. I have to go home to cook dinner for my Dom. You know how it is, supper and reruns before I let him tie me up and fuck me. And do
n
't worry, Sandra
w
hatever he practiced on you, I can assure you he perfected on me
.
"
I smiled sweetly as I handed her the bath salts.