Too Late To Beg

Babe! Come get rid of her!

My peace offering is a box of ultra-thin condoms. Same-day delivery. Right to Adrian's doorstep.

I stand there, wearing the dress that usually makes him beg. He doesn't beg. He blocks the doorway.

Adrian, I sent a package

Seriously? He grins at me. You slapped me. You told me to get lost.

"Now you show up with this?"

He turns his head and bellows into the house. "Babe! Theres a woman here trying to seduce me!"

Chapter 1

I rolled my eyes. He was bluffing. "Day three of not talking and you already have a girl in your bedroom? In your dreams."

I ducked under his arm. Familiar territory. I pulled open the shoe cabinet. Pink bunny slippers sat there. Brand new.

I laughed. "Since when do I wear pink? You know I like green"

"Babe."

Adrians voice cut through the air.

Since when was he this mushy?

I looked up.

A girl stood in the center of the living room. Silk camisole. Bare legs. She stared at my feet.

"Why are you wearing my slippers?"

My blood ran cold.

I froze. My brain stalled.

Adrian walked past me. He wrapped his arms around her. "She just showed up. If Id known it was my ex, I wouldn't have opened the door."

Ex.

He turned to me with a look of self-righteous indignation. "Explain yourself, Blair."

I didn't speak. I couldn't.

He stormed over. Glared at the fuzzy pink slipper on my right foot. His voice was ice. "Don't you have any boundaries? Stop putting your feet in other peoples things."

I leaned against the wall. One shoe on. One shoe off.

The air left the room.

My chest tightened. A vise grip on my lungs. I couldn't look up. The shame was a physical weight. It crushed me.

Tears fell. Hot. Uncontrollable. My vision blurred.

Adrian paused. He let out a sigh. Like I was a burden. "Forget it. Violet is a huge germaphobe. She won't touch them now. You can have them."

My fingernails dug into my palms. I forced the corners of my mouth up. A jagged smile. "I I forgot to change the shipping address."

Violet perked up. She smiled. Sweet. Polite. "Oh, my bad. I didn't check the name. I thought Adrian bought them."

She beamed. "I'll go get the box for you."

She turned around.

I moved. Slipper off. Heel on.

Adrian watched her walk away. Distracted.

I stepped in. Raised my hand.

Palm met cheek.

Crack.

Chapter 2

A bright red handprint bloomed on Adrian's face.

He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. He let out a soft, dark laugh. "Blocked number. Deleted socials. That spells 'breakup,' doesn't it?"

His eyes were cold. "You told me to get lost. So I got lost. Right into someone else's arms."

He stepped forward. He closed the distance in long strides. He backed me into the corner.

His gaze dropped. It raked over the black lace of my dress. It lingered on the rapid rise and fall of my chest. His voice dropped to a gravelly whisper.

"Wearing this late at night to come find me? What? Are you here to beg for it back?"

I opened my mouth.

He cut me off. He stepped back. The heat vanished. Cold indifference replaced it. "Consider that slap payback for my mistakes. We're even."

He glanced toward the bedroom where Violet had gone. A smirk played on his lips. "Shes sensitive. Doesn't like that I have a past. So do me a favor. Don't show your face here again."

Violet walked out. She held the open delivery box in her hands. Her face was a mask of innocent apology.

"I didn't know this was yours I thought Adrian bought them, so I opened the package and put them in the nightstand."

She held the box of condoms out to me. "I don't know how many you bought. Do you want to count them? Just to make sure they're all there?"

My stomach churned. Bile rose in my throat. I reached for the box.

Adrian moved faster. He leaned in and peered inside.

The seconds stretched. Time warped.

The air left the room. My heart hammered against my ribs. A painful, erratic rhythm.

He chuckled.

The sound was a gavel coming down. A death sentence.

"Blair. Three days."

He hesitated, as if struggling to find the words. "You're that desperate?"

He shoved the box into my arms. Hard. "There. Returned to its owner. Anything else? I don't want my girlfriend to get the wrong idea."

Their stares felt like physical burns. My face was on fire. My skin crawled.

I wanted to scream. To explain. But my throat seized. There was a lump there I couldn't swallow.

Whatever.

It was done.

I turned around. I didn't look back.

The elevator doors slid shut. The silence was deafening.

I pulled out my phone. Ms. Carter's message was still there. The transfer to the South City branch.

I didn't hesitate. I typed a reply. Accepted.

I walked out of the building into the night air. I dumped the box into the nearest trash can.

I threw it all away.

Just like Adrian.

Chapter 3

I curled up in bed. The silence in my apartment was heavy. It pressed down on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

A dull, acidic ache spread through my limbs. It felt like I was drowning on dry land.

My phone rang. The sound shattered the numbness. It was Jenna.

"Blair! You absolute legend." Her voice was low, conspiratorial. "You actually melted the Iceberg. How? Did he take one look at you in that killer dress and fold like a cheap lawn chair?"

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

Jenna didn't wait. She was buzzing. "I just saw Adrian's story on Instagram! Oh my god. You always told me he was too cool for theme parks. You said he hated crowds. But look at him! Hes on the merry-go-round!"

She laughed. "I guess the silent treatment worked. You really know how to train your man. Im impressed."

My fingers tightened around the phone. My knuckles turned white. "Jenna are you sure you saw that right?"

I took a deep breath. I tried to push down the sob climbing up my throat.

Jenna laughed again. "Of course! Im sending the screen recording to you right now. See for yourself."

Ding.

The video file appeared in our chat. I stared at the thumbnail.

My heart didn't just skip a beat. It stopped. It seized in my chest.

The fight. The reason we stopped talking. It sounded stupid out loud.

Three years.

Three years we had been together. And not once had Adrian posted me on social media. No dates on anniversaries. We never celebrated holidays together. I was his dirty little secret.

I started to doubt everything. Did he even love me?

But when we were alone he was different. Intense. Possessive.

I remembered the last time we were together. The sheets were tangled. Skin slick with sweat. The air heavy with the scent of sex.

I couldn't help it. I asked him. "Adrian, do you love me?"

He didn't answer. He just buried his face in my neck, kissing the sensitive spot there. Mumbling against my skin. "Does it matter?"

I pushed him away.

I didn't understand. Was it that hard? Three words.

He didn't say anything when I slammed the bedroom door. He didn't chase me.

Jenna had told me to cool off. She said that was just his personality. That I needed to give him space. That if I went back, we'd make up.

I clicked play on the video.

There he was. Adrian. He was wearing Mickey Mouse ears. Someone had drawn half a heart on his cheek with pink lipstick.

He looked ridiculous.

He looked happy.

And standing next to him, laughing at the camera, was a girl who wasn't me.

That was a side of him I had never seen. Not once in three years.

"Blair? You there?" Jenna's voice came through the speaker. "Hello?"

I stared at the screen until my eyes burned. I forced a laugh. It scraped against my throat like sandpaper.

"That's not me, Jenna. He has a new girlfriend."

Chapter 4

Our mutual friends were asking the same questions. The group chat was buzzing.

A moment later, Jenna sent an update. Adrian had deleted the ambiguous post. He replaced it with a new one.

A clear, high-definition photo of Violet. Her pale, delicate face front and center. A hard launch.

I didn't want to hear anymore. I hung up. I tried to focus on the project file for the South City transfer.

2:00 AM.

My phone rang. The screen lit up with his name. Adrian.

I picked up before I could stop myself.

"Blair" His voice was ragged. Thick. Like hed been crying. "I know I shouldn't be calling you right now. But can you come over?"

He paused. A choked sound escaped his throat. "Please. I'm begging you just come."

My stomach dropped.

The Adrian I knew was cold. Composed. Unshakeable. What could possibly break him like this?

A hundred terrible scenarios flashed through my mind in a second. My body moved before my brain could catch up.

"Okay."

I was already grabbing my coat and car keys. I drove like a maniac. I blew through two red lights. My hands gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white.

I sprinted up the stairs to his apartment. My heel caught on a step.

Thud.

I slammed onto the concrete. Hard. Pain exploded in my knees. Skin tore. Warm blood started to trickle down my shin.

I didn't stop. I scrambled up, gasping for air, and threw open his door.

I froze.

There was no emergency. No tragedy.

Adrian was kneeling on the floor. On one knee. A pose of absolute devotion. Violet was sitting on the sofa, looking down at him.

And the living room was full. Our mutual friends were sitting there, watching. An audience.

Adrian looked up. He saw me standing there, chest heaving, hair wild. He looked right past the blood running down my leg.

He smiled. Easy. Relaxed. "Finally. Blair's here."

He turned back to Violet. "See? I can prove it now."

He raised a hand, pointing at the ceiling. His voice was loud, righteous. "I, Adrian, swear I will never have anything to do with my ex-girlfriend, Blair."

"No matter how she tries to seduce me. No matter how she uses our friends to pressure me. I won't waver."

"While I am with Violet, I will only be good to her. I will only love her No matter how much any other woman tries to cling to me, I will stand firm."

The room spun.

His words were physical blows. A sharp, ringing noise filled my ears. My vision blurred.

I couldn't tell if the agony was coming from my shredded knees or the hollow, tearing sensation in my chest. My heart hammered a frantic, broken rhythm against my ribs. I couldn't draw a full breath. I felt sick.

"Okay, okay! That's too much" Violet's voice cut through the fog. She giggled, sounding shy.

She leaned forward, her face flushed pink, and covered Adrian's mouth with her hand. "Stop saying it I know you didn't post that video on purpose"

She batted her eyelashes. "Adrian, why are you being so mushy?"

She paused. Her eyes flicked to me. Innocent. Malicious. "Were you like this with your ex? Did you use 'I love you' like a comma with her, too?"

The spotlight shifted.

Every pair of eyes in the room landed on me. Pity. Curiosity.

Adrian grabbed Violet by the shoulders. He looked desperate to please her. "No. Never. I'm only like this with you. Ask her."

He looked at me. Expectant. Demanding.

Ask her.

Something inside me snapped. The pain vanished, replaced by a cold, hard numbness. My polite smile fell away.

"Are you two finished?"

My voice was ice. The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.

"Rule number one of breakups: A good ex should be as good as dead. Didn't you get the memo?"

Adrian flinched. Panic flickered in his eyes for a split second.

I didn't wait for a response. I turned around. I walked out.

I was done being a prop in their little play.

Chapter 5

The messages kept coming. Some were confused. Some were angry on my behalf. Most were just making excuses for him.

Dont be mad, Blair. Adrian is just acting out. Violet was his love at first sight freshman year. She left before he could make a move. Shes the one that got away. Hes just working through it.

Youre the only woman hes been with for years. He doesn't let anyone else near him. With you its a physical need. Hes obsessed with your body. Give it time. The novelty will wear off.

He looked like a ghost after you left that night. Violet is high maintenance. Trust me, you two will be back together in no time.

My head throbbed. I didn't reply. I muted the chat.

I focused on the transfer. South City. It was close to my hometown. A two-hour drive. Mom, Dad, and my brother Seth would be thrilled.

The night before I left, I went to the gym. Routine. I came home. I unlocked the door.

My breath hitched.

The apartment was a war zone.

My closet had been gutted. Clothes lay in twisted heaps on the floor. Silk torn. Cotton trampled. The vanity was worse. It was a crime scene.

Glass crunched under my sneakers. Foundation pooled on the hardwood like blood. Perfume bottles were shattered, their jagged necks glinting in the light. The air reeked of expensive scents and violence.

My hands shook. Adrenaline flooded my veins. I pulled out my phone. 9-1-1.

The elevator dinged.

Violet stepped out. She was holding a shopping bag. She saw me. She smiled.

"Oh, you're back. Perfect. I couldn't find the jewelry Adrian bought you. Are you wearing it?"

I stared at her. My brain short-circuited.

She explained. Her voice was sweet, dripping with poison. "I looked at Adrian's purchase history. He bought you so much stuff. I got jealous so he gave me the door code. Told me to clean house."

She wrinkled her nose. "But you used some of this stuff. I'm a massive germaphobe. So I had to dispose of it."

Dispose?

She smashed my life because of germs?

The logic was so broken it was almost impressive. I opened my mouth to scream.

Footsteps pounded down the hall.

Adrian rushed in. He stopped. He took in the shattered glass. The ruined clothes. The look on my face that promised murder.

He rubbed his temple. He looked exhausted. "How did it get this bad?"

He took a breath. Composed himself. He turned to Violet. His voice was soft. Coaxing. "I'll handle this. Give me five minutes, okay?"

He ushered her toward the door. "Blair has a bad temper. She yells. I don't want you to get upset."

Violet pouted. She left.

Adrian closed the door. The lock clicked. The sound was loud in the sudden silence.

He turned to me. He loomed. He sucked the oxygen out of the room.

For thirty seconds, he just looked at me.

His gaze darkened. The anger faded, replaced by something heavier. Something murky. His eyes tracked the line of my throat. His Adam's apple bobbed. A harsh swallow.

"Blair, we"

His voice was gravel.

Ring.

The phone cut through the tension like a knife. It was my parents. They knew I was coming home.

"Blair! We set you up. Tomorrow night. He's a great guy."

A blind date.

I mumbled a yes. I just wanted them off the phone. I hung up. I looked up.

Adrian's face had changed. The heat was gone. His jaw locked. His eyes were wide, incredulous.

"You're going home for a blind date?"

Chapter 6

I didn't answer. I unlocked my phone. 9-1-1.

My thumb hovered over the call button.

Adrian snatched the phone out of my hand. His body was rigid. A subtle tremor ran through him. "You're going home for a blind date?"

I inhaled sharply. I was about to tell him to go to hell