He’d put on a robe. Boo.
I hesitated as I took the drink from him. I did need a drink, but after one fateful night in college, my stomach could only handle certain drinks.
Non of that Mad Men crap for me anymore.
Fuck it. I inhaled the liquid, expecting an immediate need to hurl . . . nothing. I was pleasantly surprised. The drink tasted like lemonade. I looked up at Vic and smiled: this man was full of surprises. As the liquid settled in my stomach, a soothing warmth spread through my limbs. I smiled and thanked Vic.
“I thought you’d enjoy it.” Vic gave me the wicked and wry grin that still made my knees buckle. It was a good thing I was sitting down.
With Vic and my drink, I was enjoying a brief stint of amnesia. That is until he asked, “So, what’s going on, Lennox?”
I had given the headline version of my story to Bethany, but only so she’d give me a job. I’d told some of the gory details to Zoe, but only so she could help me try to block Dean’s emails. I hadn’t told anyone the whole story because it was too surreal, too movie-like. Until now, that is.
If I was going to use Vic’s place as a safe house, he had the right to know what was going on.
I took a big gulp of my drink.
“First things first, Zoe is in my hallway. She’s hurt, and I don’t know what he’s doing to her . . .” I choked on my words and then took a sip of my drink. “I can’t go to her because he will get me, and I’m a fucking coward.”
I hadn’t stopped thinking about Zoe since I saw her crumble to the ground. It was a slow-motion clip that wouldn’t stop playing in my head.
What could I do? What should I do? I picked at the almost inexistent polish covering my nails, trying to talk myself out of this moral dilemma: Zoe was my friend, arguably my best friend. She was my family here. The fact that I was sitting on my ass in a comfortable couch while Dean did unthinkable things to her was utterly inexcusable. I ripped the last bit of polish off my nails and stood up.
“What are you doing?” Vic asked.
“I have to go help Zoe,” I responded, already making my way toward the door. I had no plan, but I still had to try. “She’s down there, alone, because of me.”
I reached the door, my fingers wrapping around the cold metal of the knob. Despite all my posturing, I was terrified. It was one thing for Dean to be thrust upon me; it was another for me to go to him. I was walking into the eye of the storm without so much as an umbrella.
This sucked.
“I’ve taken care of it, Lenny.” Vic said.
I was already turning the knob, mentally preparing for the darkness beyond the door to wash over me like a deadly wave. The salt would fill my lungs making me cough up blood. I was getting ready for what lie beyond this safe haven, because Zoe was out there in the terrible storm. So, when Vic said he’d “taken care of it,” it took me more than a few seconds to register what he’d said.
“You’ve taken care of it?” I said to the door. What the hell did he mean? I spun around, looking for anything in his body language that would tell me what he meant. Nothing. Nada. Vic never gave anything away without volunteering it.
“Zoe is safe.” Vic said.
I get what he’s saying, I just don’t understand it.
Relief washed over me, causing me to stumble like a drunk on cobblestone as I walked back toward him. “How?”
“That’s not important now,” he said. Vic put his arm around my waist and guided me back to the couch.
That’s not important? It’s all that’s important!
“Who is he?” Vic asked, sliding his phone into the pocket of his robe. I eyed the pocket. I hadn’t realized his phone had been out until now. Who could be so important that a text couldn’t wait? I wanted to ask, but I didn’t—I couldn’t handle anything else right now.
Zoe was safe. At least, Zoe was safe according to Vic. I’m not sure I believed him, but I had to accept his statement on face value. Accepting it meant I didn’t have to go out into the storm. It meant I could stay in his home, safe and sound; it meant I could relinquish my mantle of responsibility.
“Lenny,” Vic pressed, “who is the man you are running from?”
There was no more polish to remove from my nails, no Zoe to save, nothing to use as an excuse to stall any longer. I downed the rest of my drink and b
egan.
“I had this boyfriend, Dean. Our relationship started out like everyone’s does. Sweet and caring and blah, blah, blah. Well, a year went by and everything was going well, so we decided to move in together. That’s what couples do, right? That was all fine and dandy, until Dean started acting weird.” I looked up from my empty glass and saw Vic staring at me rapt in my story.. I continued.