I silently vowed to do everything in my power to protect her, in fact. A moment after Violet had left the office, my cell phone rang – Jessica's ringtone. I groaned, contemplated not answering but realized that would be a dick move. With a sigh, I picked up the phone and connected the call.
Before I could even say “Hello,” she was already attacking me.
“Sebastian, I really need to get back into your place. I left some stuff over there, and –”
“Chill,” I said, “Calm down, Jess. It's okay. You can come over after work today and pick up the rest of your stuff.”
Her voice softened. “So, you're going to be there?”
“Yes, I will be,” I said as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world – because it was. “It is my house after all.”
“It was our house,” she said quietly.
No, not really. It had always been my house, I thought to myself. Jessica had just sort of wedged herself in and I didn't stop it because the sex with her had been amazing. But to be honest, the more time she spent over there, the more I came to despise her. She was clingy, jealous, needy, and bossy. All things I could never accept in a partner, not when I worked as much as I did.
“You can come by after work, it'll be fine,” I said with a sigh.
“What about Bali?” she asked me. “Am I still going with you?”
“That's off, Jess,” I said with a sigh. “We've been through this already.”
I was already second guessing having her come over at all that night. I didn't want the headache, the hassle, or the scene I was afraid she'd make. Maybe it would be best if I packed up her things and set them outside for her to grab – or would that be a dick move too?
“But maybe it would give us a chance to work on our issues,” she said, her voice tinged with hope. “I mean, it could, don't you think?”
“It's a work trip, Jess. Not a vacation and most certainly not a couple's retreat.”
“You're taking someone else,” she said. “I knew it. There's someone else.”
I sighed and rubbed my temples; I could feel a whopper of a headache coming on.
“No, Jessica. There's no one else. Like I said, it's a work trip. I only invited you along because you asked me to,” I said.
Though ‘asked’ was putting it nicely. It was more like she'd begged, pleaded, pouted and cried until I said it was fine, but that was beside the point. The point was, she wasn't going.
“Work trips are just that: for work,” I said firmly.
“Doesn't mean you can't have a little fun too,” she cooed.
She was really grating on my nerves, especially since I told her it was over a week ago. And yet, the near constant phone calls, the texts, the “stopping by because I missed you” visits. All of it was too much. If I ever had a doubt that this girl was too much for me, well, the last week proved it. I didn't have time for her drama. Nor did I have the inclination to deal with it.
“Bye, Jessica,” I said. “I really have to get back to work now.”
I could hear her arguing on the other end of the line as I hung up. Tonight will be so much fun, I thought. Hopefully this would be the end of it, though. She could get the last of her shit and get out. For good. Though deep down, I knew it wouldn't be that easy.
It never was with Jessica.
***
“The only things of yours are your toothbrush, which needed to be replaced anyway, and a t-shirt I let you sleep in a few times. But I guess it's yours now?”
Jessica was walking through the house, slowly and deliberately, pretending to look for stuff. This was just another of her tactics to get me face to face, and it worked. I was a damn fool.
“I swore I left my iPod over here.”
“When's the last time you used a damn iPod, Jess?” I asked.
She shot me a look of death. “What's it matter? It's mine, so I want it back.”