Dahlia's Kiss

I waited until I heard the door close to begin to cry. How had I gotten into this mess? I had more people around me than ever before. There were more people who loved me than I knew what to do with, and all that love felt like chains. For all my fighting, I felt obligated to love them back. The ties to these men were so strong that the thought of severing them brought me physical pain, but the thought of keeping all of them brought on a panic I couldn’t put into words. What if this was how it would always be? Me in the middle while they fought to prove who was best, who was trustworthy, who deserved me. But what if it was me who didn’t deserve them?

Bean curled himself against my ear and purred. I would always be enough for him.

I needed company. Someone I could talk to who wasn’t involved in the situation. Someone who would listen. My phone wasn’t near me, and I wasn’t sure where I’d last had it. Carefully sitting up, I waited for the room to stop spinning before I got to my feet. Bean wandered to the edge of the bed and sat regarding me silently, as if ensuring I wasn’t going to die on him. I’d heard somewhere that cats would eat their owners if they perished in the home. I looked at the cat watching me, and he licked his lips. That wasn’t something I wanted to think about right now.

My phone was on the kitchen table, along with my purse and keys. Damian must have put them all together so I could find them easily. He really was a sweetheart. Taking the phone in my hand, I scrolled through my contacts looking for the name of anyone who would entertain me in my present state. Problem was, I didn’t have many friends. My finger hovered over Drake’s name. I knew I shouldn’t call him, not after he professed his love for me. Not after the night I spent at his house. But there was no one else I was even remotely close to.

Closing my eyes, I pressed the button and allowed the line to ring.

“Drake, speak,” he’d answered on the first ring.

I breathed heavily, unsure of what to say, contemplating hanging up.

“Hello? Dahlia? I have caller ID. I know it’s you.”

“I don’t want to do this to you again,” I whispered. “I don’t have anyone else.”

“Don’t even worry about it. Just come over.”