Banging Reaper (Pounding Hearts 1)

“Would you like to have a table while you wait?” she asks me sweetly.

“Yes, that will be nice, thank you.”

She leads me to a table up front which is good because I’ll see AJ as soon as he walks in. Handing me a menu, she leaves another on the table for my expected guest, and walks off, disappearing through a set of double doors I assume lead to the kitchen.

I take my time looking over the menu. Every ten seconds I’m checking my phone, hoping, praying something, anything has happened. Dead silence.

I make it through a basket of garlic breadsticks when I get the idea to check my phone and make sure it’s still working. After texting and leaving myself a voicemail, I come to the depressing conclusion that it still is.

As the hour grows later, more and more people fill the restaurant, mostly couples. I have dinner, a bowl of alfredo pasta, but I don’t even taste it. I eat it because I’d feel guilty if I didn’t and it’s something to do while I wait.

All in all, I spend around two hours waiting for AJ to appear before they ask me to leave. The dinner rush is in full swing now, and the front is packed with people waiting for a table.

I manage to keep it together at I catch a bus back to my place. I make it home by convincing myself that any moment now he’s going to call me and text me. Something came up. Something happened. He wouldn’t intentionally do this to me.

I will not cry. I will not be weak. I repeat that to myself during the bus ride home. I will not be weak. I may be young, but I’m strong. Don’t think of messing with me creepy dude with a Mohawk sitting across from me.

I make it to my building, up the front steps, then the five flights of stairs and to my door, unlocking it without a single tear. I walk into my apartment, shut the door, and deadbolt it. Now I’m safe.

It all comes gushing out, tears upon tears. I drop my purse but keep my phone with me as I walk into my bedroom. Through the blur of tears, I manage to plug my charger into my phone and then crawl into my bed still dressed. I cry myself to sleep. I never thought AJ would do this to me.

Chapter Three

I wake up suddenly. I sit up in bed, instantly awake, hoping yesterday had been a bad dream.

I’m awake, but my eyes are tired. I cried all night until I fell asleep but still there is hope. I’ll check my phone and there will be the usual greeting from AJ. He always wishes me a “Good morning, gorgeous.”

Since AJ and I started talking, he’s always gone out of his way to reach out to me, to pursue me. Not only does he wish me good morning and bid me a good night, but he randomly texts me throughout the day to show he’s thinking of me.

The sun is beaming brightly through my lace curtains. Today is a new day.

My phone is charging on my bedside table. The first thing I do is grab it. It’s a quarter after eight. There are no new messages. What the fuck?

I scroll through the messages I sent AJ. Every single one of them is now marked as read. So he’s looked at them but hasn’t responded.

For a moment, I was actually worried that something terrible must have happened to him. He must have been in an accident and couldn’t contact me, that’s why there’s been nothing but silence on his end. But he’s read all my messages.

He knew I was going to be at the restaurant and he never showed up. Its official, he stood me up. It hurts wicked bad.

Now today isn’t looking so good. Go away sun, you’re no longer wanted. All I want to do is hide under my covers and sleep until I feel better. I don’t think I’ll ever feel better.

It’s Thursday, I have to work. If I call in sick, they’ll expect a doctor’s note. Otherwise, calling off is just the excuse my stepfather needs

to renege on our agreement. He’ll be able to justify being an ass.

It just doesn’t make any sense. Somehow I get my butt out of bed and zombie walk to the kitchen for some coffee. I’m hurt, but I still don’t understand how this happened. It doesn’t process.

How, after all this time, after all we’ve shared together could AJ stand me up? I would have never thought him capable of it.

He came after me. I was not interested in a serious relationship two months ago when we first started chatting.

I was just lonely when I signed up for the free local dating site, Shoot Me Cupid. I didn’t expect to get much out of it. The majority of my friends have gone off to college. The one or two who have stuck around like me are usually busy with their kids.

I signed up on Shoot Me Cupid with the clear status, bolded and everything, that I was only seeking friends. Of course, creep after creep were hitting me up, looking for casual sex.

And there were dick pics. Disgusting, eye-searing images that will forever scar me. I shudder just thinking about them.

For the most part, the site was a bust. After a while, I only checked my messages once a month.