I shouldn't have been angry with him, because he didn't send back anything more than practically grunts. I shouldn't have been angry with Nicole, because for all she knew, he was single and very aroused by her. Still, that would have been rational. And right now, I felt anything but rational.
“I didn't see you asking her to stop,” I said.
“Why would I ask her to stop? It would be rude. It would be suspicious.”
“Plus, you like getting them,” I accused. He said nothing, but by the way his lips kind of pursed, I knew I was right. “Oh my god. You jerked off to her. You sat right here, looked at pictures of her, and imagined that you were fucking her.”
“I think that's enough, Allie.” The fact that he didn't deny it said it all. That ache behind my breastbone was back again. His face didn't show any remorse though. “Let's go get breakfast and I can forget about you invading my privacy. We can still have a good rest of the day.”
“No, you know what?” I stood up, and immediately regretted it. The entire room seemed to sway and spin. I ran to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before puking. Apparently the diet coke was the only thing in my stomach from yesterday, and it tasted horrible coming back up. Wave after wave of nausea hit me.
How could he? I thought. It wasn't cheating, I knew that, but it sure felt like it was. I retched again.
“Are you okay?” he asked. Real concern was in his voice.
“I'm fine. Go away,” I demanded.
/> “Allie, I'm staying right here.” As soon as he touched my hair, I recoiled a little.
“Then I'm leaving.” I started to stand up, and immediately put my face back to the toilet. I didn't gag that time, but I definitely felt like I should have. “Bring me my phone, please.”
He sighed, but left the room. For a few merciful seconds, I was alone. I didn't know how I could have got sick. Nicole actually had a quite nice body, definitely not gag-worthy, other than the fact that they were on James' computer. He was supposed to be mine. Another wave of nausea hit me and I guessed that it must have just been something I ate yesterday.
Or maybe, it was something else. The thought did make me a little excited.
James returned with my phone. I was able to stand by then, and I snatched it away from him. We both stood there, naked for a moment, as my body decided whether it wanted to give me the strength to walk. “Are you okay?” he asked again.
“I told you, I'm fine.” I shakily began to leave the bathroom. “You can hang out with Nicole today, I'm leaving.” I started to pull on my clothes.
“Where do you plan on going?” James asked.
It was actually a pretty good question. I didn't know anyone in town. Well, except one person. “Anne asked if we could hang out today. I told her 'no' before, but maybe what I need is to hang out with someone who's not head over heels and sending you naked pictures today.”
James sighed loudly. “I'll call you a car.”
“No! No. It's a short walk.” I had to tell him something or else he would insist. “Look, I'm fine, really. I just need to get away from you for a little bit. Let me calm down, okay?”
He sighed again. “Okay. Call me if you need anything. I'll try and get some work done while you're off being irrational.”
I wanted to throw something at him, but at least he was going to let me be for the day. I was still mad at him, but it was a moment of privacy that I really appreciated. He was so protective of me that I was afraid he would go back on his word and call a car anyway. Or possibly a bodyguard. But he didn't, and today, I appreciated that.
As I slipped out the door without letting him know I was going, I knew I'd probably be back later today. I knew better than to believe I could resist him for long, but hanging out with Anne might do me some good.
But first, I had to take a detour. I asked my phone where the nearest drug store was at...
Chapter 34
I staggered out into the cold, still a little unsteady on my feet. I didn't know if it was something I ate, or maybe a bug I caught on the airplane, but I suddenly felt like my body wasn't my own. Or maybe, it was something much, much better.
I tried to remember what I had read on the Internet about morning sickness, but as weak as I felt right now, I couldn't think of anything. Was this too early to have it? Would a pregnancy test be accurate at this point, assuming I got pregnant just about two weeks ago?
I knew the answer to that last question. I might as well flip a coin for all the good a pregnancy test would do me right now. Still, I felt like it might put my mind at ease. Immediately upon leaving the building, I punched “drug store” into my phone's GPS. There was one only two blocks away, and I walked toward it, feeling myself perk up immediately at having a task, something to do.
I was already starting to forgive James for the pictures that Nicole had sent him, but I wasn't about to admit that to him yet. After all, I had seen the messages he had sent back. Most were very noncommittal, as if he were embarrassed that he had to reply at all.
I had also seen the look on his face when I accused him of jerking off to the pictures, and I knew that it was true. No doubt he had gigabytes of pornography on his computer to jerk off to as well, and was that really all that different? I knew that it was something to be worried about, but as long as it was kept to just an occasional wank session at his home, I could hardly stay mad.
If he wanted to stay with me, however, he'd have to make it clear to Nicole that they were never to see each other again. Oh, I know he said that he'd never do anything with her. And he had been good at telling her no, that one time. I knew how badly she wanted to get with him, though, and that she'd pull out every trick in the book next time she saw him.