4th & Girl

“Leo…why did you book a gig for me?”

He reached out and took my hand in his. “Because you’re so fucking talented, baby. It’s so obvious that music is your passion, and it’s what you’re meant to do, Gem. And it’s time you start actually doing it.”

Sick with tension, I tried to hold myself removed from his hype, to make it clear that he needed to back off, without being hurtful. The last thing I wanted to do was turn this into something between the two of us.

I just didn’t know if it was avoidable.

“But that’s not your decision to make,” I said through a firm jaw. “That’s my decision.”

He tilted his head to the side and searched my face. “You’re not happy about this?”

“No,” I answered simply. “I’m not happy about this, Leo. This is such a bigger issue than I can explain, and the fact that you didn’t talk to me about this first… I just… I don’t know what to think right now.”

“You’re mad at me?” he asked, and shock rang out in his voice like a bell. “You’re seriously mad at me for getting you an opportunity like this?”

“An opportunity?” I spat back. “An opportunity for what, Leo? Fucking failure? Dissention in my family?”

“You’re not going to fail, Gem,” he said. “And your family will understand. When they see how brilliant you are, they’ll understand!” He tried to hold my hand again, but I snatched it away.

“How would you know?” I asked, and my voice continued to rise with irritation. “You don’t know anything about this. You don’t know what it’s like with my parents and my grandfather. You don’t know that they’ll understand because you don’t know them. They’re not your family, Leo. It’s not that simple!”

“Gem,” he said, but I just shook my head and stood up from the couch. I didn’t want to fight with him. It was the last fucking thing on the planet I wanted. He’d quickly become the brightest spot in my life and the only thing I had left that I felt like I’d done right.

I couldn’t do this anymore tonight without ruining it. If we kept going, I would say something I would regret—we would regret—forever. I just knew it.

“I’m tired, Leo,” I said. “I think it’s a good idea if we just call it a night.”

“You’re kicking me out?” he asked, and I shook my head. That wasn’t the way it was, but I knew that was the way he would see it no matter what I said or did. I just didn’t have the energy to make sure he knew the difference.

“Right now, I think it’s best if you just give me some space.”

“Space?” he questioned, and his jaw tightened with his words. “You want space from me?”

“Yeah, I do. For tonight. I need it.”

“Wow,” he muttered and ran a hand through his hair before eventually standing. “Well, by all means, let me give you your space,” he added before heading toward the door. Anger lined the top of his shoulders, and a cold chill crept up my spine. “Good night, Gem,” he tossed haphazardly over his shoulder just before he walked out of my apartment.

Tears threatened, and anger quickly made an appearance in an attempt to distract me. How in the hell had any of this even happened?

It felt like one minute, I’d been excited about Leo coming over and putting on my sexiest pair of lace panties, and the next, I’d told him I needed space and he’d all but stormed out of my apartment.

Stunned, I walked into my kitchen and opened the fridge to snag a bottle of water from the bottom shelf.

I twisted open the cap, and just before I lifted it to my lips for a long drink, the living room window that led to the fire escape creaked open, and my already aching heart all but jumped out of my throat and onto the damn floor.

The curtains shifted, and my lungs tightened in fear as I prepared to see the face of a serial killer or ax murderer, but when Abby’s head peeked through, it took all of my willpower not to toss the water bottle at her head.

“What the fuck?” I questioned and put a shaking hand to my chest. “What are you doing on the goddamn fire escape?”

“Just getting some fresh air.” She shrugged and shut the window with a rattle behind her after climbing inside. “And, unfortunately, overhearing you being a huge bitch to your boyfriend.”

“I wasn’t being a bitch,” I denied, but the words felt like a lie even as they left my lips. I hadn’t meant to be a bitch. She rolled her eyes and plopped down onto my couch.

“Um, yes,” she retorted. “You were.”

“He booked me a fucking gig at Monarchy, Abby,” I said by way of explanation, knowing the rest of the details were important but too tired to get into them. “Without even talking to me first.”