*****I hung around watching TV for a few hours and then Erica finally came out of her bedroom.
I patted the couch, gesturing for her to sit beside me. “Hey, can I get you anything?”
She didn’t sit. Instead, she walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. “No, I’m fine.”
I joined her in the kitchen. “I talked to Leo earlier. He’s going to be here after sunset so I can bring some things from my apartment over here.” I pulled her into a hug. “I’ll be here as long as you need me, Eri.”
She pulled away from me and looked down at her toes. “I don’t think you should do that, Karli. Maybe you should go back to Leo’s place.”
“What? Why?” I asked.
She sighed. “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. I know how hard it is for you being around Vance.”
I tucked hair behind my ear. “Erica, I appreciate the offer, really, but I’m not leaving you. I can handle Vance.”
“Karli,” she sighed again. “I was hoping to avoid this…but I can’t really be near you right now. It hurts too much. Every time I think about what happened, which let’s face it, is all the time, I think about how none of this would have happened if Maria didn’t have some twisted obsession with you. She would have probably stayed in L.A. if you weren’t in the picture.”
To say I was shocked by her accusation would be an understatement. “What?” I asked. “How can you say that? If you need to blame someone, I get it. But Maria is here because she wanted to exact revenge on Vance! If you’re going to be mad at someone, it should be him. Not me.”
She blew a hair away from her face. “Vance is a victim here too, K.”
I thought about the warehouse. “And I’m not?!?” I shrieked.
She raked her hands through her hair and started walking towards her bedroom. “I’m going back to bed. Please don’t be here when I come back out.”
I started chasing after her and grabbed her elbow. “Eri, don’t.” My eyes started watering.
She turned towards me. “I’m sorry, K, I just can’t. Please just leave me alone. I love you, but I can’t do…this right now. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to talk.”
She stepped inside her room and locked the door, leaving me standing there wondering what the hell had just happened.
Twenty-nine
I texted Leo telling him that I needed more time and that I’d let him know when I was ready to leave. How could Erica possibly think this was my fault? Truthfully, I didn’t really think Vance was to blame either. It was Maria’s fault and no one else’s. Why couldn’t she see that? I burst into tears which continued until I fell asleep on the couch. I awoke sometime later when Vance was carrying me into the bedroom. I noticed that it was dark outside but I had no clue how long I’d slept. He pulled the covers down and gently placed me on the bed. He tried unwinding my hands from behind his neck but I tightened my grip.
“Vance?” I whispered.
“Shh, Karli, go back to sleep. You look like you could use it.”
I shook my head. “No, Vance. What I need is to forget. Forget about all this shit that is making my life hell. A fleeting moment is better than nothing.”
He tried extricating my hands again, but his attempts were useless. “Karli, unless you want me to climb in bed with you, you need to let go.”
“Vance,” I insisted. “Make me forget. Please, just make me forget. Tomorrow I’ll deal with it.”
His eyes bore into mine searching for something. “What are you saying? I’m sorry but you’re going to have to spell it out for me so I don’t misread you.”
“Vance, I want you to climb in this bed with me. I need to feel you inside of me.”
“Karli, I---”
I relaxed my grip and pressed two fingers against his lips. “No talking. Please, just do this for me.”
He swallowed hard and stood up, and then walked over to the bedroom door. I held my breath as I watched the internal struggle play through his eyes. I knew I had won the moment he locked the door.
He sat down on the bed next to me. “Are you sure?” he asked.
I nodded and peeled off my shirt and bra to emphasize my point. His eyes widened as they fixated on my naked breasts. He cupped my cheek with one hand as the other traced a line down my neck and across my collarbone, making me shiver. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered.