My body ached all over. The dreamy man I had been secretly crushing on had truly put me through hell. One moment I had been admiring him, and the next I was being tossed around, pushed, slammed against his car, my arms twisted painfully behind my back.
That same man who had seemed so breathtaking earlier had turned from sexy to terrifying in a matter of seconds. All day, my heart had fluttered at the mere thought of him, but that feeling vanished into thin air.
Now there was no attraction left in me, only the lingering fear that quickly began to harden into anger. Who the hell did he think he was, putting his hands on me like that? Sure, he was handsome, and yes, I could be a little awkward sometimes, but I wasn't stupid enough to stalk anyone. I am not that desperate, and I will never be.
"Atlas, what the hell is your problem?" Jared snapped as he rushed over, shoving Atlas back a step. "Why do you think it's okay to do that to my friend?"
Atlas didn't fight him. For a brief second, he looked almost… lost. But the moment passed quickly, and his expression hardened again, his eyes locking onto me with the same cold intensity.
Jared immediately turned to me. "Hey, man. Are you okay?" he asked, his voice softer now.
I nodded, still a little out of breath. My chest rose and fell as I tried to steady myself, but my eyes stayed fixed on Atlas. He was already staring back at me, his gaze sharp and unyielding.
I clenched my jaw. Anger simmered inside me, but I couldn't act on it. For one thing, we were standing in his driveway. If he wanted to, he could easily kick all of us out. And… well, I had been peeking into his car. That didn't give him the right to manhandle me like that, but it didn't exactly make me innocent either. My curiosity had gotten the better of me.
"I'm okay," I muttered. "Excuse me."
I threw Atlas one last look before turning and walking back toward the beach house. I didn't want to stand there another second. The whole thing felt humiliating. I had never even been in a fight before, let alone almost been beaten up by a stranger who thought I was stalking him. The whole situation was ridiculous.
"Jerry…" I barely heard Jared calling after me. I was already heading inside, moving quickly through the house and straight toward my room. I was far too angry to stay out there any longer.
I stormed into my room and slammed the door shut behind me. I didn't care how loud it sounded or whether I had woken anyone up. With every passing second, my anger only grew stronger.
Jared's uncle had no right. He knew Jared was staying here with his friends. The logical thing would have been to assume I was one of them. But no, his first thought was that I was some stalker.
Did I really look that creepy?
I paced back and forth across the room, my breath still uneven. The only sound besides it was the steady patter of rain against the window, filling the silence of the house.
Eventually, I stopped in front of the full-length mirror in the corner.
My reflection stared back at me, chest heaving, every inch of me drenched. My shirt clung uncomfortably to my skin, soaked through to the point that it left little to the imagination. My hands hung stiffly at my sides, curled into tight fists, the tension in them almost painful. I didn't know what to do with the anger building inside me… it pressed against my ribs, sharp and suffocating, with no release.
A knock sounded at the door. I went rigid. I didn't want to answer it. I was too angry, too humiliated to face anyone right now. I already knew who it was, and my suspicion was confirmed when Jared's voice came through from the other side.
"Jerry? Are you okay?"
I stayed silent, hoping he would take the hint and leave, but instead there was another knock, softer this time, almost hesitant. "Please, let me in, man. I'm really sorry he did that. Atlas is just…"
I clenched my jaw, my nostrils flaring as irritation surged through me. My gaze fixed on the door as if I could burn through it. "I'm fine," I said flatly. "Just leave me alone."
"Jerry, come on. Open up."
A sigh escaped me, heavy and strained. "Jared, please… just go. I'll see you tomorrow morning. I'm exhausted. I just want to sleep."
"Jerry –"
"Please," I interrupted, more firmly this time. "Believe me, I'm fine. I just don't want to see anyone right now. Go and get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."
There was a pause, longer this time, stretching thin between us, before he finally spoke again. "Okay," he muttered reluctantly. "I'll see you in the morning, I guess. And… if you need anything, anything at all… just wake me up, okay?"
I had no intention of doing that, but I gave a quiet response anyway, just to end the conversation. "Yeah."
Another brief silence followed before he spoke again, more cautiously this time. "Listen… about Atlas. He's… weird, I know. But he didn't mean it. I know he is sorry." I let out a quiet, humorless scoff under my breath, rolling my eyes. Sorry? Atlas hadn't looked even remotely sorry when he had put his hands on me.
Jared hesitated, as if struggling to find the right words. "I can't really explain why he's like that," he continued, "but he's not a bad guy. He just… I don't know, man. All I can tell you is that he's sorry."
I didn't respond. After a moment, he exhaled softly. "Good night, Jerry. Please… take care."
I waited until I heard his footsteps fade completely before letting out a long breath I hadn't realized I was holding. My shoulders felt tight, sore, and when I rolled them, the dull ache only seemed to feed the anger still simmering beneath my skin. Gritting my teeth, I peeled the wet shirt off my body and tossed it carelessly onto the floor. I studied my reflection in the mirror, searching for any bruises that bastard might have left on me, when another knock broke the silence.
Sharper this time. It felt more deliberate.
I frowned, irritation flickering back to life. I was sure Jared had left, but maybe he came back. He can be very persistent. Shaking my head, I chose to ignore it, hoping he would just give up. But the knocking came again, louder, more insistent.
My patience thinned with each knock. Jared knew me better than anyone. He knew that when I was like this, the last thing I wanted was company.
"Jared, just leave!" I snapped, raising my voice.
Silence followed.
For a moment, I thought that had finally worked, that he had taken the hint and walked away. Then the knock came again. Louder. More forceful than before.
That was enough. Frustration boiled over as I marched toward the door and yanked it open without thinking… only to stop short.
Because it wasn't Jared standing there, it was the last person I wanted to see.
Motherfucking Atlas.