Addiction

38

"You look relieved. You shouldn't be. I can tell that you're just as addicted to him as he is to you. That would be sweet in any other situation, but not in this one."

"What are you talking about?"

"He really hasn't told you?"

"Told me what?"

"I think you already know. You just don't want to believe it. Besides, James is bad at hiding his shortcomings."

"We love each other. That's all that matters."

"How old are you, Penny?"

I shouldn't be answering her questions. She had already made her mind up about me. I stayed quiet.

"Right. You're young. You don't know what love is. Have you ever even been in a serious relationship before? Can you even tell when someone is lying to you?"

"He's not lying to me."

"Withholding information is just as bad as lying. It's something that you should know. You did that to him, did you not?"

How the hell does she know all this? I looked over at the bedroom door. He had to have talked to her about me. Did he do it that night? Right before they slept together? I needed to know. "If James didn't talk to you about me..."

"He has his sources and I have mine," she said, cutting me off. "So how about you get to class. What I need to discuss with him is none of your business." Her words were icy. It felt like she had slapped me.

"It is my business."

Isabella sighed. "Remember that I tried to warn you. But fine, we'll do this your way. "James!" she called. "James, get the hell up!"

It only took a second for James to come to the door of his bedroom. He took one look at me, from head to toe. Was he looking to see if she had hurt me? Her words had been painful enough.

He turned to Isabella. "How did you get in here?" I had never heard him sound so mad before. He definitely hadn't given her a key. He walked over to me and stood in front of me. Protecting me? Or hiding something?

"Don't be so cold James. I'm your wife, after all."

He ran his hand through his hair. "Get out of my apartment."

She ignored him. "I see that you aren't being very discreet with your new girlfriend. She's a little young for you, don't you think?" She looked at me. "And really not your type at all."

What is his type?

James pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Get out or I'll call the cops, Isabella."

"Hmm, so now we can add threatening to the list?" She undid the tabs on the envelope and pulled out some photographs. She tossed them on the table. "On top of blackmailing?"

"Isabella..." James said and started toward her.

"I'm glad the girl that you're currently f*****g is here." She said it in a disgusted way. "Now she can know what kind of man you really are."

James quickly grabbed the photographs and turned them so that they'd be face down on the table. I didn't get a chance to see what they were of.

"You didn't give me a choice. Why do you have to make everything impossible? Do you enjoy torturing me?"

"Yes." Her voice was cold.

"I just need you to sign the papers."

"What, so that you can be with her?" she scoffed. "You must be joking."

"What I do now is none of your business. Sign the papers." His voice was authoritative.

"This is ridiculous. She doesn't even know you."

"Neither do you."

"And whose fault is that?"

"You can't blame this on me."

She laughed. "You know, the press is going to have a field day when they hear about how my husband cheated on me with a student. It's so cliché, don't you think? They'll love it. The university probably won't love it as much, though."

"I'll leak the photos."

"No you won't. How do photos of me screwing another man help you in any way? All it shows is that you can't satisfy your own wife."

"No. It shows that you have a history of infidelity that makes your claim to anything that's mine invalid."

"And she doesn't do the same for you?" she pointed at me.

I felt small. I was a spectator. I shouldn't be here watching them. But I also couldn't seem to walk away.

"I don't want anything that's yours," Professor Hunter said. "Sign the papers now and you get half. Wait and get nothing."

She pulled out some more papers from the envelope. "I already did, you egotistical asshole." She threw them at him. He stepped to the side and let them flutter to the ground. He leaned over and picked one of them up.

"You signed them?" I hadn't meant to say anything.

Isabella stared at me. "He's all yours. Good luck. You're going to need it. He's fickle. He gets bored easily. He's going to eat you alive."

"Isabella! Enough!"

"What, are you afraid I'm going to let something slip that you haven't told her? Stop running, James. Stop throwing yourself into new things. Get some help. She's not the answer and you know it." She walked over to the elevator and pressed the button.

The doors opened and closed and she was gone. The apartment seemed eerily quiet. He looked down at the paper in his hands again. He set it down on the table and turned to me.

I wasn't sure what the protocol was here. Should I go to him? Should I wait for him to come to me? It looked like he was scared. I wasn't sure of what. He looked so young, standing there, completely uncertain.

"What am I not the answer to?" I asked.

"What did she say to you while I was in bed?"

"James."

His Adam's apple rose and fell.

"You're hiding something from me. Tell me."

"You need to get to class."

"James." I could feel the prickle of tears in my eyes. "Why won't you tell me?"

"We can discuss it tonight."

I could tell he was hurting. He was upset. Isabella had broken into his home. He was rattled. He needed time to calm down. I wanted to comfort him. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him. He seemed surprised. His body was tense and uninviting until he folded his arms around me.

"Are you okay?" His voice was wound tight.

"I'm okay." I kissed the scruff beneath his chin. This should have been a happy moment. He was divorced. We could be together without feeling bad.

"I need you."

"I need you too."

"No. I mean, I need you. Right now." He grabbed the back of my neck and kissed me hard. He moved his hands to my ass and lifted my legs around him. He carried me easily back toward his bedroom.

He needed to know that I was okay; that we were okay. I'd give him whatever validation he needed.