Page 55 of Tailwhip
This makes everyone laugh, and Neha pushes on my arm. “Glad to see you still have your sense of humor.”
I shrug my shoulders. “Gotta get through this somehow!”
At that time Heath puts a business card in my face. “This is from Dr. Addison. This therapist went through what you are going through. Dr. Addison said she would be a good match to help you out.” A therapist–really, I think to myself–but honestly, I am kind of already scared to leave the hospital and go home. At this point, I don’t know if I’ll be going to a filled house or an empty one. I get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach after I think about this.
Finally, I get to leave and rest in the comfort of my house. Heath picks me up and drives me home, with Nick and Neha following in my truck. I wasn’t surprised that Anthony didn’t answer my call to let him know I was getting out today. Lost in my thought on the drive, Heath clears his throat. “Look, Ashlynn, when we went to your house to get Noah and Mateo’s luggage to take them to the airport this morning, Anthony wasn’t there. Neha looked in your room and said none of his things were there.”
I just lean against the door and let out a long sigh. Just like I thought, I am going home to an empty house.
32
Ashlynn
Just Pretend – Bad Omens
I have been back home for a few days now and haven’t left the house. To say I am nervous about leaving would be an understatement. So, I have relied on delivery services for food at this point. Neha and Heath have been stopping by every day to make sure I am doing okay. I have to plaster a smile on my face because I am not okay, and the only person I want here with me, has been MIA since I saw him at the hospital. He’s still leaving my texts unread and not calling me back.
Later in the day, Neha comes over, and we hang out with a movie marathon. “You know, if you want to leave the house, I’ll go with you. So, you’re not alone.” Neha tells me this as she makes both of us a tea to drink.
“Thanks Neha, I appreciate that and appreciate that you have hung out with me all day.”
She pours the tea into mugs and hands me one. Leaning on the island, she asks, “Still haven’t heard from Anthony?”
I start getting teary-eyed and try to push down my emotions. “No, I haven’t. I don’t understand why Neha. Does he think I am mad at him for this, because that girl Joanna was obsessed with him?”
All Neha can do is shrug her shoulders because no one knows what is going through Anthony’s head and why he is pulling away.
After Neha heads home for the night, I head to bed to see if I can get any sleep. I have always been a restless sleeper, but since the attack, it has been worse. When I do manage to get some sleep, I jerk awake from the slightest sounds. I am on the cusp of dozing off when I get a text notification. Rolling over to grab my phone off the nightstand, I see that it's 12:45 AM, and I am shocked to see who it is.
I let out a loud sigh because he hasn’t cared to contact me, and now suddenly, he expects me to get up and go to his hotel room to talk and of course I am going because I just want to know what is going on with him. I know Neha is back home with Nick; I don’t want to take her time away from him while he is in town. I hope Heath is home and is willing to drive me to the hotel. It’s late at night, so I feel bad calling, but I have no choice, because I am still nervous about going places on my own. Picking up my phone and hitting the call button, Heath answers right away. “Ashlynn, is everything okay?”
It brings a small smile to my face with how caring Heath is for me. He’s been such a good friend to me. “Yes, I am fine. I hate asking you this because it is so late, but can you give me a ride to Anthony’s hotel?”
Heath is quiet on the other end, and finally, he says, “Yeah, I’ll be over soon.”
After that, we hang up and I get out of bed to get ready. I just throw on a pair of black leggings, a gray t-shirt, and an oversized black sweater that also has an oversized hood on it to hide the side of my face. I haven’t been out in public since I have been home, so I don’t want people to stare at the injury to my face.
I am sitting in my living room waiting on Heath, and my heart is pumping like crazy. I can’t stop bouncing my leg up and down. I only fidget if I am nervous. I see headlights pull into the driveway and before I know it Heath is at my door to get me. “Thanks for coming Heath; I could have walked out to your car.”
Putting his arm around my shoulder, he tells me, “You know I won’t let you walk out by yourself!”
Since leaving the hospital, Heath’s protectiveness has increased. Opening the car door for me and closing it once I am inside, he walks around and gets in. “So, he finally decided to contact you, huh?”
I lean my head on the headrest and look over. “Yeah and apparently, this couldn’t wait until later today. He said we need to talk. I don’t know Heath; I have a bad feeling.”
Heath stays quiet on the drive over and so do I. I start getting a sinking feeling once the hotel is in our sight. We park and walk inside. Once we are off the elevator on the floor for Anthony’s room, Heath turns to me. “I’ll be here waiting for you, okay? Take your time.”
I give him a small nod and a tight smile. He turns and sits down at the little sitting area they have right when you get off the elevator.
I walk up to Anthony’s room and take a deep breath before I knock. He opens the door after a few minutes of me standing out in the hall. He hardly acknowledges me and turns around quickly to the point I have to catch the door, so it won’t close on me. Walking into his room, he has his bags all packed up. “Are you leaving? Going back to Greenville?”
He sighs like he is annoyed with my questioning. “It would appear so. I am leaving first thing tomorrow morning.”
He is organizing his carry-on as he tells me this. All I say to him is “oh, okay.”
I feel awkward standing in his room; he won’t even look at me and has barely acknowledged me. Finally, I muster up the courage to just ask what is going on. “Anthony, can you please stop and look at me? Tell me what is going on?”
He finally stops moving and sits on the edge of his bed. I kneel in front of him and place my hand on his forearm. He looks at me, with dark circles under his eyes like he hasn’t slept in days and smells of liquor. Dropping his head again, he lets out a breath. “Ashlynn, I’m done with us. I’m leaving tomorrow and not coming back.”