Page 126 of Until Now
I sigh. ‘Just fuck off, Arch.’
He goes still, andIgo still. ‘Say that again,’ he growls.
I gulp, my fingers holding the plate turning white—
‘Go on.’ He uncurls to his feet and prowls towards me. ‘Say it.’
My heart thunders through every part of me. ‘I don’t want—‘
‘SAY IIIIIIT!’ he shouts in my face, and I flinch so hard, blood rushing to my legs and preparing to run, that I drop the plate; it shatters on the floor, slicing my feet.
But I barely notice the shards cut into me as I back away—a single step, because he grabs my arm, hard, and drags me towards him. I focus on his collarbone in linewith my eyes, but his other hand comes up to grasp my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.
His thumb strokes my cheek, and I shudder, but not out of any pleasure. ‘You seem stressed.’
Has that stain always been on the wall?
‘You wouldn’t keep anything from me,’ he says, ‘would you?’ His thumb is gentle, his hand a caress against my skin, but I know how his hands bruise me. How they make me gasp his name and how they make me cower.
I shake my head, but suddenly his hold tightens, and I can’t move.
He opens his mouth to say more when my phone rings on the counter. Emmy’s face pops up on the screen. Contempt twists Archer’s face, and he glances at my phone like he wants to throw it out the window, but I say, surprised by my own calm, ‘She’ll know something’s up if I don’t answer.’
Because I always have my phone on me. Because I don’t go out. Because I’m never busy and because I watch it like a hawk watches the ground, waiting for Archer to text or call to let me know he’s okay.
I turn my back on him as I answer, but I feel him watching me. ‘Hey. Everything okay?’
‘Hello hi,’ says Emmy, her usual joyous self. I nearly weep just hearing her voice. ‘Everything’s fine.’
How do I keep Emmy on the phone? How do I prolong this phone call? I can’t be left alone with Archer, in this apartment. I don’t know what the hell he’ll do to me once this call ends—
‘Jess and I were just heading out for a bite,’ Emmy goes on, ‘and we were wondering if you want to join us. I know it’ll be a no, but I thought I should ask—‘
And just like that, the sun shines again and the world is no longer tipping me towards the floor. A beacon of hope, of safety.
‘Nillcome.’ My words tumble over themselves; I can’t get them out fast enough. ‘I’ll come. Where?’
Emmy is silent for a moment, and I wonder if I’ve been too quick to respond, too eager, that she hears the fear in my voice. But she rattles off the address and hangs up.
When I turn back to Archer, he leans against the kitchen counter, arms crossed. ‘You’re going out.’ His eyes look almost fixed, unblinking. ‘Without asking me.’
You never told me you were staying out all those nights. Why is it one rule for me and another for you? But I don’t want to cause another argument right now.
‘I’m meeting Em and Jess for dinner—‘
‘Great.’ He shrugs off the counter. ‘I’ll come with you.’
‘I don’t think she’s—‘
‘It was you who wanted me to get to know her,’ he points out. ‘I’ll wait in the car.’
Yeah, I said that before he made up his mind about her, regardless if the only information I gave him being that she’s gay and she’s really important to me.
Granted, Emmy hates Archer just as passionately, but maybe that’s because I rarely have anything decent to say about him, and Em is always the one I turn to for advice. She’ll be pissed about Archer coming, but if I warn her, she’ll probably cancel, and I need to get out of this apartment, long enough for Archer to cool down.
I clear my throat. ‘I’ll be down in a sec. I think I have bits of plate in my feet.’
He says nothing. He just grabs his coat and leaves.