Sweetest Release Read online

  Inevitably, the scenarios we don’t prepare for are the ones that blindside us the most.

  Of all the scenarios I ran through in my head, this one never came close to being on my radar at all. I wanted to die right then and there, and I couldn’t do anything but stare at James in horror.

  He exposed my naked hypocrisy, and the worst of the damage was yet to come.

  “What the hell? Who are you, and what are you doing in my apartment? And why are you here, Natalie?”

  “Your apartment? This isn’t your apartment! And clearly you’re not the maintenance person.” Devin said.

  Devin stared at him with wide eyes.

  “No, he’s not,” I interjected. “That’s James.”

  “You’re shitting me, right?”

  “Yeah, my thoughts, exactly. Jesus, Natalie, have you been screwing this guy? What is this, some kind of way of getting back at me? I text some stupid bitch, and then you go and bang some random guy?”

  His words pierced me. And he wasn’t wrong. Devin was my weakness.

  Fear kept me from saying a word, and they both stared at me. I didn’t know what James’ next move would be.

  “James, it’s not like that.”

  “Then tell me what the hell it is! Tell me what I’m apparently missing here!”

  “I was in a car accident last night,” I blurted out.

  “Then how the hell did you end up here, of all places?”

  “Devin came upon the crash, and he followed me as they took me to the hospital. I have a mild concussion, and he wanted to make sure I was ok.”

  “Ah, I see. So you’d rather your ex save you. I see how it is. Why didn’t you come home to me? I’m your fucking husband!”

  “Maybe, perhaps, because you haven’t been acting like it as of late!” I screamed. Devin interrupted our shouting match.

  “Okay, I’m leaving to go down to the office, so I can figure out how the hell you got a key to my apartment,” Devin said.

  As he approached the doorway, James stopped him.

  “Where do you think you’re going, asshole? We’re not finished here. Why have you even been touching my wife? You do know she’s married, right? To me. Not you, me.”

  Frozen with horror, I sat on the couch as the events unfolded, not wanting to interfere.

  James grabbed ahold of Devin by the collar of his shirt. James’ face was beat red, and I knew if I didn’t act fast, one of them would end up dead.

  “You know, you hold her up on some pedestal, like she’s a saint. But she’s nothing but a whore, and I don’t even know why she would want anything to do with you after how bad you screwed her up last time. You destroyed her, and I had to be there to pick up the pieces.”

  Devin stood rigid and motionless. Despite James’ words, he said nothing, and James was furious he couldn’t elicit a response. Instead, Devin patiently waited to deliver his sting.

  Rather than waste time fighting with words, Devin shoved James into the wall, slamming him headfirst into it. The blow made a sizable dent in the wall, nearly punching through it, and his strength astonished me.

  While James struggled to recover from the blow, Devin made a break for the hallway. With fury in his eyes, James regained his footing, and charged down the hallway to chase after him.

  Devin arrived at the elevator and waited impatiently for the door open. If it didn’t get on it within the next few seconds, he knew there was no telling what James would do.

  The door opened, and James yanked the back of Devin’s shirt, in an attempt to prevent him from getting into the elevator.

  “I thought I told you not to go anywhere,” James sneered.

  Devin turned around, and delivered a violent uppercut to James’ jaw. The blow forced him backwards, and the momentum sent him to the floor. Blood filled James’ mouth, and he struggled to get back up.

  “I don’t owe you an explanation for shit,” Devin said, as he sneered down at him.

  “Pretty sure you do, since you’ve been screwing my life,” James said, as he struggled to breathe.

  Devin dealt a kick to his head, and blood spattered from James’ nostrils. The blow forced him to collapse on the floor, and James writhed with pain. The skirmish between Devin and James was interrupted when Jeremy, one of the security personnel at the complex, saw James lying on the floor.

  “Devin, is that you? What’s going on over here?”

  With shaky legs, James rose from the floor.

  “This prick’s over here beating on me, even though he’s the one who’s been banging my wife,” James said.

  Though Devin remained silent about the remark James made, he was undeterred. He wasn’t about to unleash his wrath again on James in front of Jeremy.

  “Look, I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but you need to cut this shit out before someone’s ass ends up in jail.”

  “I’m not the one that started this shit!” James yelled.

  “Look, I really don’t care about the details. You seem to love to run your mouth an awful lot, so I think it’s time for you to get the hell outta here,” Jeremy said, pulling James by the arm.

  James was too defeated to fight anymore with Jeremy.

  ♥⍣♥

  “Is this your vehicle?” Jeremy asked, as they approached a vehicle that matched the description James gave him.

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “Alright. I’m gonna forget about everything that happened in there earlier, but on one condition. Leave the premises, and don’t come back again this evening. I don’t want to see your face back here until you’ve calmed your ass down.”

  “I’ll calm my ass down when my wife quits hanging around with her ex. Until then, don’t expect me to go quietly,” James threatened.

  “I think you need to try to work things out in a little more civil way,” Jeremy said.

  “It’s not even worth trying. Stupid bitch won’t listen, anyway.”

  Ten minutes into his drive, James turned around to head back.

  His anger got the best of him, and it was a roulette game to see who would be on the receiving end of it next.

  CHAPTER 17

  _______

  I watched out the window of Devin’s apartment as James drove away, and I hoped for Devin’s sake, and mine, that James wouldn’t come back. But now that James knew where Devin lived, he would no longer be safe, and neither would I, so long as I was there with him. Nothing was more terrifying than that.

  I looked at the clock, and wondered when Devin would be back. I hoped no one would find out about the skirmish in the hallway, but with all the commotion, I knew there was a good chance someone heard it.

  I sat down on the couch, and tried to steady my heart rate, which still pounded rapidly with anxiety over the events that took place. Moments later, Devin appeared.

  “Well, I figured out what happened.”

  I sat up as I heard Devin’s voice.

  “Mrs. Worthington somehow managed to mix the keys up.”

  “But how?” I asked.

  “Apparently, James is moving into this apartment complex. And when she got my apartment key out for the maintenance guy to come fix the fan, she accidentally gave James the key to my apartment instead.”

  “Well that was a horrendous mistake! Did she say which apartment James is supposed to move into?”

  “She did not. Hopefully, at the very least, it’s on a different floor.”

  “I hope so. It’s not very comforting to know he’s around. Especially if I come over and visit.”

  “I’ll make sure you’re safe,” Devin said.

  Devin leaned down to kiss the top of my head. Somehow, his kisses always made me feel better.

  “Are you going to be the big, strong hero who comes to my rescue? I could get used to that, you know.”

  “I hope to always be your hero. I don’t want you to be hurt again. Ever.”

  Though I was comf
orted by his words, I’d had enough hysteria for the day and decided it was best to leave. Plus, I wanted to put on some real clothes, rather than run around in only an old t-shirt, and nothing else.

  “I better get going.”

  “What if James is there when you arrive?”

  “You have a good point.”

  “You know what we should do?” Devin asked.

  “What’s that?”

  “Let me take you out. It’ll be like old times,”

  I looked at him like he was crazy. After all the chaos of the day, I wasn’t sure this was the best idea. I needed to get home.

  “You mean, like a date?” I asked.

  “I guess you could say that. It’ll be fun. You need to get your mind off things.”

  “I suppose you’re right. So what did you have in mind?”

  He paused as he contemplated what I said.

  “Let’s see a movie. We can figure out what we want to see when we get there.”

  “I suppose,” I said, purposely acting coy. I liked toying with him sometimes, since I knew it drove him crazy.

  “Come on, what’s more fun than hiding out in the darkness and being distracted from real life for a while?”

  “Hiding in the darkness and messing around. Oh, wait, I’m sorry. Am I misbehaving again?” I teased.

  “You’ll have to work on your behavior. Or we’ll both be in trouble,” he said with a grin.

  “I’m pretty sure we already are.”

  ♥⍣♥

  Before the previews even started, I had devoured fistfuls of popcorn, one right after the other. It was one of the best aspects about going to see a movie. Sure, I could sit in the comfort of my home and pop a bag of popcorn, but it never tasted the same.

  “You’re going to have that gone before the movie even begins,” Devin said.

  “Maybe. Maybe not,” I said in between handfuls.

  “You never know when to stop, do you?”

  “Nope. When I like something, I go all in. You know that.”

  “I know.”

  Devin seemed a little quieter now, and I wondered if he was having second thoughts.

  “You know, we didn’t have to come here,” I said.

  “I know. But I wanted to treat you to a nice evening. You’ve been through a lot lately.”

  “Yeah. Too much.”

  The movie dragged on. Though I appreciated his efforts to salvage the day, and find something for us to do together, it was not quite what I had in mind.

  I felt Devin reach his arm back around my seat, and I whispered over to him.

  “Seriously? Are you really that cliché?”

  “What? I just wanted to stretch my arm that’s all,” he whispered back.

  “Yeah, sure,” I said sarcastically.

  “You don’t believe me, do you?”

  “No, but I believe you’re acting like a teenager,” I said with a grin.

  “You know you like it.”

  Oh yes, yes, I do, I thought.

  I didn't let on that it amused me.

  “I suppose.”

  “I just want you.”

  “It’s too bad we’ve missed out on having date nights all these years.”

  A woman in the row behind us shouted at us for talking.

  “Consider this my attempt to make up for the lost time,” Devin whispered.

  I leaned back further in my chair as I tried to settle in, and I felt his hand grazing my thigh with his electrifying touch.

  “Keep quiet,” he whispered in my ear.

  I wasn’t sure I could do that.

  “Make me.”

  The woman behind us snapped again.

  “If you can’t shut up, then just leave. I paid good money, and don’t want to hear people talking the entire time!”

  “Come on, let’s get out of here,” he said, as he pulled me by my hand. The look on his face was tense, and it bothered me he seemed mad.

  “By the way, I’m not angry,” he said as he took my hand in the lobby.

  “Really? Sure seems like it.”

  “No. I just thought that woman was rude. Besides, I wasn’t sure we’d be able to control ourselves in there. I always lose complete control when I’m around you.”

  “I feel the same way.”

  We walked in silence the rest of the way to the car. I still felt a distance between us, and it perplexed me. When we reached the car, Devin didn’t get in, but instead leaned up against it, and blocked me from getting in.

  “I don’t want you to think I’m being distant,” he said, as he pulled me into him.

  “I get it. It’s hard for you to control yourself.”

  “It is. You’re just so addicting.”

  “Well, you know…I’m always here to satisfy that addiction,” I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  ♥⍣♥

  We spent the evening curled up the couch, enjoying the company of one another, and reminiscing about old times. Sometimes, the nights where we stayed in were far better than those where we would go out on the town.

  Periodically, my mind would periodically think back to earlier in the day, and how the fight between Devin and James could have been so much worse.

  But I feared for Devin. Not because I didn’t think he could hold his own, but because I feared the wrath from James.

  James had always been protective of me; too protective, at times. I couldn’t stomach the thought of him trying to hurt Devin again.

  “Do you think you will have to move?” I asked.

  “Because of James? No. He doesn’t scare me.”

  “You’re not worried at all?”

  “No.”

  “Well, I guess I’m worrying for both of us, then,” I said.

  “You shouldn’t. I’ll be fine. And so will you.”

  He leaned down, and as he kissed the top of my head, the world faded away. Maybe he was right. Maybe I really would be okay after all, I thought.

  I bent down to grab my phone off the floor, noticing it was a few minutes after nine. Guess I have to cut this evening short, I thought.

  “I better get going,” I said.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. Gotta get my beauty rest before I go back to work tomorrow, I suppose.”

  “Beauty rest? You couldn’t be any more beautiful to me, even if you tried.”

  “You’re too damn sweet. And cheesy,” I said jokingly as I kissed him softly.

  “For you, I’ll try to be.”

  He couldn’t hide his smile, and I loved being the reason it was there.

  CHAPTER 18

  _______

  Devin had departed to go back inside when I heard rustling coming from a shrub in the landscaping in front of my car. I froze for a moment, unsure what the sound was. I turned to look in the direction of the bush, but saw nothing.

  The noise had stopped, and the air felt stagnant, and almost suffocating. All I could hear was the sound of my breathing. It’s probably just a small animal or something, I thought.

  As I fumbled with the car door, I heard the noise again. I paused, and looked once more toward the bushes, but once again, I saw nothing.

  Panic started to set in as I realized that the sounds were corresponding with my movements. In the time I took to pull open the car door and climb inside, the commotion started again in the bushes, but this time I didn’t turn around. I reached for the door handle, but it was already too late.

  A shadowy figure had emerged and forced the door open again. My blood went cold once I figured out who it was.

  James.

  In a single, ultra fast movement, he jerked me from the car, and clasped a hand over my mouth, as he drew me closer to him.

  “This will be a lot easier if don’t scream,” he said.

  His tone was menacing. Since I couldn’t reach for my bag to grab my knife, I knew the only way I would be able to get away wo
uld be if I could somehow get him to the ground.

  He kept hold of his hand over my mouth as I struggled to break free, and I tried to lunge forward to send our momentum to the pavement below.

  “Hold still, damn it!” he hissed.

  Flailing as much as I could, I got my feet under him to throw him off balance, which was enough to get both of us to the ground. James landed on his side, and I landed awkwardly on top of him.

  The fall was enough force to free his hands from me, and I took off. As I weaved in out of the cars, I screamed out for help.

  My escape was short-lived, and James spotted me as I ducked behind a car.

  “Get the hell away from me!” I yelled, as I fled to shield myself behind another car.

  I continued to dart between vehicles as I made my way through the parking lot, hoping to lose him again. I spied an older man leaving his car, and as soon as I spotted him, I ran in his direction.

  “There’s a man that’s trying to attack me!” I wailed.

  “I’m sorry, what’s going on?”

  Is he deaf? God, older people are so irritating, I thought.

  “He won’t stop following me!”

  I heard another familiar voice off in the distance.

  “Natalie? Natalie, is that you?”

  It’s Devin, I thought.

  “Devin! Where are you?” I screamed.

  I desperately needed to find him. If James found me, I would be dead for sure.

  I soon figured out where James was. As Devin tried to make his way over to me, James got to him first.

  “I’ll go call for help,” the older man said as he headed inside.

  “Hurry!” I yelled.

  I cried out to them, hoping they would stop, but my efforts were in vain. They wouldn't stop until one or the other was beat to a pulp. Not knowing what to do, I crouched down behind one of the cars, in an attempt to hide.

  “You again?” James sneered.

  “Leave Natalie alone,” Devin said firmly.

  “I’ll kill the bitch before I let you have her. You don’t deserve her,” he said as lunged at Devin, tackling him to the ground.

  James pinned him to the ground, and struck him in the head. He continued to pound him relentlessly as blood poured from Devin’s nose and mouth.