Diana Ramirez, a talented but softly-spoken artist, has shared nearly two years of her life with her boyfriend, Billy Hargrove. Their relationship, once a source of joy, has gradually cast shadows over her vibrant spirit.
In the midst of this dimmin...
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He held me in his arms And he taught me to be strong And he told me when he's gone "Here's what you do When trouble comes to town And men like me come around" My daddy said shoot -Beyoncé
✶ ✧ ❃ ✧ ✶
DIANA
I had no idea on what I was getting myself into.
As I slipped into my heavy, leather coat, a cloud of doubt settled over me, leaving me with a gnarly stomachache and my skin flushed with heat.
"Chill the fuck out," I cursed under my breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. "If he shows up, fine. If he doesn't show up, that's fine too. You're okay."
Not hearing from Eddie had left me feeling crushed, and I was torn over whether he would come and pick me up for work. My gaze flickered to the phone on the wall, but he still hadn't made any attempts to contact me. Anxiety gnawed at my guts while I tried to convince myself he was just running late.
I grabbed my boots, making my way into the kitchen. "Alright, Diana...if he's not here by 9:45, you're leaving. And you will be okay if you show up and he's there anyways," I mumbled to myself.
As I sat down and loosened my shoelaces, I continued. "...God damn, that'll suck though. Please don't let that be the case, universe. Be on my side. Just this one time."
I paused my movement, cringing at myself. "Ew...stop talking to yourself. You're not that lonely." With my boots finally laced up, I stood, peeking at the watch on my wrist. It was already 9:38 and Eddie was still nowhere to be found. With the little time I had left to kill, I decided on making myself a quick breakfast.
As I slid the bread into the toaster, my mind drifted to the day before. I still couldn't wrap my mind around the altercation that I'd witnessed back at Eddie's trailer. My mind was running with a million different questions.
How long had things been that bad? Where did she come from?
Why didn't he ever mention anything?
That question was the most prominent in my mind. I couldn't fathom their relationship or what it meant for me. Was I just his coworker and tattoo artist, or was there something more between us? If he was involved with this girl, where did that leave me? Was I only keeping her side of the bed warm?
All of it couldn't have been fake. It couldn't have.
Just as my toast popped up, a sharp knock at the door startled me. My heart skipped a beat as I peeked through the blinds in the kitchen, spotting Eddie's van in the driveway.
