Let's Play a Game (1)

XV- Sex Ed.

We get back to the apartment and I can barely keep my eyes open. "That was amazing, thank you." I say and he smirks in the elevator. "Stop laughing at me, how are you not exhausted?"

"I have a high pain tolerance for my family, you don't. Don't worry, soon it'll just feel like any other day."

As soon as we walk in I kick my heels off. "Yea, and that's what worries me. That and my feet will permanently be molded to a pair of heels." I reach into my purse and dig out the necklace. "Want this back? It's broken now so it's kind of useless."

He takes it and puts it in his pocket. "I'll get it fixed. Get some sleep."

I nod and head upstairs while he heads to his office. "Same goes for you. Maybe that's why you're so cranky all the time, you never sleep." I joke as I walk up the stairs.

"When do you think all my real work gets done?" He laughs. "Watch it, I'll lock you in your room again."

"Real scary!" I say sarcastically.

Maybe this can work, if we really try. He's not terrible and he doesn't mind my jokes. He plays along. Plus he said he likes having me around...right before he said he'd never marry me and brushed me off when I asked him if he'd have sex with me.

I get to my room and I get into bed. I sleep for a few hours but when I wake from a nightmare. Family dinner gone wrong. Vincent's dad, my uncle and my dad all in one room coming after me, trying to kill me. I'm exhausted still, but I can't fall back to sleep. My mind is moving a mile a minute thinking about Vincent and what happened today.

If I sit around and do nothing I'll never be able to change my circumstances, and if I can never get away from Vincent or this world, I should try to be as happy as I can. That means a happy relationship with Vincent. I grab my laptop and head downstairs to the faux kitchen. I've started calling it the snack kitchen. I sit on one of the stools and start searching on my computer. 'Ways to become closer to your partner', 'bonding exercises', 'date ideas'.

Maybe all of this is stupid and he'll never want to do it. Come on, I'm living with a mob boss. Twenty questions my ass. But I made a promise to his mother and I'm making a promise to myself to try. I can't let myself go down a rabbit hole.

I finish making a list, laughing at myself at some of the more ridiculous options. "Have to challenge him right?" I say to myself. I grab a bag of chips and head upstairs. As I make it to the top of the stairs, I hear something.

I walk down the hallway and to Vincent's room. I put my ear against the door and I hear another girl. I go to walk away, thinking nothing of it. He did say we could have sex with anyone we want then I hear her name. Abigail. Could it be the same Abigail from earlier?

I move back to the door and listen as quietly as I can. "Do you actually like her? I mean have you looked at her? She can't compare to me!"

"She can't, you're so beautiful Abigail. In all honestly, she's pretty annoying but that's my own doing. I've gotten myself into this. You know how I feel, Abby, so don't make a scene again. I can barely handle her as it is."

"She needed to know her place. Did she know that necklace used to be mine?" She giggles. It is Abigail from earlier.

I move away from the door, holding in sobs. I move away quickly and over to my door, locking it and moving a chair against the door knob so no one can get in. I stumble over to the bed. I barely make it, my knees buckle as I reach the bed and I fall on my back against the comforter.

My breath starts to quicken and I feel tears streaming down my face. I can't control them, I can't seem to control anything. The feathers in the pillow can barely hold my tears. I know if I bury my face I'll be too loud and Vincent will hear me. I shouldn't be this hurt but I am. Here I am, putting in all this effort and he has sex with her! He could have had sex with anyone and I wouldn't have cared. But her? And saying those things? Even if he's just saying them I can't believe him if he says they're lies. If he cared he would have told me he's having her over. I sound so pathetic.

Did today mean nothing? I know it was all just an act, or at least most of it was, but wasn't the show genuine? He wouldn't do that if he didn't care about me or he was making an effort to get to know me? Or maybe he was just trying to get me off his back? We don't need to be in love but I used to think he was the only person who gave two shits about me.

I roll on my back, my tears stopping for a few seconds. I feel like I can't breath. How stupid was I to think this was going to work? Everyone is out for themselves. If you want to survive you have to do it yourself.

I need to get out of here, now.