Returning Injury by Becky Due Read Free Book Online Page B

movies, and she left him alone when she went to the bathroom. Roy had only been in her place two or three other times before he started stalking her.
    Rebecca remembered the time they had gone out for lunch; he had a wandering eye, he was moody and inconsiderate. When they got to her place to watch a movie, she was annoyed and didn’t want him there. Before they started the movie, he used her bathroom. She went in after him, closed the door and saw his footprints on her freshly cleaned rug. She could clearly see his footprints facing the toilet where he stood while peeing. With his footprints irritating her so much, she knew she had bigger issues with Roy, and she told him she wasn’t feeling well and he had to go. After he left, she shook out her rug and knew she had to end it.
    But Roy convinced her to go out with him one more time. So they went to a trendy restaurant, then for drinks to a bar with a band. They both knew a couple of guys in the band. The evening started off nicely, and she was glad she’d given Roy one more chance. But later in the night he seemed nervous and troubled, almost angry for no apparent reason, and Rebecca knew it would be their last date. She had had enough of her erratic dates with Roy. She told him she had to get going. He didn’t want to go but agreed to take her home. On their walk to the car in the bar parking lot, Roy pulled out a single cigarette and started smoking. The shock of Roy smoking made her laugh. “I didn’t know you smoked.”
    Roy didn’t look like the smoking type, yet he seemed very comfortable with the cigarette between his fingers. “I don’t smoke much. I bummed it from the guy at the door. And the matches.”
    Rebecca grabbed his arm and stopped him in the middle of the parking lot. “I can French inhale.”
    “No, you can’t. You don’t smoke.”
    “I know. But I can French inhale.”
    “Let’s see.” He handed her the lit cigarette.
    As she took a puff, he stood in front of her, facing her. She figured it was to get a good look, but just as she started to push the smoke from her mouth and breathe it into her nose, Roy bent to kiss her. Rebecca started coughing like she always did while attempting her smoking stunt, so the kiss barely happened. She was glad she coughed. On the drive home, she wondered how she could avoid the good-night kiss or even his attempts to come inside.
    On the other hand, she thought about how nice it would be to get a little loving. She had a slight buzz and Roy smelled good and looked even better. It had been a while, and he was attractive, took care of himself, and had a touch of bad boy in him. She was sure the sex would be good. But her boss would know all about her sexually; it seemed Roy kept telling him stories about her. She couldn’t imagine anything long term with Roy. Too messy, she decided.
    Men seemed to think women were so lucky when it came to sex and men. It wasn’t that simple, even though Rebecca wished it were. When she was younger, she sometimes wanted a one-night stand, but she always had to weigh the situation. Too many times she thought she was having a fling only later to discover she had unknowingly entered into a relationship. She had also had experiences where once a man had sex with her, he suddenly felt he owned her. Rebecca feared Roy would feel like that because they had already spent a fair amount of time together.
    They sat in the car and talked briefly. Rebecca said she was tired and had to get up early. She also decided to flatter him so he wouldn’t feel the need to walk her to the door. “Will you do me abig favor? Will you stay here and watch me until I get inside my apartment? It’s late and dark.”
    “Let me walk you in.”
    “No, its fine, but please stay until I get in. You’ll see my light.”
    “Sure, no problem.”
    Handshake? No. Kiss on the check? No. Hug? No. So she did nothing but thanked him and got out of the car. She turned back, smiled and waved.
    She was glad that