U-Turn

by Maren Lee

  “Why the sudden change of heart, bud? Feeling your age?” Sierra laughed at her own old joke.

  “Ha-fucking-ha. You’re not that much younger than me, Mrs. Ramey.” Probably a little less than decade younger, but who’s counting?

  “Fuck you and that ‘Mrs. Ramey’ shit. That’s Bren’s mom’s name.”

  “Sorry, my apologies. I didn’t realize you were so sensitive to that.” He knew. That’s why he’d said it.

  “Oh shut it. You know I’m only fucking with you. I’ll text you her number.”

  “Thanks, Sierra.”

  “No problemo, handsome. Fingers crossed it goes well.”

  She hung up before he could respond or even say goodbye.

  Oh well.

  It took all of thirty seconds for the text with Gwen’s number to come across his phone. He added her number into his phone.

  There was only one way to tell if his plan would work out. He worked out his text to Katie first.

  RB: Okay, then.

  No response.

  It took him a few hours to hit call, but he finally did it. Fuck, I hope this works. It rang a few times.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi. Is, uh, Gwen there?”

  “Speaking.” She had a nice voice. Sexy. He normally would have been totally into it, if he hadn’t had an ulterior motive and been completely in love with another woman.

  “Hey, Gwen. I’m Sierra’s friend, Ryan. She gave me your number. I hope this isn’t completely out of line.”

  He heard Gwen clear her throat. “No. Oh my gosh, no. She told me to expect a call from you. I just wasn’t expecting you to call today.”

  “Hey, no worries. Totally understand if you’re busy, but any chance you don’t have plans tonight?”

  “You’re in luck. My plans just cancelled on me.”

  “I’m gonna go buy some lottery tickets then,” he said through a smile. He didn’t want to flirt. He didn’t want to use this woman he was certain was stunning and sweet just from the sound of her voice.

  “Are you in Billings? I thought Sierra told me you live in Imminence.”

  “I do live in Imminence, but I don’t mind driving to Billings if you’re interested in going out for a drink. I have a few errands to run, though, and I’m afraid I might get there a little too late to take you to dinner. You still interested?” Good call. Keep it limited to drinks. Dinner was too serious.

  “Hell yes, I am. Want to meet at Walkers?”

  “My favorite in Billings.”

  “Text me when you’re about fifteen minutes out and I’ll head over.”

  “Sounds good. I’m wearing a blue shirt.”

  “So’s every guy in Billings. You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

  “I’ll change into red, how about that?”

  “See you in red in a couple hours.”

  “Perfect. Bye, Gwen.”

  “Drive safe, Ryan.”

  Ryan hung up and smiled. Worst case scenario he’d meet a nice woman and maybe, if Katie didn’t want him back, he’d have a new friend. Or maybe a friend-with-benefits?

  Yeah, right. You haven’t had sex since Katie sent you packing. You’re not moving on, buddy.

  An hour later, Ryan changed his shirt and hopped in his Jeep. He checked his gas situation to make sure he was good for another 140 mile round trip.

  Shit, man. Why can’t you ever find a woman who lives in Imminence?

  Chapter 13

  Running errands while pissed off was not Katie’s idea of fun. When Katie got back, Brian hadn’t yet gone to sleep, so she had to see him again. She gave him a tight smile and ignored him until she went upstairs to their bedroom to throw on some workout gear. He walked into the bedroom and tried to cozy up to her and talk sweetly like he hadn’t thrown a loaf of bread at her head. Like he hadn’t been a total asshole. Like he wasn’t fucking cheating on her with Shayna.

  He made a feeble attempt at sex, but Katie had shut him down and made an excuse that it was time for her to work out. He said sex could be her workout and she rolled her eyes.

  “Fine,” he responded.

  Fine.

  Everything’s fine.

  Fuck. It had been a few weeks since they’d had sex. If this particular relationship was like any other relationship she’d ever had, Katie would be losing her mind without sex. But she just didn’t feel like it.

  Something isn’t right.

  Katie hopped on the treadmill and ran it out.

  While she was sweating out her worries, at about mile three, she came to the conclusion that she was done. It was time to give back the ring and end things with Brian. It might get awkward at work, but it was nothing that she couldn’t handle. She’d have to have her mom cancel the Seattle wedding dress trip, but her mom would just be glad that Katie dropped Brian before it was too late. Jake and her dad would be fucking ecstatic (until they found out about Ryan).

  As soon as Brian woke up, she was going to discuss it all with him. There was no point in dragging this relationship out any longer. If Katie stayed with Brian, it was because she knew her life would be simple and comfortable. Predictable. She didn’t want simple and comfortable and predictable. She wanted the unknown. She wanted a fucking adventure.

  She also wanted someone who wasn’t an asshole. Brian hadn’t been an asshole in the beginning. Maybe she’d turned him into one? No, Katie. Don’t blame yourself for his behavior.

  It wasn’t fair to either of them to force this relationship.

  When should you tell Ryan?

  Katie shook her head. If her response to Ryan over the last few weeks had taught her anything, it was that she still had feelings for him. But jumping into a new relationship so quickly after ending an engagement? With all of Ryan’s issues? With an ex-wife and kids who lived in another city? Maybe she and Ryan could just start with friendship and see what happens.

  You know how that ends. Naked in bed.

  Katie shrugged. That didn’t sound too bad. After a few weeks without sex she was a little hard up anyway.

  She hopped out of the shower and dried off her body, throwing on matching lacy pink underwear, a pair of jeans, and a t-shirt. She heard her phone buzz on the counter and grabbed it.

  RB: Okay, then.

  Dammit. Okay, then? That was his response? He’d said he missed her. Well, fuck. Katie missed him, too. But before she told him that, she needed to end shit with Brian. It would help her keep her conscience clear. She’d handle her business and then open herself up to figuring things out with Ryan. Katie put her phone down on the counter and walked away. She wasn’t going to let that text worry her right now. First things first.

  Katie felt surprisingly calm. Not sad. Strangely, she felt relieved having finally made up her mind that marrying Brian was not what she truly wanted. Katie afforded herself a moment to herself while her problem was asleep. She walked down to the wine bar at the Yellowstone River for a drink by herself. She sat in silence and enjoyed the scenery. She’d forgotten her phone back at the house, but it was nice to be unplugged. She enjoyed not having the ability to check social media. Not that she ever really posted anything, she was more of a lurker. But it was a relief not to be reachable at every moment by any one of the men in her life currently making her brain woozy.

  It was just the recharge she needed. Katie trusted herself. She trusted that this was the right decision.

  When it was close to dinner time, she headed back to the house. Thankfully, when she got there, Brian was still sleeping. She decided to make him dinner. A peace offering of sorts before telling him it just wasn’t going to work out. He’d be up in a little bit. They would talk. He had to be feeling this way, too. It would be a relief to both of them, she convinced herself.

  Time for Operation: Breakup Dinner.

  As she was chopping zucchini, she heard Brian stirring upstairs. She heard the shower turn. Perfect timing. She prepped the chicken and threw
it in the pan. It had just started to sizzle and smell delicious, making her stomach growl, when she heard it.

  A loud crack and then a crash. Something hit the floor.

  What the fuck?

  Katie immediately started toward the stairs, thinking something had happened to Brian.

  “Brian!” she shouted. “Are you okay?!” she shouted as she ran upstairs.

  “Arrrrrrrgh!” she heard Brian scream.

  Another crash. A thud. It sounded like it was coming from the bathroom. She ran toward the noise.

  When she arrived at the source, there was Brian. Standing in the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his trim waist, his six pack still damp from the shower, reminding Katie what attracted her to him in the first place. But his hand was bloody. And the mirror was shattered, large chunks of it laying on the bathroom floor.

  “Oh my god, Brian. What the fuck happened? Are you okay?”

  He turned toward her and she saw her phone in his other hand.

  “Is this why you’ve been so fucking difficult?” He held up her phone.

  Oh shit. She’d left her phone in the bathroom. He must have seen Ryan’s texts. Or at least the ones not in their secret Facebook Messenger chat. Thank god Ryan had sent the picture and video that way. Sheesh.

  Katie’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve been difficult because you’ve been an asshole!” She snatched her phone out of his right hand.

  Brian laughed. And not in a good way. “Funny that you’ve been accusing me of cheating on you,” he scoffed, his voice dripping in disdain.

  “Hold up, Brian. You’re bleeding like a stuck pig. Let’s get you wrapped up.”

  “No. Fucking answer me. And you better not fucking lie, Kate,” he placed the emphasis on the letter T. “Are you cheating on me?”

  “I wouldn’t lie to you, Brian. I haven’t cheated on you. I promise. I have been texting with an ex. He reached out to me. I tried to shut him down, but he kept texting. And then the thing with Shayna happened. I was pissed last night. I didn’t push him away last night like I usually would.” She shrugged. There was no point in lying at this point. There was nothing left to salvage. “Let’s patch you up, go downstairs, and talk about it over dinner,” she offered in an attempt to diffuse the situation. “I’m making chicken.”

  Brian stood in front of her, clearly angry. Breathing heavily. His hand dripping blood. Katie was starting to worry about the blood. There was a lot.

  Chaos erupted and suddenly she was pushed on the bed.

  Then a crash. The dresser was tossed over, thrown to the floor. The bedside lamp crashed into the window, glass flying everywhere.

  What the fuck is happening?

  Katie’s shoes, which had been lying on the floor, were thrown across the room and hitting the bathroom door.

  “Brian. Calm down!” she screamed.

  “I’m not going to fucking calm down!” he shouted.

  Shit.

  Katie scrambled off the bed and ran toward the bedroom door.

  “You are not going to make a fool of me! Get the fuck back in here, slut!”

  Katie cringed at his use of the word. Brian had only ever used that word as an insult. Whenever he used it, it cut deep. But it sounded different now. It held more contempt.

  She wasn’t going to follow his orders. She didn’t think he would hurt her, but he was clearly pissed off. She ran down the stairs.

  “Kate!” he shouted after her, angrily.

  She ran into the kitchen and pulled the pan off the stove; no sense in burning the house down on top of tearing it apart.

  Katie heard another crash. Holy shit. What is even happening right now? She ran into the living room. Thankfully Brian had thrown on a t-shirt and basketball shorts, so that they wouldn’t have to have this awkward conversation with him naked, but it honestly didn’t seem like talking was on the agenda. He was picking up frames and throwing them at the wall. Pictures of the two of them. Pictures of Katie’s parents. He was pulling artwork off the walls and letting it crash to the floor. Expensive vases, souvenirs from his various travels – it all joined the rubble. A trail of blood followed him throughout the living room.

  “You fucking bitch! How dare you do this to me!” he screamed. It was like the Brian she knew was no longer in his body.

  Fuck. He was completely fucking up their house.

  His house.

  Not theirs. It never felt like theirs. It wasn’t her shit, and she definitely wasn’t sticking around to help clean up, but she didn’t see the point in letting him destroy everything.

  “Stop it! Just stop it! Calm down!” she screamed.

  Brian picked up a large, heavy vase and threw it at her. She put up her hands to block it and she felt the blunt force against her forearms. It didn’t break until it crashed to the floor.

  Oh fuck. He’s trying to hurt you, Katie. He’s going to hurt you.

  Her fight or flight reflexes kicked in and she turned and ran toward the stairs and back toward their bedroom. She heard more crashing. More loud thuds. She grabbed her phone out of her back pocket and ran into her giant closet, locking the door behind her. She mustered all the strength she possibly could and dragged the bureau in front of the door, barricading herself in.

  Holy shit. Holy shit.

  What do I do? Only one person came to her mind. She dialed Ryan.

  It rang and rang and rang. Voicemail. She ended the call.

  Fuck.

  She could hear Brian slam up the stairs and through the hallway.

  She dialed Ryan again.

  This time he answered.

  “Hey, Katie.” She heard his deep voice through the phone. She wished she could feel immediately comforted, but Brian was still out there.

  “Ryan,” she whispered, her voice shaking with fear. “Brian found your texts. He’s going crazy. He’s trashing the house.”

  “What the fuck? Where are you now?” She could hear the concern cloud his voice.

  “I’m hiding in the closet with the door barricaded.”

  “He gonna try to hurt you?” He sounded like a mixture between a protective boyfriend and a cop.

  “I don’t know. He doesn’t seem himself right now.” A few tears escaped Katie’s eyes. She heard a thud and what she believed was Brian putting his fist through the drywall.

  “You safe now?”

  “For now.”

  “Text me your address and then dial 9-1-1. I’m ten minutes out, Katie.”

  Ten minutes. Katie wasn’t sure the closet door would hold her for ten minutes. She quickly shot off her address to him in a text.

  She didn’t want to call the police. It could ruin Brian’s career. But Brian spending a night or two in jail was better than her being hurt. Or worse. Right?

  Fuck him. Call now.

  She dialed 9-1-1. Hopefully the police or Ryan would get here before they had another confrontation.

  The door handle on the closet started twisting.

  “You fucking locked yourself in here?” Brian yelled through the door, his tone mocking.

  Shit. Oh shit.

  “9-1-1 what’s your emergency?” the dispatcher asked.

  “I’m trapped in my closet. My boyfriend is freaking out and trashing our house. I’m afraid of him,” she whispered, perhaps too loudly.

  “Kate? Who are you talking to?!” he yelled through the door.

  Shit.

  She quickly rambled off her address to the dispatcher and hung up the phone. The lady said not to, but she couldn’t hear what was going on outside the door with the dispatcher talking in her ear.

  “I’m gonna fucking break this door down, you fucking whore.” Katie was shaking in fear now. She heard him push all of his body weight against the door, in an attempt to break the doorframe. Thankfully, it wasn’t working as well as Brian thought it might, because he gave up.

  She heard more shit being thrown around in her room and then s
he heard sirens followed by another sound of crunching drywall. A fist punching through the wall. Holy shit, it’s fucking crazy-town up in here.

  “You fucking bitch. You called the cops?!” he again shouted.

  She heard thuds going down the stairs. Then a slam of the front door.

  Did he leave? Please god let him be gone.