As Kristen stared at him, the tiny drop of guilt she felt for cracking his head was replaced by a strange satisfied sensation. “Well that was fun, wasn’t it? Isn’t it a shame you never told her!”
“Fuck her,” he mumbled, dropping the napkin to the table. Without looking up, he shoveled the rest of the food into his mouth.
* * *
Logan didn't waste any time when they got home. He quickly pushed her against the wall, his hands fondling her breasts as he smothered her with passionate kisses. Kristen broke away, breathless.
“Wait, I'm supposed to be really pissed off right now…” she murmured, her eyes glistening.
“Really? If that's how you wanna play it, then maybe I should crack a bottle over your head. Then we'll be even.”
The idea was so absurd, she couldn't help smiling.
It was contagious, and a grin quickly spread across his face, then disappeared. “Or you could make it up another way. I'd like that a lot more, wouldn't you?” Undeniable desire sparked his eyes. He pulled her shirt off, quickly unbuttoned her jeans and tugged them off.
Aroused in a way she hadn't been in months, she could feel her body on fire. It was electric. With a fistful of his hair, she kissed him, her tongue thrusting into his mouth as she unzipped his jeans. Without stopping, he lifted her up, ramming into her. She let out a loud scream of pleasure. As the momentum intensified, so did the pain. She gritted her teeth, her nails clawing his back as her arousal dissolved and she struggled to endure the rapidly mounting discomfort.
“Logan, I need you to stop,” she begged, unable to stand it any longer.
He wasn't listening. Grabbing his hair, she yanked his head back violently, but it still didn't stop him. When he finally satisfied himself and let her go, she was panting in desperation, her eyes swimming with tears. Clutching her stomach, she glared at him.
“What's wrong? I thought you wanted it?”
“Not so hard like that! You fucking bastard! You were killing me and you don't even give a shit!”
“Why didn't you stop me then? How was I supposed to know?”
The amusement in his eyes infuriated her even more. “You knew, asshole! You just didn’t care! I hate you!”
Logan shook his head in disbelief, sauntering away to the kitchen for a beer. When Gina's face flashed in his mind, he felt his hunger peaking again. This time, he didn't attempt to cast it aside.
CHAPTER 2
TUESDAY, WEEK 3
JAKE
One good thing about depression, it serves as building blocks for dark creativity. Jake was experiencing just that. His self-induced isolation and loneliness spawned a stream of paintings that were producing a lot of sales at both the West Village and SoHo galleries, and he couldn't bang them out fast enough.
“Jake, whatever slump you say you're in, you better not come out any time soon. Man, you are on fire!” Franky gushed, admiring the paintings that were still available.
He shrugged, laughing. “That's not very encouraging.”
“Whatever, give me some of that inspiration then.” Franky patted him on the back with a jovial smile.
“As long as Ruben is happy!” Jake winked.
Business definitely was booming. Jake and Franky celebrated with Ruben and a couple of other artists at a trendy SoHo bar. A few hours and countless beers later, Jake stumbled back into the apartment. Even with all the sudden influx of money lining his pockets, he wasn't fulfilled. His life was an empty, black hole filled with beer and weed.
It was almost six months since Kristen left, and he still couldn't stop thinking about her. Being at the galleries didn't help, it just brought back painful memories. The club made it worse. There the memories of both Ray and Kristen poisoned his mind.
He sat hunched over on the bed, downing another beer, when it fell out of his hand, spewing liquid all over before it rolled under the bed. Grunting, he kneeled down, reaching under the bed for it. When his hand touched an unfamiliar object he crouched down lower to get a closer look. Shocked at the sight of Kristen's engagement ring, he picked it up.
What the fuck? I thought she sold this!
Remembering the wedding band, he looked under the bed again, searching until he found it. Staring at them, he could feel a lump welling up in his throat, choking him. His hand subconsciously tightened around them. He sank to the bed, absorbing her energy as it vibrated into his palms. In amazement from the unexpected feeling, he gazed at the rings for a moment. On impulse, he carefully put them in his pocket, removed a small printed card announcing his next show, and photographed it. Not wasting a minute to think it over, he sent it to her in a text message.
KRISTEN/LOGAN
She was alone in bed when the text alert came in, Logan was in the living room. She had no idea what he was doing, but it didn’t matter. The alleged business meetings that had slowed down after the encounter with Gina in the cafe were picking up again. Since she found herself in a constant state of exhaustion, and unwilling to comply with his frequent sexual demands, she really didn’t give a damn. In fact, she relished the solitude.
When she saw the text from Jake, Kristen immediately burst into tears, dropping the phone. Whether they were tears of joy for his success or because she had been thinking about him more and more, remained a mystery.
Unable to resist, she typed a response:
I'm so happy for you.
She wanted desperately to ask him when he returned to New York City, how his mother was, and why he never texted or called while he was away. Why he had given up on her. But she didn't have the nerve. It was obvious he stopped loving her, and they both had moved on.
Curling up on the bed, she sucked in her breath, hoping he would write back.
When Logan came in a while later, she jammed the phone under her pillow and pretended to be asleep.
The muffled text alert broke the silence, but she refused to budge.
“Your phone is beeping,” Logan whispered in her ear.
Stirring, she yawned, reached under her pillow, muted it, and shoved it back. Not bothering to acknowledge him, she plopped back down.
“Who was it?” The buzz from the pain killers and wine spread a comforting warmth throughout his body. He slowly placed an arm over her body, pulling her closer.
“Nobody,” she whispered in a dreamy voice, then turned to kiss him.
“What's this about?” he returned her kiss with a tender one.
“I love you.” The sadness in her eyes was hidden by the darkness.
“I thought you hated me?”
“I can't hate you, Logan. That's the problem, and you know it.” She pulled his hand to her stomach, holding it there while the baby threw a violent kicking tantrum.
Surprised by her response, he grinned, closed his eyes, and let her take control.
CHAPTER 3
SATURDAY, WEEK 4
JAKE
Eleven days since he weakened and texted Kristen. He wasn't expecting her to respond. When she did, he had to muster up all the willpower available to discontinue the conversation. Otherwise it would’ve been a disastrous mistake.
He was back at work again after another long, unproductive day. His head was too messed up to paint. He couldn't stop wondering how she was doing. He wanted to tell her he found the rings, ask her why she never sold them, why she left all her stuff, why she broke his heart. His mind wasn't on work.