“Are you happy at last?
Are you lashing out?
You’re lashing out, violently
We should be on the same team
And we won’t get caught if we move around silently”
“Jealous Enemies”, Dark Captain Light Captain
Wow. I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated. But hey, in my defense, it’s really not my fault. My personal life has been nothing but drama, work has been crazy, and oh yeah, fucking vampires have invaded my town.
So I’ll start getting you caught up. Where was I?
Oh yes. Our double date was a complete and utter catastrophe.
It started off nice enough. I wanted to stay in and cook for everyone (well, try to), but Jess wanted to go to a nice restaurant. Since I was trying as best I could to have a drama-free evening, I conceded. Which meant I had to put on a dress. Not something I usually feel comfortable with. However, when I dress up, I do it right. And I look good.
I was wearing a cute little cocktail dress and was just putting the finishing touches on my makeup when Ethan arrived. He was looking delicious in his dress shirt and slacks. I wanted to pounce on him. But I didn’t have to. I looked up and saw the same heat and desire reflected in his gaze as he looked me over, and he pounced first.
Needless to say, we were late.
Thankfully, Jude and Jess were running late as well. When we all finally sat down, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Jude and Ethan were polite, but extremely curt with each other. Jess was shooting me daggers and probably wishing my head would explode. Ethan kept trying to feel me up underneath the table, and Jude looked vaguely nauseous. We made small talk and polite conversation, but it was stilted with awkward silences.
“I’m going out for a smoke,” Ethan announced as he finished his dinner. “Order me some dessert, love,” he added, planting a kiss on my forehead.
“I’ll come with you,” Jude said standing suddenly. I arched an eyebrow quizically.
“Eww, Jude you don’t smoke!” Jess screeched.
“No, but it’ll give you girls a chance to talk. And me and Ethan a chance also.”
I rolled my eyes. Great. My best friend and my boyfriend were both abandoning me and leaving me alone with She-Devil.
The minute they were gone, Jess turned to me.
“Annabelle.”
“Jess,” I said, not even bothering to look up from my paper napkin sculpture.
“I know what you’re doing. You started dating David Bowie over there to make Jude jealous so he’d leave me and be with you. I know you want to fuck him.”
“Wow… really?” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “That’s the best you could come up with? If I wanted to fuck Jude, I would have done it when the opportunity presented itself countless times over the course of our friendship. There is nothing between us except almost two decades of friendship.”
“Maybe not for you,” she grumbled, stabbing her knife into what was left of her steak.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“God, you really are thick, aren’t you?”
Before I had a chance to repeat my last question, a loud crash sounded across the restaurant. I turned my head to see Ethan straddling Jude on the floor, punching his face repeatedly. They were beside an overturned table, surrounded by broken glass and shocked bystanders.
“Oh my god!” Jess and I said in unison as we ran over to the fight.
“Ethan! ETHAN! What the fuck are you doing?!” I said as I struggled to pull him off of Jude before he broke his skull. Ethan’s arm swung to push me away, but his elbow connected with my face instead. The sharp pain radiated in my cheek bone and I cried out.
That made him stop.
“Bloody hell, Annabelle, I’m so sorry!” he said, releasing Jude and scrambling over to me. He gingerly tried to touch the spot where he’d hit me but I slapped his hand away.
“What the FUCK is the matter with you?!” I shouted angrily through the now silent restaurant.
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you and the rest of your party to leave before I call the police,” a man (presumably the manager or owner) said, standing behind me.
“Call INS while you’re at it,” I said hotly, glaring at Ethan as I got to my feet. I walked over to where Jess and Jude were standing, trying to get Jude’s nose to stop bleeding. “Can you two please give me a ride home?” I asked them.
Jess looked like she was about to say no, but Jude cut her off. “Of course. Are you alright?”
“Fine, let’s just go.”
He nodded and the three of us left, leaving Ethan with the bill.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Jude asked me again when we were out in the parking lot.
“I’ll probably have a shiner, but I’m fine. What about you? You’re the one with the swollen face.”
“I’m fine… a little dizzy…” he said, stumbling a little.
I wrapped my arm around his waist and draped his arm over my shoulders, supporting some of his weight to help him walk.
“We should take him to the hospital,” Jess said.
“No!” I said, a little too quickly. I didn’t want Jude anywhere near those vampire victims if I could possibly help it.
“I don’t need a hospital, Jess. I just want to go home. Here,” Jude said, fishing the keys from his pocket and handing them to Jess. “You drive.”
“What? Why not Annabelle?” she pouted.
“Jess, please. Annabelle is helping me walk. Just do it, okay?”
Jess grumbled and took the keys.
“I could help you walk…” I heard her mutter, and I had to suppress a smile.
I tried to help Jude into the front passenger seat but he resisted.
“Sit in the back with me, will you, Bells?” he asked.
So I helped him into the backseat and climbed in beside him, Jess’ face turning redder and redder by the minute.
“What the hell started that fight anyway?” Jess said through clenched teeth.
“I told him that Annabelle and I have been friends for a long time and that I would always look out for her,” Jude said, holding a tissue to his nose. “Ugh, I think I need to lie down. My head is spinning.”
He laid down with his head in my lap, looking up at the roof of the car.
“Wait, hold on… That’s it? That’s what happened?” I said, willing my jaw not to drop.
“He just went berserk, Bells. I don’t think he’s very stable.”
I absently ran my fingers through his hair as gazed out the window. Jude was right. Clearly Ethan had a few screws loose if he just attacked him like that, totally unprovoked. Not to mention that fact that he hit me as well, however indirectly.
I would take almost an entire week to get up the courage to act on this decision, but in that moment, I knew what I had to do.
I had to break up with Ethan.
