Free of You

I pick up my phone, dancing to the “Paradise” ringtone.
“Hey babe,” I answer, knowing that it’s my boyfriend, Will.
“Hey gorgeous, I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner with me tonight?” he asks, I love hearing his voice through the phone.
I lean against my kitchen counter, chewing at my nail. “Hmmm, well let me think…”
“Come on Satin!” he groans, the suspense killing him.
I laugh. “Yeah, of course, I’d love too.” A huge smile wipes across my face, “Where were you thinking?”
“Well, how about McDonalds.” He’s teasing, well he better be.
“You’re kidding, right?” I laugh.
He laughs back. “Duh, how about Pandora’s?”
“Perfect! So about eight?” I ask, excited.
“Sure, sounds good. See you then!”
“Yep, love you!”
“Love you too!”
He hangs up, and I put my phone back down.
Pandora’s is this ritzy little Greek restaurant nuzzled into downtown Boston. Having a rich, lawyer boyfriend has its perks. I look up at the clock, its 6:30.
An hour and a half to get myself looking all gorgeous, I think, smiling.
I place my water glass down on the island counter in my kitchen, and walk down the hall into my room. I open the door, and the smell of roses rushes out. I take a deep breath.
Lovely.
My room is painted in lush reds and creams, with classic pictures of famous actors and actresses covering the walls. My feet sink into the plush black carpet as I walk towards my closet. Opening the doors, I hear my phone going off in the kitchen.
Cr**…
I take off running back to the kitchen, only to find out that it’s Ian, my ex, who’s calling me. I grab it off the counter, but I don’t answer it, I just let it ring. Walking back into my room, I go over to the closet and rummage around in the dresses. Finally, I decide upon a pink, A-line cocktail dress, with a v-dip and no straps. I lay it out on my bed, when my phone beeps. I pick it up, and call voicemail.
“Hey it’s Ian. I miss you Satin. I need to talk with you, about that night, at my house. I’m sorry for what happened, I wasn’t thinking straight, I have no idea what got into me,” his voice cracks. Was he seriously crying? “Babe, please, just call me back.” I hang up and throw the phone back on my bed watching it bounce, then look down at the scar that runs along my stomach.
“Shut up,” I whisper.
I flick the light on in my bathroom, and plug in my curling iron. An hour passes and I have my hair curled, and my make-up on. My phone rings again as I get dressed. It’s Ian. I answer it.
“Seriously, if you call me one more time I’m going to call the police. Get this into your head right now idiot, stop calling me!” I hang up, and slam the phone back down on my bed.
I slip on my heels, grab my clutch, and go back out into the kitchen. I grab my keys and lock the door, slipping out of my flat. Once I get out of the building I take a deep breath of the salty Boston air. I walk until I get to one of the busier streets, and then I hail a taxi.
“Where too?” the driver asks.
“Downtown, Pandora’s.”
He pulls back onto the street, and I look out the window at Boston. The sky is blue and the buildings are tall. People are rushing by, and I wonder if any of them have been through, what I have been through. Just thinking about that night makes the scar on my stomach throb.
He had been drunk, something that had never happened before. When I had stopped over to drop off a pair of his shoes he had left in my flat, he had locked the door and told me, slurring his words, that I wasn’t allowed to leave. I tried to push past him, but he grabbed a letter opener off a table and held it to my stomach. I had screamed, hoping someone would hear me, but Boston is filled with strange noises. I had smacked him across the face, and as he fell down, drunk, he had let the letter opener rip my stomach. The blood stunned both of us, dripping from the gash in my stomach onto his white shirt as he lay crumpled at my feet. Crying, I had rushed out the door, as he called for me. I had tried to stop the bleeding with my shirt, but the gash was deep and the blood kept coming. Once I had gotten home I had washed it out and bandaged it up to the best of my abilities. It had finally healed over within in a week, in which I had broken up with Ian, and told him to stay out of my life, forever.
***
“This it?” the driver asks.
I look out my window and see Will standing in front of Pandora’s.
I smile. “Yeah,” I hand him some money, “Thank you,” I say and then get out.
Will lights up when he sees me. “Who’s that hot chick?” he says with a loud whistle, then he slips his arm around my waist, nuzzling his face into my neck, “Her boyfriend must be one lucky dude.”
Laughing, I kiss him. “And whoever is your girlfriend must be only lucky woman.”
He pulls me closer. “She’s wonderful, beautiful and exciting. You’d like her a lot.”
“I bet I would,” I whisper against his lips.
“Take that make-out session somewhere else!” someone yells from across the street.
“Deal with it man!” Will yells back, “I got one hot girlfriend!”
The guy across the street laughs. “I agree!”
I smile. “So inside or outside, baby?” I ask, pulling at his tie.
“Hey,” he says, grabbing the tie away from me, “You know how long that took me to tie? How about outside? The weather’s nice and I could use the fresh air.”
I laugh. “Sound’s great.”
We are seated at a little glass table, and given glasses of champagne.
Will reaches across the table and grabs my hand. “You know Satin, I was thinking…”
“Satin?” someone interrupts him, and I turn around, my scar throbbing at the sound of his voice.
“What are you doing here Ian?” I turn and glare up at him.
“So this is Ian?” Will spits.
“Stay out of this Will,” I stand up and slap Ian across the face, “I told you I never wanted to see you again! You think you can just show up after what you did to me? After hurting me like you did? Heck, Ian! Just leave!”
He looks at me, a look of total loss in his eyes.
“Satin…” he whimpers.
“I mean it, Ian, leave.”
“Fine,” he says, and walks away.
Will stands up and slips his arm around my waist.
“You okay?” he whispers into my hair.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” I turn around and let him hold me, kiss me, feeling safe.