Rule (Marked Men #1)(78)

“That’s just tragic.” I could hear the emotion in her voice.

“It is.” I agreed because that was all I could do. By the time we got to the salon we were both beyond ready for a little pick me up and I decided that a hot stone massage was definitely in order.

We got pampered and all loosened up. Maybe too loose because when it came time to touch up my hair I had him take the chunk in my bangs and make it almost black instead of the subtle light brown it had been. I had him do the same to the underside fall of my long hair so that I had almost a checkerboard effect going on. It was edgy and dramatic, there was no way to miss it and the black made the green of my eyes iridescent. I really liked and so did everyone else apparently because as soon as we got out of the salon I had a bunch of girls around the same age as us stop and ask where I had it done.

Ayden and I went and got some lunch and decided to grab a cocktail at a bar close to the apartment. I glanced at my phone and notice Rule had texted and asked how I was doing. I frowned and shot back that everything was fine. I waited for him to demand to know where I had been all day, to ask what I was up to but instead he just answered back that was good and wanted to know what time to come over tonight. My stomach knotted and I felt something awful rise up in the back of my throat. He was only being nice, only being thoughtful but I hated it and I wanted it to stop so I texted:

- I think I have a migraine coming on. Ayden isn’t working tonight so I think we’ll just have a girl’s night at home with a stupid move and some popcorn so you can go out with your friends or whatever.

I wanted him to tell me that was stupid. That of course he would come over but I got back:

- Alright. Let me know if you need anything for your head. Keep your door locked I still don’t trust Davenport.

I wanted my Rule back. I wanted him to get mad at me, I wanted him to throw all that attitude he normally toted around at me but I got none of it. All I got was quiet acquiescence and easy agreeability, things that my Rule knew nothing about. Angry and not sure why or what to do about it I tossed the phone into my purse and ordered us another round of drinks.

“What’s wrong now?”

“Nothing.”

“Come on Shaw. I’ve been with you all day; tell me what’s really going on, the boobs, the hair and the freezing visit to the grave something is behind it all. You make me talk when I don’t want to so spill it.”

I sighed dejectedly and twirled the straw around in my drink. “I told Rule not to come over tonight because I was getting a migraine.”

“Which I assume is not true.”

“No and it don’t really want him to stay away I just wanted him to do what he normally does and throw a fit, to act temperamental and bossy, to tell me he’s coming over whether I like it or not because he wants to. Instead he just says okay like it’s no big deal and I don’t know what to do with it. It’s not like he can’t be sweet and nice when he wants to but that’s just not his default. He’s complicated and argumentative but lately all he wants to do is smile and nod like I can do no wrong. It weirds me out and it just isn’t like him so I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Maybe try being stoked that your boyfriend sounds awesome?”

I tried to smile because I knew she was just kidding but I didn’t have the heart for it. “It’s not just when we talk or I ask him to do things, it’s in bed too. Normally it’s all out of control passion and mind numbing orgasm after orgasm but lately it’s been a lot more like may I do this, and is it okay if I do that, and how does this make you feel, and are you okay with this? He’s never been the type to ask for permission, he takes what he wants and by the end makes sure you want it twice as bad, it’s starting to really freak me out because I don’t even know how to talk to him about it without sounding like a paranoid lunatic.”

“Well you have to talk to him about it. You can’t just keep expecting him to act one way while he’s doing something entirely different or you’re both just going to be disappointed.”

I knew she was right but that didn’t mean I had the first clue how to go about it. “Whatever happened between him and Gabe after my car got trashed is what started it. He left the apartment one way and came back as a stranger.”

“I know a couple people who were walking to class when it happened. They said it looked like Rule was going to tear Gabe apart but then he let him go and a security guard broke it up so I don’t know what could have triggered such a strange reaction in him.”

“I don’t either but I hate it and it’s just one more reason to curse Gabe and how he has managed to interfere in my life.”

I was feeling pretty down so we had a few more cocktails than planed and then Ayden decided that since we were already bombed that we should make good on the girls night. We ordered wings to go from the bar and hiked home since we were only four blocks away and I could just get dropped off at the car in the morning. We stumbled in and crashed on the couch. We watched three sappy, romantic comedies back to back, polished off the wings with a bottle of wine, indulged in ice cream and popcorn and laughed hysterically at things that were not remotely funny. It wasn’t until I finally crawled into bed hours later that I realized that I hadn’t called Rule or even sent a message to let him know what I was doing all night long. I think my heart cracked a little when I looked at the screen of my phone and it reflected back no missed calls or new messages. He hadn’t even bothered with a goodnight or an I miss you.