Timing Is Everything

It had been three days, ten hours and about one hundred text messages since Roxy had talked to James. He would not reply to her and she didn't expect him to. She was a mess either way. All she wanted to do was explain everything to him. She wanted to talk to him and tell him all the things he had made her feel when they were together.

Malcolm had no idea what had happened that night. He was completely unaware that James had even been there. Roxy had thought about telling him, but she couldn't bring herself to. She'd already lost James, she figured she'd write the incident off as just that. An incident. She would continue on with her life as Malcolm's wife and completely forget that James Neal ever stepped foot in her life.

Roxy got up out of bed and shuffled downstairs, following the smell of coffee. She walked into the kitchen and spotted Malcolm standing at the stove, cooking.

"Morning, hun." Malcolm smiled upon seeing his fiancé. He kissed her forehead and then went back to cooking.

"Morning," Roxy replied with absolutely no emotion.

"Hey, what's been up with you lately?" Malcolm asked, watching her as she sat down at the kitchen table. "You've been really moody and quiet the last few days."

"Just feeling off," Roxy replied, running a hand through her hair. This was her moment to explain everything, to come clean and tell Malcolm about James, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"You've been off ever since your event a few days ago," Malcolm stated. "Ever since you ran out and then came back into the hall you've been moody and miserable."

"Can't I just have a few off days? Is that okay with you?" Roxy snapped. She immediately felt bad for snapping on Malcolm. It was her own fault that she felt like that, not his. Yet her she was taking it out on the man who just wanted to know if she was okay.

"All right," Malcolm replied, holding his hands up defensively. He turned back to the stove and continued to make breakfast for her.

"You should eat," Malcolm stated, placing a plate down in front of her. The plate had eggs, bacon and a handful of strawberries on it. "You haven't been eating very well the last few days either."

"I'm fine," Roxy replied, shaking her head. She didn't feel like she deserved to eat. She felt like the worst person in the world. She could hear James in her mind telling her that she had to eat. Roxy truly believe if it were James placing food in front of her she would've eaten it. Regardless of it was the beautiful spread that Malcolm prepared or if it was the bowl of cereal James would struggle to make.

"Whatever, Roxanne." Malcolm mumbled, slamming down utensils in front of her. He walked out of the kitchen and back upstairs towards their bedroom. He came back downstairs a few minutes later and walked straight for the door. Roxanne watched as he left, but she didn't care. She wasn't even angry. She felt nothing.

Roxy grabbed the plate, got up from the table and threw her plate into the sink. Glass and food flying everywhere. She went back upstairs, changed into a Penguins pull over hoodie, with the number 18 on it, painfully enough. She also changed into a pair of skinny jeans. She threw her hair up into a messy bun, grabbed her purse and also walked for the door.

She got into her car and sped off in the direction of James' house. She didn't know why, but she had to see him. If he wouldn't answer her texts or phone calls then he was just going to have to see her in person.

"I don't know where I am," She groaned after getting lost. She really didn't know her way to James' area of Pittsburgh. As she searched the area that was not a suburban one, rather she was still in the city, she hadn't noticed the person in front of her stop and ran into the back of his car at full speed. Her body jolted forward and she hit her head off of the steering wheel. The airbag went off into her face. She screamed in pain and in shock and began to cry.

....

James laid in his bed on his day off. He stared at his ceiling and held his phone in his hand. He had told himself if she texted or called him one more time that he would tell her to leave him alone, that he wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

James absolutely despised Roxy for what she did. He couldn't believe he had been some person for her to cheat on her fiancé with. He couldn't believe she didn't take marriage that seriously. She had vowed to be some man's wife and she couldn't keep her hands to herself. He couldn't believe he had liked this girl at one point.

"I hate you," James spat when her name flashed across the screen of his phone for what felt like the millionth time.

"Stop calling me, Roxy!" James ordered, answering his phone.

"James?" Her tiny voice whispered on the other end of the line.

"What?" He spat. "What do you want now?"

"I need help," She sobbed. "I was in a car accident and I'm so scared right. Please."

"Where are you?" James asked, bolting out of bed. He scrambled around his room and getting dressed again. None of this made sense. He had hated her moments before, but hearing her scared voice and her pleading him to help her struck a nerve within him. He had told her to stay put and that he would be there soon.

James ran to his car and sped off to where Roxy was. He got to the street where she was, surprised to see that she wasn't that far from his house. He parked his car and got out of it, running to her.

"Roxanne!" He called. He stared at her with wide eyes when she turned and faced him. Her face was all scratched and bloody from the accident.

"James," She sobbed upon seeing him. James grabbed her and pulled her tiny and shaking body into his.

"You're safe, you're okay." James cooed, rubbing her back as she sobbed into his chest.

"I'm so sorry about what I did," Roxy sobbed, gripping at the back of his shirt. "I didn't mean to hurt you like that. I never wanted to hurt you."

"You know what? Let's talk about it later," James sighed. "I don't want to talk about it right now. Let's talk about it once we get all of this sorted out, okay?"

Roxy nodded and quietly thanked him for being there for him. James nodded and continued to hold her as they waited for the police.

James had no idea why it was that he was even there with her. He had hated her, he had vowed to himself three days that he wouldn't have anything to do with her again. He had promised himself that he'd cut himself out of her life, but one distressed phone call changed the whole thing.

James would never admit to her that he had been miserable not talking to her. He wouldn't admit the the thought of her all the time, in a good or bad sense, she was always on his mind. He hated her for that.