Red
THE MOMENT I KNEW
“What the hell do you mean you’re not going to make it?” Leanna snapped into the phone. She held the phone to her ear with one hand while she tried to hook her heels onto her feet with her other. She rolled her eyes at her reflection as she straightened up, “it’s a Bulls staff charity event. It literally requires you to show up in a suit and you don’t have a game tonight.”
“I’m sorry, I have last minute media stuff I have to do in New York. I had to cancel my flight,” Patrick answered, his voice equally annoyed. “Look, this is my career-“
“And this is mine. I’ve been working on this fucking event for three months. You know that and you didn’t even bother to make sure you had tonight off,” she could feel herself starting to get upset. She knew the tears would come soon if she didn’t end this fight but, she couldn’t help it. This was the fifth promise he had broke to her and she was sick of it. “You seriously are still in New York City right now?”
“Want me to send you a picture?” Was the last thing she heard before she pressed the big red end button and dropped her phone on her bed.
But all was forgotten the next morning when he woke her with breakfast in bed and four dozen roses.
--
The lights were dark but, she could see his face perfectly, inches away from hers. How could someone so beautiful hurt her so easily? “What do you mean I’m bossy?”
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” he flashed her his boyish grin that usually made her melt. Instead, it just made her face harden. He looked across the table at Cayden and Jonathan, leaning back in the seat, “just that you like to have things your way and hate it when they don’t.”
Leanna sat in silence, her arms crossed over her chest and just stared at Patrick. Where the hell was this coming from? The last couple days had been excellent, no fights, and now he was throwing her under the bus in front of their friends?
He tipped his drink up to his mouth as Cayden tried to smooth it over, “she’s driven, not bossy. She knows what she wants and goes after it.”
“Oh she’s driven alright. She’s driven me right over a cliff a couple times,” he laughed into his glass but, didn’t get a chance to drink it. It took only seconds for the glass to smash into the carpet of the beautiful, expensive restaurant. Patrick looked over at Leanna, his eyes almost as dark as the coal suit jacket he was wearing, “are you fucking crazy?”
“Apparently,” Leanna spit back at him before standing up and storming out of the restaurant. There was no way in Hell would she sit there are he picked out his least favourite things about her. She had had enough of his bullshit, his negativity and his total lack of respect for her.
But he caught up to her, apologized and promised to make it up to her. The Mr. Fix It band-aid replaced the old ones on her heart. She let him because she loved him but, she didn’t know if it was enough anymore.
--
“Your birthday presents are in here and you have to open them before the party,” Cayden laughed, dragging Leanna towards her bedroom. The blonde one feigned anger, trying to hold back her gigantic grin. Cayden had decorated their entire apartment with white, glistening Christmas lights and out did herself on the decorations for Leanna’s birthday party. The apartment looked so chic and classy.
“You went into my room?” Cayden just laughed at Leanna’s fake anger as she threw open the bedroom door. Tears instantly sprang to her eyes as the tiny one screamed, “ta da!”
Beth’s arms reached out and wrapped around her best friend, chuckling, “didn’t know I was coming did you?”
“I thought-I thought-“ Leanna choked out through her tears. Beth just took her hand and led her towards the closest on the far side of the room.
“Don’t cry too much yet. You haven’t seen what’s behind door number two,” Leanna held her breath as she opened the closest door. “Mommy?”
“Hi baby,” and that was it. The tears came harder and faster than before and all she could do was laugh through them. Everyone she loved was going to be at her birthday party and it was perfect.
Cayden stood next to her clucking her tongue, “you have ruined all your make-up, missy. After you’re finished all this blubbering, I think I’m going to have to re-do it all for you and I have the perfect birthday touch.”
“Oh God,” Beth muttered, earning a back hand to the arm from Cayden. After shooting the taller of the two a dirty look, the little one held up a little black tube.
“Red lipstick, baby. You’re going to be a little hottie tonight,” she winked and this time everyone laughed.
--
She could hear the argument going on in the other room. She tried to pretend she couldn’t, her hand tightening around the wine glass. She tried to enjoy herself as best she could. Her eyes glanced over Beth’s shoulder from time to time, watching the door, praying it would swing open.
“It’s her fucking birthday, JT. What do you mean he’s just not coming?” Cayden yelled at Jonathan. “How fucking shady is that?”
“I don’t know but, he called me saying he wasn’t going to make it and asked one of us to tell her. I agree, it’s low even for Pat but, we can’t upset her, it’s her birthday party,” he snapped back.
Too late, she thought to herself, just as her mother asked, “so where is this famous Patrick Kane? When do I get to finally meet the man that makes my baby girl so happy?”
And it was like slow motion, standing there in her party dress in red lipstick with no one to impress. What do you say when tears are streaming down your face in front of everyone you know? That was the moment she knew. She turned on her heel and ran to the bathroom, Cayden and Beth hot on her heels. She slammed the door behind them, falling backwards onto it and sliding to the ground in a heaving mess,
“he said he’d be here.”
--
Leanna stared out her big bay window out into the Chicago skyline, alone. She picked up the phone on the first ring, sighing into the phone, “hi.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t make it,” his voice sounded slurred on the other end. Leanna’s lips turned into a hard, straight line as she slowly spoke.
“I’m sorry too,” she muttered. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t handle this.”
“I’m sorry, I have last minute media stuff I have to do in New York. I had to cancel my flight,” Patrick answered, his voice equally annoyed. “Look, this is my career-“
“And this is mine. I’ve been working on this fucking event for three months. You know that and you didn’t even bother to make sure you had tonight off,” she could feel herself starting to get upset. She knew the tears would come soon if she didn’t end this fight but, she couldn’t help it. This was the fifth promise he had broke to her and she was sick of it. “You seriously are still in New York City right now?”
“Want me to send you a picture?” Was the last thing she heard before she pressed the big red end button and dropped her phone on her bed.
But all was forgotten the next morning when he woke her with breakfast in bed and four dozen roses.
--
The lights were dark but, she could see his face perfectly, inches away from hers. How could someone so beautiful hurt her so easily? “What do you mean I’m bossy?”
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” he flashed her his boyish grin that usually made her melt. Instead, it just made her face harden. He looked across the table at Cayden and Jonathan, leaning back in the seat, “just that you like to have things your way and hate it when they don’t.”
Leanna sat in silence, her arms crossed over her chest and just stared at Patrick. Where the hell was this coming from? The last couple days had been excellent, no fights, and now he was throwing her under the bus in front of their friends?
He tipped his drink up to his mouth as Cayden tried to smooth it over, “she’s driven, not bossy. She knows what she wants and goes after it.”
“Oh she’s driven alright. She’s driven me right over a cliff a couple times,” he laughed into his glass but, didn’t get a chance to drink it. It took only seconds for the glass to smash into the carpet of the beautiful, expensive restaurant. Patrick looked over at Leanna, his eyes almost as dark as the coal suit jacket he was wearing, “are you fucking crazy?”
“Apparently,” Leanna spit back at him before standing up and storming out of the restaurant. There was no way in Hell would she sit there are he picked out his least favourite things about her. She had had enough of his bullshit, his negativity and his total lack of respect for her.
But he caught up to her, apologized and promised to make it up to her. The Mr. Fix It band-aid replaced the old ones on her heart. She let him because she loved him but, she didn’t know if it was enough anymore.
--
“Your birthday presents are in here and you have to open them before the party,” Cayden laughed, dragging Leanna towards her bedroom. The blonde one feigned anger, trying to hold back her gigantic grin. Cayden had decorated their entire apartment with white, glistening Christmas lights and out did herself on the decorations for Leanna’s birthday party. The apartment looked so chic and classy.
“You went into my room?” Cayden just laughed at Leanna’s fake anger as she threw open the bedroom door. Tears instantly sprang to her eyes as the tiny one screamed, “ta da!”
Beth’s arms reached out and wrapped around her best friend, chuckling, “didn’t know I was coming did you?”
“I thought-I thought-“ Leanna choked out through her tears. Beth just took her hand and led her towards the closest on the far side of the room.
“Don’t cry too much yet. You haven’t seen what’s behind door number two,” Leanna held her breath as she opened the closest door. “Mommy?”
“Hi baby,” and that was it. The tears came harder and faster than before and all she could do was laugh through them. Everyone she loved was going to be at her birthday party and it was perfect.
Cayden stood next to her clucking her tongue, “you have ruined all your make-up, missy. After you’re finished all this blubbering, I think I’m going to have to re-do it all for you and I have the perfect birthday touch.”
“Oh God,” Beth muttered, earning a back hand to the arm from Cayden. After shooting the taller of the two a dirty look, the little one held up a little black tube.
“Red lipstick, baby. You’re going to be a little hottie tonight,” she winked and this time everyone laughed.
--
She could hear the argument going on in the other room. She tried to pretend she couldn’t, her hand tightening around the wine glass. She tried to enjoy herself as best she could. Her eyes glanced over Beth’s shoulder from time to time, watching the door, praying it would swing open.
“It’s her fucking birthday, JT. What do you mean he’s just not coming?” Cayden yelled at Jonathan. “How fucking shady is that?”
“I don’t know but, he called me saying he wasn’t going to make it and asked one of us to tell her. I agree, it’s low even for Pat but, we can’t upset her, it’s her birthday party,” he snapped back.
Too late, she thought to herself, just as her mother asked, “so where is this famous Patrick Kane? When do I get to finally meet the man that makes my baby girl so happy?”
And it was like slow motion, standing there in her party dress in red lipstick with no one to impress. What do you say when tears are streaming down your face in front of everyone you know? That was the moment she knew. She turned on her heel and ran to the bathroom, Cayden and Beth hot on her heels. She slammed the door behind them, falling backwards onto it and sliding to the ground in a heaving mess,
“he said he’d be here.”
--
Leanna stared out her big bay window out into the Chicago skyline, alone. She picked up the phone on the first ring, sighing into the phone, “hi.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t make it,” his voice sounded slurred on the other end. Leanna’s lips turned into a hard, straight line as she slowly spoke.
“I’m sorry too,” she muttered. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t handle this.”