Chapter 35

It was the first class of his that I wasn't bothered by Jess, that there was no buzz and all the students were silent, I was afraid to even look up and see that we were alone.

"Class is over, I'll see you tomorrow. Don't forget the assignment I asked for last week." I wrote down what was left of the lesson and packed my bag to leave. "Sarah..."

"No."

"Please listen to me..."

I ran out without looking back, without giving myself the luxury of seeing those beautiful gray eyes that made me fall in love.

The smell of him had already invaded my mind to the point of making me feel a painful longing, my chest rising and falling with speed as I sped out of the campus. All I wanted was to get out of there, get as far away from him as I could, and forget how much I missed him, even though I hadn't spent more than a day away from him.

David had impregnated my skin, my life, and my soul. It was running through my veins like a virus as if there was nothing and no one else but him.

I ran through the campus courtyard as if the world was about to explode as if there was nothing that could stop me. I infiltrated the small crowd of students who were passing through the food court before I heard my name being called near the elevators.

"Sarah, please!"

I continued on my way out hoping that the crowd would hide me and I could get out of this damn place without being tempted to look back.

"Wait, please, darling! Let me explain what happened!"

I moved even more, trying not to listen to him, my chest aching with every step I decided to take away from him. But I kept going until I found the main entrance, turned the turnstile and my body slammed into someone, my arms were caught in the mess and I was desperate to get free.

"Hey girl, calm down. I said I'd come and get you." I met Ben's brown eyes waiting for me to explain my frightened face.

Furthermore, I opened my lips to reply, but I wasn't quick enough.

"Let her go." I shuddered when David demanded.

I turned away from Ben and took a step towards his car, which was parked in front of the main entrance.

"Hey, slow down. If you didn't notice, she was running away from you and if that's what it is, I suggest you back off and let her go."

Ben threw me the car key and I understood what he wanted me to do, so I pressed the key button and turned off the alarm to get into the passenger seat. David shouted my name a few times before Ben reached the driver's seat and in that short time, I took the opportunity to lock the door from the inside and make sure the glass was completely closed.

"Sarah, let's talk..."

"I have nothing to talk to you about, David. But if I don't have a bad memory, you should know that since you're watching me so closely."

Ben started the car and looked at me, giving me the chance to choose what I wanted to do and allowing me to have some control over my own life. I swallowed the urge to cry and nodded in agreement. He understood and sped off, pulling out of the driveway and leaving David on the sidewalk looking at the back of the car.

And finally, the tears came again. The inside of Ben's car had seen me cry more times than in my apartment. I didn't hold back the tears, because it was hurting me so much, it was taking my breath away.

"Sarah, you did what you thought you had to do and everything is fine."

I nodded, but that wasn't what I felt. My chest had ripped open and my heart was in pieces.

If I hadn't looked for the truth in that note, would I still be under his affection? Would David still be pretending that he hadn't set the whole thing up and stalked me like a sick man?

I needed to get out of his sight.

"Can you stop by the gas station for a moment?"

"Sure."

A few blocks ahead there was a gas station with a small convenience store, I was going to buy another number for my phone and get out of this mess altogether.

We stopped and the first thing I did before getting out and buying the new number was to take out the SIM card and break it into as many pieces as possible, then I left and only came back when the little packet was already half torn between my lips.

"There you go," I said, finishing opening it and putting the damn chip into the device.

Ben laughed and drove off.

"Rough woman, I like that."

I rolled my eyes trying not to pay attention to what he was saying, Ben was different from Mike, but his lack of filter reminded me a lot of that hairy doctor. Soon we were inside the garage of his house and my body finally relaxed.

"Thanks." He sighed, looking at me as if thanking me was an insult. "For letting me stay here while the other house isn't finished."

"No problem, as long as you don't walk around in those see-through clothes, it's fine." I bit my cheeks trying to hold back my laughter, but Ben looked at me indignantly before continuing. "Look, I know very well that you're going through a lot of shit right now, but God knows how much I'm holding my tongue so I don't say everything I want to, and besides, my proposal to go out with you still stands."

"Maybe I'm not holding my tongue enough." He laughed and brought his face closer.

"Oh, don't worry, I am. If it were under any other circumstances, she'd be right between your legs." "But don't worry, I'll wait for the day when you break into my room and let me better understand why those two make your life so hellish."

"You've managed to give new meaning to the word bastard, Ben."

He winked at me and got out of the car, at least with Ben, I could expect sincerity, at least he had been showing it to me since the day we met.

Once I had settled into the guest room, Ben showed me around the back house, the space was bigger than I had imagined and I was completely relieved. It had more privacy than my apartment and the entrance was separate from his house, living room, and bedroom, which was all I needed until I could stabilize myself again until I found a new place for myself.

I continued to face going to college, although the fear continued to consume me every time, I faced it. I spent a week being tempted by my fears, even though none of them stood in my way. After David chased me around campus, I didn't see him again, Jess also disappeared after a few days and my imagination made my heart break a little more.

Perhaps David had found someone willing to face his constant pursuit, and so I spent a few nights crying alone in the guest room. However, I continued to work as a college assistant and this helped me to think about things other than how David's life affected me completely.

Mike didn't text me anymore and spent this short period in silence too, which gave me the strength to try and get back to my internship at the hospital. So time for me became scarce again, with everything I had available I used to sleep and study all the subjects I hadn't studied properly since my involvement with David.

Ben was great company when I also had some time to laze around on the sofa, he drank in the early hours of the morning and made me join him just to take out his bad jokes on me and his bad taste in throwing ridiculous slurs at me.

It was cool, it was incredibly good. Ben treated me as if I were his friend of years and didn't mind being rude or unfunny, he was just himself and didn't force himself to react because I was around. This rough manner coming from a lousy lawyer left me completely at home.

At least until my new number started receiving calls during the night. What started last night, most of the calls were a sigh that I knew well, a heavy breath on the other end of the line that made me cry again during the night.

I knew it was David, my heart broke every time he called during the night, every single time. Until he mumbled my name on the other end of the line, my world spun like a child's toy and if he had been just a few centimeters away from me, looking at me with those beautiful, sparkling gray eyes, I would have given in.

I had only just arrived and had just had time to shower and put on my nightclothes when the phone rang again. It amazed me how much he went out of his way to find out what I had and did nothing to prove what I needed with all this insistence.