The phone rang but I didn’t answer

The phone rang but I didn’t answer it. I took a moment to compose myself and control my voice.  “Hello?” I said when I answered.
“Turn on your fucking phone.”
I didn’t want to deal with this right now. “Don’t call me.”
“You’re my girlfriend. I’ll call you whenever I feel like it.”
“We broke up.”
He hung up.
I heard the line go dead. I must have really pissed him off. But that was okay because it’s exactly what I wanted. I got back to work and tried to stop thinking about Tony. Minutes later, my office door swung in. Tony stood there, looking angry and insane. He slammed the door and locked it.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he snapped.
“What’s wrong with me? You’re the one who won’t accept the fact that we’re done.”
He slammed his hand on the desk. When he pulled away, I saw his key. “This belongs to you.”
“I don’t want it.”
“That’s too fucking bad. I gave it to you.”
“Why are you making this so difficult?” I yelled.
“Because you don’t want to break up. I can see it in your eyes.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Why are you doing this?” he snapped. “Why are you pushing me away?”
“Because that’s what people do when they break up!”
He came around the desk and grabbed me. “No.”
“Tony, you need to leave.”
He picked me up and placed me on the desk.
I knew what he was doing. “No!”
Tony held me down and pulled me to the end of the desk. “I’ll do this as many times as it takes.”
“Tony, stop this now!”
He pulled down his jeans then lifted up my dress. “I’ll stop when I know you want me to.” He pulled off my underwear then slipped inside me.
“Fuck you,” I said I rolled me head back.
He rocked into me slowly. “Do you want me to stop?”
I bit my lip while I felt him.
“Tell me you want me to stop.”
I grabbed his forearms and dug my nails into his skin.
Tony stopped moving.
I moaned in frustration.
“Tell me you want me to make love to you.”
I said nothing.
He didn’t move, just staring into my eyes.
I grabbed his hips and started to move against him. “Tony…”
“Yes?”
“Please.”
He moved inside me hard and fast.
I lied back and enjoyed it. The orgasm hit as soon as I let myself go. I knew Theresa and Orlando could hear us but I didn’t care. He bucked inside me when he reached the same threshold. His moaned while he made his final thrusts, coming inside me.
When he pulled out, he grabbed my face and kissed me. “You are mine.”
I said nothing, still breathing heavily.
Tony pulled on his clothes while he stared me down.
“Tony, I want to break up.”
“It didn’t seem like it a second ago.”
“We were just fucking. I would have screwed any other hot guy I saw.”
“I’m having a hard time believing that.”
I fixed my hair and pulled down my dress. “Tony, I mean it. We’re over.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Yes, but I’m also ignoring you.”
I glared at him. “Why won’t you accept what I said? If one person wants to break up, you break up. It doesn’t have to be mutual.”
“I’ll accept it when you give me a valid reason. Until then, I know you’re pulling shit out of your ass. I think you’re just scared that I’m going to hurt you so you’d rather be alone than have to deal with that possibility. We were apart for two days and it almost killed you. That’s not a reason to break up. That’s called fighting. All couples do it.”
“You aren’t listening to me,” I said. “I was using you so I could build my company. Now that I have what I want, I don’t need you anymore.”
“You’re a terrible liar.” He walked to the door. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Tony!”
“What?”
“I mean it. We’re done.”
He stared at me. “We’re never done.” He left my office and shut the door behind him.
I sighed in frustration. Tony was making this impossible.
When I got off work, I didn’t go to my apartment. Instead, I went out for a drink with Layla.
“I broke up with him,” I said.
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
“Why did you do it?”
“Because he’s lost his whole family,” I said. “I can’t let him pick me over them.”
“But he’s only picking because Janet made him.”
“She’s wrong but I can’t let Tony lose everything,” I said.
She shook her head. “I’m not talking to Janet anymore.”
“What?”
“This is unacceptable. You two are in love and she’s ruining that. It’s wrong.”
I shrugged. “What else am I supposed to do?”
“Not give in.”
“It’s not about giving in,” I said. “It’s about what’s best for Tony. You didn’t see him on his birthday. He was totally miserable.”
“I’m surprised Tony accepted the break up.”
“He hasn’t,” I said. “He keeps tracking me down and fucking my brains out, thinking that will change my mind.”
“It would change mine,” Layla said with a smile.
“Well, it isn’t working.”
“It’s because he won’t let Janet control his relationship.”
“I didn’t tell him the real reason,” I said. “I said I was using him for his company.”
“You did?”
“But he doesn’t believe me.”
“Because he knows you,” she said. “You wouldn’t do something like that.”
“I wish Janet thought that.”
“Fuck her,” she snapped. “I don’t care if Kyle is Scott’s brother. I’m done with her.”
“I don’t want that,” I said. “Please don’t ruin your relationship because of me.”
“How can I let my best friend be treated like this?” she said. “No, this bullshit has gone on long enough. “
I smiled. “Well, thank you.”
“I got your back.”
My phone rang and I looked at the screen. It was Tony. I ignored it. He called again. After I ignored it, he called again. I turned it off to avoid the calls altogether.
Layla smiled. “You think that’s going to stop him?”
“I have to get rid of him.”
“You can’t,” she said. “He’s madly in love with you. He’ll never let you go.”
Layla’s phone rang and she answered it. “Hey, babe.” She stirred her drink while she listened. “At Tully’s. Why?” She paused. “Yeah, she’s here.”
I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.
“Hello?” She looked at the phone. “Well, that was weird. He didn’t even say bye.”
I sighed. “Tony.”
She smiled. “I told you he would track you down.”
“I should go before he gets here.”
“And go where?” she asked. “Your apartment? He’ll break down the door.”
“Can I stay at your place?”
“I don’t want him to break down my door.”
I sighed. “I’ll figure it out.” I turned to leave the table and saw Tony walk inside. “Holy shit, he’s fast.”
Layla looked amused. “He should be in the CIA.”
When Tony saw me, his face lit up in a rage.
“Oh great,” I said sarcastically.
“I think I’m going to go…”
Tony marched to me then grabbed my hip. “Why does my sister think we’re broken up?” he said without preamble.
“Because we are.”
He narrowed his eyes. “That’s why you broke up with me. Because she’s making you.”
“She isn’t making me,” I said.
“It sounds like it.”
“Tony, you are totally miserable without your family.”
“I’m miserable that my sister, the person I held in the highest honor, is being a fucking bitch. That’s what I’m miserable about. Breaking up with me isn’t going to change that.”
“I can’t be the reason you lose your family…I can’t.”
“You aren’t,” he said. “Janet is.”
“Tony, this isn’t working. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t give into her. I know she’s your friend—”
“She isn’t my friend,” I said. “And I never want to be her friend again.”
“Then don’t do this.”
“I have to. You can always find a new girlfriend. You can’t find another family.”
“You are my family,” he said.
My eyes softened. “Don’t make this harder for me.”
“No, I’m going to. This is a stupid reason to break up. It changes nothing.”
“Tony, I love you. I have to do what’s best for you.”
“Losing you isn’t what’s best for me.”
I averted my gaze.
“So this is it?” he asked sadly.
“Yes.”
His eyes lost their light. His jaw was tense. He ran his fingers through his hair then took a deep breath, his eyes starting to turn red. “Okay.”
That caught me by surprise. “Okay?”
“You told me the real reason. If that’s what you want, I have to accept it.” He didn’t look at me.
I wasn’t expecting him to give up.
“Goodbye, Cassie.” He turned around and left, leaving me standing in the bar alone.

19
This was the hardest breakup I’d ever endured. Even when Danny cheated on me, it was nothing compared to this. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t move. I went to work but hardly got anything done. Orlando and Theresa were sympathetic and gave me space. I didn’t speak to anyone because I didn’t have anything to say.
Tony hadn’t contact me in any way. A part of me hoped he would break down my door and take me on my kitchen table, saying he would never let me go. I never hated anyone in my life, but I was starting to hate Janet. Tony was the best thing that ever happened to me. I lost him due to no fault of my own.
The days went by but it didn’t get better. I almost called him a few times but I stayed strong and didn’t make the call. I wondered what he was doing. I wondered if he was seeing anyone. The thought made me sick to my stomach. It was hard to sleep in my bed because it still smelled like him. Instead of bringing me comfort, it brought me tears. I would wash them but I was afraid to let him go. I wasn’t ready to.
Layla came over and comforted me as much as she could. Kyle was there too. They were the only friends I had that understood my pain. We never spoke about Tony, and Janet was never mentioned. There was a huge elephant in the room that no one addressed.
Tony still did work for my company but everything was relayed through Victoria. She comforted me about the breakup. I knew she wanted him but she seemed genuinely sympathetic. Perhaps it was because Tony had rejected her completely.
I took a cab by his building on the way to work and on the way home. I hoped I would get a glimpse of him on the sidewalk or getting into a cab. It was pathetic but I missed him so much.