Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Jessica’s POV

“Hey, lady! Get off my patio! You’re chasing my damn customers away!”

I stirred in my sleep, the words filtering through in a distant echo.

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I stirred in my sleep, groaning as I tried to roll over and hug my pillow, but there was no pillow. There was only the cold, unforgiving grit of concrete against my cheek.

My hip ached, and my neck felt like it had been cranked into a permanent right angle.

Did Aaron push me off the bed? I wondered blearily.

A round of annoying chuckles rumbled in my ears, followed by mocking whispers and giggles that felt too close for comfort.

Weird ass dream, I thought, my mind still foggy. What did I eat last night? Did Aaron feed me something ridiculous before bed?

“She’s clearly enjoying her sleep,” a voice drifted over me, thick with sarcasm. “Who knows what she’s dreaming about. Probably a penthouse, not a porch.”

A collective burst of laughter echoed around me. Before I could even begin to fathom what was happening or why my “bed” felt like a sidewalk, something hit me-hard. A sharp smack against my shoulder, like a rolled-up newspaper or a broom

handle.

My eyes flew open, and for a second, my vision was blurry. A sea of faces hovered over me-curious, amused, some outright laughing-like I’d become the unwitting star of a street show.

I let out a strangled scream and scrambled backward, my back hitting a brick wall as my hand flew over my mouth.

An elderly woman stood right in front of me, her arms crossed over a grease-stained apron, a severe poker face fixed on her weathered features.

She looked like she had spent the last forty years chewing on gravel and spite.

Behind her, a small crowd of people in heavy coats stared at me like I was a strange animal that had crawled out of the

sewer.

“Girl, whatyu doin’ on my patio?” she drawled, her Texan accent thick as molasses, rolling the words like they were coated in coal and grit.

“Sleepin’ like ya own the place? This ain’t a homeless shelter, and it sure as hell ain’t a hotel.”

I stared at her with wide, humiliated eyes, my arms instinctively wrapping around myself. My heart was thundering

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force my brain to rewind.

The train. I remembered the endless rhythm of the tracks, the smell of stale coffee, and the way the world turned from green to grey.

I remembered arriving in Pittsburgh, my soul feeling like it had been put through a paper shredder.

I’d stepped off the platform, dragging my suitcases, and asked a roadside chili dog vendor for directions to a cheap motel.

He’d pointed somewhere down the street, his directions a blur of “left at the light” and “past the warehouse.”

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Chapter 59

I remembered walking until my legs turned to jelly, the exhaustion finally overriding my grief.

I must have seen the covered patio of this small cafe and thought I’d just sit for a second.

One second had turned into eight hours.

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“Yo! You think she’s alright?” one of the passersby pointed out, looking at his friend. “She’s being weird. Look at her eyes.”

An impatient growl followed. A man in a sharp suit stood near the edge of the patio, glaring at his wristwatch with a deep scowl.

“I came here for a quiet breakfast, not to watch a circus,” he snapped, throwing his hands up. “I’m out of here.”

“Wait! Sir, your coffee!” the elderly lady yelled, her tough exterior cracking as she lunged toward him. But he was already gone, disappearing into the morning fog.

The crowd started to thin out, people shaking their heads as they moved on. The old lady turned back to me, her face turning a vibrant shade of purple.

She marched over to where I was still huddled on the ground and leaned down, her finger jabbed toward my face.

“You see that? You’re chasin’ my business away! I got taxes to pay and a shop to run, and I don’t need some stray lookin’ like a drowned rat scarin’ off the few folks who actually pay! Get up! Get your bags and get out!”

I scrambled to my feet, my joints popping painfully.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, my voice cracking. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to… I just…

“I don’t care what you meant! Move!”

I gathered my heavy suitcases, my fingers numb from the cold.

I looked like a disaster: my hair was a bird’s nest, my clothes were wrinkled, and the dark circles under my eyes probably made me look like a ghost.

I began walking away, the wheels of my luggage rattling loudly over the uneven pavement.

Every step felt like I was wading through wet cement. I didn’t know where I was going.

The city felt massive, industrial, and utterly heartless. If this was how the people of Pittsburgh treated strangers, I was in serious trouble.

I was too scared to even make eye contact with anyone, let alone ask for help again.

A treacherous thought flickered in the back of my mind. Maybe I should have listened to David. Maybe I should have just confronted Aaron.

I shook my head violently, trying to dislodge the thought. No. What I saw wasn’t an illusion. A man doesn’t hold a woman like that unless he wants her.

Aaron wasn’t an option anymore. I needed to learn not to be dependent on him. I had to prove I could exist without the Tyrone safety net.

I fished my phone out of my bag, hoping to call David. He was the only person left who wouldn’t judge me, the only one who might be able to wire me a bit of money or find me a place to stay remotely.

But when I pressed the power button, ready to call him before I changed my mind, the screen remained black.

“Dang it,” I cursed under my breath, shaking the phone. Dead. Of course it was dead.

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Chapter 59

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I-kept walking, my head down, my thoughts spinning in dark circles. I was so lost in my own misery that I didn’t see the man stepping out of the office building until I slammed right into him.

My suitcase caught on his leg, and I stumbled, nearly going down.

“Watch where you’re going!” the man growled, stepping back and brushing off his coat as if I’d left a stain.

What was it with angry men today? Did leaving Aaron somehow trigger a universal curse on me? Did I have something written across my forehead in invisible ink?

I tried to open my mouth to apologize, but the words wouldn’t come. Suddenly, the world began to tilt.

The grey buildings leaned in toward me, and the sound of the traffic turned into a high-pitched ringing in my ears.

The blurry faces of strangers started to swim like they were underwater.

My vision went dark at the edges, a cold sweat breaking out across my forehead.

“Help…” I whispered, the word dying in my throat before it could even reach the stranger’s ears.

My knees buckled. I felt the hard, cold ground rushing up to meet me for the second time that day, and then, mercifully, the world went black.

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13:19 Mon, Jan 12