Ghost keeps his word and texts me the next day with details about his match, what time it starts and when he'll be picking me up. I thank him and expect the exchange to end there, but it doesn't. He continues to text me throughout the rest of the day and even into the next day.

I've never been one to constantly be checking my phone, because I know there's almost never anything to be checking for. Brody prefers to call when he has something important to tell me or when he wants to hang out. And I don't exactly leap for the phone when it's anything from my mom.

But for the past two days I've been on it constantly, because I really love that Ghost feels the need to share so much with me. He texts me randomly about what he's doing or asks me questions about myself and my day. It's nice to feel like someone is going out of their way to talk to you.

I also note that since hanging out with Ghost I've been able to get over my writer's block. It happened that same day we hung out. After he dropped me off I went into my room and opened my laptop and the words just started flowing. I felt inspired.

It hasn't slowed down over the last few days. I'm practically glued to my keyboard, only pulling away to answer Ghost's texts. I remind myself I should be focusing on studying more as classes are going to start back up soon, but I just can't get myself to do it.

I sit huddled up in bed, my laptop warming my legs as I text with Ghost.

Ghost; I checked out that podcast you told me about, Crime Junkie. I listened to one of the episodes.

Em; Ooh! What did you think?

Ghost; It was morbid and depressing, but I liked it.

Em; In that case, I have some Netflix recommendations for you my friend.

I can see that he's typing, but a light knock at my door has me glancing up with a confused frown. I call out for them to come in, expecting Annie, but it's Brody who slowly creaks the door open and steps into my bedroom.

I frown and set my phone down beside me while greeting, "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Annie let me in." He explains, shutting the door behind him. He lingers there in front of me for a moment before moving closer and sitting down at the edge of my bed. With slightly down turned lips he questions, "Are you still mad at me?"

I regard him for a moment, my expression blank. Since that night I haven't said much to Brody, or even seen him until now. He texted me occasionally, restating his apology and promising to never act like that again. I eventually texted back that it was okay after I got sick of his groveling.

But I didn't expect him to show up here.

"I don't know." I finally mutter. I feel my phone vibrate with a text beside me but I don't dare ignore Brody to check it.

He shifts closer, resting his hand on my ankle that's beneath the sheets. He squeezes lightly and remarks, "Come on, Em. I said I was sorry. I was drunk, I barely even remember what happened. You can't blame me forever for something I don't remember."

My lips tighten and I avoid his gaze as I tell him, "You left a bruise, Brody. That's what happened."

"And I will live with that guilt forever." He insists, giving me those wide, remorseful eyes, "But you can't truly believe that I ever intended to hurt you. I love you more than anything. I'm sorry if I get carried away sometimes, but that's not the me you know. The me you know has always taken care of you, shown you so much love and devotion. I'm not perfect, I make mistakes, but we can't let those small mistakes ruin a relationship that is years in the making."

I swallow hard, blinking back the urge to cry as I watch him. He looks like he truly means it. And he's right. He's not perfect, but neither am I. If it were reversed I would want a chance at redemption, so why should I deny him?

Slowly I move closer to him, grabbing his hand and lacing his fingers through mine. He smiles weakly and he squeezes back before tugging me forward. I crawl onto his lap and he wraps his arms around me lovingly.

We stay like that for a while. I hear my phone buzz a few more times but I ignore it as I bury my face in Brody's neck. He runs his hands up and down my back, sending shivers through my spine. I feel so secure in his arms at this moment, enjoying his gentle touch.

These are my favorite moments with Brody, when I feel whole and happy. It's the moments that remind me why this relationship means so much. Why it's worth dealing with the hard times. At the end of the day, we have each other, and that means everything to me, to have someone to count on.

"I promise to try to be better," Brody speaks, his voice rumbling through his chest that I'm pressed tightly against as he adds, "If you promise the same."

I frown slightly and pull back to look at him, "What do you mean?"

He sends me a slanted smile and tilts his head as he points out, "Well you could certainly make more of an effort to be intimate with me, Em. It seems very one-sided right now, and sex is important for a healthy relationship."

"I know that." I mutter, my lips tight as I tell him, "But you act like we never have sex. I think our sex life is just fine. Just because I don't want to do it every single day doesn't mean I'm not making an effort."

He passes me a sympathetic smile as he lightly pats my leg, "I'm not trying to fight. I'm just saying we could both work harder for this relationship, that's all."

I frown, but I suppose he has a point. It works both ways. Finally I reply, "Okay. I'll try harder."

He smirks and leans in to kiss my forehead before suggesting, "You wanna watch a movie? I feel like I haven't hung out with you in so long."

I nod my head and we shift around in the bed so that we're both leaning against the headboard, his arm wrapped around me as I bring my laptop closer to pull up Netflix. The screen turns on to my story and I quickly exit out of it, but Brody's already seen it.

"Have you been writing a lot?" He questions curiously.

Slowly I nod my head as I pull up Netflix and start scrolling through the options, "Yeah, I'm pretty far along into my book. More than halfway I would say." I hesitate, glancing sideways at him as I slowly ask, "Would you wanna read it sometime? Maybe just the first few pages to give some feedback?"

His lips draw thin as he focuses his attention on the laptop screen. I wait patiently as he hums in thought before he replies, "Maybe. I mean, I'm busy with classes and everything. But maybe."

He drops it at that and I don't push it further. My stomach sinks a little, knowing he really doesn't care. I try my hardest not to, but I can't help but compare his reaction to Ghost's. Ghost, who barely knows me, had been all for reading my work. He was more interested than my boyfriend.

I try not to think too much about it as we settle on a movie and it begins to play. It seems interesting enough but I just can't get into it. My eyes glance to my phone, where I know Ghost has texted me and I itch to reach out and reply. For some reason I'm scared to check in front of Brody. I know how he is about me talking to other guys.

As the movie drags on, Brody slowly shifts lower in bed, removing his arm from around me to pull my blankets up to his chin and eventually his eyes close. I sit beside him as the movie goes on and his breathing draws slower. At some point I decide it's safe to finally check my phone.

Ghost; Netflix and chill?

Ghost; That was a joke. I meant chill as friends.

Ghost; I don't even have Netflix anyway.

I smile at the screen before writing a reply.

Em; You mean you haven't stolen the login from one of your friends who does have it?

He doesn't take long to reply, despite me taking so long to answer.

Ghost; What is with you always assuming I steal stuff?

Em; This is one of the few things that I condone stealing. I'm sure you have plenty of friends to steal it from, get on it.

Ghost; Okay, one sec.

Ghost; Hey friend, could I borrow your Netflix login, please?

I let out a quick laugh and Brody stirs beside me. I snap my mouth shut but continue to smile down at my screen.

Em; I suppose I walked right into that one. Alright, email is emerson_rosey98@gmail and password is d@isyr0se

Ghost; I didn't actually expect you to give it to me but thanks lol

Ghost; Who's Daisy?

Em; My puppy.

Ghost; I wasn't aware dorm rooms allowed pets.

Em; They don't. I pay my mom to let her stay at the house.

Ghost; She makes you pay doggie rent?

Em; Well, she's kind of a hassle to take care of. She has arthritis in her legs and she's going blind in her right eye.

Ghost; How old is she?

Em; Almost eleven years old.

Ghost; That's not a puppy, Rose.

Em; All dogs are puppies. Fight me.

Ghost; Don't start something you can't finish darling. I will 100% see you in the ring.

Em; Looking forward to it, can't be too hard, we've both seen how well you fight.

Ghost; For the last time I wasn't fighting back that night. I promise I'm much better than that.

Em; Guess we'll see on Saturday, won't we?

"Who are you texting?"

My head snaps up and the smile falls off my face as I blink over at Brody. His eyes are narrowed at me, glancing between me and the phone in my hands. He sits up, the blanket falling off his shoulders as he pins me there with a firm frown.

Quickly, I stutter a response, "Just my friend."

"What friend?" He questions accusingly, glancing down at my phone like he's two seconds away from ripping it out of my hands.

"A new friend. You don't know him, I tried to tell you the other night—"

"Him?" Brody seethes, perking up at the word.

Slowly I nod my head, "Yeah, it's a guy. But Brody, we're just friends. I promise you, there's nothing to get worked up about—"

"Then give me the phone." He demands, holding his palm out between us.

I frown down at it before looking at his face again, "You seriously don't trust me?"

"I trust you just fine, Em. But I don't trust some guy I've never heard of before who you've apparently become quite close with." He remarks darkly, growing frustrated when I don't immediately hand the phone over.

"You don't think I can decide for myself if someone is trustworthy or not?"

"No," He answers without hesitation, "You're naive, Em. You always think everyone is so nice and wholesome, but I know better. This guy wants to get in your pants, I guarantee."

"Brody." I scoff, scowling at him, "Are you serious? You hang out with girls all the time. You have tons of girl friends, some that I've never even met, but I've never said anything. I let you hang out with whoever you want because I trust you."

"I just said I trust you, Em." He reiterates, his tone annoyed, "And it's different for me. I'm a guy. If a girl tries to make a move on me I can push her away easily. You can't defend yourself, you're too small."

"That's ridiculous." I huff, irritated that Brody views me as such a weak girl.

His frown deepens and he pushes his hand out further, "Let me see the phone. If this guy is so innocent then there should be nothing to worry about."

I sigh heavily before finally handing it over. Brody sends me a warning look before unlocking the phone and scrolling through the recent texts. I watch his face grow darker and angrier and a lump forms in my throat. I begin to worry as I sink further into the headboard.

"Seriously, Em, this is not innocent!" Brody roars with anger. He leaps out of the bed to stand over me menacingly, while keeping his eyes trained on the phone, "He's talking about Netflix and chill and calling you darling. What the hell? How can you think this is okay?"

"That's just the way he jokes." I defend, but Brody's not having it.

"Yeah, that's the way he jokes because he wants to sleep with you. This is flirting, are you blind?"

"Brody, you're overreacting."

"No, I'm not." He states firmly, turning off the phone and throwing it down on the bed. I flinch and bring my legs up to my chest as his anger only grows, "You need to delete this guy's number. You can't be friends with him, I don't like it."

I frown and argue, "You can't tell me who I can and can't be friends with."

"You wanna bet?" He retorts, moving in closer and grabbing the front of my shirt. I flinch away as he balls the fabric in his fist and pulls me slightly closer while uttering in a threatening tone, "Didn't we just talk about both of us being better? Well you need to be a better girlfriend and not flirt with other guys. I shouldn't have to tell you that, Em."

"I'm not flirting." I insist, turning my face slightly to make more space between us, "Being friends with someone doesn't mean you want to sleep with them."

"It does when you're a guy." He growls, pulling me closer. Something flashes in his eyes and I worry where this is escalating to, but just as quickly he let's me go with an angry sigh. I slump back against the headboard as he paces across the room furiously. I can tell he's trying to control his anger and not repeat the mistakes of last time, "Delete his number. Stop talking to him. Or else we're gonna have serious problems, Em."

His tone is final as he sends me one last warning glare before opening the bedroom door and slipping out. He slams it shut behind him and I'm sure I'll hear a complaint about it from Annie later, but I can't worry about that now.

My heart races in my chest. I can hardly breathe, I was so terrified that Brody was going to do more. I'm relieved that he left but the relief doesn't last long as I realize what his reaction means.

End my friendship with Ghost or cause serious problems between me and Brody.

It's not right. He shouldn't be allowed to command me around like I'm some obedient servant. I should be able to choose my friends and Brody should have to deal with it. But he won't. He'll only get more upset and it will cause more fights. He made it clear, we'll have issues if I don't do what he says. Is a friendship with someone I barely know really worth ruining my relationship?

With a heavy heart I come to my conclusion; I have to stop talking to Ghost.

I don't want to. I don't want to let Brody control my life and my choices, but what other option is there? He's all I have, I can't lose him over this. My throat feels tight as I reach for my phone on my bed. I don't have the heart right now to actually delete the number, but I do know I have to do something.

I open the messages, seeing that Ghost sent a reply to our previous conversation. I ignore it as I type a new, gut-wrenching message.

Em; Hey, so something came up. I can't go on Saturday. I'm really sorry.

Ghost; Damn, really? I was looking forward to proving you wrong.

Em; I know, me too.

Ghost; Maybe next time then?

Em; Yeah. Maybe.

I send the text, but I know it's a lie.

There can't be a next time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN;

Well, another chapter. Let me know what you think? Who thinks Brody is right? Who thinks he's being unfair?

Comment and vote, it's super appreciated!

-Xo Sarah