Never Let You Go

Chapter 2

            Bob looks like he'd rather be anywhere but in the car with me. I know that I've put him in an uncomfortable situation. At one side, Clayton is his boss, on the other side, well hello, have you seen my puppy eyes?

            "I'm sorry, Mrs. Donahue-"

            "Call me Ashton, please," one more thing comes from this marriage that I hate the most is how people start calling me Mrs. Donahue and treat me like I'm a royalty or something (though it certainly won't hurt if I have a complexion like Kate Middleton's. That woman is flawless). Clayton may be used to these people treating him like a God, but I hate it. I don't want people to treat me differently just because I'm married to an important man. Who my husband is doesn't change my identity.

            "Ashton," Bob looks like he's constipated when he says my name, "the thing is, I don't think it's a good idea. Mr. Donahue won't like it if he knows his wife spends his time alone with another man unsupervised."

            "What the hell Bob? You too are scared of him? That is the most ridiculous excuse I've ever heard! There won't be any reason for him to get mad at us! It's not like I'm going to jump onto your lap and grind into the steering wheel!"

            Bob actually leans back and prepares to bolt out of the car when he hears my words. Really Bob? Is the prospect of me jumping you really that horrifying? I'm so disappointed. "Look Ashton, I know it may be frustrating for you to be treated unfairly by him. But you have to understand. You're a beautiful young man, and it's completely normal if Mr. Donahue gets a little bit... overwhelming at times."

            Oh dearest Bob. If you see the way Clayton pins me down at night, you'll know that 'overwhelming' doesn't do his actions justice. But I know that Clayton being a controlling ass is not Bob's fault, and me staying in a car with him will only give him troubles. I give him a fake smile and get out of the car, finally facing the monster.

            I walk slowly into the lobby, clutching my backpack like it's some kind of armor. The apartment lobby is big and beautifully decorated. As I shuffle through the lobby like a lamb being led to the slaughter, I accidentally look at my reflection in the full-length mirror hung on the wall. A scrawny boy is staring back at me. I seriously never understand why a good-looking guy like Clayton wants to marry an average carrier like me. My hair and eyes are brown, which is a boring color if you ask me. There are times when I wish I had blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes like Dan's, but my mom doesn't allow me to dye my hair. My skin is so pale no matter how much time I spend outside. Instead of getting a nice tan, my skin usually burns and makes me look like a lobster.

            "Are you done ogling yourself?" Clayton's deep voice makes me jump so high I consider joining the cheerleading squad. I thought he had left me, turn out he's been waiting in the lobby, casually leaning against the wall. It never stops to amaze me how he's able to do everything so nonchalantly, yet at the same time he looks like the cover of GQ magazine in doing that.

            "I'm not ogling myself!" embarrassed of being caught, I quickly head into the elevator. Clayton is walking right behind me, like I'm a child that needs to be watched over constantly. Ugh. This is what I hate the most about him. His desire to always be in control drives me nuts. I walk faster to show my annoyance of being monitored all the time, but it only makes him walk faster too.

            "Stop acting like a child," Clayton's booming voice startles me. I'm not really sure why, but at that moment I start to cry. It might be because of all the stress that I have put up with throughout the day, the humiliation, and the fear of what Clayton's going to do to me once we get home. It starts with small sobs and turns into full blown crying. I try to stop the tears, but it's already at the point where there's nothing I can do but to let it out.