Until Autumn - Sheridan Anne Page 0,14

plates and cups piled high in the sink, and the water has been left running for who the hell knows how long.

I dart across the kitchen and quickly turn it off before noticing a stack of boxes thrown in the general direction of my trash can. I clench my jaw. I pride myself on not being one of those crazy bitch girlfriends, but I’ve had enough. I won’t allow some guy to waltz into my home and take advantage of me.

I go to walk out of the kitchen when the boxes steal my attention again, and I look a little closer.

PS5.

My stomach clenches. That better not be a PlayStation 5 box, especially because just last week, the fucker said that he didn’t have the cash to take me out for dinner. I was made to go to the store after a long day, slave over the stove for two hours to cook him a nice meal, only for him to say that he didn’t like it. That rat bastard.

I’m not going to pretend to know anything about Playstations, but I’ve heard enough to know that this is the latest version, and they weren’t going cheap.

I grab the box and storm into my living room. “What the hell is this?” I demand, putting myself right in front of my TV and being obnoxious about getting his attention, but fuck it, he doesn’t deserve for this to be easy.

Brandon lets out a huff and leans to the side before finally hitting pause on his bullshit game. “What the fuck is your problem tonight? You’re acting like a bitch. Chill out and have a good time. Why don’t you crack open a bottle of wine or something?”

I see fucking red.

I throw the box right at his chest. “What is this?” I demand. “You’ve been in my apartment all freaking day, trashed my kitchen, and eaten all my food. I don’t even want to know what my bathroom looks like because I can guarantee you’ve destroyed that too.”

“Fuck, babe. Chill out.”

“I swear to God, Brandon. Tell me to chill out one more time. I dare you.”

“Geez. Alright. I’ll help you clean up.”

“Help?” I laugh. “You’ll clean it all and then you’ll get out of here.”

“What’s your problem? You’re being so uptight tonight. Did you have a shitty day or something?”

I stare at him blankly and watch as he raises from the couch and grabs two of his discarded empty beer cans, then leaves the other six. He waltzes into the kitchen as though I'm not about to lose my shit at him and laughs at the destruction he’s caused. “Yeah, I guess it’s fucking bad, huh?” he says. “But chill, seriously. It’s a good day. We should be celebrating your new job and my new PS5. Thanks, by the way.”

My brows take a dive. “Thanks?” I question as my stomach clenches again, giving me one hell of a bad feeling.

“Yeah,” he says, shrugging his shoulders. “Though, if anything, you should be thanking me for taking that task off your hands. I had to wait in that line for fucking hours.”

“What are you talking about?” I rush out, annoyed that I don’t already have my answer.

“My PS5,” he clarifies. “My birthday is next week, and you said just yesterday that you didn’t have a present for me yet because you didn’t know what to get me. So, I went and did it for you. Now you don’t have to worry about getting me something.”

“Present?” I shriek before taking off like a bat out of hell. I race down to my shoebox of a bedroom and fly over the top of my double bed. I drop down onto the worn floorboards and throw my head to the ground, peering under my bed.

I shove my hand right under and start feeling around for the small box. My fingers curl around it, and bile rises in my throat, finding it without the lid.

I tear the box out from under my bed and pissed off tears of rage instantly spring from my eyes as I find it empty. There was nearly a thousand dollars of savings in there that I’d been working my ass off for, and he fucking took it to buy himself a goddamn Playstation.

My blood boils as I scoop up the box and storm right back out of my bedroom, finding Brandon in my kitchen, going through my fridge once again. “WHAT THE EVER LOVING FUCK IS THIS?” I demand, instantly straining my vocal cords and