Joseph and His Colorful Coat
Joe Morelli stares at the sleek black Porsche.
After all this time. After everything. After all the chaos. The Devil is now back in town. Once again he's gonna steal her heart. Once again he'll toy with her soul. The great temptation. The sinful seduction. The eyes. The look. The lips. The smile. The alluring, dangerous charm. What the hell are they doing up there?
Inside her room.
All alone.
He takes a cupcake from the box and bites down hard. The buttery flavor explodes in his mouth. He chews and chews till the fluffy sweetness becomes bitter and dull. Suddenly he wants to laugh. Why is he even here? Yep, he should have known. He could tell from the look in Stephanie's eyes. She. Doesn't. Remember. The lingering kisses. The playful jokes. The hungry passion. The true affection. The promises. The agreements. The ring. The old resentment has surfaced again. She's not the woman he loved and knew. He should just start his car and drive away. He should just get out of his car and storm upstairs. He should listen to reasons. He should follow his heart and instincts. He should wrap Stephanie in his arms. He should punch Ranger in his face.
He gets out of his car and walks straight into the apartment building. He stops at Stephanie's door, closes his eyes, lets out a deep breath, and counts to 10. Calm and assertive. Without being aggressive. Stay positive. Focused. And patient. Remember what Cesar Millan always says. He's still Stephanie's legitimate fiancé. And she has no idea whatsoever who Ranger is. He puts a smile on his face and knocks on the door. He's a lover. He's a fighter. He ain't no quitter. She remembers nothing. Nothing at all. And oh yeah, he'll definitely use that to his fullest advantage...
No one answers the door.
His smile falters a little. He knocks again. Again. And again. He loses his nerve, calm, patience, and composure all together. He recalls one certain morning years ago. He arrived in the nick of time and successfully interrupted what was going on. It was a close call. Suddenly he's drenched in cold sweat. He fishes out the key. He unlocks the door. The security chain is firmly in place. "Cupcake!" He calls out, his voice loud and rough. "Steph!"
The box of cupcakes drops from his hand.
He didn't hear any footsteps.
A rush of white-hot anger burns through his veins.
His eyes bulge and almost burst from his head.
Ranger smiles his perfect smile.
Stephanie pulls the blanket over her head.
Somewhere out there inside the old 3-story brick building, a radio is singing a lazy love song.