Chapter 3

I woke up to yelling this time, at least this time I wasn't half drunk and half hung over. No this time I was almost all the way hung over, my eyes and ears felt overly sensitive and hyper painful. Why did everyone insist on being so loud and bright?

I rolled over and attempted to listen to what was being said but it was almost like a one sides conversation.

"I am not going to ask you again why the fuck you are in my girlfriend's apartment, and why the hell are you half naked." It was Joe, practically screaming, "Stephanie get out here now."

Great I thought, just great. Not what I wanted to wake up to, dealing with a pissed off Joe was like dealing with a rabid dog that hasn't eaten in like 5 days. There would be no calming him down until he got what he wanted and he wanted answers that I couldn't give him. Also speaking of food, I was hungry like I had not eaten in like 5 days.

I groaned and rolled out of bed and shuffled to the bedroom door, I could hear a mumbling, obviously Ranger was talking and not feeling the need to be loud. Thank goodness Ranger didn't need to be loud because every time Joe yelled my eyes twitched and felt like my ears were bleeding. I took a deep breath and prepared for battle, I had feeling this was going to be an epic argument and I was not ready for it mentally or physically. I pushed the door and slowly walked to the kitchen catching the tail end of Joe's rant.

"You just keep pushing your way into her life, you need to walk out the fucking door and not come back. She doesn't need you or your shit. Do you even care about her or do you just keep coming around to fuck with me? Every time we start to move on to the future you show up and pull her back."

I think my mind might have snapped at that last remark and I was about to say something when I heard Ranger respond. "I will be in her life until she decided she no longer wants me."

"She doesn't know what she wants, she would be perfectly happy with me if you just leave her the fuck alone. But no you keep pulling her down into your shitty shady life."

I walked all the way into the kitchen in time to see Ranger raise an eyebrow and Joe step forwarded like he was going to attack him.

"Good Morning" I said as I crossed my arms over my chest.

Joe turned to me and I almost felt bad when I saw him, his face was a bright red and his hair was a mess like he had kept running his hand through it. "What the hell is he doing here Stephanie, and where the hell have you been the last 30 hours?"

How to respond, I am still fuzzy on everything that happened and even what time or day it was. So I decided that simplicity was the best option. "He was my DD when Lula and I went out." I could see Rangers smirk as I walked to the fridge. I gave him a looked that said I was not impressed with his humor and I could practically hear Joe grind his teeth. I opened the fridge pretending not to care about either of them. Why did I have no food, not even bread for a sandwich.

"Babe", I turned to face Ranger and he handed me a Bag of French fries, good this man might be prefect.

I finally really looked at him, he was wearing pants…. like just pants. Pants that were riding low on his hips, yummy. Focus Stephanie, focus! I took a moment to think about what I looked like, yep I was beginning to understand why Joe might be mad. It looked like Ranger and I just spent the night together, and for all technical purposes we did. While nothing might have actually happened we did sleep together all night in one bed. Shit why was my life so complicated? Well one thing at a time and food won, so I opened the bag and dug in. Ohhhhhhhhhh God it was so good, I could feel my stomach thanking me and Ranger both. After a few bites I looked up and saw Ranger and Joe both starting at me, one amused and one pissed. "What" I said around a mouth full of fries.

I swear I saw Joes eyes get even bigger, "What?" he practically shouted "WHAT?! Are you fucking kidding me Stephanie? That's it I am done! Fucking Done! You need to make a decision right now, you either with me and he is out of our lives or I am walking out of this door. I am sick and tired of him and the shit he pulls."

Now I felt my eyes get big, like huge. I could feel my anger rising and my facing turning red. I took a deep calming breath while I set down the bag. I took a minuet to really think before I spoke because If I just spoke it might get even uglier. I needed to decided what I wanted and the path I was going to take and it had to be fast. I loved Joe, he was comfortable and I could spend the rest of my life in a relationship with him. It would have its ups and downs and I am not sure if I would ever really marry him, but I could see us-him and I together. Then I took a moment to think about Ranger, I am not sure what we had, I am not sure what our future was. However, I knew one thing and that was that I wanted Ranger in my life anyway I could get him. Even if it was just as a friend.

So I looked Joe right in the eye and spoke in a clear calm voice because I didn't want him to think I was saying this in anger. "Joe, Ranger is my best friend. He is the person I can always count on to be there for me, just like I will always be there if he should ever need anything from me. I love you Joe and I always will. But if you try to make me choose between a relationship with you or a friendship with Ranger, you won't like my answer. The only way Ranger leaves my life is if he walks out the door."

I continued to look at Joe while his jaw clenched and unclenched and when he spoke his voice was low and uneven, "You would throw a relationship away with me, just so you can be friends with him? Because you know you will never be more than his once in a while fuck buddy right? Which basically makes you no more than a piece of ass he uses once in a while."

I heard Ranger growl behind me and start to speak but I held my hand up to silence him. "No Joe, I would give up a relationship with someone who tries to dictate my life and tell me what to do. I would give up a relationship with someone who doesn't trust me enough to know that if I was in a committed relationship I would not cheat on them. I would give up a relationship with someone who doesn't talk to me first but starts yelling and basically calling me a whore." Now I am practically yelling by the end, "Joe I think it would be better if you leave before one of us says something we would regret."

He looks at me a minuet before stalking out and I jump as I hear the door slam. I start to shake from both frustration, anger and a little sadness. I think Joe and I just crossed a line that we can't come back from. Why is life so complicated and why is everything so confusing. I still don't know what I want, but I do know that I can't keep letting someone treat me the way Joe has been treating me. I need to stand up for myself, I just hope it didn't cost me my relationship with Joe. Even if we were not together I want to be friends, we have been through so much and I genuinely loved him. I was just starting to wonder if it was a forever after love or a friend love.

I must have been thinking a while because when Ranger called my name I jumped like a gunshot had gone off. I turned to look at him and watched him study me. I knew he was trying to gage how upset I was about what just happened. So I studied him back trying to figure out what he was thinking. It was the ultimate staring contest that I was never going to win, of course I blinked and spoke first. "What", it was short sweet and simple.

"I think we need to talk babe."