Текст книги "Somewhere in Between"

Автор книги: Samatha Harris

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

Chapter 15

Drew (Then)

I was so fucked. I lay in bed, staring up at my ceiling, cursing my dumb ass for getting into this situation in the first place. I was not a relationship kind of guy. What the hell was I doing? Not to mention, if anything did happen with Red and it didn’t work out, I would lose the best thing in my life. This was such bullshit.

I heard my phone vibrate on the nightstand and reached over to see who it was. Shit, it was Red.

Alex: Thanks for getting me home last night.

 

Drew: NP, How you feelin?

 

Alex: Like maybe that 4 th shot was a bad idea.

 

Drew: Yeah you are probably right.

 

Alex: You up for a little hair of the dog and lunch?

 

I couldn’t see her right now. Fuck, I didn’t trust myself. I typed a quick response, then laid the phone down on my chest.

Drew: Can’t today. Rain check?

 

Alex: Sure. you ok?

 

Drew: Yeah, just have a web design due first thing Tuesday.

 

It was only half a lie. I did have a web design due, but I was almost done. I needed some space to clear my head.

Alex: K. I’ll talk to you later.

 

Drew: Yep.

 

I rolled over. My phone slid off my chest and hit the bed. What the fuck was I going to do now? My phone vibrated again, and I picked it up. This time it wasn’t Alex.

David: Wake up, asshole! I’m in town. Meet me at Spike’s.

 

Drew: See you in 20.

 

I gotta give the man one thing, he has great fucking timing.

I walked into Spike’s half an hour later and David was already there with a pitcher of beer and a huge plate of nachos. I gave him a hug, clapping him on the back.

“You look like shit,” he said.

“Thanks.”

“What’s up? Rough night?” He didn’t even know the half of it.

“If we are going to get into this, I’m going to need a shot.” I flagged down the waitress and ordered a shot of Jack Daniels.

“This is serious,” David said.

The waitress came back quickly with my drink and set it down in front of me with a glare. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t place her. I took the shot and waved at the waitress to bring me another.

“Dude, what is with you?”

“Alex. Fucking Alex.”

“You’re fucking Alex?”

“What? No! I’m not fucking her. I’m starting to, you know…”

“You’re starting to what?” A ghost of a grin appeared on his face.

“Come on, man. Don’t make me say it.”

“Oh, I’m going to make you say it.”

“I’m starting to have feelings for her, okay, asshole! Is that what you want to hear?” I dropped my head into my hands.

“To be honest, I didn’t think you were capable.”

“Of what? Having feelings? Or falling for her?”

“Falling for her?” he asked. “You said you were starting to have feelings for her. Now you are falling for her?”

“Yeah. So?” I stared down into my beer, unable to look him in the eye.

“So? There is a big difference, man. You have feelings for some nice girl you’ve been out with a few times. You fall for the girl and game over.”

“Look, I don’t know which one it is, okay? This shit is new to me. I don’t do relationships. Hell, I do everything I can to avoid them.”

“That’s for damn sure,” the waitress mumbled, slamming my drink down in front of me.

“I’m sorry. Do I know you?” I snapped.

Her eyes narrowed and she slapped me hard across my cheek. She glared at me for a minute before I noticed her name tag. Tracy. Shit, she was that girl from before the house warming party. Well, that explained the slap. She huffed and stomped off as I pressed a hand to my cheek. I guess I deserved that.

David was trying desperately to contain his laughter and I glared at him as I tossed back the second shot. Odds were Tracy probably spit in it.

“What is it with you and women?” He shook his head at me.

“I just like to have fun.” I shrugged.

“That’s because you would rather go for quantity then quality,” he said. “Look, I get it, you’re young, and in college, there is an endless stream of coeds in short skirts, thinking they can fuck their way into getting what they want. It may seem like you are living the dream, but waking up next to a different girl has nothing on waking up next to the right girl. Look at Mom and Dad. Shit, they’ve been married for twenty-seven years and they are happier than the day they were married.”

“Yeah, but look at Pop now. Don’t you see how her cancer is killing him just as much as it is killing her?”

“What Mom is going through sucks and it is hard on all of us, but don’t think for a second that Dad would trade a single minute of his life with her if he had the choice.”

“What if Red doesn’t…?” I let the question hang, not wanting to really consider that she might not feel the same way I did.

“You won’t know until you tell her.”

He had a point and man, did I hate it when David was right. He could be a self-righteous bastard when he wanted to be.

I poured myself a beer from the pitcher on the table. “You didn’t come all the way up here for the cheap beer. What’s up?”

“Yeah, I actually came on some wedding business. So, things with Mom aren’t…” he paused, dropping his head. He cleared his throat and looked up at me. “Millie and I are moving up the wedding to the end of the month.”

“Wow, that’s quick. You sure there isn’t another reason?” I chuckled.

“Funny, asshole!” He balled up a napkin and tossed it at me.

“Okay, so what do you need from me?”

“I want you to be my best man.”

I looked up at him. “Really?”

“Of course! You’re my brother. Who else would I want to stand up with me?”

I shot him a smile and dropped a hand on his shoulder. “I’m honored, man, seriously.”

“Okay, well, I got to get going. I have to round up the rest of the groomsmen before I have to get back.” David chugged the rest of his beer and got to his feet, tossing a few bills down on the table.

“Thanks, Dave.”

He nodded and headed for the door.

***

I spent the rest of the day just trying to find ways to occupy my mind. I finished the web design project. I got started on a psych paper. I considered cleaning, but figured that was taking the distraction thing a little too far. I ended up drinking on the couch with the TV on, although I was not paying attention to what was on the screen. My head was on a constant loop of Red.

I was so focused on her that when my phone went off, I half expected it to be Red.

Sean: Dorm party at Langford. Get down here.

 

I figured, eh, what the hell. I got up, grabbed a jacket and my keys, and headed out to meet up with Sean.

When I got there, people were everywhere. The party covered the entire first floor. All the doors were opened and people went from room to room and spilled out into the hallway. I spotted Sean and headed over to him.

“‘Bout time.” He turned to a little blonde standing next to him. “Hey. Crystal, this is my roommate, Drew.”

I nodded a greeting to her and she gave me a suggestive smile, twirling her hair around her finger. “Hey Becca,” she called without taking her eyes off me.

As the tall brunette made her way toward us, she answered, “Yeah.” When she saw us, she stepped close to me, running her hand down my chest. “You must be the roommate. I heard so much about you.” Her voice took on a slow, sexy drawl.

She was ridiculously hot, but she knew it. She wore a tight brown low cut vest only a shade darker than her overly tanned skin. Her tight jeans hung low on her hips, exposing the smooth skin of her stomach.

I looked up, meeting Sean’s eyes. He smiled at me and nodded. The smirk on his face said you’re welcome, but this was not the distraction I was looking for. I was starting to push her away when I caught sight of Red coming out of one of the rooms behind her. She was smiling, facing someone I couldn’t see. She reached her hand out and took a few steps backward. She leaned against the wall. Then I saw Chuck step toward her. He leaned in close, smiling down at her.

“Sean was telling me about your apartment,” Becca said. “Sounds nice. I would love to see it.”

“Yeah,” I replied without comprehending what she’d said. I was too busy watching Red giggle and flirt with Chuck. Goddamn it! Last night she was telling me how I should have kissed her and now she’s flirting with that asshole!

Becca grabbed my chin and turned my head back to face her. “Why don’t we get out of here?” She pressed herself against me and my eyes immediately went to the abundance of skin coming out of her top.

I looked over her head and saw Chuck lean down and kiss Red’s neck as she giggled and reached for his shoulder. All of my instincts were telling me to go over there and rip Chuck off her, but that was not going to work out in my favor. I looked down at Becca, who was insanely hot and obviously ready to go. Then I looked back at Red, who was letting Chuck lead her down the hall. I snapped. I grabbed Becca’s hand.

“Fuck it, let’s go!” I headed for the door, dragging Becca along behind me.

“You two have fun!” Sean called after us.

The ride back to my apartment was short, but Becca wasted no time. She was all over me in the car, her lips and tongue on my neck and her hands in my lap. I was turned on and more than ready to go, but I was also seriously pissed.

I threw the car in park and grabbed Becca by the back of the neck, crushing my lips to hers. She moaned loudly as I kissed her hard. If Red was going to fuck around with Chuck then I was going to enjoy the hell out of this stacked chick trying to climb into my lap.

I got her out of the car and up the stairs, pressing her to my front door. I tried to get the door unlocked but was distracted as her hands started to unbutton my jeans.

Once inside, I lifted her and carried her to my room, dropping her onto the bed. She bit her lip and reached for the three buttons holding together what already wasn’t much of a top. I pulled my shirt over my head as she sat up, pulled my zipper down, and yanked my jeans down my legs.

I unclasped her bra and roughly cupped her breasts as she moaned, dropping her head back and giving me access to her neck. She smelled like vanilla. It was too sweet and it made me think of Red and her fruity shampoo.

Fuck! It should have been me. I should be the one kissing her, touching her, not Chuck!

I growled, frustrated by everything that was going through my head and desperate to find something else to focus on. I pushed Becca back onto the bed, hovering over her and undoing the button of her jeans. I let my lips travel down her neck to her chest. I ran my tongue over her already hard nipple and trapped it between my teeth. She arched her back in response and cried out.

I kept flashing back to Red, wondering where she was and what Chuck might be doing to her. I slid down Becca’s body, ripping her pants down her legs and tossing them to the side. The more I thought about Red, the rougher I got. I was far from hurting Becca, though, and she was more into it than when we started.

I went to the nightstand to grab a condom and my phone lit up with a text.

Alex: You up?

 

I froze. I couldn’t move. I just stood there, staring at my phone. I looked over to Becca, who was lying naked on my bed, waiting for me to fuck her, but I couldn’t.

“Goddamn it!” I yelled. I grabbed my phone and headed for the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I wrenched the cold water on and dropped my phone to the counter before stepping under the freezing spray. I was losing my fucking mind! I pounded a fist against the tile and let the cold water run down my back. It did the trick. I was starting to calm down and my head was beginning to clear.

I turned off the faucet and stepped out of the shower. I dried myself off and wrapped a towel around my waist before heading back into the bedroom to deal with the naked girl in my bed.

She was sitting up when I walked back into the room. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, but you should go.”

“You sure about that?” she asked, sliding off the bed to press herself against me.

She reached for the towel around my waist and I grabbed her wrist. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

She took a step back and looked at me like I’d lost my mind. I mean, she was not far off. I was standing in my bedroom with a gorgeous naked woman who wanted nothing but sex and I was turning her down all for a girl who may or may not be into me. In that moment, I was the definition of a pussy.

She pulled her clothes on, grabbed her shoes, and stormed out of my apartment. I dropped back on my bed and replied to Red.

Drew: What’s up?

 

Alex: Can you do something for me?

 

I smiled and typed a response.

Drew: Anything.

 

She didn’t even know the half of it.

Chapter 16

Alex (Now)

I woke to a pounding in my head. It took me a minute to realize that the pounding wasn’t in my head, it was on the door.

I glanced at the clock and dragged a hand down my still half asleep face. Who was banging on the door at three in the morning? Dragging myself out of bed, I headed to the door, looked through the peephole, and cringed. It was Drew. I couldn’t deal with him now. I tried to swallow through the lump building in my throat.

“Alex, open the goddamn door!” he bellowed, pounding the door so hard it shook on the hinges. I didn’t want to face him, not after seeing him with her, but he obviously wasn’t leaving. I flipped the lock and opened the door a crack. Drew shoved past me and stormed into the living room, keeping his back to me.

“Why haven’t you answered any of my calls?” He turned to face me. He looked so angry and hurt. I quickly dropped my head and picked at my cuticles, chewing on my lip. I couldn’t look at him. I knew if I raised my head, the tears would start and everything I had been feeling would just fall out of my mouth.

“I turned my phone off.” I shrugged, keeping my eyes down.

“Bullshit!”

I flinched. I really had turned my phone off, but it was after I realized he wasn’t going to stop calling.

“What the fuck, Red? You don’t talk to me for days, then you barge into my apartment, no, my bedroom, for only God knows what reason and storm out!” he yelled. “I don’t know what to do with you! You’ve been acting crazy since that damn gala. I try to protect you, you push me away. I give you space and you disappear only to show up in my bedroom at the worst possible moment. What the fuck do you want from me?”

He stared at me, waiting for an answer I wasn’t ready to give him. He sighed, ran his hand over his face, and looked up at the ceiling. I couldn’t say anything. So far everything he had said was true. I had been acting crazy. If he knew why, everything would make sense, but seeing him with Gwen cleared away whatever tiny semblance of courage I had built up to tell him the truth, so I just stayed quiet, letting him yell at me.

“I get you don’t like Gwen.”

My head snapped up. Did he really think this was about her? A mix of rage and pain coursed through my body. I was angry and really hurt and teetering on the edge of losing it. I had to get him out of here before it all came out. My shoulders started to shake as the tears welled up in my eyes. When our eyes met, I saw his were apologetic, but still angry.

“Drew, just go,” I said, trying and failing to sound calm. I brushed past him and headed for my bedroom. He grabbed my shoulders and took a step closer so his chest was almost pressed to my back. I could feel the heat from his body. He was so close, his breath warmed the back of my neck.

“Alex,” he said, his voice softening with concern. “Please. Just talk to me.”

My heart clenched. The tears I was desperately trying to hold back escaped my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. I didn’t want to hurt him, but if I told him what was really going on, he would leave. I just needed some time to get past this. I could do it. I could stop loving him and everything could stay the same.

He turned me and wrapped his arms around my back. He ran a hand up to the back of my neck as I dropped my forehead to his chest.

“After seeing you with Peter, I was pissed, okay? I spent most of Friday drunk in my apartment. He is such a piece of shit, Red.” He brought his hands forward to cup my cheeks, forcing my eyes to meet his. “He doesn’t deserve you.” He dropped his hands from my face and continued. “I needed to get out of the house today, so I went to The Den, hoping David or Sean would be there, but I ended up drunk and by myself. She was just there and the next thing I know, you were standing in my door way and Gwen…” He trailed off, not wanting to make this worse, but something inside me snapped.

“Don’t say her name!” I cried, shoving against his chest. “I don’t give a shit about her! She has nothing to do with this.”

“I thought…” He looked even more confused.

He reached for me again and I took a step back. I saw red. Did he think I was so petty to be this upset because he slept with that factory made psycho? I could care less about her. This was about us, or the “us” I wanted but couldn’t have. Walking in on them together was just the last straw for me. I couldn’t take it anymore. My heart just broke open and everything I felt for him just came flooding out.

“I’m in love with you, damn it!” I cried as the emotional dam finally broke. He took a step back like I just shoved him with my confession. I continued, my voice getting softer, unable to hold it back any more. “I love you, and it has been killing me every day to see you knowing you don’t feel the same way. Then I see you with her, and I just can’t do this anymore. It hurts too much. I love you too much.”

He looked stunned, like I had just told him I had testicles. The look on his face just proved that I was right. He didn’t feel anything between us. Everything I felt for him was one-sided. I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes. I turned and headed for my room.

“This is my issue, okay. I will figure it out. Please, just go.”

I walked into my room, closed the door, collapsed onto my bed, and just let go. I was destroyed. I felt like I just lost the only person who meant anything to me because I was stupid enough to fall for him. I didn’t know where to go from there. We couldn’t just go back to the way things were and forget everything I had just said. It would be horrible, tense, and awkward. The tears kept coming. My heart was shattered, and I didn’t think I would ever get it back together.

After a while, I started to drift off to sleep. I heard the door open, then felt the bed dip behind me. I heard him slip off his shoes and slide under the covers. He pulled me to him, pressed my back against his chest, and wrapped his arms around me, holding on tight. I finally drifted off to sleep as he whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

***

The sun streamed into my window the next morning. My eyes were swollen and sore from crying in my sleep, and my head was killing me. I swung my legs out of bed and rubbed my head to relieve the pressure behind my eyes. My confession last night was a dream. It had to be a dream.

I got up and walked around the bed to the bathroom, my eyes blurring as I yawned my way across the room. I had to look like hell. My foot hit something and I tripped, catching myself on the edge of the bed.

“What the hell?” I muttered. I rubbed my foot and looked down to figure out what I tripped over. My eyes widened. Oh my God! His shoes. No, no!

I sunk to the floor, dropping my head into my hands. What did I do? I glanced back at his shoes and realized he was still here. I vaguely remembered him slipping into bed and holding me last night, but I woke up alone, which is why I thought it was all a dream. At least I hoped it had all been a dream. Denial was kind of becoming my thing.

I looked up at the bedroom door. I knew he was somewhere in the apartment. After sitting on the floor of my room and contemplating all the possible exits and coming up empty, I sighed and got to my feet. Time to put on my big girl panties and face him. God, I am an idiot, and apparently a drama queen. No wonder he rejected me. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

The smell of coffee hit me in the face, temporarily making me forget the complete humiliation waiting for me in the kitchen. I came down the hall, slowly approaching the kitchen. Drew was making eggs, which were obviously not for me. I hate eggs.

“Hey,” I said, my voice cracking. So much for sounding nonchalant.

He didn’t respond or look at me. He just handed me my cup of coffee. I sat at the breakfast bar trying to figure out what to say to him. I had nothing. I already said enough last night.

I just sat there, staring into my coffee, too afraid to look up. He dropped a plate with bacon and buttered wheat toast in front of me. I glanced up as he set his plate on the counter in front of him and dug into his eggs.

We ate in silence. Well, I tried to eat, but my stomach was in knots. I wanted to get this over with, just rip off the metaphorical Band-Aid. Bracing his hand on the counter in front of him, he finally looked up at me.

“I’m sorry about Gwen,” he said, finally breaking the silence. A tremor went through my body. This was not starting out well.

“Don’t. I have no right…”

He cut me off. “No, listen.”

I clamped my mouth shut, waiting for the inevitable friend zone speech.

“I should have never let things get that far. I had too much to drink and I was following my dick. It’s no excuse, and I’m so sorry.”

My throat started to ache. It was the warning sign tears were coming. I swallowed hard, trying to hold them back. He ran a hand through his hair and walked around the bar, stopping in front of where I sat on the stool. I looked at the floor, the wall, the ceiling, anywhere but directly at him.

“Alex.” His voice was cautious, like I would shatter if he didn’t tread lightly. I squeezed my eyes closed and exhaled. When I opened them, I saw a sea of deep blue looking back at me. I desperately searched his face for some kind of answer to what was going on in his head.

Did he still think of us as friends? Was he about to reject me completely? I knew he didn’t have it in him to be cruel, but I knew what was coming.

He stepped closer, running his hands up my arms to my shoulders, to my neck, pulling me forward and pressing his lips softly to my forehead. I shivered as he pressed his forehead to mine. “What do we do now?”

I wiped a hand down my face, trying to clear the storm of doubt and fear clouding my head. Steeling myself and sitting up straight, I cleared my throat. “I just need to get over this so we can still be friends,” I said, sounding surprisingly in control.

He took a step back. He narrowed his eyes as he studied my face.

“I know it’s stupid,” I said. “I wish I didn’t feel this way, but I promise I won’t let things get weird between us. I just don’t want to lose you.”

He put his hands on his hips, watching me. For a second, he looked hurt, but then it was gone. He took a deep breath. “Of course.” He stepped toward me, pulling me off the stool and into his arms. He squeezed me tightly, bringing his hand up to the back of my neck. “You’re stuck with me, Red.”

I couldn’t help but smile against his chest. Everything was going to be okay. Things would be awkward between us for a while, but we would move past this. We had to. He was all the family I had.

Drew cleared his throat. “So, one question?” he said, his arms still firmly wrapped around me. I flinched. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take. I pulled back and met his eyes. “What were you doing at my place last night?”

Ugh, I didn’t want to get into this now. I knew Drew would be upset, and after everything that happened last night, now that we were good, I didn’t want to stir things up again, but I didn’t want to keep things from him anymore. “I came to apologize to you.”

He raised one eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Turns out you were right about Peter. I wanted to…”

“What happened? Did that fucker hurt you?” he interrupted me, appraising me for damage.

“Drew, stop.” I stepped away from his inspection. “It wasn’t like that, okay? He just wasn’t the guy I thought he was, but I took care of it. I won’t be seeing him again.”

He stared at me, trying to figure out if he should be more concerned. “Well, I hate to say I’m glad, but I am. You deserve a lot better than that clown.”

“What? No ‘I told you so’?”

He chuckled. “I’ll spare you this time, but you won’t be so lucky next time.” He pulled me into a hug, then went to refill our coffees.

“Drew?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you…” My voice broke for a second. I cleared my throat and continued. “Are you into her?”

“Who?” He turned toward me. “Gwen?”

I flinched at her name and nodded. He gripped the counter between us. “I told you. I never meant for it to happen.” He sighed. “I don’t want her. I…”

There was a knock on the door before he could finish. He flipped the lock and pulled open the door. A delivery man with a bouquet of lilies stood in the doorway. Drew signed and accepted the flowers, closing the door and handing them to me. I pulled the card from the little envelope.

I was an ass. Forgive me?

I tossed the card and the flowers into the trash. Drew raised his eyebrows. I shrugged. “I hate lilies.”

“Noted,” he said, sipping his coffee.

***

Monday came and I was busy for a good part of the morning working on a proposal for a new spa when Wiley burst into my office.

“Ding dong the witch is dead,” she exclaimed, tossing a handful of confetti she got from her two-hole punch into the air. She laughed as she hopped up on my desk. “Tell me everything. Did she cry? I heard she threatened you and slapped Madeline,” she said, way too excitedly.

“Slow down, girl. No one was slapped. Madeline just told Gwen that her services were no longer needed.”

“That’s it?”

“She may have told Madeline that she would ruin her.”

Wiley’s jaw dropped. “Can she do that?” She looked a little unsure.

“No,” I said, “no way.”

She seemed satisfied that our jobs were safe, at least for the foreseeable future, and we could move forward with our lives.

I almost felt bad for Gwen about the way things went on Friday. Then I remembered her naked back and the smile on her face when I saw her with Drew. I shuddered. He said he didn’t want her, but the thought of them together…just ugh!

“So,” Wiley snapped me back to focus. “How was your weekend?”

I groaned and dropped my head into my hands. “I can’t get into that now. With Gwen gone, I have a ton of work to do.”

“Okay, but drinks tonight?” she asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.

I let out a long breath. “Yeah, I will absolutely need a drink for this.”

***

The story took exactly four, “Oh my God’s,” one “Sweet baby, Jesus,” and two martinis before Wiley knew everything. By the end, we were both exhausted and a little buzzed. I waved to the bartender for my third martini before Wiley said, “He slept with Gwen?”

I nodded.

“And you saw them, like…in the moment?”

I shuddered at the memory. “Yeah.”

She just blinked at me for a second, letting the whole thing sink in. “Wow. I’m just…wow. So, are they, like, a thing now?”

“Drew says he doesn’t want her. He said that it was a drunken mistake, but he was texting her the other day, so maybe he is trying to spare my feelings. I don’t know.”

Wiley looked at me for a long time. “Do you want to know what I think?”

“I don’t know. Do I?” I was unsure if I was going to like where she was going.

“I get that I’m beginning to sound like a broken record…” She raised a pink stained finger when I rolled my eyes. “No, listen. You are clearly incapable of seeing past your insecurities to see that Drew feels something for you. It’s there. You choose not to see it because you refuse to let yourself hope that there is the possibility for a future between the two of you.”

I sighed as she continued. “Look, Alex, I don’t know Drew all that well, and maybe I’m wrong, but he already knows how you feel and he hasn’t run away. He stayed with you. The fear of losing him is not a real concern anymore. So, what’s holding you back from having a real conversation with him about how he feels?”

Wiley had a tendency to be kind of flaky, if not a bit socially awkward, but she had these profound moments of clarity that made me value her opinion. Well, when I could get my head out of my ass long enough to listen.

“I see what you are saying, but he is my best friend. I know that he hates carrots and can’t sleep in a shirt. I know that he says his favorite movie is Star Wars but it’s really Spaceballs. He collects ties, but rarely wears them. He plays the piano and is a freakishly good speller. I know how he thinks, what he likes, and who he is, and I know that if he wanted to be with me, he would be.”

She held her hands up in defeat. “Okay, okay, if you say so.”

Ping, ping. That bicycle was beginning to grow on me. It had a habit of saving me from awkward conversations.

Sean: @ The Den where r u?

 

“Looks like everyone is at The Den. Feel like a set change?”

She nodded. We paid our tab and headed out.

***

As we approached The Den, I saw Drew outside. He was on the phone having a pretty heated discussion. I told Wiley I would meet her in there. I couldn’t hear everything, but he sounded really irritated. I caught the tail end of the conversation.

“You need to back off. Stop calling me!” He gritted his teeth, his jaw tense. He ended the call and shoved the phone into his pocket, turning around so quickly he nearly knocked me over.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” I said, sounding a little awkward, “what was that about?”

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” He put a hand on my back and tried to guide me toward the door.

I stopped and planted my feet. “That wasn’t nothing. What’s going on?”

I crossed my arms across my chest. I was determined to get an answer from him. Keeping things from each other was what got us into this mess we were in.

Drew put his hands on his hips and looked down at his shoes, exhaling as he met my eyes. “It was Gwen.”

I pressed my lips tightly together and waited for him to continue.

“After you left, I sobered up pretty quick. I knew I had to talk to you but I had to get her out first. She was not so happy about the interruption and even angrier that I was asking her to leave. She has been calling and texting me ever since. I don’t even know how she got my number.”

“But you texted her last week.” I was confused. Gwen said Drew texted her, which sparked the whole crying-in-the-bathroom, Bitchface-getting-fired thing.