“Reed,” I supplied. “And that’d be worse. It wouldn’t be right if we asked him for tickets; besides, I think it might be too late.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Disappointment filled both of us when our bill came and we paid at the table. As we walked out, I asked, “So what’s on the agenda for you and Justin today?”
Her eyes sparkled in humor. “Can I make a comment like you did? Instead of Jesse, can I say Justin? Would you be okay if I disappeared for the day with my man? We had a crazy dirty night last night. I was worked up. I got him worked up.” She pretended to shiver from excitement. “He scratched me right and I scratched him back.”
“Okay,” I laughed and hit her arm. “Shut up. I got it. I won’t bring up Jesse in that way anymore.”
She tipped her head back as a carefree laugh came out of her, but it ended on a sour note. We stopped in our tracks when we saw Eric in the lobby. He was on a couch in a far corner with two of his bags packed at his feet. His head hung low as he was hunched over his knees.
She sighed, “That doesn’t look good.”
I touched her arm. “Let me, okay?”
“Have at it. Hopefully she didn’t railroad him like she does all her guys.”
“What?” I mocked her. “What about the ones who leave her in the dust?”
Angie grinned and waved at the same time. “Listen to us; we’ve turned into the mean girls. Good luck over there.”
As she went back to her room and I headed to Eric, regret filling me for a moment. I was being mean to Marissa. I had flinched as I heard the bitterness in my tone as well, but I also knew that everything would work out with her. It always did, even though it might take awhile this time. For some reason, I couldn’t turn my back as easily as I did before. For some reason, her betrayals hurt more than they normally did.
“Hey.” I sank onto the couch beside him and tapped the bags beside him. “What’s up with those?”
Eric’s head snapped up. His eyes widened, but then a depleted look filled them. His shoulders sagged forward. “I had a great lie to tell you, in case I saw any of you guys, but screw it. She’s not worth it.”
A foreboding sense filled me. I asked quietly, “What’d she do?”
“Besides spending the night in Cord Tatum’s room last night?” He shook his head. His mouth was strained at the corners. “She screwed him all night long, and they were loud enough that his roommate had to bunk somewhere else. She loved telling me that this morning.”
“I’m sorry, Eric.” I reached up to pat his arm.
A harsh laugh ripped from him. “There’s more.”
“Oh.” My hand fell back to my lap.
“Yeah, and I guess this morning he told her to take a hike.”
“What?”
“Yep. He told her that she should go back to her boyfriend because he’d be out with the guys tonight. I guess they party hard after their games, and he said he’d be getting other ass tonight. He told her not to wait for him and that she should patch things up with her boyfriend. I guess he thinks I’m a nice guy.”
The anger rolled off of him in waves, but he was tired too. I saw the exhaustion in his depths. Then he continued, “None of that went over with her. She came back to the room, screamed at me for an hour that I was a horrible boyfriend because I still had feelings for you and she knew it.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. His hands formed into fists. Then he bit out, “She blamed me for everything. She said I wasn’t good enough for her in bed, that I was too nice to her. She liked having guys treat her like shit. She said Cord had been liberating in bed, that’d she do him anytime he called her.” He cursed under his breath and swung his head towards me. I jumped back at the bleak look in his eyes. “Is that what’s it like for you and Hunt? Are you with him because he treats you like crap? Do all girls go for that?”
I sucked in my breath and told myself that this wasn’t really about me and Jesse. I started to reach for his arm again, but he hissed as he yanked it away. “Don’t touch me, Alex. Don’t ever touch me again unless you’re going to follow through with it.”
“What?” My mouth fell open.
He jerked to his feet. “I mean it. Don’t hug me. Don’t pat me on the shoulder. Not unless you’re ready to follow through and screw me. Isn’t that what you do with Hunt? He touches you and you melt for him. It disgusts me. You disgust me.”
“Eric.”
“I mean it. I’m tired of it. I’m always the good guy. I always get crapped on. I’m done with it.” He started to turn away, but then pulled something out of his pocket. He threw it at me.
As four pieces of paper fluttered in the air, I couldn’t move. This wasn’t an Eric that I had ever seen before.
He grabbed his bags and glared at me. “I’m going back home. Marissa took off this morning. She said she couldn’t stand being around me. I took the tickets out of her purse when she was in the bathroom so there you go, you can still watch your boy’s game. Shit.” He shook his head again. “I’m still being the nice guy. I wanted to be with you, but you never gave me the signs. And then Marissa was all over me and I thought, ‘why not? She wouldn’t hurt me,’ but the sad thing is that she did. I cared about her. I actually did. And then this trip happened. This was the trip from hell. I got to watch both girls that I cared about fall all over the ass**les. That’s what he is, Alex. You know that too. I know you know that. He’s going to break your heart. Why won’t you stop it? I don’t get that. Why do girls like you always go for guys like that? I bet he hasn’t even lied to you about it either, like Cord did with Marissa. He told her upfront that he was going to screw other girls tonight and I know she’ll still go for him if he ever calls her. You do that too. You’re both so weak. You’re spineless.” He held a hand to his stomach. “You make me sick. I can’t even look at you.”
The tickets fell to the floor around my feet, but I couldn’t bend to pick them up. I couldn’t even pick up my own mouth as it fell beside them. My feet were cemented in place as I watched him leave. This was Eric Nathan, the good guy who was never going to hurt me. It was then, as I heard everything he flung at me, that I realized I could’ve been happy with him. He wouldn’t have hurt me as I knew Jesse would. He would’ve been good to me, treated me right. And maybe, even maybe, he might’ve helped me heal from the pain that I had left at home.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Disappointment filled both of us when our bill came and we paid at the table. As we walked out, I asked, “So what’s on the agenda for you and Justin today?”
Her eyes sparkled in humor. “Can I make a comment like you did? Instead of Jesse, can I say Justin? Would you be okay if I disappeared for the day with my man? We had a crazy dirty night last night. I was worked up. I got him worked up.” She pretended to shiver from excitement. “He scratched me right and I scratched him back.”
“Okay,” I laughed and hit her arm. “Shut up. I got it. I won’t bring up Jesse in that way anymore.”
She tipped her head back as a carefree laugh came out of her, but it ended on a sour note. We stopped in our tracks when we saw Eric in the lobby. He was on a couch in a far corner with two of his bags packed at his feet. His head hung low as he was hunched over his knees.
She sighed, “That doesn’t look good.”
I touched her arm. “Let me, okay?”
“Have at it. Hopefully she didn’t railroad him like she does all her guys.”
“What?” I mocked her. “What about the ones who leave her in the dust?”
Angie grinned and waved at the same time. “Listen to us; we’ve turned into the mean girls. Good luck over there.”
As she went back to her room and I headed to Eric, regret filling me for a moment. I was being mean to Marissa. I had flinched as I heard the bitterness in my tone as well, but I also knew that everything would work out with her. It always did, even though it might take awhile this time. For some reason, I couldn’t turn my back as easily as I did before. For some reason, her betrayals hurt more than they normally did.
“Hey.” I sank onto the couch beside him and tapped the bags beside him. “What’s up with those?”
Eric’s head snapped up. His eyes widened, but then a depleted look filled them. His shoulders sagged forward. “I had a great lie to tell you, in case I saw any of you guys, but screw it. She’s not worth it.”
A foreboding sense filled me. I asked quietly, “What’d she do?”
“Besides spending the night in Cord Tatum’s room last night?” He shook his head. His mouth was strained at the corners. “She screwed him all night long, and they were loud enough that his roommate had to bunk somewhere else. She loved telling me that this morning.”
“I’m sorry, Eric.” I reached up to pat his arm.
A harsh laugh ripped from him. “There’s more.”
“Oh.” My hand fell back to my lap.
“Yeah, and I guess this morning he told her to take a hike.”
“What?”
“Yep. He told her that she should go back to her boyfriend because he’d be out with the guys tonight. I guess they party hard after their games, and he said he’d be getting other ass tonight. He told her not to wait for him and that she should patch things up with her boyfriend. I guess he thinks I’m a nice guy.”
The anger rolled off of him in waves, but he was tired too. I saw the exhaustion in his depths. Then he continued, “None of that went over with her. She came back to the room, screamed at me for an hour that I was a horrible boyfriend because I still had feelings for you and she knew it.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. His hands formed into fists. Then he bit out, “She blamed me for everything. She said I wasn’t good enough for her in bed, that I was too nice to her. She liked having guys treat her like shit. She said Cord had been liberating in bed, that’d she do him anytime he called her.” He cursed under his breath and swung his head towards me. I jumped back at the bleak look in his eyes. “Is that what’s it like for you and Hunt? Are you with him because he treats you like crap? Do all girls go for that?”
I sucked in my breath and told myself that this wasn’t really about me and Jesse. I started to reach for his arm again, but he hissed as he yanked it away. “Don’t touch me, Alex. Don’t ever touch me again unless you’re going to follow through with it.”
“What?” My mouth fell open.
He jerked to his feet. “I mean it. Don’t hug me. Don’t pat me on the shoulder. Not unless you’re ready to follow through and screw me. Isn’t that what you do with Hunt? He touches you and you melt for him. It disgusts me. You disgust me.”
“Eric.”
“I mean it. I’m tired of it. I’m always the good guy. I always get crapped on. I’m done with it.” He started to turn away, but then pulled something out of his pocket. He threw it at me.
As four pieces of paper fluttered in the air, I couldn’t move. This wasn’t an Eric that I had ever seen before.
He grabbed his bags and glared at me. “I’m going back home. Marissa took off this morning. She said she couldn’t stand being around me. I took the tickets out of her purse when she was in the bathroom so there you go, you can still watch your boy’s game. Shit.” He shook his head again. “I’m still being the nice guy. I wanted to be with you, but you never gave me the signs. And then Marissa was all over me and I thought, ‘why not? She wouldn’t hurt me,’ but the sad thing is that she did. I cared about her. I actually did. And then this trip happened. This was the trip from hell. I got to watch both girls that I cared about fall all over the ass**les. That’s what he is, Alex. You know that too. I know you know that. He’s going to break your heart. Why won’t you stop it? I don’t get that. Why do girls like you always go for guys like that? I bet he hasn’t even lied to you about it either, like Cord did with Marissa. He told her upfront that he was going to screw other girls tonight and I know she’ll still go for him if he ever calls her. You do that too. You’re both so weak. You’re spineless.” He held a hand to his stomach. “You make me sick. I can’t even look at you.”
The tickets fell to the floor around my feet, but I couldn’t bend to pick them up. I couldn’t even pick up my own mouth as it fell beside them. My feet were cemented in place as I watched him leave. This was Eric Nathan, the good guy who was never going to hurt me. It was then, as I heard everything he flung at me, that I realized I could’ve been happy with him. He wouldn’t have hurt me as I knew Jesse would. He would’ve been good to me, treated me right. And maybe, even maybe, he might’ve helped me heal from the pain that I had left at home.
