After last night, I want to visit even less. Being close to Sam hurts too much, and looking my friends and sisters in the eye and seeing their pity? That hurts too.
“We brought comfort food,” Krystal says. She opens the bags and pulls out oily boxes of onion rings, French fries, and mozzarella sticks. They must have picked them up on the way here, because the food is still steaming.
My stomach growls. Maybe I am a little bit hungry.
“We have beer,” Cally says, “and we have wine.”
“We left the hard stuff at home so we won’t be tempted to get drunk,” Nix says. “It still might be tempting. But one of us has to drive home.”
“You could stay,” I offer hopefully.
The three married ladies all look at their hands awkwardly, and I know without them saying that they want to get home to their men. Cally and Hanna probably want to get home to their babies as well.
“I have rounds at the hospital in the morning,” Nix says. “Or I totally would.”
“I need to open up the bakery,” Krystal says. “And Hanna is working on the prettiest cake for a wedding this weekend.”
I wave a hand. “It’s no big deal.” But it kind of is. It hurts to see their lives moving forward without me, even if, intellectually, I know that’s unfair.
Maggie digs through my cabinets, producing plates for our fried buffet and glasses for our drinks.
I pile my plate with more food than I know I can eat. As inconspicuously as possible, I keep my eye on the TV running quietly in the living room. I don’t plan on missing Sam’s interview.
I sigh as I survey the junk food and alcohol. The only thing missing is a heartbroken fool spilling her guts. Might as well get that going too. “I went to Sam’s hotel room Saturday night.”
Hanna drops her plate on the counter, and Nix coughs into her beer.
“Well, that was unexpected,” Krystal says.
“What happened?” Hanna asks.
“We had sex.” To my horror, my eyes fill with tears. “Sabrina showed up, and he made me hide in the bathroom. I think they might be serious. Not just . . .” I draw in a shaky breath. “Not just fucking.”
“But he fucked you,” Maggie says.
I nod. “She accused him of smelling like another woman’s perfume and then said, ‘Don’t break my heart.’” I shake my head. “I feel so dirty.”
Krystal props her hands on her hips. “Bastard.”
“Neither of us meant for it to go that far. It was a mistake.”
“A mistake?” Nix breaks a mozzarella stick in two. “So, his dick just fell into you? Like, oops?”
Cally twists the top off a beer and presses the cold drink into my hand. “Drink this.”
She watches me carefully until I take two long slugs from the bottle. It’s a light beer—crisp, refreshing—and my stomach wants to push it right back up.
When the bottle is half drained, Cally takes my shoulders in her hands. “I am not convinced there’s anything serious between Sam and Sabrina.” She must see my grimace, because she says, “I’m serious. Will said Sam was very weird about the whole Sabrina thing. He thinks their relationship is a lie, and so does Max. They’re his best friends, and I trust their instincts on this.”
I want to believe that. God, I do. Even if there’s no future for Sam and me, I don’t want to be the other woman again. And I don’t want Sam to be the kind of man who would do that to his girlfriend.
“What did he say after Sabrina left?” Hanna asks.
“He apologized and said it was a mistake.”
“Did you ask what the deal is with him and Sabrina?” Krystal asks.
I nod. “He didn’t answer, really, but when she was talking to him it was clear that they’re together.”
“I want to talk to him,” Hanna says.
“Han—”
She holds up her hand to stop me. “He’s hurt my sister enough. Now I want some answers. You deserve answers.”
I put down my untouched plate and stare at the television, where they’re playing an intro to the Sam and Sabrina interview. The girls follow my gaze.
“Wanna hear it?” Nix asks.
I nod, and she grabs the remote and turns up the volume.
If I thought I was okay with this in any way, if I thought I’d made my peace with Sam being with someone else, the first words out of the interviewer’s mouth prove me wrong.
“Congratulations on your engagement!”
Chapter 11
Liz
“I take it back,” Hanna says. “I take back every nice thing I ever said about him. And even some of the not-so-nice-but-not-quite-mean-enough things too. Piece-of-shit scumbag.”
I would gape at my twin, who usually doesn’t talk like that, but I’m too busy gaping at the television.
“We should turn it off,” Krystal says. “Nothing good will come of watching this.”
Cally reaches for the remote, but I stop her with a hand on her forearm. “No, I want to see it.”
I tear my gaze away from the TV to see the girls all exchange a look, as if I’m going to let them decide whether or not I torture myself with this interview. They should know me well enough to know that if they try to turn off that TV, I’m going to kick them the fuck out of my apartment.
Engaged. He’s engaged.
He didn’t cheat on his girlfriend with me. He cheated on his fiancée.
“We brought comfort food,” Krystal says. She opens the bags and pulls out oily boxes of onion rings, French fries, and mozzarella sticks. They must have picked them up on the way here, because the food is still steaming.
My stomach growls. Maybe I am a little bit hungry.
“We have beer,” Cally says, “and we have wine.”
“We left the hard stuff at home so we won’t be tempted to get drunk,” Nix says. “It still might be tempting. But one of us has to drive home.”
“You could stay,” I offer hopefully.
The three married ladies all look at their hands awkwardly, and I know without them saying that they want to get home to their men. Cally and Hanna probably want to get home to their babies as well.
“I have rounds at the hospital in the morning,” Nix says. “Or I totally would.”
“I need to open up the bakery,” Krystal says. “And Hanna is working on the prettiest cake for a wedding this weekend.”
I wave a hand. “It’s no big deal.” But it kind of is. It hurts to see their lives moving forward without me, even if, intellectually, I know that’s unfair.
Maggie digs through my cabinets, producing plates for our fried buffet and glasses for our drinks.
I pile my plate with more food than I know I can eat. As inconspicuously as possible, I keep my eye on the TV running quietly in the living room. I don’t plan on missing Sam’s interview.
I sigh as I survey the junk food and alcohol. The only thing missing is a heartbroken fool spilling her guts. Might as well get that going too. “I went to Sam’s hotel room Saturday night.”
Hanna drops her plate on the counter, and Nix coughs into her beer.
“Well, that was unexpected,” Krystal says.
“What happened?” Hanna asks.
“We had sex.” To my horror, my eyes fill with tears. “Sabrina showed up, and he made me hide in the bathroom. I think they might be serious. Not just . . .” I draw in a shaky breath. “Not just fucking.”
“But he fucked you,” Maggie says.
I nod. “She accused him of smelling like another woman’s perfume and then said, ‘Don’t break my heart.’” I shake my head. “I feel so dirty.”
Krystal props her hands on her hips. “Bastard.”
“Neither of us meant for it to go that far. It was a mistake.”
“A mistake?” Nix breaks a mozzarella stick in two. “So, his dick just fell into you? Like, oops?”
Cally twists the top off a beer and presses the cold drink into my hand. “Drink this.”
She watches me carefully until I take two long slugs from the bottle. It’s a light beer—crisp, refreshing—and my stomach wants to push it right back up.
When the bottle is half drained, Cally takes my shoulders in her hands. “I am not convinced there’s anything serious between Sam and Sabrina.” She must see my grimace, because she says, “I’m serious. Will said Sam was very weird about the whole Sabrina thing. He thinks their relationship is a lie, and so does Max. They’re his best friends, and I trust their instincts on this.”
I want to believe that. God, I do. Even if there’s no future for Sam and me, I don’t want to be the other woman again. And I don’t want Sam to be the kind of man who would do that to his girlfriend.
“What did he say after Sabrina left?” Hanna asks.
“He apologized and said it was a mistake.”
“Did you ask what the deal is with him and Sabrina?” Krystal asks.
I nod. “He didn’t answer, really, but when she was talking to him it was clear that they’re together.”
“I want to talk to him,” Hanna says.
“Han—”
She holds up her hand to stop me. “He’s hurt my sister enough. Now I want some answers. You deserve answers.”
I put down my untouched plate and stare at the television, where they’re playing an intro to the Sam and Sabrina interview. The girls follow my gaze.
“Wanna hear it?” Nix asks.
I nod, and she grabs the remote and turns up the volume.
If I thought I was okay with this in any way, if I thought I’d made my peace with Sam being with someone else, the first words out of the interviewer’s mouth prove me wrong.
“Congratulations on your engagement!”
Chapter 11
Liz
“I take it back,” Hanna says. “I take back every nice thing I ever said about him. And even some of the not-so-nice-but-not-quite-mean-enough things too. Piece-of-shit scumbag.”
I would gape at my twin, who usually doesn’t talk like that, but I’m too busy gaping at the television.
“We should turn it off,” Krystal says. “Nothing good will come of watching this.”
Cally reaches for the remote, but I stop her with a hand on her forearm. “No, I want to see it.”
I tear my gaze away from the TV to see the girls all exchange a look, as if I’m going to let them decide whether or not I torture myself with this interview. They should know me well enough to know that if they try to turn off that TV, I’m going to kick them the fuck out of my apartment.
Engaged. He’s engaged.
He didn’t cheat on his girlfriend with me. He cheated on his fiancée.
