I couldn't look away. The threat was there, brimming to the top. I waited with my breath held. I didn't know if I wanted to hear this, if I should hear this.
"I'm coming after you, Sheldon. I backed off because I saw you loved him, but if he's not treating you right then nothing's going to keep me away. I'm coming after you."
A shiver went down my spine and I gasped, already heated, from his promise. It rang in his words and in his eyes. I couldn't look away from him. Nothing else existed in that moment. Denton spelled it out, and I was excited. I should've been ashamed to admit that but I was. Four years earlier I would've thrown myself at him, but this time I jerked out of my seat. I stumbled to catch my balance because I couldn't look away. He had a hypnotic pull over me, a power that I hadn't felt in a long time.
It shouldn't have been from him, not now.
Then I rasped out, "Should I pass that message along?"
"Denton! When did you get home?"
The doc woke up. Talk about the most inopportune time. I moved to leave, but Denton stopped me. His voice was chilling, full of promises. "Sheldon."
I paused, but I didn't turn around. I didn't dare.
"I know both of them love you. You're going to have to make a choice, and if you can't choose either of them…"
I heard the unspoken words. He'd be there. I hung my head and hurried to my room. Once inside, I fell on the bed and curled up in the blankets. Something inside of me was reeling from what he said. There was something about Denton—who was I kidding? There'd always been something about Denton. When I first saw him in the hospital, I thought things were fine and in control. Then I thought he was a friend. Now I admitted that he wasn't at all.
I closed my eyes and heard his words again. "You didn't tell me he was cheating on you."
I fumbled for my phone and dialed his number. When Bryce answered with a sleepy hello, I barked out, "Are you with her or not?!"
"What?"
I sat up in bed and drew my knees against my chest. I held my phone in front of me. "Are you with her or not?! I have to know, Bryce."
"I'm not with her. What time is it? It's four in the morning. What are you—Oh. You're on New York time."
"You were at an awards show with her. You were her date. Are you with her or not?" It was a lie, it all about the media buzz, but I couldn't ignore what else Denton had said. Did it matter if it was a lie? Did Bryce care enough to stop it if it was hurting me?
"I'm not! Wait! What? What awards show?"
"It doesn't matter, Bryce."
Denton was right. Bryce shouldn't have even been in that position. He didn't need to make more money from the Suns; they were going to keep him. I knew how good he was at soccer.
"Wait a minute." He sounded clearer now, more awake. "What are you saying?"
I took a deep breath and jumped out of bed. I couldn't do this sitting down. "I'm saying that I've loved you for years now. I committed to you a long time ago. These other girls shouldn't be a part of us."
"We were broken up—"
"You dumped me."
"No, I didn't. You ended things and left Spain."
"You didn't come after me. You let me! You let me say those words, and you just sat there. You liked it. You were getting your freedom, and you wanted it!" Tears were rolling down my face. I ignored them. "You weren't there for me. I had to rely on Corrigan because you buried yourself in soccer. And when it was painfully obvious that things weren't good between us—you did nothing. You wanted soccer more, Bryce! You chose everything else except me. You're still doing it. You're with her!"
"No, I'm not. Mathias wanted this—"
"—I slept with Corrigan!" I cried out as my tears blinded me. "I slept with him, because a part of me fell in love with him. He was there for me. You weren't."
I waited with my heart pounding and chest heaving.
Bryce said nothing on his end.
"You still aren't here for me. You keep choosing her over me."
Bryce still didn't say anything.
I stopped and dry heaved. I held the phone with shaking hands. As I closed my eyes, I wanted to hear him say something. I needed to know what he felt, the slightest of an inkling how he felt, but there was nothing. When someone cleared their throat, I looked up and saw Denton. He didn't move or say a word.
I held his gaze and spoke into the phone, "I won't be with someone who doesn't make me his first priority. You were always first for me, Bryce. You always will be, even if we're not together anymore."
I waited and then saw Denton's reaction. He closed his eyes and his face seemed to shut off from me. He straightened in the doorway and nodded before he turned to leave.
Then I heard Bryce say, so faintly, "Okay, Sheldon. I understand."
He hung up, and I was left without any answers.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The next day I stayed in bed. The doc knocked a few times and changed my bandages, but she said I was healing fast. She'd only need to change them a few more times, and then I'd get a clean bill of health. As she said this, I noticed a hard edge in her voice. She seemed more business-like, less friendly. A part of me wondered if it was about Denton; no doubt she heard his proclamations.
Denton poked his head once, but I threw a book at him. His voice was muffled through the door a second later. "I'll come back tonight."
"Just try it." I glared at the door.
Then I remembered who I should've been mad at. Denton hadn't cheated on me. He'd been the messenger. Feeling horrible, I buried my head in the pillows and rolled over with my blanket. If I were one to listen to sad music, it would've been blaring. I felt like I kissed both my best friends goodbye. No pun intended.
A few hours later, I heard another knock on my door. As I sat up, I rubbed at my eyes and realized that I must've fallen asleep. When I looked at the window, I was surprised to see it was dark.
"Who is it?"
There was a moment of hesitation before Denton replied, "You have…open this door, Sheldon." His voice was muffled, but I heard the weird tone in his voice.
I scratched my face and dragged my feet over. Then, because I was curious, I opened the door and saw a Denton that I'd never seen. He looked like he had to vomit, but I knew that wasn't right. "What it is?"
"I'm coming after you, Sheldon. I backed off because I saw you loved him, but if he's not treating you right then nothing's going to keep me away. I'm coming after you."
A shiver went down my spine and I gasped, already heated, from his promise. It rang in his words and in his eyes. I couldn't look away from him. Nothing else existed in that moment. Denton spelled it out, and I was excited. I should've been ashamed to admit that but I was. Four years earlier I would've thrown myself at him, but this time I jerked out of my seat. I stumbled to catch my balance because I couldn't look away. He had a hypnotic pull over me, a power that I hadn't felt in a long time.
It shouldn't have been from him, not now.
Then I rasped out, "Should I pass that message along?"
"Denton! When did you get home?"
The doc woke up. Talk about the most inopportune time. I moved to leave, but Denton stopped me. His voice was chilling, full of promises. "Sheldon."
I paused, but I didn't turn around. I didn't dare.
"I know both of them love you. You're going to have to make a choice, and if you can't choose either of them…"
I heard the unspoken words. He'd be there. I hung my head and hurried to my room. Once inside, I fell on the bed and curled up in the blankets. Something inside of me was reeling from what he said. There was something about Denton—who was I kidding? There'd always been something about Denton. When I first saw him in the hospital, I thought things were fine and in control. Then I thought he was a friend. Now I admitted that he wasn't at all.
I closed my eyes and heard his words again. "You didn't tell me he was cheating on you."
I fumbled for my phone and dialed his number. When Bryce answered with a sleepy hello, I barked out, "Are you with her or not?!"
"What?"
I sat up in bed and drew my knees against my chest. I held my phone in front of me. "Are you with her or not?! I have to know, Bryce."
"I'm not with her. What time is it? It's four in the morning. What are you—Oh. You're on New York time."
"You were at an awards show with her. You were her date. Are you with her or not?" It was a lie, it all about the media buzz, but I couldn't ignore what else Denton had said. Did it matter if it was a lie? Did Bryce care enough to stop it if it was hurting me?
"I'm not! Wait! What? What awards show?"
"It doesn't matter, Bryce."
Denton was right. Bryce shouldn't have even been in that position. He didn't need to make more money from the Suns; they were going to keep him. I knew how good he was at soccer.
"Wait a minute." He sounded clearer now, more awake. "What are you saying?"
I took a deep breath and jumped out of bed. I couldn't do this sitting down. "I'm saying that I've loved you for years now. I committed to you a long time ago. These other girls shouldn't be a part of us."
"We were broken up—"
"You dumped me."
"No, I didn't. You ended things and left Spain."
"You didn't come after me. You let me! You let me say those words, and you just sat there. You liked it. You were getting your freedom, and you wanted it!" Tears were rolling down my face. I ignored them. "You weren't there for me. I had to rely on Corrigan because you buried yourself in soccer. And when it was painfully obvious that things weren't good between us—you did nothing. You wanted soccer more, Bryce! You chose everything else except me. You're still doing it. You're with her!"
"No, I'm not. Mathias wanted this—"
"—I slept with Corrigan!" I cried out as my tears blinded me. "I slept with him, because a part of me fell in love with him. He was there for me. You weren't."
I waited with my heart pounding and chest heaving.
Bryce said nothing on his end.
"You still aren't here for me. You keep choosing her over me."
Bryce still didn't say anything.
I stopped and dry heaved. I held the phone with shaking hands. As I closed my eyes, I wanted to hear him say something. I needed to know what he felt, the slightest of an inkling how he felt, but there was nothing. When someone cleared their throat, I looked up and saw Denton. He didn't move or say a word.
I held his gaze and spoke into the phone, "I won't be with someone who doesn't make me his first priority. You were always first for me, Bryce. You always will be, even if we're not together anymore."
I waited and then saw Denton's reaction. He closed his eyes and his face seemed to shut off from me. He straightened in the doorway and nodded before he turned to leave.
Then I heard Bryce say, so faintly, "Okay, Sheldon. I understand."
He hung up, and I was left without any answers.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The next day I stayed in bed. The doc knocked a few times and changed my bandages, but she said I was healing fast. She'd only need to change them a few more times, and then I'd get a clean bill of health. As she said this, I noticed a hard edge in her voice. She seemed more business-like, less friendly. A part of me wondered if it was about Denton; no doubt she heard his proclamations.
Denton poked his head once, but I threw a book at him. His voice was muffled through the door a second later. "I'll come back tonight."
"Just try it." I glared at the door.
Then I remembered who I should've been mad at. Denton hadn't cheated on me. He'd been the messenger. Feeling horrible, I buried my head in the pillows and rolled over with my blanket. If I were one to listen to sad music, it would've been blaring. I felt like I kissed both my best friends goodbye. No pun intended.
A few hours later, I heard another knock on my door. As I sat up, I rubbed at my eyes and realized that I must've fallen asleep. When I looked at the window, I was surprised to see it was dark.
"Who is it?"
There was a moment of hesitation before Denton replied, "You have…open this door, Sheldon." His voice was muffled, but I heard the weird tone in his voice.
I scratched my face and dragged my feet over. Then, because I was curious, I opened the door and saw a Denton that I'd never seen. He looked like he had to vomit, but I knew that wasn't right. "What it is?"
