Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
As I open my car door, I notice a black Camry parked outside the house—Kyler’s car. I expected him to spend the holidays with his family, making sure his niece is having the best time, so I’m a little shocked to find it here. Still, it will be good to see him without everyone else around, and my mood lightens a little at the thought. We grab our bags from the trunk, and Jude opens the front door, letting me in the house first. As expected, the house is quiet, so we both make our way up the stairs to our respective bedrooms. As we reach the second floor, I instinctively look toward Kyler’s door, and as I do, it opens. Jude and I stop and wait for Ky to come out so we can say hi to him. But it’s not him who walks out the room, and I find myself face to face with a tall blonde woman, dressed in what’s clearly the previous night’s clothes judging by the wrinkles in them. She doesn’t notice me and instead looks over her shoulder.
“Thank you for helping me forget,” she says.
A disheveled Kyler follows behind her, pulling a T-shirt over his bare chest as he exits the room. It immediately becomes clear Kyler’s night was a thousand times better than mine, given it was spent with a blonde bombshell with the face and body of a supermodel. My heart drops, and I find myself fighting the tears forming in my eyes as the emotions of the last few days catch up with me. I’m torn between wanting to look away and pretending I never saw anything, to wanting to shoot lasers of death from my eyes into Ky’s head. Neither Jude nor I say anything, but as if sensing our presence, Ky looks up, and stops abruptly. His eyes widen as he meets mine, and I can see the instant panic form in them. He should panic. This is the guy who swears he doesn’t have one-night stands, who claims he doesn’t do relationships. Who told me the other night he didn’t want me to regret him if anything happened between us. And yet here he is, proving he is exactly the guy who does all three of these things because it’s clear he’s had a one-night stand. It’s possible this could turn into a relationship. And it’s without any doubt I do regret our night together. If I didn’t, then I wouldn’t be experiencing the hurt and disappointment that’s coursing through me.
“Looks like someone has something to be thankful for!” Jude says with a laugh. “You gonna offer your guest some breakfast?”
Ky looks from us to the stairs, which his newfound bed buddy has walked down.
“Shit,” he mutters under his breath.
I don’t wait to hear anything else and instead turn and run up the stairs to my room, shutting the door behind me. What else could Kyler say without indicating to Jude something happened between us? It’s our little secret and one we can’t share without people forming an opinion.
A few minutes later, there’s a soft knock on the door.
“Thea? Are you okay?” Jude asks through the wood.
“I’m fine,” I tell him, but my voice betrays me, and it comes out with a wobble, and I cough to clear my throat.
“You don’t sound it. Please can I come in?”
Instead of answering, I go to the door and open it by way of invitation and then sit on my bed. Jude follows and sits behind me.
“You want to tell me what’s going on?”
I take a deep breath and sigh before replying.
“Adam and I broke up last night,” I tell him.
“Shit. I’m sorry, Thea. I honestly thought you two were endgame.”
I smile sadly at Jude’s words. Adam and I used to joke all the time about how we’d be old and gray and sitting on the porch in our Adirondack chairs watching the sunset. It’s the typical fairy-tale ending kids wish for when they’re growing up, and we were no different. In hindsight, we were both naïve to believe it would actually happen, but it’s not uncommon for childhood sweethearts to be happily married for the rest of their lives. I guess we were both wrong when we thought we’d be one of those couples.
“So did I,” I reply. “I guess we just grew apart.”
“Is that all it was?”
Jude’s question takes me by surprise. Apart from Kyler, no one knows about Adam’s indiscretion with his colleague, and I’m sure Ky wouldn’t have discussed it with Jude.
“What do you mean?” I ask Jude, wanting him to tell me what he knows.
He sighs before responding. “Nolan told me what happened the other night. In the parking lot after the game? He said Adam was shouting and being a bit rough with you. Apparently, Millie was worried by how angry Adam was and texted Nolan to come and help. Honestly, I had planned to talk to Adam about it when we were back home but didn’t want to overstep without speaking with you first. It’s not okay for anyone to physically hurt you, Thea.”