He returns a simple smile to her. “Sure, Kal. I’ll be right back.” The sight of it makes me sick. Jealousy. I’m jealous of a bimbo named Kalliope.
Great.
For a moment, I’m glad for the relief. The break from the tension it brings.
“So Wynter. How long have you and Wes known each other? He always has the nicest things to say about you. If I remember correctly, he said you were like his boss. Is that right?”
Oh, hell no.I am not about to do this with her. Small talk about Weston.
“If you’ll excuse me, Kalliope, was it? I need to go chat with some guests. Host duties and all that, you know how it goes.”
She giggles. “Oh yes, go, go. Don’t let me hold you up. I’m sure Wes will be back with my drink any minute and rescue me from boredom.”
Turning on my heel, I hightail it out of that awkward as hell situation.
Veering toward the bathroom, Addison skitters after me. “Wyn, wait up.”
I don’t stop; I keep moving. The farther away I am, the less I feel his presence.
Slamming open the bathroom door, I rush inside, huffing. Staring up at myself in the mirror, I notice my cheeks are flushed, pupils dilated, heart beating like a freight train.
“What the hell was that back there?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Wynter, why didn’t you say anything? What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing.”
“When will you stop lying to yourself? As your best friend, I feel like it's my duty to tell you to pull your head out of your ass and figure out what you want before you lose him.”
“Can’t you see it? I’ve already lost him, Adds. He’s moved on.”
“Then you’re blind, Wyn. It’s an act. He’s trying to make you jealous. He wants to get you riled up. Make you care. Make you open your damn eyes and frankly, I applaud him for having the balls to do it. You want to have this talk, we’re going there. You’re a complicated person to like Wyn, you push people away. You shut down. You shut people out… but you know what? He likes you.”
She points her perfectly manicured finger at me. “He wants to try. He’s thinking of something so obvious, so maybe, you’ll open your eyes and see what’s right in front of your face. You’ll see him.”
Her words are a knife to my heart. It hits so close to home because every damn word is true. I’m difficult to live with. I push people away. I’m so terrified of getting hurt and turning into my parents that I’ve pushed everyone of importance out of my life. Frankly, I’m surprised Addison is still here.
My other fear still hangs there in the balance - of turning into my parents. Of him eventually hating me, the constant fighting, the lack of love.
“He doesn’t want me. He may think he does, but no one wants to deal with me. I feel like I'm losing my shit right now.”
“Did he or did he not text you almost every day while you were ignoring him?”
“He did…”
“And I didn’t tell you this Wynter, but I think it’s time you knew. Every time I saw him, he asked about you. Asked if he could do anything for you. Anything that would make things better. He cares about you.”
My eyes fill with unshed tears, my emotions on a rollercoaster of feels. “Really?”
“Honey, that man is in love with you. Plain as day. It’s probably killing him right now pretending to even be interested in that other girl for a second. I see something you can’t see, Wyn. He watches you, waits for you to move before deciding on his next move. He orbits around you like you’re the best thing in his solar system.”
“Really?” I wipe another tear from my cheek.
She nods, rubbing my shoulder. “You want to know what I think you should do?”
I shake my head. “No… I know what you’re going to say.”
“You need to talk to him. I’ll distract Barbie. Go get your Ken. I’ll give you a moment to get composed.”
I grab her arm as she walks away. “What if I can’t do this, Adds?”
“You can do anything, Wynter Carlisle. Be brave. You’re the ice queen, remember? You’ve got this.” She gives my arm a supportive squeeze before leaving me alone in the bathroom. I look at myself in the mirror again.
You can do this. I pep talk myself, not entirely sure it’s legitimately working.
Squaring my shoulders, I decide to get it over with, even if it doesn't go the way I plan. I swing open the bathroom door and deja vu hits me. Weston stands leaning against the wall outside the bathroom, waiting for me. My heart speeds up a little, just thinking about what happened last time we were in this position.
You will not have sex with the hot guy currently eye-fucking you. I reprimand myself. Words need to happen before anything else, including people getting partially naked.