I’m halfway through my sixth or seventh drink—honestly could be more because I’ve lost count—when a pretty babe sits next to me. She orders a white wine spritzer. She takes one sip and then starts crying.
“It can’t be that bad,” I say to her as I hold my glass up toward hers.
“Believe me. It is.”
“Nah. Do you know what’s bad?” I don’t wait for her to answer. “It’s being in love with your roommate’s little sister. Only for her to be in love with someone else. Now that’s bad.”
“My husband is having an affair with my sister. I caught them fucking in the bathroom after dinner.”
Her words stun me. “Yep, that’s way worse than me wanting to fuck my roommate.”
“You mean his sister.”
I shake my head. “Nope, she lives with us too. Her brother is also my closest friend. He doesn’t want her anywhere near me because I’m a fuck up.” I lift my drink and miss my mouth. “Fuck.”
“Kyler, I think you’ve had enough.” My boss takes my drink from me. “I’ll call you a cab.”
“I’ll walk,” I tell him.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he says.
“I’ll take him home,” the babe next to me says, and I think, fuck yes, I’m going to get laid tonight. She touches my arm and everything turns into a blur.
Seventeen
Thea
Judeand I leave Silver Lake early in the morning. After breaking up with Adam, I spent the rest of the evening with my mom and dad, and while they knew something bothered me, I held back from telling them what had happened. It was Thanksgiving, after all, and I didn’t want to ruin the mood. They’ve known Adam for a long time, welcoming him into their home when we started dating, and are very fond of him. I’m sure our break-up will affect them too. I just hope our parents will remain friends. I don’t want mine and Adam’s break-up to break up our parents as well. But I need to process everything before telling them, as I know they will likely have questions.
Thankfully, my parents didn’t question the need for me to return to Northport earlier than expected. I’ve long grown out of the tradition of hitting the Black Friday sales, and I told them I wanted to get an early start on my food science paper which needs to be turned in after the holidays. Truthfully, I’m hoping the empty house will help me focus amid all the thoughts flying around in my mind. I’m still trying to make sense of what Adam told me and the fact he had no remorse for having a hand in evicting people from their homes. I guess it’s true what they say—the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Adam’s more like his father than I thought.
Jude parks the car in the driveway and turns off the engine. I’m sure he has his suspicions something’s wrong. The bags under my eyes are undoubtedly a tell-tale sign, but he doesn’t ask any questions. He never pushes for answers, and it’s not because he doesn’t care. He knows to wait until I’m ready to talk, and then he’ll give me his undivided attention and support.
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. Heshouldpanic. 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 isexactlythe 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?”