“Skylar? Is that you?”
I didn’t hear a response, but another loud crash. It sounds as if someone dropped a glass on the hardwood floor.
My palms are getting sweaty and my heart is beating a million miles a minute. Something doesn’t feel right. I move from the doorway of my bedroom towards the living area. Looking around the wall separating the hallway from the living room, is when I see it.
“Skylar, are you fucking kidding me? It’s three in the morning,” I say.
His back is towards me as he walks backwards in my direction. He stumbles again and knocks into the end table, knocking over picture frames, sending one crashing to its death on the floor.
I turn on the hallway light to get a better look at him. He is clearly drunk; I can smell the booze coming out of his pores, even from a distance. As I walk towards him to help guide him to his bedroom so he could sleep off this drunken mess, I see HER.
“Um, hi,” the girl giggles, “I’m Heather.”
Well shit, if this isn’t awkward. Only a few hours ago, Skylar and I were together and he thinks it’s okay to bring a random whore home? Not in my house.
“Skylar, can I please speak with you in the kitchen,” I ask in my most polite sweet voice.
“Nah, Mi, I don’t think so. I’ll see you in the morning, huh?” Skylar slurs. He picks Heather up and throws her over his shoulder. Her giggles make me sick to my stomach. They practically run to his bedroom and shut the door.
Frozen in my current location; I don’t know what to do. I am so appalled at his behavior and my heart hurts so deeply. I always figured he was a good guy because Danny was such a great man, but now, Skylar is basically Satan himself.
I start cleaning up the broken glass in the living room. As I was walk to put the broom and dust pan back in the utility closet in the kitchen, I hear her moans and giggles.
“This is not happening in my house,” I say as I walk back towards Skylar’s room. Once I reach his door, I freeze again. What do I do? Do I knock? Open the door? Yell? “Fuck it,” I mumble.
I reach for his door handle, turn the knob and open the door with just as much force as he had earlier in the bathroom.
“This shit is not happening in my house, Skylar. Heather, I believe that was your name. Can you please pick up your skank ass panties and get the fuck out of my house?” I yell at the both of them.
“Heather, sweetie, give me a second, OK. Let me handle her,” Skylar coos at his blond whore.
“Mira,” Skylar says as he takes hold of my upper arm and pushes me gently in the hallway. “One, this is OUR house and I will do what the fuck I want, with who the fuck I want, anytime I want. Two, stop acting like a jealous wife, barging in my room like you just caught me with the babysitter. And, three, you will not disrespect my guests and I will not disrespect yours.”
“Skylar, are you fucking kidding me? It’s been one night and you’re already bringing bitches back to OUR apartment to screw. In the almost five years I have known you, I have never seen you bring back random girls to your place, and I was there almost as much as you. What the shit?” I say, as I try to defuse the situation.
“Again Mira, I’ll say it again. I’m going to go in my room, I’m going to nail that girl and then I’m going to go to bed. If you would like to join us, I’m sure she would be okay with that, I know I would be,” Skylar says with a disgusting look in his eyes.
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to happen guy,” I say back to him, hoping he could tell I wasn’t in a mood to play his little game.
“Why not Mi? I had a little taste and I’m sure she would like one too,” Skylar says.
“That’s what that was, Sky, a taste? That’s how you look at me? Like a fucking taste?” I yell as I move towards him. I place my palm on his chest and shove him. “Before you brought this tart back to OUR apartment, if you recall, I was trying to talk to you. Maybe discuss what happened, I don’t know, what, just a few hours ago.”
“Mira, I said---,” Skylar starts to respond before I cut him off.
“Nope. I let you spit your hate at me earlier. It’s my turn now, guy. I was going to try to explain to you that the only other person who was EVER in my bed was Danny. He was my only, until you. Shows how stupid I was to think, for one second, that you could ever stand in his shadows. Now for the rest of my life, when I think about the lovers I’ve had, you will be lumped in a category with the best man either one of us ever knew,” I say with tears welling up in my eyes. Not sure if they were tears of sadness or anger. I think I feel equal parts of those emotions, but I won’t let him see my sadness. Skylar McBride only deserves my anger.
“You know, it’s not really your fault, Sky. I’m the dumb one right. The naive girl who thought that after the death of the one person she ever loved, she would find comfort in his best friend. I know I hurt you. Believe me, I feel so terrible about those two words. They will haunt me forever. But you, Skylar Landon McBride, hurt me to the core. I have never been treated so foul by someone I held dear to me. Maybe God took the wrong person that day. Maybe he made a colossal fuck up. Maybe it shouldn’t have been Danny because Danny would have never hurt me like this FOR ANY REASON,” I yell, finishing what I had to say.
I turn away from him. Skylar tries to grab my arm to turn me around.
“Don’t.” I say to him, “You will never touch me ever again. Do you understand me? I said all I have to say to you. If you won’t move Skylar, I will.”
I continue back to my bedroom. I hear his door shut and Heather’s giggles resume before I even make it back to my bed. My mouth is so dry and the lump in my throat grew bigger. I bury my face in my pillows and let all of the emotion out from the last twenty-four hours.
How is it possible that in the last year, I have lost the love of my life, my best friend and a guy who has been so kind to help me through Danny’s loss? A guy that I thought I had feelings for. A guy that I thought looked at me the same way I looked at him.
I wake up Monday morning much earlier than usual. I leave my room to use the bathroom and take a shower. I notice that Skylar’s door is still closed. “Thank God,” I whisper sarcastically. I have never, in my life, showered as quickly as I did this morning.
I open the bathroom door to go back to my bedroom and Skylar is at the door, giving Heather a kiss good bye. Well I’ll be damned. I cannot be in this house with him today. I have to get out of here.
Skylar turns back towards me, after closing the door behind Heather. As soon as our eyes meet, I could swear I see a glimpse of guilt in his crystal blue eyes. Then his lips turned up in a devious smirk. It wasn’t the same smirk he gave me last night. It was a ‘you mad bro’ kind of smirk.
Shaking my head, I turn back and continue into my room. I dress quickly and bolt. Once in my car, I realize that I have no place to go. My family is out of town and Kylee is in Grand Rapids. I look at the clock, seeing it’s not even past ten am. I pull my phone out of my purse and place a call.
“I’m on my way, see you soon,” I say to Kylee on the other end of the phone.
“You’re on your way? To Grand Rapids? What’s going on Mira? Are you ok? Where is Sky?” Kylee starts questioning.
“Yes. Yes. I’ll tell you when I get there. No. Fuck Skylar,” I respond to each of her questions.
“You slept with him, didn’t you?” she accuses.
“And if I did?” I reply to her accusation. “Does that make me a bad person? I thought I felt something Ky. I thought he felt it too. Over the last few weeks, he has been so much more than a friend. I figured if anyone could help me move on, I could do it with someone that I was already comfortable with. Someone I already cared for. I was wrong.”
“What are you going to do babe? You can’t drive all the way out here. I start work today. I am on a coffee run right now, but I won’t be back to the hotel for hours yet,” Kylee says.
Hell. I totally forgot today was the first day of my best friend’s job. “Well, I guess, I’
ll hang out around town. I’m going to move out. Maybe go stay with my parents for a while. I don’t think I can spend time with him any time soon. Some of the shit he said Ky, it was terrible. Things that people don’t even say to people they hate,” I tell her. “I’ll call you later and we’ll talk for a little bit. I have that interview tomorrow. Maybe I can hit the spa or something. Make myself feel pretty.”
“Call me if you need anything. If I don’t answer right away, just sit still and I’ll call you back when I get a break or something,” Kylee reassures me.
“Love you bye,” I say. After I hang up my phone, I head back up to my apartment. I go directly to my bedroom, not paying any attention to a bare chested Skylar. I grab the largest duffle in the back of my closet and fill it with as much of my stuff as I can.
I look around my room, making sure that I have everything I need until I could get back and clear the rest out when Skylar isn’t home. Satisfied with what I have, I open my bedroom door, take a deep breath and sling the duffle back over my shoulder and walk towards the door.
“Mira? What are you doing? You’re not really leaving are you?” Skylar asks sounding panicked.
I continue my journey to the door. Only a little further to go and I can breathe again. If I stop now, I might run out of air in my lungs, because I sure as shit know, I’m not breathing.
I finally reached the front door. I grab the knob, twist and pull. Once out of the apartment threshold, I turn around to pull the door shut behind me. Bad idea. My eyes meet Skylar’s. I knew my eyes had tears in them, but I didn’t expect his eyes to be misty as well.
‘You can do this. Move Mira,’ I chant to myself under my breath.
“Mira plea-,” Skylar starts talking but I’m able to shut the door completely before he’s able to get the rest of his sentence out.
Thank God. I don’t think I would have been able to be any stronger if he started talking.
Second time this year that I have to start all over.
Well played Universe, well played.
Chapter Seven
About a year later …
“Ms. Adams, you have a call on line three,” Paige, the receptionist at the real estate firm I work for pages through the intercom.
“For the last time, Paige, please call me Mira. It’s been a year. No need to be so formal,” I joke back with Paige.
Paige is adorable. She is just finishing her freshman year at the University of Michigan. I started work at New Horizons Real Estate Company within the week I moved out of my apartment. I had to go to the university a couple weeks later for an alumni breakfast. I promised an old professor that I would attend and speak to the incoming freshman during orientation about the hazards of drunk driving.
That’s where I met Paige. She reminded me so much of myself. I immediately started a conversation with her. Found out that she was going to live on campus and would need a part time job. The real estate firm was in need of a part time receptionist.
The rest is history.
“Sorry Mira, I won’t do it again,” Paige says apologetically.
“It’s fine. Let me grab my call,” I say.
“Good afternoon, Mira Adams speaking, how may I help you,” I say into the phone receiver.
“Bitch, I’m back. Drinks on me,” a familiar voice says on the other end of the call.
“Kylee?” I question.
“Are there other girls that would just call you at work and address you as bitch? If so, I’m kind of pissed off that I have been replaced,” she says jokingly.
“Oh my gosh, Ky. I haven’t talked to you in so long. How long are you in town ?” I ask.
“Two week vacation babe and I couldn’t think of anywhere I would rather spend it,” she responds to my question.
“I’ll leave early. Meet me at my mom’s. We can get ready there,” I tell her.
“Boom. It’s a plan. Get ready little lady, I’m in a mood to turn up,” Kylee says, way too excitedly before she hangs up.
Knowing that my best friend is in town, I know that I’m not going to get anything done today. I haven’t really used any of my personal days since I started and I know if I don’t use them soon, I’ll lose them. I turn my phone on ‘do not disturb’ and walk down the hall to the broker’s office.
leaving
“Come on in,” he says.
“Hey Jacoby. I was wondering if it would be ok, if I left early today,” I ask.
“What’s going on Mira, are you feeling sick,” he asks with a worried look in his eyes.
“Oh no, it’s nothing like that. My best friend just got in town and she is staying with me. I totally forgot she was coming and didn’t leave a key for her. It will take me about a half hour to get home and back and it’s already two. I would just like to take the rest of the day off, if that’s okay,” I explain. It was the truth but also a lie, so I don’t feel any guilt about it. I’m too excited to see Kylee.
“Yeah Mira, that’s fine. Just be sure to transfer your calls to your cell phone for the afternoon. You’re too important around here for someone to not be able to reach you,” Jacoby says.
“Thanks Jacoby, no problem. See you Monday,” I say as I walk out and close his door.
Jacoby Roberts is really a great boss. He’s super laid back and kind of lets us do what we do. Most brokers in this industry are hell bent on micro managing, but not Jacoby. There have been a few times I’ve met him outside of work with other co-workers for drinks. He’s just as laid back in the office as he is out of it. Let’s just say, if Jacoby weren’t my boss I would like to get to know him a little better.
Jacoby stands over six feet tall with dark hair and hazel eyes. He has this confidence that makes him so fucking sexy. I often wonder if that’s what brings in the clients. Don’t get me wrong, the man is excellent at his job, but it can’t hurt that he is so easy on the eyes while doing it
I make it home in record time. I forgot how little traffic is on the highways at this hour. I pull up to my parent’s house to see Kylee’s car sitting at the curb. I am literally smiling ear to ear
I don’t see Kylee in her, car so I park in the driveway and go into the house through the side door. As soon as I walk in, I can hear my mom and Kylee laughing and talking about ‘the good old days’.
“Do you remember the time when you and Mira got lost going to that concert a few years ago? You guys called me in a panic because you got on I75 going the wrong direction and ended up in Detroit,” my mom asks Kylee. I’m not sure she even asked. She is barely able to get the words out, she’s laughing so hard.
“Oh God, Mrs. Adams, yes, how could I forget that? Mira almost started crying,” Kylee says back to my mom.
“I remember that too. That was a pretty scary night,” I say joining the conversation. “Remember we had to pull off somewhere near 8 mile and call Danny and Skylar to come pick us up because I was too scared to drive?” I add.
“Hell, that was a good time. How is Skylar anyway?” Kylee asks.
So, in the last year, Kylee and I haven’t talked that much. To be honest, we haven’t really discussed Skylar since I called her that morning. Sometimes he comes up in general conversation, but I quickly change the subject. She knows that I moved out and live back at home now. I guess she hasn’t talked to Skylar either.
“I guess he’s okay. We haven’t really talked for a while. Last I heard, he moved out of the apartment and is living somewhere closer to the city with some friends,” I say nonchalantly.
“Hmmm, okay, I’ll let it slide for now,” Kylee says giving me a weird look. A look that told me, ‘you’re not telling me something and I’m going to get you drunk and get it out of you’. I don’t like that look. That particular look has worked in the past, very well, might I add.
“Mira, Danny is totally in love with you. Don’t you see the way he looks at you? I see the way you look at him,” Kylee said to me as we were leaving the off campus pool hall.
We had just met Danny and Skylar
there for a couple of beers and a game of pool. The owner was pretty cool and didn’t second guess our fake ID’s. We typically went there every couple of weeks to blow off steam.
“Kylee, he doesn’t look at me any kind of way. We’re friends, nothing more,” I said.
“Yeah. Okay. I almost believe that. You never see it, do you? Boys look at you like you’re the only girl in the room. If I didn’t know that I was a total knockout, I would be uber jealous of you,” Kylee said, trying to make the conversation less uncomfortable for me.
“Whatever you say, Ky. You must need a new prescription for your contacts, because your sight is totally off on this one,” I joked back with her.
“Uh huh,” Kylee said with a look in her eyes that I knew would end up being trouble down the road. “The guys had to leave to study for a quiz in Professor Jamison’s class tomorrow. Why don’t we get a few more beers before we go home? We don’t have classes tomorrow.”
“Alright, I don’t see the harm. As long as you promise we can walk home,” I said.
In Michigan, there is nothing better than the fall. There is no greater feeling than going to a party with a huge bonfire. Hoodies, jeans, and sneakers are a requirement around these parts.
After more than a few beers, I was feeling wonderful. I had a great buzz. I wasn’t drunk or anything, but it was right at the point where your face kind of goes numb and you feel on top of the world. I love that feeling.
“So, Mi, about Danny. What’s going on there sunshine?” Kylee asked me again. I remembered answering this question earlier, but probably because of the alcohol, I decided to give her a little more of what she was looking for.
“Oh Ky, he’s amazing. He’s so sweet. Danny is always opening doors, pulling out chairs, getting the bar tab and telling me I’m beautiful,” I gushed. “When we left the party the other night, he kissed me.”
Now I have been kissed before. I never really had any boyfriends or anything, but I had a few guy friends. Most girls practice kissing with their girlfriends, but not me, I do things outside the box. My first kiss was from a boy named Jason. He was a football stud and we were juniors in high school.
Mirage Page 5
