by E. L. Todd
“They’re real.” I gave him a flirtatious smile.
He relaxed. “Does a bear shit in the woods?”
I could tell this guy wasn’t smart. Maybe he was visiting a friend or family member who graduated. “One of those bedrooms is open…”
His eyes widened. “Damn, is this a dream?”
I grabbed his hand. “Come with me before I change my mind.”
“Alright!” He walked with me down the hallway.
I gave Trinity a knowing look as I passed.
She stared at me back, depression written all over her face.
Once we were in the bedroom, he wanted to get down to business. He removed his shirt and his jeans.
I didn’t look at him and sat at the edge of the bed. Then I pulled out my phone and texted Trinity. Come in exactly two minutes.
Okay.
He sat beside me then glanced me over. “I like that top but you should take it off.”
God, this guy was gross. “Here’s the deal. I’ll give you two-hundred bucks if you just pretend that you had sex with me.”
Confusion came into his eyes. “Huh?”
I pulled it out of my pocket. “Look, here. I’m going to take off my shirt and I want you to act like we were just having sex when the door opens. Can you do that?”
“Why…?”
“No questions asked.”
He breathed hard while he stared at me. “Is your boyfriend going to come in here and kill me?”
“No.”
“You’ve got a deal.” He took the money and shoved it into his wallet. “What do you want me to do?”
I stood up and pulled off my shirt. I wore a sports bra so my breasts would be covered but my stomach would show. “Put your hands on my hips.”
He did as I asked.
“Okay…when the door opens, back away from me.”
He nodded.
“Trinity, why do you want to have sex here?” Slade’s voice was on the other side of the door. “It’s some random person’s bed. Let’s just go home.”
“I have to have you right here, right now,” Trinity yelled through the door.
“Fine,” Slade snapped. He opened the door then stepped inside.
“Oh my god!” I yelled. I pushed the guy away.
Slade halted with wide eyes while he stared at the scene. He looked the guy over, realizing he was only wearing boxers and nothing else.
I turned around, trying to hide my chest even though there was nothing to hide.
“Oh my fucking god!” Slade looked like he might faint.
“Skye!” Trinity yelled. “How could you cheat on Cayson?”
“I’m so drunk…” I pretended to waddle around and fall over.
Slade panicked, not knowing what to do. “I…uh…fuck.” He walked out and ran into the hallway, clearly about to pass out.
Trinity stayed behind. She grabbed the guy’s clothes and shoved them into his chest. “Get out.”
He dressed himself and walked out without any questions.
When he was gone, I pulled on my shirt and tried not to cry. There was no going back.
“I’ll drive you home…since you’re drunk.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
She grabbed my elbow then walked me out.
Once we were in the hallway, I acted like I could barely walk. I laughed randomly and rubbed my head like I was in pain. Slade stood in the entry, gripping his skull like his entire world had been consumed with fire.
“I’ll drive her home,” Trinity said.
Slade didn’t speak. He stared at the ground, in shock.
“Don’t tell Cayson,” Trinity said.
I wobbled like I couldn’t stand on my own two feet.
“Not tell him?” he asked incredulously. “Is that a fucking joke?”
“Let Skye tell him first,” she said. “Give her some time.”
Slade shook his head and clenched his fists. “How can you do this to him?” He looked at me like he hated me.
I looked away.
Slade marched out. “I need to go…” He walked across the lawn then disappeared.
Trinity let me go. “Well, it looks like your plan worked…”
“Yeah...
Chapter Seventeen
Cayson
The deadline to accept Stanford’s offer came and went. As the days approached, I felt uneasy letting the opportunity slip through my fingertips. I thought of all the students who would leave their significant others in a heartbeat if they were accepted. But that wasn’t me. And they didn’t have Skye.
So, when the day was gone, I didn’t have any regrets. I made my decision and stuck with it. When professors and friends asked where I was attending medical school, it was awkward to say that I wasn’t. And when I said I wasn’t accepted anywhere, they were even more confused. I didn’t like lying but I couldn’t let my parents find out the truth some other way. I knew they loved Skye like their own, but I knew they would resent her for sabotaging my future by letting me stay.
I knew Skye better than anyone. And I wasn’t stupid. She initially accepted my decision to stay but she was hesitant about it as time went on. I wondered if she was going to force me to go after all the parties and celebrating.
It wasn’t going to happen.
I was staying. The past month spent with her only solidified my decision. Somehow, I’d fallen more in love with her every passing day. She made me feel things I never thought I was capable of. Never would I give up my dream school for anyone but her. She was different, special.
We stayed in our apartment in Cambridge for a few weeks before it was time to leave. A lot of students were still partying and celebrating before their leases were up. Skye said her father bought her a pent house just down the street from work. I was happy for her but I was also disappointed. I didn’t mind moving in with her under the assumption it was a place we’d been renting together. I’d even pay all of the rent and the bills. But the fact her father paid for it and there was no rent to pay made me feel like a free loader. I had to remember her father already loved me so he wouldn’t care. But then again, he didn’t know we were moving in together. I wasn’t sure if he would be thrilled about it or not. I tried to keep in mind that he lived with his wife before he married her. It would be hypocritical for him to judge Skye for it, especially when she was a grown woman. But we’d cross that bridge when we came to it.
I was watching TV when Skye texted me.
Can you meet me at Manhattan Grub?
What? Why there of all places? Why?
I want to talk to you.
This conversation immediately took off on the wrong foot. Even through a message, she didn’t sound like herself. What was going on? I could hear her voice even though she didn’t speak. She sounded odd, sad. Is everything okay?
Yes. I’m already here so I’ll talk to you when I see you.
Now she was brushing me off. My heart started to pound. What was this about? I grabbed my wallet and keys and headed out. On the drive, I kept thinking about our upcoming conversation. Then it hit me. She was going to try to get me to leave. Other than the fact it was too late, I still wasn’t going. Just the fact she was going to try to talk me out of it pissed me off. We were staying together.
End. Of. Story.
After I parked, I walked inside. The place was closed and Skye was the only one who was there. She was sitting at the table we usually sat in. She didn’t stand to greet me or even touch me.
That pissed me off even more.
I sat across from her, feeling the anger spread through my body. “What? I’m here. Now talk.”
She picked up on the hostility. “Why are you mad? I haven’t even said anything.”
“I already know what you’re going to say.”
Fear came into her eyes. “I need to tell you something…”
I decided to be proactive and just end the conversation before it began. “I’m not leaving, Skye. It’s too late. I didn’t accept Stanfo
rd’s offer so I can’t go anyway. The decision has already been made. Don’t try to persuade me to leave. I’m not going to do it. Now knock it off because it’s getting on my nerves. You keep staring at me like I’m going to disappear. Every time we make love it’s like the last time. As much as I enjoy your obvious clinginess, it’s pissing me off. So knock it off.”
She averted her gaze and stared at the counter. A minute passed and she just pressed her lips together. Then she turned back to me, but she didn’t look at me. Her eyes were glued to the table. “That isn’t what I wanted to talk about.”
It wasn’t? “Then enlighten me.”
“I went to a party with Trinity the other night and I…got really drunk. Most of it is a blur.”
Where was this going?
“And…I slept with someone else.” Her voice cracked at the end and she tried not to cry. “It didn’t mean anything to me and I hardly remember it but…I know it happened. I’m so sorry…I’m sorry.” She took a deep breath and her eyes started to water.
I processed her words, playing them in my mind over and over again. I heard them but they didn’t mean anything to me. They didn’t register. I couldn’t picture Skye doing that. Never in a million years would she cheat on me, drunk or not. “You know what?”
She wiped her tears away and sniffed.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this angry with you.”
“I’m sorry…”
I stood up so quickly my chair fell back. “I can’t believe you would lie to me just to get me to go. You actually think I’m going to believe that bullshit story? If I didn’t love you so fucking much I’d dump your ass here and now. You insult my intelligence by making that up and you disrespect me and the holiness of our relationship by trying to throw it away like that. Fuck you, Skye.”
She flinched at the anger in my voice. “Cayson, I’m not lying.”
I threw the table over, making a leg break off.
She immediately fell silent, breathing hard.
“Don’t. Lie. To. Me.”
Skye looked at me, the tears rolling down her face.
“You always say you don’t deserve me, that I’m the better one of the two of us. I never believed it. But you know what? Maybe you’re right. I don’t deserve this.” I turned around and stormed out, so pissed off I could break a light pole with my bear hands. I got into my car then headed home, wanting to crash it into a house or fire hydrant. As soon as I got home, I got into the shower and let the cold water run down my body. I needed something to calm me down. Anger didn’t come easy to me and it took a lot to piss me off. But she pissed me the fuck off.
How could she lie to me like that? She really thought I’d fall for that? She would never cheat on me, not just because she loved me more than anything in the world, but because it wasn’t in her nature to do that. It wasn’t her—at all. No amount of alcohol would make her act like that. It was a slap in the face and an insult to my intelligence.
Fuck her.
***
Skye didn’t contact me for the next few days. Everyone was starting to move back to New York and Connecticut, moving trucks coming to get their things. I was leaving Cambridge for good and the end was near.
Even though she didn’t speak to me, I packed my things and got ready to move into our apartment. She showed me a picture of it last week and it looked beautiful. I would have to discard all my furniture because there was no place to put it. It was already furnished with everything we needed. I packed my things in boxes.
By the fourth day, I was shocked she hadn’t come to me and apologized. We’d fought before, but she always apologized to me within a day or two. Her silence was odd. I couldn’t count the number of times I picked up my phone to call her. I wanted to cave just to be with her. But then I put it down, knowing she needed to apologize to me. We were running out of time, and she needed to do it before we moved.
I waited and waited.
A knock sounded on my door.
“About fucking time,” I said with a growl. I opened the door without bothering to check who was on the other side. “I was wondering when you—” I stopped when I realized it was Slade. “Slade?”
His hands were in his pockets and he was staring at the ground. Judging his posture and stiffness, he wasn’t in a good mood. He seemed depressed, like he lost his entire world. “Yeah…”
“Is everything okay?” I asked. “Did something happen with Trinity?”
He sighed then scratched the back of his head. “Can I come in?”
He never asked that before. He usually just barged inside.
“Sure.” I stepped aside.
He came into the living room and looked at all the boxes. “Almost done packing?”
“Yeah, I’m waiting for Skye to apologize so we can organize the move but she’s been stubborn.”
He averted his gaze and didn’t look at me.
“Slade, what’s up?” I hadn’t seen him this down since Trinity’s accident.
He scratched the back of his neck again, clearly uncomfortable. “I need to talk to you…”
“Okay…” Isn’t that what he established already?
“Let’s sit down.” He moved to the couch.
I didn’t like that statement. That phrase usually meant something terrible happened, like someone died or something. I sat beside him and stared at him.
He covered his face with both of his hands and sighed. “I just want you to know that I love you and I’m always here…”
This was getting worse and worse.
“And I always have your back, no matter what.”
“Slade…you’re really freaking me out.”
“I know…this is just really hard for me.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, like he was physically in pain. “I’ve never done anything more difficult in my life. Even hunting down Trinity’s dad and making him forgive me was a piece of cake compared to this.”
That didn’t make me feel any better.
He sighed again then ran his hands through his hair.
“Just say it, Slade.”
He didn’t look at me. He was more interested in staring at my bare wall. “Have you talked to Skye lately?”
“About four days ago. Why?”
“What did she say?”
I cocked an eyebrow. “She told me she slept with some guy at a party because she was drunk. But I know she only said it so I would go to Stanford. We haven’t spoken since. She’s done a lot of things to piss me off, but this, by far, is the worst.”
He closed his eyes for a long time like he was in pain then reopened them. But he didn’t look at me. “Cayson…” He shook his head. “She wasn’t lying, man.”
My heart immediately plummeted into my stomach. “What…?”
“I was there. I was at that party. Trinity and I were looking for a bedroom to hook up in and…I walked in on them. It was pretty clear what they were doing.”
My heart slowed down, but every beat was more prominent. The blood pounded in my ears, blocking out all other sound. My stomach clenched up in knots and I suddenly felt sick. Disoriented and dizzy, I blinked my eyes several times, wondering if this was real.
“I know this is hard…” Slade rested his hands in his lap. “But I’m here, man.”
I was still wrapping my mind around what he said. “Are you sure…?”
He nodded. “A hundred percent.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, hating the confidence in his voice. “But it can’t—”
“It is.” He closed his eyes again. “I hate this just as much as you do. Believe me…it hurts. You’re the best guy I know and you don’t deserve this. Drunk or not, she shouldn’t have done that. I still can’t believe it…”
I leaned forward and rested my chin on my hands. “But, it’s Skye…”
“I know, man. I know.”
I stood up and started to pace my empty room. “She wouldn’t do that.”
“I wouldn’t have believed it u
nless I saw it myself…I‘m sorry, Cayson.”
I kept walking, my hand running through my hair then gripping it. “But…she loves me.” I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. I kept searching for an explanation, for a reason why this happened. It couldn’t be real. There must be a miscommunication somewhere. I couldn’t accept this. This wasn’t real. She was everything to me. No, she wouldn’t do that.
Slade stood up and faced me. “I wish there was something I could do…”
I wasn’t listening to him. I was barely aware of him. Without thinking, just acting, I grabbed my keys and left my apartment, heading for Skye.
***
I walked through the door without knocking then slammed it shut. When I saw her living room, all her things were gone. It was nothing but hardwood floor. Her couches and TV had disappeared. When I stepped further in and searched the room, I spotted her sitting on the ground against the wall. She didn’t look at me when I walked in. It was like she expected me. Her purse was beside her and so were her keys.
I marched to her then stopped, looking down at her. “I just talked to Slade.”
Tears fell down her cheeks and she didn’t wipe them away. “I’m sorry…”
I breathed hard, unable to process reality. “It can’t be possible.”
She covered her face with both hands. “I’m sorry, Cayson. I understand if you hate me…I understand if you never want to see me again.”
I can’t believe this. I can’t believe this. I can’t believe this.
No. No. No.
I breathed hard, my heart suddenly letting in the pain. “You…really did it?”
She nodded, her hands still hiding her face.
“You slept with someone else?”
Skye started to sob. “Yes…” Her body heaved with the tears.
I froze, feeling dizzy. The idea of her being with someone else made me physically sick. The idea of her kissing someone…letting someone inside her…it killed me. My eyes burned and my chest started to rise and fall quickly.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “Nothing I say will change what happened or make it better. Nothing I do will ever earn your forgiveness. I don’t know what else to say, Cayson…”
I’d never been in this situation before. I’d never had a partner cheat. And she was the last person I expected to have the experience with. I always assumed I would be angry, livid. I should be screaming at her, breaking everything I could get my hands on.
