“Eli, that’s not what’s happening here. I promise . . . ”
“Don’t. Just don’t, Lee. I’ve known him his whole life. I’ve seen firsthand, more times than I can count, how he takes something good, only to go and sabotage it. And, this time, that something will be you. I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping you apart, giving you time to consider giving us another chance . . .”
I stare at him as his words penetrate. “But . . . but that’s not us. I thought we worked through that.”
I take one step toward him, and he raises a hand, holding me to my spot.
“You’re my best friend, Eli. My very best friend. I thought you were good with that. I thought we were good.”
“I was good with it because I had to be good with it. I had no other choice. I just thought you needed more time, so I gave it to you.”
“Eli …” I dare to take a step toward him. But just one, as I see his fists ball at his sides.
“God, I’m so stupid! All the time I’ve wasted on waiting for you to see me, to see what I could give you. Just forget it. Forget all of it.” He stomps the few steps dividing us and gets in my face. “He will hurt you, Leah. Heath only cares about one person. Himself. He will suck you in, take all the good from you that you have to offer, and then toss you aside, broken and used. It’s what he does. And he’s good at it. And, in the process, I’ll lose both of you.”
I shake my head, pleading. “That’s not true. No one is losing anyone.”
He lets out a strained laugh, but I don’t give up.
“Eli, no one is losing anyone,” I repeat my words with unconvincing conviction.
“I can’t watch you with him. And I won’t be the pussy who waits around, hoping to pick up the pieces when he breaks your heart. And I promise you, Leah, he will break your heart.”
He bolts from the room, and a moment later, I hear the condo door slam.
What the hell just happened?
Heath
I come around the corner just in time to see Eli storm out of my office, grab his keys, and then tear out the door, looking like he lost his best friend. When I get to the office, Leah is standing motionless, wearing a similar expression. I give her shoulders a slight jar until she raises her eyes to mine.
“What happened? Did Eli do something?”
She shakes her head as the tears start to fall. “No. He didn’t do anything. It’s my fault.”
I pull her into my chest and wrap my arms around her. She hesitates before doing the same and takes a few deep breaths before backing out of my hold.
“I should get going, but we got a lot done today, so you’re pretty well set.” She moves around me and out of the room, her focus anywhere but on me.
“You’re going? Leah, what happened? What did he say to you?” My neck heats with panic as I follow on her heels, down the hall and into the kitchen.
“Nothing, Heath. I just have some of my own things to take care of today; that’s all.” She’s looking for her purse, wiping at her eyes as she goes. She finds it on the kitchen table, hidden under some bubble wrap and quickly throws it over her head and across her chest as she heads for the door.
I step in front of her, blocking her with my full body. “You’re not leaving.”
“Heath, please. I need to go.” Her head remains down as she digs for her keys, but I don’t miss when she wipes fresh tears from her cheeks. “Just let me go.”
“Not until you tell me what happened, Leah.”
Her eyes are bloodshot and pained as red splotches now cover her chest and throat. “I’m sorry if I led you on, Heath. I honestly never meant to do that.”
“What? You’re not making sense right now.” Fear rolls through me. It’s foreign and unsettling, before quickly brewing into something more akin to anxiety.
She wraps herself in a hug and moves away from me, still afraid to raise her face to mine. “What I’m saying is, if I gave you the wrong impression, that there was something here, then I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
Without thinking, I move close and grip her arms a little too tightly. “Leah, what the fuck? Talk to me.” Anger is the winning emotion right now. I’m trying my best to rein it in, but I’m failing miserably.
She finally looks at me with exasperated, shiny eyes. “I just need to go, Heath. If I want to leave, then I should be able to leave.”
She wants to leave? No problem. I’ll give her a reason to leave.
I drop my hands and step back. “Fine. I see. You’re one of those.” I know this is stupid, and I should stop, but covering up my fear with resentment has always been one of my specialties. “A tease. You like to lead guys on, play games, like you’ve been doing with Eli. Almost had me fooled.”
Her face falls in shock. “What? No . . . it’s not like that.”
“Bullshit. You’ve been leading him on for years, and now, you think you can do the same with me. And I almost fell for it, too. Well played, Princess. Well played.” I pull the door open and wait for her to get the message. She’s about to talk when I cut her off. “I speak for both Eli and myself when I say, get the fuck out and don’t come back.”
Her body jerks before she scurries out the door. I slam it and fall against it, catching an echo of a sob from down the hall.
What the hell just happened?
Heath
Clink.
I pick up another bottle cap from the small pile I’ve amassed on the coffee table and flick it from between my thumb and middle finger. I watch it sail into the TV screen.
Clink.
“You keep doing that, and you’ll put a chip in the screen,” Eli says from the kitchen.
He’s been coming over more and more, and it’s starting to annoy the shit out of me.
“I don’t really give a fuck.” I lay my head back on the sofa and try to stop the spinning. I’ve lost track of how many beers I’ve had. Or shots of Fireball. There’s a reason a fire-breathing demon is on the label.
Tomorrow is going to suck. Looks like I’ll be going in late. Just one of the many perks of nepotism.
A bottle of water hovers in front of my face.
“Drink this.” Eli waits for me to take it.
I smack it away, only for it to reappear.
“Sit up, and drink the damn water, Heath.”
I grab the bottle with a grunt and force my body upright.
As I begin to drink, Eli slides a plate onto the coffee table in front of me.
“Where did we get pizza?” I lean forward with a drunken smile.
“I ordered it. Shut up, and eat.”
I inhale a few pieces before reaching for my beer on the table. “Where the hell’s my beer?”
“We’re out of beer. You drank the last one.” He slides the bottle of water closer and continues to eat, never once taking his eyes off the screen.
“Since when do you care so much about my welfare? And how the hell did we run out of beer? I just bought a couple of cases.”
“That’s what happens when all you do is work and drink.”
“Aw, are you worried about me, Eli? You’re like the mom I never had. And just as big of a bitch.”
He glares at me before looking back to the TV, never speaking a word in rebuttal.
“Somebody needs to make sure you don’t choke on your own vomit.”
“I don’t need your help, dude. Fuck off.”
He ignores me and takes another bite of pizza. I lay my head back and close my eyes, and before I know it, I fall asleep.
I startle awake to the sounds of bombs going off and lights flashing.
“What the . . .” I run my hands down my face and realize it’s coming from the movie Eli’s watching.
Only he’s not watching it. He’s sitting with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. One guess as to what he’s thinking about. Watching him, I remind myself for the hundredth time that Leah’s a tease who played us both. Eli should be thanking me instead of sulking like a girl.
/>
“I’m going to bed. You can crash on the sofa if you want,” I mumble as I force my body forward.
“No. I was just about to go. I’ve got an early meeting. You going to work tomorrow?” he asks.
What he really means is, You blowing off work tomorrow?
“Yeah, I’m going in. At some point.” I take in the mess on the coffee table. Beer bottles and a half-eaten pizza cover the table, but as usual, I ignore it and head for my room. “Lock up when you go, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I make it to my bathroom and lean back on the long countertop as I pop two aspirin and wash them down with a full glass of water. I take in the large space, and clear as day, as if Leah were here again, all I see is her, excited and smiling, twirling around in the shower as her laughter bounces across the room. I shake off the thought and go to bed, hopeful that tonight will be the night the dreams of her here with me will finally stop.
Leah
I swipe at the penny with the toe of my shoe before finally deciding to pick it up. “Heads up, good luck,” I mumble the familiar line to myself. I clear the gravel away from Lincoln’s face and slip it into my pocket. Guess I should take whatever luck I can get.
Stepping through the door to the deli, I scan the space of red booths, looking for Connor, just as my phone vibrates with a text. It’s him.
Five minutes.
I head to the counter to place our usual orders and grab a seat.
I’m scrolling through my phone, torturing myself by looking at Eli’s Facebook page to get an idea of what he’s been up to these last few weeks. And, more importantly, if he’s unfriended me. It wouldn’t surprise me since he hasn’t responded to a single text or voice mail. And, last I checked, Heath doesn’t have a Facebook account. Unless he’s blocked me. My shoulders hunch at the thought. I’ve run through so many emotions these last few weeks, mostly anger at them both, but the last few days have been stuck on plain old sadness.
“Hey, Leah!”
I raise my head to see a familiar face smiling down at me. I force one in return as he takes the seat across from me.
“Hey, Burger.”
He doesn’t miss the lack of enthusiasm in my voice.
“Bad day?” he asks as he brings his hands under his chin.
Burger is small, as far as guys go. Maybe five foot five with reddish-brown hair and brown eyes. Connor jokes that he looks like a leprechaun, and unfortunately, today, wearing a kelly-green polo shirt, he does.
“It’s fine.” I shrug. I don’t mention that all I want to do is go home and crawl into bed. “I found a lucky penny in the parking lot, so that’s something, right?”
“Actually, it is your lucky day.” He jolts upright as his palms smack the table. “A major ad agency is hiring in Chicago. You’d be perfect for it!”
I give him a blank stare, which he ignores.
“They just won a national retail account and need to build their team fast.”
“Burger, I’m barely out of college. No agency out of Chicago is going to want me.”
“I disagree. They need a team of junior-level reps to handle day-to-day maintenance and I think you’d be perfect.” I eye him, suspiciously. “What do you say? Can I send them your résumé?”
“Sorry, you lost me at Chicago. Thanks for thinking of me though. Besides, when do you recruit for anything other than engineering?”
“Since they’ve run out of strong candidates. And, if I’m being honest, they’re offering a bonus to anyone who can fill the roles.” He leans over with puppy-dog eyes and a sad pout. “Will you just talk to them? It would really help to at least show my bosses that I’m trying.”
His fingers clench in prayer, and I cave to his begging.
“Fine. But don’t be upset when I graciously turn them down. Not that they’d even want me.”
“You’re the best. Thanks, Leah. I’ll schedule something for later this week.”
I roll my eyes at him, annoyed with myself for giving in. I really need to learn that it’s okay to say no sometimes. Although it couldn’t hurt to hone my interview skills a bit. You never know when you’re going to need a change.
“What are we talking about?” Connor asks as he takes the chair next to Burger.
“Burger’s trying to pimp me out.”
“What? One Dawson isn’t enough?” Connor jokes.
“Always looking to help out my friends, man.”
“Yeah, more like you’re looking to make twenty percent commission on our first-year salary.”
“Hey now! That’s not why I do it. And, besides, it’s only ten percent.” Burger stands as our food is delivered. “Thanks again, Leah. I really appreciate it. I’ll be in touch.”
“I’m sure you will. Now, shoo, so I can talk to my brother before he leaves me and breaks my heart.” I manage a weak laugh, but it doesn’t fool Connor as we watch Burger walk away.
His warm hand wraps around my wrist. I hesitate before meeting his eyes.
“You know I’ll be less than four hours away, right?”
“Three hours and forty minutes actually,” I say with a weak smile.
“Lee, this is a huge opportunity for me. Don’t make it harder than it already is.”
“It’s not just that. It’s . . .”
He sits back, arms crossed in concern. “It’s Eli, isn’t it?”
I push around a few fries. “How’d you know?”
“Because he hasn’t been around, and you’ve been acting like a total crabass.”
My only response is a pointed stare since I can’t really argue with him there.
“So, what happened? He saw he had a little competition and finally mustered up the courage to tell you how he feels?”
I freeze, the fry dangling in front of my mouth. “How did you know?”
“Lee, come on. The guy has had it bad for you since you met. It was obvious the first time you brought him by the house. The way he followed you around and smiled at you like he was drugged.”
I throw my fry at him, hitting him in the shoulder. He ignores it but I smile for the first time in a week.
“You’re seriously telling me you never knew?”
“No. I mean . . . yes. Ugh.” I throw my head back. “I guess I just wanted to believe we were good. And I thought we were when we both decided we’d be better as friends. Everything was fine after that. Or so I thought.”
“Let me guess. Until you started hanging around his fresh-out-of-rehab stoner friend?”
Between his rip on Heath and my own obliviousness to Eli’s feelings, my anger flares. And, when I’m angry, I cry. It’s one of the things I hate about myself. I hang my head as my hair falls around me, helping to hide the building tears in my eyes.
Connor moves into the seat next to me and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Lee, don’t cry. It can’t be that bad. Tell me what happened.” He’s leaning in to my ear, hiding our conversation from the bustling lunch crowd.
I take a few deep breaths and go over every detail from the moment I first met Heath playing basketball to our kiss and, finally, the day at his condo.
Connor and I might tease each other from time to time, but we have a bond built on not just being twins, but twins that have gone through the loss of a parent together.
Connor leans back and looks off to the side, grinding his jaw.
“Con?”
“Jesus, I never thought Eli would end up being the bigger tool of the two.”
“Connor!” I hiss, eyeing the restaurant for curious stares. Fortunately, there seem to be none.
He leans back in and whispers sharply, “That’s total bullshit, Lee, being your friend until he finds his opening to get in your pants. I swear to God, if you ever bring him by again, I will kick his ass out the fucking door.”
Connor is madder than I can remember seeing him in a long time. Madder than . . . A thought hits me, and I start giggling. It feels good, and the increasingly irritated look on his face just makes my laughter
grow.
“What?”
“I haven’t seen you this mad since I shaved off one of your eyebrows!” I’m full-on belly-laughing now, and other customers begin to look our way.
He’s shaking his head, trying to fight off a smile. “Lee, it was the night before homecoming and I was going with Kelly Evan, the hottest girl in school.”
“Well, you deserved it. Remember when Aiden Bishop came over to study, and you walked into the family room wearing my bra around your neck and chewing on a three-pound hunk of salami?”
“What was wrong with that?”
“I had a huge crush on him and he never talked to me again after that.”
“Hey, I was just helping by pointing out a major character flaw . . . fear of ladies’ undergarments. Or he’s intimidated by large pieces of meat.”
I smirk and shake my head as I dip a fry in ketchup and take a bite. “What would I do without you?” I bump my shoulder against his.
He wraps an arm around my shoulder before planting a kiss on my head then stealing a fry as he moves back to his seat. “So, what are you going to do about Heath?”
“Heath? Don’t you think my bigger problem is Eli?”
“Not at all. Eli is his own problem. He needs to get his head straight and see things for what they are. You need to talk to Heath.”
“They’re best friends, Con. I told you what Eli said. Being with Heath will only hurt him. They’d never be friends again, and I won’t do that to them. Besides, things barely got started with Heath. I’m sure he’s moved on by now.”
Heath
“All right, ladies, make room for our special guest.” I push the empty beer bottles aside before dumping the contents of the brown bag in the center of the table, the bet I made not long ago a forgotten memory.
Laurie moves in close to me on the sofa while her friend scoots in on my other side.
I take a second to appreciate their short skirts that rise even higher as they lean in toward me before fumbling with the plastic wrap knotted at the top. I’m tempted to give up and just tear it open to get to the white gold inside when it’s suddenly ripped out of my hands from behind.
Sweetest Heartbreak Page 6
