“My charm and undeniable good looks. I want to move in so I can have a milkshake any time I want.”
He grins then glances to his daughter and winks. “Honey, meet your new stepmom.”
“I heard that!” another woman shouts from the end of the counter.
Our waitress points over her shoulder and says, “That’s my mom.”
“She’s so lucky,” I mutter.
Zach rolls his eyes and orders me another shake before the waitress scurries off.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I didn’t? You mean you weren’t about to hop out of this booth and run off with the old man in the kitchen?”
“Well…no, probably not…”
He shakes his head. “Uh huh. Thought so.”
I feel my phone vibrating in my purse and pull it out. Two missed calls, both from Zoe.
Huh.
“Everything okay?” Zach asks.
“Yeah, just a few missed calls from Zoe. I’ll ring her back later. I’d much rather be spending time with this Mega Shake—I mean, with you.”
I grin at him and his dimples come out again.
I don’t think I’ll ever get over how much I love them.
How much I could love him.
I’m already falling; I just hope he’ll catch me when I land.
20
“Hello?”
“D? Why are you whispering?”
“Because it’s late, Caleb, and everyone is asleep. Do you need something?”
“I’m sending you a text and I need you not to freak out, okay?”
I pull the phone back and check the time. “Really, Caleb? It’s almost midnight and you’re trying to text me?”
“Zoe’s been trying to reach you since yesterday. Have you spoken with her yet?”
Shit. I never did call her back. We spent the rest of Friday watching movies until we participated in the traditional Friday game night, and today Zach walked me around downtown and let me fawn all over the cute shops the town has. Add that to the less than stellar phone signal I have here, and I haven’t even thought about calling Zoe back.
“No, I’ve been busy. I’m with…” I pause, wanting to phrase it the right way.
“You’re with him, right? I told you, it’s cool.”
“Yeah, I’m with him.”
“Well she couldn’t reach you, so she enlisted my help. This is the first I’ve had signal.”
“Fine. Whatever. Send the text.”
“You have to promise first.”
I’m beginning to become agitated, and it’s evident in my noisy sigh. “I promise.”
“Okay, check your phone.”
Pulling my phone from my ear, I see I have one new message from him. I tap it open.
I wish I hadn’t.
I can’t breathe. My lungs have stopped working as I stare down at the picture—my picture.
It’s me.
Naked.
It’s the exact same photo I sent to Zach Thanksgiving morning.
An array of emotions flutter through me—rage, hurt, confusion.
How could this happen? Why would Zach betray me like this? How did Caleb get ahold of the photo?
“How did you get that picture?”
“It’s spreading like wildfire. Everyone from school is talking about it, but no one knows it’s you, D. I only recognized you because, well, I’ve seen it all before, and because of your tattoo.”
“Nobody else knows it’s me?”
“Not as far as I know,” Caleb says. He sighs. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know who sent it, and I don’t know how it’s spread so fast, but everyone is talking about it.”
“I…I really don’t have words right now.”
“Do you know who you sent the photo to?”
I study Zach’s sleeping form and the tears begin. “He’s sleeping right next to me.”
“Maybe it was an accident?”
“He promised me he’d delete it.”
“I’m so sorry, D. What do you want me to do about it?”
“Anything to keep it from spreading further. Please. I’ll be home in the morning.”
“I promise I’ll do everything I can.”
“Thank you, Caleb. That means a lot.”
“It’s not a problem. Do you…do you need rescuing right now? I’ll drive there in a heartbeat.”
I shake my head, even though he can’t see me. “No, but tell Zoe I’ll be home tomorrow, okay?”
“I will. Try to sleep, D.”
“Night, Caleb.”
We hang up and I sit there, shocked. I can’t begin to explain how I’m feeling in this moment. It’s like I’m Earth and a tornado, a hurricane, and an earthquake have struck me all at once; I can’t take the beating.
I creep from the bed, careful not to wake Zach or Marshmallow. I tiptoe from the room and down the hallway to the bathroom.
The moment I flip the lock on the door, the tears come streaming down my face. I pull up the photo again and examine the screenshot Caleb sent me.
There’s the proof, right there.
My heart crumbles.
At the top of the photo it has “Z” as the sender and the text attached reads, You gotta see this. Whoever he sent it to must have screenshotted it and forwarded it on.
I cannot wrap my head around this. I thought for certain Zach was it for me. Forget the sparks; the fireworks were there, and they’ve done nothing but build until this moment.
I lean my back against the door and slide to the floor, needing to sit. I’m having a tough time breathing, and it’s the hardest I’ve ever had to work for every inhale and exhale. I feel crushed.
I don’t know how long I sit there, and I’m surprised by the soft knock at the door.
“Delia? You in there?”
I quickly wipe away the tears rolling down my face and do my best to calm down so my voice doesn’t come out sounding shaky.
“Yeah.”
“Everything okay?” Zach asks.
“Trying to pee.”
“Oh…okay. The sheets were cold on your side so I knew you must have been gone a minute. Just checking in.”
“I’m fine. I’ll be out in just a second.”
I hear him walk away, and for a moment I feel guilty for lying to him.
Then the guilt is quickly gone—he’s the betrayer, and I’m the betrayed.
I lift myself off the floor and peer into the mirror. I can’t walk back to that bedroom looking like I do. He’ll know I’m upset, and I don’t want to get into this in the middle of the night. In the morning, I’ll tell him I’m having cramps and want to leave. I’m certain he’ll buy it.
I run cold water and rub it over my face, clearing away the tear streaks and hoping to help with the puffiness I see everywhere.
Taking a deep breath and talking myself out of running from this house right this moment, I twist the knob and sneak back down the hallway.
Once I enter the room, I realize I’m faced with another problem: I have to spend the night lying next to him.
Which is going to crush me even more.
Sliding under the covers, I make sure to lie at the edge of the bed so I don’t have to touch him.
Out of nowhere, his hand lands on my shoulder and snakes up, brushing away the hair from my neck. His lips collide with my neck and my body betrays me, sparking to life from the kiss.
“Delia?” he whispers against my skin.
My name sounds like love and duplicity all in one.
“Yeah?”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“My period is here and I’m having horrible cramps.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
I hate that he’s being so sweet right now. It’s almost enough to break me.
Deciding now is the time to ask, I roll over and paste a sweet smile on my face.
“Actually…do you mind if we go home in the morning? I didn’t pack any period es
sentials and my flow is heavy.”
I have to give him kudos—he doesn’t flinch or bat an eye at my talking freely about menstruation.
Instead he gives me a soft smile. “Whatever you need, we’ll do it.”
He places a kiss to my forehead and I have to squeeze my eyes shut before tears begin to flow again.
“Good night, Delia.”
“Good night, Zach.”
Goodbye, Zach.
Zoe: You okay?
Me: No. We’re about to leave though. I should be home in about two hours.
Zoe: We?
Me: I haven’t talked to him about it yet. I’m scared to. I told him my period is heavy and I’d rather be at home dealing with it. Zoe, he was so sweet about it.
Zoe: But that screenshot…
Me: That screenshot.
“Thank you so much for everything, Jack. It was wonderful to meet you.”
“Don’t be a stranger, dear. I’m sure we’ll see you for Christmas.” He winks at me, and I want to cry again.
I’ve been a hot mess all morning, alternating between pure anger and wanting to sob, but I’ve managed to hold it together.
Rose leans in for a hug and I return the gesture.
“Come back whenever you’d like, Delia, and bring that Marshmallow with you too.”
I give her a smile. “I will, Rose.”
We give another round of hugs and then finally make it out the door, piling our bags and Marshmallow back in the car.
“Do you want to grab a shake before we leave?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Zach’s brows shoot up. “Wow. You denying those heavenly shakes—you must really not be feeling good at all.”
I shake my head and he pulls out of the driveway.
I flip the radio on, lasting only a few minutes before I have to rest my head against the window and pretend to sleep for the rest of the ride. I can’t bear the thought of him trying to talk to me right now.
It doesn’t feel like we’re in a car. It’s like we’re packed inside one of those giant walk-in coolers and someone’s twisted the lock so we can’t get out.
“Delia? We’re about ten minutes from your apartment.”
I pretend to rouse myself awake, but I don’t say anything to him.
He pulls into the lot and parks the car. Neither of us moves.
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it’s not just your period bothering you. Did I do something wrong?”
It begins as a cough, but then it turns into a full-on belly laugh.
And finally, I’m sobbing.
“Delia? What’s wrong?” He reaches out for me and I dodge his touch as my sobs turn to laughter again.
I know I sound like a maniac right now, but I don’t care. The anger that’s been simmering beneath the surface is threatening to bubble over, and I’m about to lose my shit.
I feel like Little Red Riding Hood staring down the wolf, only I’m fighting back.
“What’s wrong? Are you really asking me that right now?”
His brows scrunch together. “Yes.”
Oh Zach, what a great actor you are.
“I’m worried about you over here. You’re starting to scare me. What happened? Please, tell me if I did something wrong.”
Oh Zach, what an asshole you are.
“You’re either an excellent actor or you’re getting some sick enjoyment out of this.”
“What? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Seriously, Zach?”
He throws his hands up in frustration. “Yes, dammit!”
Slamming the door open, I fly out of the car, the anger really setting in now.
“Delia! Don’t walk away! Talk to me!”
I pluck my phone out of my purse and pull up the text, stalking toward him and shoving it in his face.
“This, Zach! This is why I am pissed. You took my private photo and sent it to your fucking friends. Remember when Zoe was calling me like crazy and I kept ignoring it? Well guess what’s all over campus.” I shake the phone. “This! I received a call last night from Caleb—my ex-boyfriend—warning me about the picture.”
I turn the phone my way, staring at the image that broke my heart in two.
“You were supposed to be the one person I could trust. You were supposed to keep me safe. You promised you’d never do anything to hurt me.” I sniffle and wipe away a tear. “I put all my faith in you and you threw it back in my face. That’s what hurts the most—not that the photo is out there and half the campus has seen me naked. It’s that you let me down in the biggest way possible.”
We’re locked in another silent war, tiptoeing around the battlefield.
When I finally gather the courage to meet his eyes, I’m baffled at what I see.
Anger.
“You don’t know me at all.”
Then he’s gone, and I’m left standing there with more questions than I had before.
21
“I can’t believe it. I thought he was a good guy. I believed he could be, you know, the one for you.”
I nod. “Me too, Zoe. Me too.”
“And you said he seemed upset when you confronted him? Mad he was caught?”
“No. It was like he was mad at me—which is rich, considering everything.”
“I don’t understand that one.”
“Me either.”
Zoe runs her fingers through my hair. I’ve been planted on the couch since I arrived back at home yesterday, alternating between crying and bitching about Zach. Neither of us have class on Mondays, and Zoe finally came home about an hour ago.
I’ve been crying on her lap ever since.
“Do you think…do you think you’ll ever talk to him again?”
“I don’t know. I’m devastated right now. All I want to do is eat ice cream and cry.”
“I can help with the crying, but we’re out of ice cream.”
I whimper. “Why does the world hate me?”
A knock sounds on the door and we exchange a glance, neither of us expecting a visitor.
I pull myself from the couch and make my way to the door, making sure to check the peephole first.
Gasping, I turn to Zoe. “You’ll never guess who’s out there.”
“Chris Pratt? Did he hear our call for ice cream?”
I pull the door open and greet our guest.
“Caleb…what are you doing here?”
He holds up a brown paper bag. “I figured you’d be needing this.”
“Is that ice cream?” He nods. “Why couldn’t I have loved you?”
Laughing, he pushes past me and enters the apartment. “Zoe.”
She smiles. “Caleb.”
“I wanted to come check on you, D. How are you holding up?”
“Honestly? Not so well. I confronted Zach—that’s his name—yesterday morning. I cried and showed him the photo. He was angry and acted weird, then left. So, I’m fluctuating between pissed, confused, and heartbroken right now.”
He pulls me into a hug and I can’t help the tears that begin to flow.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t come by sooner. I did as much damage control as I could over the weekend and this morning at class. I texted and called everyone I knew, trying to find out who sent it to who.”
“Thank you, Caleb. I really appreciate it,” I tell him, pulling away and wiping my eyes. “Come in, sit down. Feed us ice cream.”
I run to the kitchen to grab a few spoons before returning to the couch, planting myself between Caleb and Zoe.
This isn’t the first time Caleb’s brought over ice cream and we’ve done this. He even got all three of our favorite flavors.
I could hug him all over again.
“So, how was everyone’s Thanksgiving? Anyone else have a naked picture of them passed around campus, or was that just me?”
They chuckle, and I try not to cry.
“Mine was fine, drove home to visit the family,” Caleb says through a bite of ice c
ream.
“Pretty much the same. I did have the privilege of witnessing my uncles in a fist fight though. That was kind of fun.”
“There was almost a fight at our meal too. Oh!” I slap my forehead. “I forgot to tell you. You’ll never guess who Zach’s brother is.”
“Who?”
“Shep.”
Zoe shoots forward on the couch. “The Shep?”
I nod. “The one and only.”
“Wow. I… Wow!” She leans back again, taking a huge bite.
Shep is still a sensitive subject for her. I’ll have to tell her later how Zach jumped to defend her honor, offering to rough Shep up for her.
“I know. I had no idea because they call him—”
“Slug,” Caleb finishes. “Holy crap. I know your boyfriend, D—Zach Hastings, computer nerd but doesn’t look it?”
“He mentioned he met you a few times. He was shocked I moved from dating a baseball player to him.”
Caleb takes another bite of his ice cream and shakes his head.
“D, I need to be honest with you…I don’t think Zach did this.”
“Why do you say that? I mean, you read that text. It was sent from ‘Z’. There’s no denying that.”
“I know, I know.” He sits forward on the couch and puts his ice cream on the coffee table. “Hear me out though. Is there any way at all someone could have gotten ahold of his phone? Someone we all know is a sneaky, slimy dick?”
What he’s saying clicks.
“You think Shep did this?” He nods. “But why?”
“Um, because it’s Shep,” Zoe answers, mirroring Caleb’s pose. “It makes sense, D. The guy is a total ass and if you poke at him, he’ll strike back.”
“That’s not a joke. He’s done shitty stuff to girls who didn’t fall for his bullshit, and he tends to brag about it in the locker room. I kind of hate the guy.”
“Did you do anything to him?” Zoe asks.
“No? I mean, I mentioned you and he was a bit of an ass about it, but other than that, no.”
“I wonder if he got ahold of Zach’s phone before or after that.”
“I’m betting after,” Caleb says. He shoots from the couch and begins pacing the living room. “I want to march over to campus, rip that asshole out of class, and beat him senseless for this shit.”
Texting Box Set: The Complete Series Page 18
