Once Upon A Time

by S. K. Hartley

  “Back at Alpha with my fucking heart.” I growled, my anger unintentionally directed at my best friend. “I’m sorry.”

  Without warning, Luca walked into the apartment. I wondered how he’d gotten in without any of us letting him in but that thought was quickly stomped over when Luca’s eyes met mine.

  “What happened, tiger?” he asked, moving to my side as I stood in a bra and panty set. Thankfully, only seconds later, Quinn fetched me some clothes to put on. My usual sweatpants and fairy tales are for morons hoodie. I laughed uncontrollably at the hoodie before the laughing morphed into violent sobbing.

  Kylie stood from the sofa and took me to my bedroom. She closed the door as I crawled into my bed, my head pounding hard as it hit the pillow.

  “Sweetie, you need to tell me. Please tell me what happened.”

  Closing my eyes for a moment, I thought about what this could potentially do. We all knew Kylie had been seeing Luca in secret. She thought she was James Bond with her secrecy but we all knew, and his getting into the apartment tonight only confirmed it.

  Sighing, I decided to tell her something I knew would ultimately crush her.

  “I walked in on Gabriel and Kate having a very enlightening conversation,” I admitted.

  “Kate? What’s Kate got to do with this?” she asked, confused.

  “I have no idea, but what I do know is Gabriel’s married.”

  I was hit with a brick wall of silence. Kylie stared off into nothing as the words echoed around the room.

  “I also told Kate to stick her job up her ass.”

  Shaking her head, I noticed tears in her eyes. I knew this would break her a little; she was the same after Cam and now wasn’t any different. She was hurting for me. We’d always been like sisters, and Gabriel’s actions hurting me also hurt her.

  Tears fell down her cheeks as she embraced me and together, we sobbed.

  Minutes passed undisturbed, until a commotion at the door had Kylie opening the door to investigate. The moment she realized what was happening, she pulled me from the bed and dragged me into the living room where Quinn was questioning Gabriel in the doorway of the apartment.

  “How dare you come here!” Kylie shrieked, pointing her finger in his chest.

  I knew from experience not to stop her once she was in attack mode, it was useless. Kylie’s like a pit bull; soft, gentle and loving but the moment you aggravate her, she’d go into attack mode.

  “How fucking dare you! She gave you her heart and you stomped all over it!”

  Gabriel stayed silent, his gaze burning into mine as Kylie tried to make him understand.

  “I was rooting for you, I was on your side. I hoped you’d be the one to sweep her off her feet, to be her Prince Charming. Not tackle her to the ground and actually take her off her feet!” She paused, furiously wiping away her tears. “You don’t deserve her!”

  As if the gods didn’t hate me enough, out walked Luca from Kylie’s bedroom.

  “Uh, who died?” He chuckled but the laughing soon stopped as he noticed Kylie’s puffy eyes and the finger lodged in Gabriel’s chest.

  “What the fuck have you done?” Luca growled at Gabriel.

  “You!” Kylie screamed, turning to Luca. “Your brother is married. Married! Why the hell didn’t you tell us?”

  Quinn gasped and Kylie shed more tears. Me? I stayed stunned into silence behind everyone.

  Luca’s jaw dropped and closed a few times before his gaze turned steely towards his brother. He puffed up his chest, stomping towards Gabriel with so much force I thought his feet would stomp right through my hardwood flooring.

  “You didn’t tell her?! What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  Without warning, he threw his weight into Gabriel. Kylie, Quinn and I watched in horror as Luca threw one swift punch to Gabriel’s jaw. I was stunned. Gabriel didn’t move, not once did he try and deflect the rain of punches from his brother.

  “Enough!” Quinn yelled, pulling Luca from his brother. “I suggest you leave. That means you too, Luca.”

  “Payton,” Gabriel said, almost a groan, clearly hurting from his injuries from Luca. My gaze moved to the floor as fresh tears streamed down my face. “Payton, please let me explain.”

  “Please leave,” I whispered.

  Turning on my heels, I walked back to my room and slammed the door closed. Crawling into my bed, I got beneath the covers and cried, using the pillow to muffle the sounds of my heart breaking.

  After a couple of minutes, silence descended on the apartment but the silence did nothing to help the noise running around my head. Question after question. Why didn’t I see this coming? Who was Kate to Gabriel? Was this a damn set up between them?

  But before I could really come up with any answers that actually made sense, my door opened and in walked a clearly upset Kylie.

  “Hey sweetie,” she whispered, taking a seat at the end of my bed. “Everyone’s gone.”

  “Hey,” I croaked back, my voice a little hoarse from crying.

  “I know you’re hurting right now but I promise it’ll get better.”

  I closed my eyes for a moment. How would it get better? I’d thrown my job back in my boss's face; my boss who was, somehow, connected to Gabriel, who was, in fact, married. And I loved him.

  “You said that after we found Cam with Kendra,” I whispered, trying to hide my emotions beneath the whisper.

  “I did, didn’t I?” she said quietly.

  I nodded, sitting up and resting my back against the headboard of my bed.

  “So what do you plan on doing?”

  One question was laced with more hidden questions. What would as I do as far as a job? Would I have to move back to my parents' because I couldn’t afford the rent? How would I support myself if Kate told everyone who’s anyone in the PR world about me, subsequently stopping me from working in PR again?

  The truth was I didn’t know, but I knew I had to get out of here to clear my head.

  “I’m probably going to spend some time with my parents. I need some breathing space,” I said, hoping I’d have enough in my savings account to cover the cost of a last minute flight to Kentucky. Then, I realized out of all of the chaos, I wasn’t the only one hurting. Kylie had thrown Luca out of the apartment along with Gabriel. I had no idea what her relationship with Luca really was, I’d caught him sneaking out at the crack of dawn but we’d never talked about it. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m good,” she lied. I could tell when she was lying, her nose would wrinkle. Kylie didn’t have a poker face of any kind. “It was just casual sex with me and Luca.”

  That surprised me. Kylie was the one who wanted the fairy tale, the knight in shining armor who’d rescue her on his white horse and whisk them away into the sunset, so hearing about her casual relationship with Luca was something I wasn’t expecting.

  “What happened to your knight in shining armor?”

  “He wasn’t my Prince Charming or my knight in shining armor. Instead, all I got was an asshole covered in aluminum foil,” she said, her voice filled with sadness.

  “This isn’t like you.” I placed my hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

  “Luca is… different. Much different from Gabriel. Luca has commitment issues.” Kylie shook her head and laughed a little. “Fuck, I feel so naive.”

  “He’s not all that different. Gabriel clearly has commitment issues, he’s still freaking married.” The last part was said on shaky breath as I pushed back the tears; he’d had enough of mine to last a lifetime. “Can you help me arrange a flight?”

  “No. I’ll call my father and get you the jet. You’re not paying for a flight to Kentucky.” She smiled, standing from my bed.

  “Well, at least we’ll be able to arrive in style.” I chuckled.

  She turned around and stared at me.

  “What do you mean 'we'?”

  “I think we both need some breathing space,” I suggested.

  I wasn’t the only on
e hurt today and I knew Kylie needed a change of scenery as much as I did.

  “I’ll call my father and let Phil know I’ll be away for a couple of days. I’ll just tell him there’s a family emergency.” She nodded her head. “I love you, Pay.”

  A lump formed in my throat at the sound of those words but I decided not to give Gabriel that kind of power, to let me revert back and squash everything I’ve achieved, even if it was because of him.

  “I love you too, Ky.”

  KENTUCKY ALWAYS HAD a smell about it, it smelled like the country, of course, but there was always something else mingled within it. I’ve never been able to really pinpoint what it was, but it was always there.

  Kylie’s father was more than happy to loan us the jet for the weekend and Phil was amazing enough to give her Monday and Tuesday off to cover the flight back. So, armed with a suitcase each, we flew through the night to Kentucky. Thankfully, the flight was only around fours hours, much better than the eleven hour drive which, I had no doubt would be longer with the traffic on I-64.

  I hadn’t called my parents to tell them we were on our way over. I thought we’d surprise them with a visit once we’d checked into our hotel on the outskirts of my hometown. We’d opted to stay in a hotel, not wanting to try to sleep in the cramped, falling apart home where my parents lived.

  “I feel so jetlagged.” Kylie moaned as she threw herself onto the bed in our hotel room. I chuckled at her dramatics; we’d only been in Kentucky for two hours and I could already see her old self coming back.

  “You slept for the entire flight, not to mention the thirty minutes you dozed in the car on the way over. How can you be jetlagged?”

  She moved onto her side, propping her head on her hand.

  “It was a long flight!”

  “It was four hours. You can drive to Rhode Island in less than four hours. It’s not that far!” I laughed, shaking my head.

  “Anyway, do I have enough time to sleep before we head over to your parents' house?”

  “Nope, get your ass up. I’m going to shower and throw on something that doesn’t smell like I’ve been on a flight with you drooling all over me.” I giggled, throwing my drool-covered hoodie at her.

  “I do not drool!” she shrieked after me as I ran into the bathroom to scrub away the drool and the pain inflicted by Gabriel.

  After finally showering and throwing on some lightweight clothes to counteract the heat, we made our way to the car rental place across the street from the hotel. With us both living in the city, we didn’t see the need in driving; no one wants to be caught in the morning gridlock. After signing some documents and getting the keys to the truck, the only thing available, we made our way into town to my parents' house.

  “How old is this thing?” Kylie asked, running her finger along the dash and collecting dust. “And Jesus! When was the last time this thing was cleaned? It smells like something died in here.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at her little outbursts. Kylie had never met my parents or even stepped foot in the state of Kentucky. It was going to be a real eye opener for the high society queen when we arrived in the sticks.

  “Payton, I don’t want to alarm you but there are people on the side of the street selling fruit.” She pointed out the window, her head following the people as we drove past. “Wait, why are we driving on dirt? Where did the road go? Oh my god, I’m going to be covered in dirt!”

  “Will you quit your whining? They aren’t selling fruit, they’re selling homemade fruit jam and this is an old town, Ky. Most families have lived here for generations. It’s a small place,” I explained as I turned off the main road and onto my parents' street.

  “That doesn’t explain the dirt.” She cringed, wiping her arms as if trying to rid her skin of, clearly not there, dirt.

  “Will you please get your head out of the clouds?” I laughed. “This is the country. You’re lucky I didn’t make you buy some cowboy boots on the way in but I didn’t want to be the cause of a stroke.”

  Her eyes widened at the remark.

  “You’re not funny.”

  Yeah, she had no idea how serious I was.

  We pulled up to my parents' house a couple of miles off the main road. Pulling onto the drive, I turned off the engine and hopped out. Kylie, on the other hand, was tentatively trying to get out of the truck without touching it or the dirt.

  “You’re such a girl.” I laughed, turning towards my parents' house.

  Shit. I quickly realized my mom had lied the last time we’d spoke on the phone. The house was far worse than it had been when I last visited. The gutters were a mess and pretty much detached from the roof, and the gate was creaking and no longer straight.

  I feared for my best friend's sanity.

  “You sure we got the right address?” Kylie asked as she finally got out of the truck and wiped her hands before looking up at the house.

  “Yeah, this is it.” I nodded, opening the gate and heading for the front porch.

  “Really?”

  Before I could set foot on the front porch, out came my mother, Southern whirlwind that she was.

  “Payton Miller, what in God's name are you doing here?!” My mother smiled, embracing me a little too hard, as usual. I hugged her back, tears quickly welling in my eyes as I clung on to her for dear life. “Let me get a look at you!”

  Her hands moved to my shoulders and she held me at arm's length, getting a good look at her daughter. Anyone would’ve thought we hadn’t seen each other in a decade when, in truth, it was only a year. Which by all accounts was still far too long.

  My mother was a beautiful woman with lightening blonde hair she always wore in a bun at the top of her head. She said she wore it like that so she didn’t singe it when she baked. Julianna Miller was what we in the South call a serial feeder. The minute you stepped into the house, you’d be fed until you couldn’t eat any more. She’d tell you repeatedly she needed to fatten you up, that men like their Southern belles with curves, not skin and bone.

  I took a good look at her. Her features had softened somewhat, the defined angles of her facial bone structure less pronounced. She’d aged but gracefully. It suited her.

  “I’ve missed you, baby.” She smiled, pulling me in for another hug and noticing Kylie behind me. “And who do we have here? Is this Kylie?”

  As quick as she embraced me, she was in front of Kylie and squeezing the ever loving shit out of her. Kylie’s eyes widened and she smiled as she hugged her back.

  “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Miller,” Kylie said warmly as my mother finally released her from the grip of death.

  “Oh, honey. Mrs. Miller is my mother-in-law, God rest her soul, you can call me Julianna,” my mother said in her usual Southern drawl. “Well, don’t just stand there, get your butts inside. I’ve made some sweet tea and some biscuits and gravy.” She turned to Kylie and whispered, “My secret recipe.”

  My mother made her way inside and Kylie stood next to me and whispered, “What in the world is biscuits and gravy?”

  “Oh Kylie, welcome to the South.” I smiled and threw my arm around her shoulder, guiding her inside my parents' home.

  The house hadn’t changed since I left. On every piece of available wall space were family photos, some I wished were burned, others I loved. We moved into the kitchen where the scent of baked biscuits hit my nostrils and I instantly felt at home.

  “Momma, those smell delicious.” I groaned, my mouth watering.

  “Oh my god!” Kylie shrieked as she stepped into the small kitchen. “One, that smells utterly amazing. Two, Payton, your accent is back!”

  “Kylie Jackson!” My mother turned, pointing a wooden spoon in her direction. “Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain.” She smirked, winking at her. “Only after six and when the game is on.”

  I laughed as Kylie looked like she’d just had a come to Jesus with my mother. My mom was active within her church but sometimes didn’t always follow th
e teachings within her house. Especially when the game was on.

  “Or when Daddy's had Bourbon and starts singing the Star Spangled Banner… backwards,” I added.

  “Lord have mercy.” My mother chuckled. “Y’all don’t need to be seeing that.”

  “Don’t worry, Momma will stop him when he starts taking off his clothes.” I chuckled.

  Poor Kylie looked like she was about to stroke out. She looked at me in utter bewilderment that this kind of place and people existed.

  “We’re joking, dear,” my mother said, plating up some biscuits and drizzling gravy over the top. “Mostly.”

  I laughed and Kylie laughed along with me. My mother was the best ice breaker you could think of. We all took a seat at the table in the dining room and, much to my surprise, Kylie devoured her biscuit and gravy and was ready for a second helping. The sweet tea was a little more to be desired for her.

  “So how long are you staying, honey?” my mother asked as she handed Kylie her second helping with a smile. “Y’all know you can stay in the spare bedroom, right?”

  “We’re leaving on Monday. Thank you for the offer, Momma, but we’ve got a hotel booked.” I smiled, noticing the small frown on her lips.

  “Now y’all know I don’t like you staying in those hotel rooms, strange characters that stay in those.” She pointed with her fork.

  “It’s a five star hotel, Mrs. Mill— I mean, Julianna. It’s very nice,” Kylie said, stuffing her face.

  “Well, if you change your mind, you know where the room is.”

  “Thank you, Momma.” I smiled.

  My ears pricked a moment later when I heard the front door close. Turning in my seat, I looked down the hallway and found my father taking off his boots. Standing from my chair, I ran towards him.

  “What in the wor— Ooof!” My father laughed as I flung myself into his arms and nearly took him off his feet. “Well if it isn’t the big city girl!”

  “Hey Daddy.” I smiled, holding him tighter.

  Finally letting him go, he smiled warmly before looking down at my cowboy boot covered feet.