by Robin Leaf
And hate him I did.
“I’m here in support of my girlfriend.” He turned to face the crowd, an adoring look gracing his face. “This is her bar.”
“Now what girl is dumb enough to…” my voice trailed off.
Whistles started blaring in my head.
The pieces clicked into place.
This… this was Heather’s bar, which meant…
Kyle was her fellow cheater.
Brody’s friend.
Holy mother fucking shit.
“Kaelyn, I’ll be ready to leave in about ten minutes,” Mom said, interrupting my internal freak out. “And from what I gathered,” she lowered her voice, “she and that guy didn’t get back together.”
And if that wasn’t enough, Heather approached us.
“I can’t thank you enough, Justine,” Heather said right before she noticed me. She waved awkwardly. “Hi. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were here.”
I forced a smile and waved back. “Hi.”
“Thank you for helping to get your mother here today.” Biting her lips together, she turned back to my mom. “So,” she wrapped her hands around my mother’s forearm, “we have some goodies for you. We got you some pralines, some of the organic, handmade soap you said you liked from the store around the corner, and an authentic voodoo doll, since you said you always wanted one.” She started to pull mom away. “They’re in the back room…”
I saw Kyle’s face and the moment he put it all together.
Shit. Meet fan.
“You’re the girl from the plane?” he whisper yelled close to my ear.
I turned on him and spoke through clenched teeth. “What do you want from her, Kyle? She seems like a sweet girl. What is your plan, you know, besides ruining her relationship with Brody?”
He recoiled from my words before his face turned smug. “You have this all wrong, Kitten.”
“Stop calling me that.”
He stared at me for a second. “I love her, Kaelyn.”
“You’re incapable of that emotion, or any emotion for that matter.”
“Don’t be jealous, Kitten. I’m very capable of loving someone. It just didn’t happen with you. I mean, you have to admit, back then, you were a bit of a shallow, vapid, party girl who desperately wanted Daddy’s attention so badly, you would do anything,” he raised his eyebrows, “or anyone to get it.”
I felt the tears threaten to sting my eyes, but I warded them off with a growl.
“That’s not true, and you know it.”
“Do I? The way I remember it, you were putty in my hands, willing to do whatever I asked just for a little attention.”
“And you used me for my father’s name to get noticed by businessmen.”
“You weren’t innocent in our relationship either, Kitten. You needed an older, smart, pretty boy on your arm to make you look… desired.” He took a drink of his beer and made a face. “You used me just as much as I used you.”
“But the difference is you sold me out… literally.”
He took another long swallow of his beer, staring at me with narrowed eyes, almost like he was daring me.
“So, tell me, Kyle, you claim to love this girl, but would she return your affection if she knew what you were capable of? Wait, not just capable of, but what you are actually guilty of doing?”
“And just what would that be?”
“Setting me up? Taking pictures of me and selling them to the media to fund your start-up business? Ruining my life?”
He pursed his lips. “Do you really think she’d believe her ex-boyfriend’s mistress?”
“First of all, I wasn’t his mistress. He and I met on a plane and connected, but nothing happened until after he saw you with Heather.
“Secondly, I have proof. Don’t you think she’d believe the private investigator my dad hired to dig up dirt on you? The dossier he collected is quite impressive, by the way, going all the way back through your college years to high school… something about a little bet? Maybe we can find some of those girls to tell their stories –”
He grabbed my arm. “Do it and I release the video I still have, the one I didn’t release to the press because, despite what you may believe, I am not a monster.”
On overwhelming feeling of nausea enveloped me. “Wha –” I took a shaky breath and cleared my throat. “What video?”
He let go of me and whispered, “Something about a blowjob…”
My knees would no longer hold me and I collapsed onto the stool, burying my head in my hands.
His voice took on a desperation I’d never heard from him. “No one has to see it if you just keep your mouth shut. I know you don’t believe me, but I’m telling the truth. I really do love her. I didn’t plan for it, but there’s something about Heather. She’s real… genuine. The first absolutely genuine soul I’ve ever met. She’s the only person who’s ever resisted my charm –”
“She obviously didn’t resist you if Brody saw you fucking her against the wall of his bedroom, Kyle.”
He tried not to smile. “Fair point, but it took years before that happened.” Sitting on the stool next to me, he ran his hand over his head. “Look, she and Brody were never right for each other. I knew it, and deep down, she knew it, too.
“Truth is I would never have given her a second look if it weren’t for Brody. After I met her and had been around her a few times, I knew she would be trouble for me. So I kept my distance, you know, because of the bro code, but every time Brody worked on his game or went out of town, he asked me to keep an eye on her or to help her do things he should have been doing as her boyfriend. I couldn’t exactly explain to him that I was attracted to his girlfriend, that I was so drawn to her that I couldn’t see straight, that she made me want to be a better person. So yes, I stepped in, as his friend, but I ended up falling harder for her.” He scratched the back of his neck. “And, thank God, she fell for me, too.”
I picked up my glass and took a drink. “That sounds like a great speech. Rehearse it in the mirror often?”
His hand came down and smacked the bar. “You know what? I get it. I totally understand why you wouldn’t trust me.” He turned to face me. “Since Heather came along, I looked back at all the stupid things I did when I was younger, and –”
“You sold pictures of me to the press, Kyle. It was a major dick move. Things were taken out of context, making me look very bad.”
He looked down at his hands.
I lowered my voice to a whispered growl. “And how would you feel if someone sold a picture of Heather’s boob –”
His head jerked up, looking at me like I was an alien. “I never sold a picture of your boob to anyone. If you’re talking about the nip-slip picture, that one was taken the night I was out of town, and you went to that sorority party.” He softened his features. “It couldn’t have been me. I will admit it: that picture paved the way for me to sell the pictures I had of you, but I absolutely did not sell that one. I may be a dick, but I’m not an asshole.”
I sat back and crossed my arms over my chest. “Yet you admitted that you have a video of me,” I leaned forward and whispered, “giving you a blowjob.”
Laughter erupted from him, that kind of tear-inducing belly laugh that doubled him over on the stool.
“Oh, my God, Kaelyn,” he snorted. “You actually think I would…” He took a deep breath trying to compose himself. “No, Kitten. I never recorded… that. I swear. The video I have is of the night Ruby talked you through how to give a blowjob while you followed her instructions on a banana, and then you gagged and threw up everywhere, remember?”
“Shit, I’d forgotten about that.” I laid my head down on the bar. “How fucking embarrassing.”
He patted my shoulder. “And for the low, low price of your silence, it will stay hidden.” He patted my arm once. “You were a kid, KaeKae, so don’t beat yourself up about it.”
I spewed out a chuckle. “Twenty-one is hardly a kid.” Turning to face him
, I added, “And some blackmailer you are, comforting your mark about the video you’re using to blackmail her.”
“I’m telling you… I’ve changed. Sure, I have regrets. You’re definitely on that list, but ask yourself this: if I hadn’t done what I did, would we be where we are today?” He raised his eyebrow and downed the rest of his beer. “You know, I’ve noticed that you haven’t been doing too badly for yourself lately. You really turned your life around after those pictures.” He nudged me with his elbow, like we were suddenly buddies or something. “I was wrong about you back then, Kaelyn. You aren’t a vapid, empty-headed party girl.”
I smirked. “You’re still a dick, though.”
He grinned, causing that dimple to wink at me. “Ah, but I’m a dick in love.”
“Which doesn’t earn you any forgiveness, Kyle.”
The smile slipped from his face. “I’m not asking for forgiveness.” He stood up and leaned on the bar. “I only want to be allowed to move on and be better.”
Heather and Mom approached us, and it was almost cute how Heather threw herself between me and Kyle, wrapping herself around him like she was either protecting him from the evil witch or staking her claim. Maybe it was a little of both.
She nuzzled his cheek. “You ready to go to lunch, Lancelot?”
I couldn’t contain my reaction. I laughed, the type of loud, attention drawing, over-the-top cackles that uncontrollably erupt from the pit of your stomach.
She fucking called him Lancelot.
Which meant she was Guinevere.
And that made Brody King Arthur.
So did that make me… Merlin?
I mean… I could certainly make a man disappear.
Eighteen
Brody
Louisiana had been my home my entire life. So leaving would not be easy.
After closing the rented moving trailer containing almost every possession I own, I had to choke back the emotion. I wasn’t a feelings type of guy, but this… it got to me.
The stairs leading to my apartment felt steeper, but I had to go up for the last box and look around one more time just to make sure I didn’t forget anything.
I worked so hard to restore this place when I moved in, scrubbing the exposed brick and laying new wood floors. The building had been in my family since before my Memere was born, and downstairs, in my great-grandfather’s drugstore, is where she met and fell in love with my Paw Paw over the soda counter, which was currently the bar for The Lit Pub.
I really hated leaving, but it felt, I don’t know, like I needed it, maybe? It just felt necessary.
Heather asked to stay in the apartment, which honestly, was totally fine with me. She knew the history of this place and loved it almost as much as I did. She agreed to pay rent in addition to the lease for the store. Of course I didn’t charge her the going rate for an apartment like this, especially since it had one of those coveted balconies. I could have rented it out to tourists and probably made a living off what I could charge per week, but I decided that was not worth the hassle.
I just couldn’t kick Heather out. After we talked on New Year’s Eve, I realized that I was not the boyfriend I should have been. I mean, I wish she would have broken up with me before she cheated on me, but whatever. The result would have been the same.
In our time together, I operated under the impression that I followed the normal protocol for what a relationship was supposed to be, ignoring the big, flashing neon signs that things between us just weren’t working. Sexual incompatibility aside, we were simply wrong for each other. I assumed we were “opposites attracting,” when in reality, we were just… opposites existing, both too nice to admit we were not really happy, even to ourselves.
I should have paid better attention. Then I might have noticed that my girlfriend was in love with my friend.
Lesson learned.
“So, are you all packed up?” Heather asked from the open doorway.
I put my hands in my pockets. “I’m just making one last sweep to make sure I have everything.”
“You know,” she said as she cautiously moved closer, “I will be happy to ship anything of yours that I find, or I can bring it when I visit my parents.”
I smiled. “Trying to get rid of me, Heather Bear?”
She smiled sadly and dropped her eyes to the floor. “Confession: I always hated that nickname.”
“Wow.” I chuckled. “Did I do anything right?”
She approached slowly and grabbed my hand. “You were incredibly thoughtful and accommodating throughout our relationship. You gave me what you thought I needed.”
“Yeah, well… what I thought you needed apparently was just enough to push you into the arms of another man.”
She squeezed my hand. “Don’t blame yourself for that one. If Kyle was out of the picture, you and I would probably be on that path you planned, and we’d have most likely convinced ourselves we were happy, until we realized years down the road that we actually were miserable. And you didn’t push me into his arms. It’s just…” she blushed. “God, this is going to sound cheesy, but I truly think his arms are where I belong.” She smiled. “He and I were meant to be together.”
“You’re right.” I pushed a piece of hair away from her eyes. “That was pretty cheesy.”
Giggling, she pushed my hand out of hers.
“You know what’s really cheesy,” she placed her hands on her hips, “is secretly building a house from a silly, drunken conversation over a year ago.”
“Hey, I thought I was being romantic.”
She took a step forward and looked up into my eyes. “It was so amazingly sweet, Brody. And a year ago, I would have been all over the idea. But time changed things. A year ago, I was still missing home and not sure I made a smart decision by moving here. Now…” she stepped back and looked down at the ground. “Well, now I love this city. I’ve made amazing friends. My bar is a success. I’m in love. My life is good now.”
“I can’t help feeling responsible for what came before ‘now.’” I turned away from her and walked toward the kitchen. I heard her follow me.
“Look, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I loved you, Brody. Hell, I still love you, but not the way you deserve. You need someone who is compatible with you.” I turned to face her, and she wagged her eyebrows. “In every way.”
“We were –”
“No, we weren’t. You like things I don’t and vice versa, which is fine, except when it’s in every aspect of our relationship.” She blushed slightly and lowered her voice. “I was too embarrassed to talk about our life in the bedroom with you. I could tell you got frustrated with me, and knowing how you are, you didn’t want to hurt my feelings by discussing it. Sex…” she took a deep breath. “You can’t build a relationship on it, Brody, but it is important. It shouldn’t feel like a chore. Your partner should turn you on so much that you can’t keep your hands off her. Your heart should race when you see her. You should feel like the air is sucked out of your lungs when she enters a room. Her touch should set you on fire and calm you, sometimes at the same time.” She smiled sadly. “Admit it. You never felt that way with me.”
No.
But I have felt that way.
She bit her lip. “And bonus if said woman can handle the monster you have down there,” she nodded to my dick. “That’s the woman you grab on to and never let go.”
I chuckled again. “It’s really not that big.”
“Tell that to my poor hooha. At times, it felt like you were ripping me apart, no matter how slow you were willing to go.”
I scratched the back of my neck. “Really?” She nodded. “I’m sorry. Well, apparently, you’re just… tiny.”
Smiling, she leaned against the counter. “You know, she was here.”
“Who was?”
After swallowing what seemed like a huge lump in her throat, she answered. “That girl… the one who was going to be your fake fiancée. Her mother is my favorite author, and she did
a signing here day before yesterday. Her daughter drove her here.” She looked down at her hands. “And I noticed she was still wearing your ring.”
So many emotions slammed into me at once, I couldn’t make out any of them. I only felt like I’d been punched in the throat.
She came here? She’s still wearing the ring?
“So,” Heather watched as she played with her fingers, “I guess y’all are together now?”
I took a deep breath and held it for a second, but I couldn’t find my voice. I simply shook my head.
“What the hell, Brody? Why aren’t you with her?”
I figured it was a good time to take one of Heather’s beers from the fridge. Since she cheated on me with my friend, she at least owed me a beer. I twisted off the top and took a long drink.
“I’m not sure I can talk about this with you, Heather.”
“Oh,” she grinned, “so did you destroy her vagina, too?”
Beer coming out of the nose hurt like a bitch, but I laughed through the pain. I wasn’t sure if the tears were because of the beer or the laughter, but once I could breathe, I answered.
“No, there was no destruction, vaginal or otherwise.” I smiled. “But she did spend the night with me, and then she gave me a fake phone number.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Nope. I’m sorry, but I don’t buy it. There is no way that girl gave you a fake number.”
“Yeah, well,” I saluted her with my bottle, “she did.” I took another long drink from the bottle.
She watched me for a second, scrutinizing my face. “No. She didn’t. The way she defended you to me the night of your birthday… she liked you. Like really liked you.” She put her hand on my arm. “I was so glad you went after her, because if you didn’t, I would have… for you. Everyone deserves someone like that, Brody.”
“Frank, the old guy belonging to the fake number she gave me, agrees with you.” I took another drink of my beer. “He and I have a coffee date if I ever find myself in Ojai. He found it hard to believe any girl would flake on me, too.” I smiled. “He thinks I’m a catch.”
