The (Half) Truth

by Harper, Leddy

  When Kelsey nodded slowly, it meant she had something to say yet chose not to. She didn’t often keep her thoughts to herself, unless she knew they would unnecessarily hurt someone she cared about. Although, considering I knew that about her, whenever she did it, it didn’t matter if she spoke her mind or not, the implication alone had the same effect.

  “Well, that happened weeks ago. What happened today?”

  I carried on with the story, telling her about the art festival, the ring, and what had happened at work that night. That led to the next day—minus the amazing sex, of course—but when I got to the part about going to his house that night, she rolled her eyes and released a frustrated “Ugh!”

  “He’s such a pig. I almost believed he might not be as big of an asshole as I thought . . . but then you tell me this. We have to do something with your self-esteem. If you don’t find anything wrong with being told that you can’t sleep with anyone else while he continues to get it where he can, then this issue is bigger than I thought. Especially since you two aren’t even dating!”

  I immediately came to his defense. “No. He meant neither of us would sleep with anyone else. We agreed it was safer this way. You know . . . diseases and whatnot. So, it’s not like it was one sided or anything.”

  Her brows dipped, casting a shadow over her hazel eyes as she concentrated on a thought. “He told you this after I let it slip at my mom’s house that you were sleeping with Michael?” When I nodded, an irritating display of vindication brightened her face. “I’ll have you know, the weekend before, while you were visiting your parents, he was out drinking and went home with some skank in a short skirt.”

  I hadn’t planned to mention this, but it seemed I didn’t have much of a choice. Jason had made it perfectly clear that he was hurt by my inability to stand up for him when he couldn’t do it himself, so regardless of whatever backlash I’d get, I had to speak up. “He didn’t go home with her.”

  “Don’t be a fool, Tatum.”

  “I’m not. He left Boots just before midnight and got home about ten minutes later.”

  Confusion narrowed her gaze. “How do you know?”

  It wasn’t until this very moment, on the cusp of proving to Kelsey that she had been wrong about Jason, that I realized what a fool I’d been. She’d doubted him, and honestly, until he’d admitted to me the next day that he hadn’t slept with anyone, I’d doubted him, too. But now, as the words sat at the tip of my tongue, pooling in my mouth, I saw him in a way I should have that morning—as the good, thoughtful guy I’d never taken the time to appreciate.

  “He texted and sent me voice messages for most of the two hours he was at Boots. And then we spoke about it the next morning. Apparently, you and Marlena were there, but he doesn’t remember seeing either of you.”

  “I stayed with the girls near the bar. I saw him, but I don’t know if he ever saw me. I guess he ran into my sister on his way to the bathroom, and then one other time when she wanted to check out the VIP section he was in, but I don’t think they actually hung out for more than a few minutes. She said he was wasted. Either way, he can’t lie and say he didn’t leave with Exotic Barbie, because I watched him exit the building with her, hand in hand.”

  The image of him holding her hand bothered me. Then again, my feelings about it might’ve had something to do with the immense guilt that continued to eat at me over tonight’s events. I ignored it for the time being and carried on with my attempt to clear his name. “Yes, he technically left with her, but that’s only because she took him home.”

  “And you believe that?” Kelsey groaned and threw herself against the mattress, arms out wide and eyes locked on the ceiling. “Guys will never stop being players as long as women continue to eat up their bullshit.”

  I held my breath, counted backward from five, and then blurted out, “I believe him because I was there.”

  She jolted upright and gawked at me. “You were at Boots?”

  “No. I was at his house while he was at Boots.” I let that sink in for a moment before continuing. “His friend had invited him out, and he didn’t feel like he could turn him down because it was supposed to be some sort of celebration of his new job. He wanted me to go with him, but I chose to stay behind. He sent me a message when he left the bar, and since I was at his house, I know what time he came home.”

  “Then we’re talking about two different instances, because this was the weekend you were in South Carolina at your parents’ house.”

  I slowly shook my head. “Nope. We’re definitely talking about the same weekend.” I took her silence as a warning that I needed to elaborate. “I didn’t go see my parents. That morning, when you asked me who I was on the phone with, I didn’t want you to know it was your cousin. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was at the airport waiting for him to pick me up.”

  “Come again? You mean to tell me that you went as far as packing a bag and letting me drop you off at the airport just to keep from telling me the truth? My God, Tatum . . . I picked you up from the airport on Sunday.”

  “Yup. You sure did. He dropped me off about thirty seconds before you got there.”

  “What the hell is wrong with you? And he just let you stay the weekend at his house? As well as leaving you there alone while he went out drinking?”

  I nodded, and when that didn’t feel sufficient enough, I added a one-shoulder shrug.

  Kelsey sighed; she seemed to be on the verge of relenting. “You still have those messages he sent you from the club?”

  As much as I didn’t want her to hear them, I hoped his words might prove to her that he wasn’t as bad as she thought. I scrolled through our texts, taking a bit longer due to the number of conversations we’d had since then, and when I made it to the audio messages I’d saved, I handed her my cell.

  She pressed play on the first one.

  “I’m in a debate with Megan Fox. She said you’re s’posed to drink certain wine with certain foods. You’re a wine person; is that true?” Loud music filled the sound clip, making his slightly slurred question a little harder to understand.

  “Megan Fox?”

  “The girl you saw him leave with. He couldn’t remember her name.”

  “Doesn’t surprise me. He can’t remember anyone’s name, especially a girl’s—unless he’s related to them. I bet he called you Meghan Markle behind your back until he learned your name.”

  I got caught up in the memory of running into him at Taste of the Town—okay, running into him was an exaggeration, but that was neither here nor there. I couldn’t be too sure, but I would’ve put money on the fact that he’d known my name then . . . and used it. Not a moniker, not a celebrity whom he thought I resembled. My name. But before I could confirm that to myself, Kelsey interrupted my thoughts by playing the next message.

  “I’m gonna have to look into this. I gotta make sure I get you all the wines you need. But since you’ll prolly haff’ta help me cook, I should jus’ have you tell me what bottles to get.”

  The next message came a little while later, though I doubted she paid attention to the time stamps to notice.

  “This chick needs shopping help. You should be her friend.”

  I didn’t need to see the screen to remember the question marks I’d replied with.

  “I like your clothes. I like them better on my floor.” His laugh was drawn out and lazy, painting a clear picture of just how drunk he’d been. “Pull your skirt down, Foxy.”

  “He was talking to the girl,” I clarified when Kelsey’s judgmental eyes met mine. “He was referring to her skirt being too short. He mentioned it in a text earlier, so I knew what he was talking about. I think the first part was for me, that he wanted me to take her shopping for clothes because he likes what I wear.”

  “Seems he likes you naked better,” she droned before playing the last message.

  “I’m leaving the club.” Other than the sound of a car door closing, silence filled the background. “Her d
river’s driving me. If something happens to me, issa black Es’alade. This guy looks like Liam Neeson.” He’d lowered his voice, attempting to whisper when he added, “He’s kinda scary lookin’.” Then his tone returned to normal. “I’d give you the tag number . . . but I’m already in the car. Shoulda thought about that earlier, huh?”

  While his rambling was cute, it was the next part that I hadn’t been able to listen to since he’d sent it.

  His voice softened but not in a whisper. It was closer to contentment, like he’d been seconds away from falling asleep. “I’m comin’ home to you, babe. I’ll be there soon.”

  “Clearly, he was drunk. I think he thought he was talking to Jen,” I said, feeling the need to excuse it before she read too much into it. It was the same thing I’d told myself that night when I’d heard it. And the ache in my chest then returned now, like I could physically feel my heart breaking—at the time, I’d assumed it was his heartache, but now I wasn’t sure what to believe.

  Kelsey finally set the phone down and lifted her eyes to mine. “Did you ever ask him about it? Does he remember sending these to you?”

  “I have no clue. I saved them, but if he didn’t do the same on his phone, then they probably disappeared. I think they only stay for a couple of minutes once they’ve been played, unless you keep them. But I’ve never played them for him or asked about it. He was drunk. I doubt he even knew what he was talking about.”

  “Okay, so how did you get from there”—she pointed to the device on the mattress—“to sitting in here crying over him without it being his fault?” At least she seemed willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, which was all I could ask for.

  I caught her up to present time, which included the ring and rumors, and ended with what had taken place this evening after she left the apartment.

  The only thing she had to say was, “I don’t understand why he’s so mad.”

  “I don’t know that he is. I think he’s hurt and betrayed, which I totally understand, but I don’t know how to fix it.”

  “Just give him time to calm down; he’ll come around. But I would suggest trying to fix it on your end first. I doubt he’ll get over it if everyone you work with still assumes he’s a loser.”

  Advice I already knew. “He doesn’t give anyone a second chance, Kels.”

  “He’ll either have to, or his Sundays will be very lonely, because my family would totally choose you over him.” She leaned forward and perched her chin on my knees. “Am I allowed to say how relieved I am that you turned Michael down?”

  For the first time all night, I laughed. “Yes. You’re allowed, but only if you admit that Jason’s not as bad as you made him out to be. He might’ve been an asshole back in the day, but that’s not who he is anymore.”

  “He got in your pants the first time you two hung out. You really want to argue this?”

  I shrugged, though I refused to let it die. “And he could’ve very easily sent me home when we were done. He didn’t have to pick me up from the airport the next day or even offer to let me stay at his house rather than dropping me off at a hotel. He could’ve slept with the girl from the club while I was in his bed, but he didn’t. When you told him I was sleeping with Michael, he could’ve used that as an excuse to add other women to his rotation. Not only did he not do that, but he talked to me about his reservations regarding either of us sleeping with other people.”

  She waved me off before I could give her more examples. “Fine. I get it.”

  “I want to hear you admit he’s not an asshole.”

  A long sigh slipped past her lips. “I never really thought he was. I mean, I obviously had my reservations about him—he had no regard for women ten years ago, and while I understand he was in a serious, committed relationship for a while, he’s not anymore. This is the first time he’s been single since someone figured out how to tame him. It’s not that crazy of a thought that he might spend a little time enjoying his freedom, especially now that he’s in a new place with new faces and new ass to chase.”

  It was hard to argue with that.

  “Plus . . . you’re my best friend, Tater. You’re practically family. I didn’t want something to happen between you two that could potentially mess everything up. If any other guy hurts you, he’s dead to me. But it’s not like I can do that with Jason.”

  “No, I get it, Kels. And now, I’ve messed it all up.”

  “I don’t think that’s true. You probably won’t have any more slumber parties with him, which would make me happy, but I doubt this will be an issue in the long run. I’m willing to bet he’ll be over it by lunch on Sunday.”

  As much as I wished for that to be true, I refused to get my hopes up. “Knowing Jay, I bet he doesn’t come.”

  “Keep calling him Jay, and he won’t.”

  “I always call him that.”

  “Really?” She sat back, bewilderment narrowing her eyes. “He hates that name.”

  I could only shrug, not having a reason why he’d allow me to use it.

  Wiping my face, I shifted on the bed to sit with my legs crossed—more inviting than keeping them bent in front of me like a shield. “Enough about me. Tell me all about tonight. Did you get the deal?”

  Her eyes lit up, which ignited undeniable happiness within me. And then we sat there for another hour, talking about her night and what was to come of it. I couldn’t have been more excited for my best friend.

  Coming clean to my coworkers was not as easy as admitting it all to Kelsey.

  I figured it’d be better to get it all out of the way at once rather than tell a couple people and then deal with new rumors. But it wasn’t as simple as gathering everyone into the kitchen for a “Tatum has a confession” press conference. I would have to deal with it one person at a time, all within the same day.

  As much as I didn’t feel Michael deserved the truth, I gave it to him anyway. And as much as the staff liked to talk, I figured he should hear it from me first before someone else filled him in on whatever twisted version they wanted to share. Thankfully, it wasn’t a long conversation, nor did he have much to say about it. He nodded and grunted a few times, and then once again accused me of playing him. I didn’t argue. There was no point; he’d think what he wanted no matter what I had to say. I was just thankful for the opportunity to speak my mind about his reasons for breaking up with me. And then I rejoiced in the vindication I felt when I’d gotten everything off my chest and left, refusing to give him a moment to refute it.

  The next person had to be Rebecca. After all, that’s where the whole lie had started, and considering she’d ended up a victim of my carelessness, I felt it was best to go to her before any of the others. Although, after hearing what she had to say, I wished I’d gone to her first and then to Michael.

  “So . . .” Her eyes sparkled as she rubbed her hands together in excitement—excitement I was not at all expecting. “What’s the plan to win him back?”

  “Excuse me?” I was confused, unsure if we had both been part of the same conversation. “Rebecca, did you not hear me? We weren’t together. I lied about the whole thing.”

  “Well, clearly you were together. Just because it wasn’t what we all thought it was doesn’t mean you two didn’t have something. Now we just have to figure out a way to fix this. What can I do to help?”

  Either she was incredibly dense, or she had a heart of pure gold. My money was on the heart of gold. Which honestly made me feel even worse about how this all had affected her.

  “Aren’t you mad?” I asked, deflating some of her enthusiasm. “I mean, if I hadn’t lied, none of the other rumors would’ve gotten started, and without the last one, Michael wouldn’t have left you.”

  “Sure he would have. Maybe not when he did, but eventually. I should be thanking you. Without all that, who knows how long it would’ve taken me to see his true colors.”

  “So you aren’t upset that he broke up with you?”

  She seemed confused by my q
uestion, yet she answered anyway. “Not really. I tried to end things with him a couple of weeks ago—after we all thought Jay had cheated on you. But he talked me out of it.”

  “Hold on.” I paused to take a deep breath, and then I asked, “How did he talk you out of dumping him? I don’t get it.”

  “I knew that you two used to date and were engaged for a brief period of time. But I thought that was like a long time ago. I didn’t know it all happened at the beginning of the year. It wasn’t until the night that Jay came in with that girl that I learned the truth. I was mad that he’d ever put me in that kind of position. I must’ve looked like a heartless idiot talking about him in front of you the way I did. You never said anything—neither did anyone else—so I didn’t think it bothered you. When I confronted Michael about it, he swore that you knew about me before I was hired and everyone was making a bigger deal about it than there needed to be. I wanted to ask you about it, but you were gone all weekend, and when you came back, it didn’t feel right with everything that happened with Jay.”

  My heart actually hurt for Rebecca. And even though I didn’t need another reminder of how relieved I should be that I wasn’t stuck with Michael for the rest of my life, she’d given me one anyway.

  I dismissed her desire to plot ways to win Jason back and moved on with my confession tour. Carrie was next—only because she was there and could sniff out a secret from a mile away. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected from her, but being told that my lies made me more fascinating than my real life hadn’t been it. She lost interest in my boring reality and told me to let her know when something exciting happened.

  The rest of the night went about the same—me setting the record straight with anyone who came within ten feet. Most of the time, I got a blank stare or a hearty laugh. The others just brushed it off and went back to work. Honestly, had I known it would be this way, I might’ve contemplated coming clean a long time ago.

  Amanda came to the kitchen at the end of the night. I could tell by the satisfied smirk on her face that she’d already heard, yet I told her again anyhow. I’d repeated it so many times I had it cut down to the main points, the truth, and then my apology. The only thing that heifer could say was, “I knew it.” And then she left.