by Gia Riley
“You’re so beautiful, Chandler.”
“I need you, Wirth.”
He runs his hands from my hips up to my chest. When he pinches a nipple, I feel it between my legs.
Lifting my hips, I reach behind to guide him inside of me.
“Wait, babe. We need a condom.”
I was so consumed by the moment, I wasn’t thinking clearly. But I slow down and wait for Wirth to grab a condom out of the nightstand and slide it on.
Then he closes his eyes and inhales a deep breath.
“Are you okay?” I question.
“Perfect,” he says as he opens his eyes. “Tell me what you want.”
“You,” I whisper as he slides inside me. “All of you.”
He squeezes my hand and laces his fingers with mine.
We’ll be okay. I’m positive.
But, come morning, I realize what happened last night wasn’t real. The bed next to me is empty, and the sinking feeling in my stomach is confirmed when I throw the covers off and run into the hallway, finding no signs of Wirth.
The shower isn’t running. The bathroom’s empty, and so is Wirth’s bedroom.
My next stop is the kitchen where Maisie’s standing by the stove, cooking.
She turns the burner off and runs to me. I can’t figure out why she’s pushing me into my bedroom until she says, “My brother will freak if Hollis sees you naked.”
“He’s not here,” I tell her.
She misunderstands and says, “Hollis is still in bed. Where are your clothes?”
“I-I don’t know. On the floor.”
“You can’t put a dress on,” she says. “What did you wear to bed? Let’s find your pajamas.”
“I slept naked,” I tell her.
Reality registers, and then she says, “Oh, okay. Pajamas are probably in your drawer. Let’s find some.”
She rushes over and pulls out a shirt and a pair of shorts. Then, she slips the top over my head and shimmies the shorts up my legs and over my hips.
“Where’s your brother, Maisie? Why isn’t he still in my bed?”
“Wirth slept here?” she questions. “I thought he was at Aunt Judy’s.”
Staring straight ahead, it finally hits me. “He left.”
“For work?” she asks.
I glance at the clock. We have two hours until we need to be at the theater. Not that it matters. Wirth hasn’t been working. How he’s managing to learn everything he needs to, I have no idea.
“It’s too early for work,” I tell her.
Smiling, she says, “I bet he went to get you breakfast.”
Wirth would have left a note if he were coming back. He wouldn’t have wanted me to wake up and freak out, like I just did.
“No,” I tell her as I climb back into bed. “He got what he wanted and left.”
“You slept with him?” she asks in an octave higher than her regular voice.
Pathetic. That’s what I am.
I fell for Wirth last night. Again.
And I got dumped this morning. Again.
How could I have been so stupid?
“I guess it really is over. I was holding on to nothing.”
Maisie picks up her phone, and I don’t have to ask who she’s calling.
The second he picks up, Maisie lays into him so loudly that Hollis stumbles into my room.
“What the hell is going on?” he asks. “It’s like half past I-should-still-be-sleeping.”
Maisie pushes him into the hallway and closes the door behind her. I’m left alone, in my bed, wearing clothes that don’t match.
Maisie saw my vagina. And my boobs. She probably has nice boobs. Boobs way bigger than mine. Maybe, if I had a better set, Wirth wouldn’t have slept with me and then walked out on me.
Just as I’m debating the cost of a breast augmentation, the yelling in the hallway dies down, and Maisie comes back into my room.
I’m afraid to ask her what Wirth said. Judging by the look on her face, it wasn’t good.
“Just tell me, Maisie. My head hurts.”
She sets her phone down. “It’s not what you think. Wirth got a call from Aunt Judy and had to go home. He didn’t want to wake you.”
“Why? Is something wrong with your aunt?”
“She’s fine. But he had to take care of something at the house.”
“So, it wasn’t me?”
“No,” she says. “It wasn’t anything you did or didn’t do. Not that I know what you guys did. Or didn’t do. I’m choosing not to think about the naked parts.”
I’m imagining a clogged toilet. Or maybe a burst pipe. It’s cold enough for something like that to happen, so I understand that Wirth had to rush out. But it still doesn’t make as much sense as it should.
“Why didn’t your brother just leave me a note if he didn’t want to wake me up?”
She shrugs. “I wish I knew. Nothing that he has been doing lately makes any sense. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Thank you for calling Wirth.”
“No problem,” she says. “I’m gonna go finish my eggs. Do you want some?”
I don’t want eggs. But I do have one last question for her. “Should I be worried?”
Without missing a beat, Maisie says, “Absolutely not,” but she doesn’t look me in the eye.
I have to figure this out.
Wirth
When Aunt Judy called me at four in the morning, telling me I had a guest, I thought maybe she was dreaming. Because who in their right mind shows up at someone else’s house in the middle of the night?
Shannon. That’s who.
The one person I never wanted to see again is sitting in my aunt’s living room, looking at me like a sad little puppy.
She must have found Aunt Judy’s address online. It’s not like I ever hid my family from her. I talked about them often, even my mom. Looking back, I would have been more careful had I known what Shannon was capable of.
“I’m tired, Wirth. Can’t I lie in your bed for a little while?”
I can’t take the whining. “This isn’t a hotel,” I remind her. “You’re lucky I haven’t kicked you out.”
Aunt Judy sets two plates full of eggs and bacon on the coffee table. That’s what she does when she can’t fix something—she just feeds you.
Shannon grabs a fork and digs into her eggs. “Aren’t you eating?” she mumbles around a mouthful. “You just keep staring at your phone.”
“No, I’m not eating. And what I do is none of your business.” I refuse to share a meal with her when I’m supposed to be having breakfast with Chandler this morning.
She sets her fork down and wipes her mouth with a napkin. “Fine. Maybe, if I start talking, you’ll be less cranky. I really don’t like this side of you,” she says.
“Then, talk,” I tell her. “I have to be at work soon.”
Laughing, she rolls her eyes. She never thought the theater was a real job.
I think her actual words were, “It’s a waste of your talents.”
“I’m waiting, Shannon.”
She turns her body, so she’s facing me and clasps her hands in her lap. “I’m here, Wirth, because I got a call that you’re performing again.”
I’d love to know who told her I was at The Pour House last night. I didn’t scan every inch of the crowd, but I didn’t notice anyone important. That can only mean one thing—she has someone watching me.
“Who cares if I played a couple of songs at a bar?”
She smirks, and I cringe. I know that look. It never amounts to anything good.
“I do. Because you can’t legally perform without my knowledge, Wirth. Did you forget about the contract?”
“The contract was null and void when you betrayed me, Shannon.”
“Maybe in theory. Or by principle. But not by law.”
Before she says another word, I stand up and point to the front door. “Get out of this house.”
Her mouth’s hanging open, and for once, she d
oesn’t have a comeback. But, if she wants to screw with my life, then I’ll make hers miserable, too. I’m done being the nice guy.
“You can’t kick me out,” she says.
“I just did. If you want to play dirty and drag this out in court, fine. But I promise that, when I’m done with you, you won’t have a penny to your name.”
Her bottom lip quivers. Whatever plan she came here with is slowly falling apart. Confident Shannon has disappeared, and in her place is a scared little girl. Probably because she’s the one with something to hide.
“Wirth,” she whispers as she stands, like she’s waiting for me to explode. I won’t give her that satisfaction.
“You’ll hear from my lawyer, Shannon. Get your coat.”
The first tear drips onto her cheek. She doesn’t want to go to court any more than I do. Mostly because she’ll lose. Any judge would choose my version of the truth over hers.
“I miss you, Wirth. I just want you to come home.”
“This is my home.”
“This isn’t even your house.”
I get as close as I can stand, so I don’t have to say this louder than necessary. My aunt shouldn’t have to listen to this.
“I might not live in this house, but everyone I care about is in this city. You need to go back to Nashville, where you belong. With the other rats in the business.”
“You didn’t think I was a rat a couple of weeks ago—when you were making love to me in our bedroom. You still have things there, you know.”
The thought of kissing or being intimate with Shannon makes me cringe. “Well, sluts really aren’t my thing. And I don’t want or need anything I’ve left behind. Toss it.”
She covers her face with her hands and sobs into them.
If Chandler were this upset, I’d do anything to make her happy. But, right now, I want Shannon to feel as terrible as she made me feel.
“I’m sorry,” she mutters. “I don’t want to go to court. And I don’t want to fight. All I want is you, Wirth. I’m miserable without you.”
She tries to reach for my face, but I grab her hand before she can lay a finger on me. “Don’t.” It’s the only warning she’ll get.
“I know you miss me, too, Wirth.”
“Do you know what I miss, Shannon? I miss my music. I miss the dreams I had while I was in Nashville. You destroyed all of that. And I’ll never forgive you or want you back. That’s a promise.”
“You don’t mean that,” she says. “I know you still love me.”
“I can’t still love you, Shannon.”
“Why not?”
“Because I never did.”
There was a time I thought I had strong feelings for Shannon. But it wasn’t until I met Chandler that I realized what strong feelings actually were. What I had in Nashville didn’t come close. And that’s why I’m done wasting time with this girl. I want to get back to the woman who matters to me—the one who whispered my name in my ear as she came last night. The one I can’t stop thinking about.
Opening the front door, I wait for Shannon to move.
“Don’t do this,” she pleads.
“You already did, Shannon.”
Images of her on her knees in that office flash before my eyes. But I force them out of my mind.
Shannon is the past—a past I’m ready to move on from.
My future is Chandler. And I can’t wait to get to her.
“Can I have one more hug before I go?”
“No.”
Nodding, she balls her coat up in her arms, not bothering to put it on. She can do it in the car because there’s a driver waiting for her in front of the house. I guess she’s still playing around with Daddy’s money.
“I love you, Wirth.”
“Good-bye, Shannon.”
Chandler
It takes some snooping in Maisie’s phone while she’s in the shower, but I’m able to dig up enough information to figure out where Aunt Judy lives.
There isn’t enough time to make it back home before rehearsal, so I throw on my leotard and cover up in sweats. It’s not the look I want to surprise Wirth in, but this might be my only chance to see him today if he doesn’t come home. So, after a quick stop at the bagel shop, I flag down a cab and make my way across town.
I’m calm until the driver slows down and pulls behind a black town car. My stomach fills with butterflies as I pay him and step onto the sidewalk in front of a row of beautiful brownstones.
They all look similar, so I carefully check the numbers, making sure I find Aunt Judy’s. Oddly enough, there’s already someone on the porch. From the looks of it, she’s upset because she’s wiping her eyes on her sleeve.
I take a few cautious steps toward the house, wondering if this person is the reason Wirth left me in the middle of the night. She could be a cousin or maybe a friend of Aunt Judy’s. Whoever she is, she must be freezing without her coat on.
The second she sees me, her posture changes. She wipes her nose and stands a little straighter.
Not wanting to intrude, I give her a warm smile.
But that’s not what I get in return.
Her eyes are as cold as the weather when she rudely says, “Who are you?”
Caught off guard, I quickly say, “Chandler.”
There’s no recognition in her eyes. My name means nothing to her, and I can’t decide if I should be upset about that or not.
“Who are you looking for?” she questions.
“Wirth,” I tell her. “I’m not sure if he’s home, but I thought he’d be here.”
She notices the bag full of breakfast in my hand and says, “He’s here, but he already ate.”
I’m so confused.
“Who are you?”
“Shannon,” she tells me.
Her name is like fingers down a chalkboard. I’m not sure why she’s here or how long she’s been in New York, but I need to talk to Wirth.
When I step around Shannon to get to the doorbell, she laughs. It’s not a friendly laugh either. It’s one filled with so much contempt that I can barely catch my own breath.
Something is wrong. Very, very wrong.
Before I can press the bell, the front door opens, and a slew of curse words follows. Wirth does a double take and stops mid-sentence once he realizes it’s me.
“Chandler?” he questions. “What are you doing here?”
As excited as I was to surprise Wirth, I realize I should have stayed home and waited to hear from him. There’s nothing wrong with the house or Aunt Judy. Wirth came here to see Shannon—his ex-girlfriend.
Reality is like a punch to the gut, and I drop the bag of food onto the doormat.
Turning around, I glance at Shannon, just as she’s blowing Wirth a kiss.
“Thanks for this morning, babe.”
She shatters my heart into a thousand pieces. This can’t be happening. Not after last night.
Taking the steps two at a time, I jump down to the sidewalk and run down the street, hoping I come across a cab before I pass out. But I don’t make it more than a block before Wirth catches up to me. My chest aches from the sight of him.
“How could you, Wirth?”
“I didn’t touch her, Chan. She’s lying. That’s what she does.”
Why would she lie?
He’s the one who left me in the middle of the night and rushed back here to see her. Obviously, whatever they had isn’t over. And, from the looks of it, she got exactly what she wanted.
“I don’t believe you.”
He grabs me by the waist and tosses me over his shoulder.
“Put me down!”
“I will when I get you back to the house,” he says, giving me no other option but to lifelessly hang here, inches away from his ass.
Briefly, I catch a glimpse of Shannon’s feet as we pass by, and then it’s much warmer. We’re inside while Shannon’s left out in the cold.
Wirth’s winded from the walk back, but he sets me on my feet and looks me right i
n the eyes. “She just showed up, Chandler. My aunt had her door beaten down at four in the morning, so I rushed over here as soon as she called me. I had to make sure she was okay.”
“It’s seven o’clock, Wirth. If you didn’t want Shannon here, why didn’t you make her leave sooner?”
“Because she was being difficult and wouldn’t tell me why she had come. I had to keep her talking until I found out what she was up to. I needed to know my family was safe.”
That much I can believe. Besides his sister, his aunt is the only family he has left, and I know they’re close. But it still doesn’t explain why Shannon would show up out of the blue like that. Something had to have happened.
“How often do you and Shannon talk?”
“We don’t.”
“I’m supposed to believe that?”
A woman walks into the living room and eases her way toward me. Assuming it’s Wirth’s aunt, I let her lead me to the sofa.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I didn’t mean to raise my voice in your home.”
She raises a brow and gives Wirth a little nod. I’m not sure what it means, but Wirth smiles.
“This one has manners,” she says. “More than I can say for that other one.”
Assuming she’s referring to Shannon, I keep my mouth closed. I have a lot to say about that girl, but it won’t do any good.
Plus, Aunt Judy shocks me when she takes my hand and says, “My nephew is telling you the truth. Shannon showed up here, unannounced and absolutely uninvited.”
Aunt Judy loves Wirth, and I believe she’d do whatever it took to protect him, but I don’t think she’d lie about Shannon. Especially considering Shannon’s outside and not in her home.
Instead of arguing, I just breathe a sigh of relief. And then I tell her, “My head’s a mess. Ever since I met Wirth, things have been upside down.”
Smiling, she gives my hand a squeeze. “That’s how you know you’ve found a good one.”
I glance at Wirth, and when I do, his eyes give away everything he’s feeling. They’re not only pleading with me to accept her word as the truth, but he’s staring at me like he was last night. And that’s all the confirmation that I need.