Just Friends (Blue Beech)

by Charity Ferrell

  “Okay,” I whisper, putting my anger aside at the sight of her pain. “I’ll stay.”

  Carolina promised to give me answers tonight before she left for work.

  Last night, it was too fresh—my anger, her pain.

  Neither of us knew what to do or where this would lead for our future.

  It was like we were too scared to discuss it, to change everything between us.

  There’s more to this story.

  Carolina’s parents being disappointed isn’t what’s stopping her from divorcing James. She’s always been scared of disappointing them, but she failed when she dropped out of school.

  I’m pissed the entire drive to the university, and the lecture hall is empty when I walk in.

  Exactly what I planned after pulling up his class schedule.

  Professor Asshole is gathering up papers and shoving them into a brown leather briefcase. He halts, papers fluttering to the floor, when he notices me walking toward him.

  He speaks before I get the chance to, his tone cool and collected, “Let me guess … you’re here because of Carolina?” He whistles. “Gotta say, I’m shocked she told you.”

  Other than looking up his pictures the next morning after Carolina came to my dorm, crying, this is my first time I’ve taken a good look at him. I understand his appeal. He’s tall, fit, and on the younger side. His good looks, expensive clothes, and smooth-talking personality are what draw women to him.

  I don’t speak until I’m standing in front of his desk, nearly in his face. “Quit playing games and give her a goddamn divorce.”

  A bold smirk crosses his face, and he falls back a step. “Don’t tell me what to do with my wife.”

  My wife.

  Those words send a spiral of anger through me.

  “Wife?” I clench my jaw, my pulse skyrocketing. “Not for long.”

  “Oh, really?” He draws himself up to his full height, thrusting his chest out and tensing his muscles—a lame attempt at appearing intimidating. “Is that what she said? That she planned to divorce me? It wasn’t the tune she was singing yesterday when she came to my house.”

  His house.

  Dude knows how to piss another guy off; that’s for sure.

  What did Carolina see in this douche bag?

  My ribs tighten as I hold myself back from jumping over the desk and pummeling his face in. “Yes, that’s exactly what she said—that you won’t give her a divorce and are playing mind games.”

  He shakes his head, a laughter filled with edge coming from him. “I don’t play mind games with my wife.”

  If this motherfucker says wife one more time, Carolina will become a widow.

  “What do you have on her?” I ask, getting straight to the point.

  “None of your business. This is between me and my wife, so stay away from her.”

  My nails bite into my palms as I clench my fists. “Listen, creep—”

  He cuts me off, “How does it feel, screwing a married woman, Rex?”

  “She doesn’t want to be married to you,” I fire back.

  “Do you plan to date her if we divorce?”

  “Yes.”

  “Marry her?”

  “Yes.”

  He smiles deviously while fishing out a phone from his pocket. “Tell me something then, how would you feel … how would your mayor father feel if your new girlfriend’s pictures were posted online?”

  I blink, and it takes my eyes a second to adjust to the screen when he shoves the phone in my face—answering all the questions I came here for.

  This is why she won’t leave him.

  This sneaky motherfucker.

  I jerk the phone from his grimy fingers, throw it on the floor, and stomp on it, shattering it to pieces underneath my Chuck Taylor.

  “Are you sure you want to date my wife now?”

  My crushing his phone doesn’t seem to faze him.

  Phone down.

  His face to go.

  I circle around the desk faster than I’ve ever moved in my life, grab him by his scrawny-ass throat, and slam him against the wall, pinning him into it. “You motherfucker!”

  “Ah … so she didn’t tell you everything.”

  He gasps when I tighten my hold on his neck, and it takes everything I have not to keep choking him when his face starts turning purple.

  I came here to scare him.

  Not to kill him.

  Even though I thought of dozens of ways I wanted to kill him on the drive here.

  He bends at the waist when I release, his hands resting on his knees as he inhales deep breaths, nearly choking on them when I pull away.

  “Sign the divorce papers when they’re delivered to you,” I demand, wiping my hands down my pants and turning to leave.

  He snorts coldly. “You don’t think there’s more where that came from?” A smug smile takes over his face. “I have plenty of pictures of her.” He tips his head toward the phone. “You might’ve broken my phone, but I still have them everywhere.”

  I circle his desk and snatch his iPad from it.

  It breaks when I stomp on it next.

  “Two devices down,” he says. “So many more to go. I have them saved everywhere, waiting for Carolina to make the wrong move. If she decides to leave me for you, there will be repercussions. She belongs with me—someone mature—not a little video game–playing college kid. I might’ve made a few mistakes with Carolina, but she’s mine.”

  “I don’t know if Carolina has told you what I’m capable of. I will not only kick your ass, but I’ll also hack into everything with your name on it—phones, computers, emails, your fucking preschool records if I have to. Every-motherfucking-thing.”

  “You don’t think Carolina has told me how you can hack into accounts?” He rubs at his red throat. “Which, by the way, is illegal, and I’d definitely turn you in for whatever you did.”

  “Good luck proving it. You might be a sloppy motherfucker, but let me promise you, I’m not.” Pointing at him, I narrow my eyes. “Delete every picture and leave her the fuck alone. Find another student to bang since they seem to be your type, you fucking creep.”

  “Or what?”

  “Like I said, I’ll search through everything you own.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “Nope. Only telling you what I’ll do. I won’t stop digging into every move you make until you leave her alone.”

  “Fuck you,” he spits.

  “Prepare for me to know your every secret, Professor.” I grab his briefcase, slide out the laptop inside, and hold it up. “I’ll smash this up as soon as I’m finished with it.”

  25

  Carolina

  Rex texted me two hours ago, asking if he could stop by the loft.

  Considering all the text messages I’ve received, I have a hunch I know what him coming over means. We’ve hardly spoken since this morning, and even then, there was an uncomfortable silence as I got ready for work at his apartment.

  Maybe he needs space to decide if he still wants to date me after he found out about James.

  Stupid—that’s what I was for thinking I could hide my marriage from him. Then again, I didn’t expect Rex to open up his heart to me like he has and take the leap with me I’d wanted for years.

  I never told Rex because I thought being with him wasn’t an option. All this time, I’ve waited for us, only to hit a roadblock—a block I have no idea when it’ll open.

  I’ve shifted in twenty-five different positions on the couch trying to get comfortable. My head throbs, my heart ready to dive out of my chest.

  Honestly, I’d have no problem with that.

  I’d hand it over to Rex—a promise that, no matter what, he has it.

  Not James.

  Not anyone else.

  Him.

  It’ll always be his.

  Right now, even though I love him, I want to kick his ass.

  “Are you nuts?” I screech when he walks through the front door
with his computer bag, anger on his face. “James said you went to his lecture hall and threatened him.”

  His visit to James shouldn’t surprise me. Even after the lies, Rex will always protect me. It’s what he’s done our entire friendship—with my cousins, with anyone who gave me shit, and now, with James. Rex would destroy anything in the world than see me in pain.

  The cold glare aimed in my direction confirms I’m not the only mad person in the room.

  “Sure did,” he snaps.

  “Rex,” I say carefully. “Please don’t get involved in this. I asked you to leave it alone, and I’ll figure it out.”

  “Figure it out?” he shouts, his eyes not leaving me. “What is your plan on figuring it out?”

  I chew on my lower lip. “I don’t exactly know that yet.”

  His anger heightens. Even last night, he wasn’t this upset. Dread takes over my body as I wait for him to throw whatever he’s pissed about at me.

  James told him something.

  The question is, What did he tell him?

  “When did you plan to tell me the reason you won’t divorce him is because he’s blackmailing you with nude pictures?”

  Good thing I’m sitting, or my knees would’ve given out, and I’d be crying on the floor. I’d love nothing more than to sink into these cushions and disappear. The pie I ate at work earlier is threatening to make an appearance in this argument … talk … whatever it is.

  He told him.

  I want to slice and dice James right now.

  Go Lorena Bobbitt on him.

  It takes me a moment to find my voice and not die in front of him. “He … he told you?”

  “He fucking showed me,” he hisses through clenched teeth. “I wanted to kill the bastard.”

  I close my eyes as they burn with tears and choke out my answer, “He’s been holding it over my head since the night we broke up.”

  Rex will never look at me the same way again.

  “Are you shitting me?” he screams. “You’ve just been letting him threaten you all this time? What the hell, Carolina?”

  “I didn’t know what to do!” I sob.

  That’s right.

  I was stupid and sent James naked pictures of myself.

  I was even stupider because I didn’t even cut off my face in those pictures.

  James knows he has me right where he wants me—the preacher’s daughter whose reputation means so much. All he’s done since we broke up is threaten me with them.

  “Gee, I don’t know,” he argues. “Ask your best fucking friend for help! That’s what you could’ve done!”

  “I knew what your help would be.”

  “I would’ve fixed this problem for you months ago. You wouldn’t be dealing with this jackass.”

  I violently shake my head, swiping away tears in the process. “It won’t solve it. You can’t hack into every device he owns. You don’t know where he has them or if he’s printed them off or stored them on a random drive.”

  “I’ll find wherever he has them.”

  “What if you can’t?”

  “I’ll take matters into my own hands. I’ve managed to snag his IP addresses, passwords, and looked through his laptop before trashing it.”

  “You stole his laptop?”

  “Borrowed it,” he corrects.

  “So … you’re giving it back?”

  “Accidentally broke it while borrowing it.” He shrugs. “I’m clumsy sometimes.”

  “I bet.” I sigh heavily. “I appreciate you wanting to help, but all I can do is ride this out until he decides he’s done with me. I thought him dating Margie would help, but she broke up with him again.”

  He arches a brow. “He and Margie are dating again?”

  I nod.

  “Even after she found out he was married?”

  “Apparently so. When I texted him the other day, asking for a divorce, she had his phone. I thought maybe if they’d worked things out, he’d let me off the hook. I was wrong.”

  Yesterday, James blamed me for their breakup since it was over my text. Annoyingly, he still has me under My Wife, so she doesn’t know it’s me.

  I wish I could tell Margie everything.

  As the tears come faster, I cover my face with my hands. “God, this is embarrassing.”

  Rex plops down next to me on the couch, grabs my shoulders so I’m facing him, and plucks my hands off, one by one. “What’s embarrassing is you not trusting me enough to tell me. You know everything about me. Every secret. You’d for sure know if I got married.”

  The hurt is clear on his face.

  Rex’s problem isn’t that I made a mistake.

  It’s that I kept it from him.

  That I didn’t trust him with my secret.

  I gulp, my eyes meeting his. “I’m sorry.”

  He nods, an inch of forgiveness in his features. “Why haven’t you gone to the university and reported him? You don’t even have to tell them about the pictures. He’d get in trouble for marrying you; I have no doubt about that.”

  “You think getting him fired from his job will convince him not to revenge-porn me? It’d give him more incentive because he’d have nothing to lose.”

  Rex grabs his laptop from the case. “To work I go then.”

  I snatch it from his hands. “You can get in trouble for that. You don’t think I told James you’d do that? He’ll report you, especially if it’s any emails from his university account.”

  “You have no idea of the lengths I’d go to protect you.” He snags the laptop back from me. “I’ll risk it all.”

  He opens the computer, powers it on, and starts hitting keys.

  I thrust a hand through my messy hair. “Do you … are you … are we …?” My voice is low and shaky.

  He glances up from the computer. “Are we what?”

  “Do you hate me?”

  “Nope,” he answers with no hesitation. “Am I pissed as fuck at you right now? Yes. I’d never hate you for making a mistake—unless it’s cheating on me.” This time, he does hesitate. “Which you haven’t done, correct?”

  “I’d never,” I rush out around a gasp. “I’d never let another man touch me. There’s no way I’m ruining the one thing I’ve wanted for years—the person who means everything to me. That is something you’ll never have to worry about.”

  He shuts his eyes. “It’s killing me you’re married to another man and that there’s nothing I can do to convince you to change that.”

  “I’ll figure it out, I swear.”

  He thrusts his thumb toward me, the expression on his face breaking from frustration to a slight smile. “Which brings me to my next point. No dick until you’re no longer a married woman.”

  I wince. “What?”

  “It’ll give you more incentive to change this situation … and allow me to break some laws.” He rests his palm on his chest. “As I’ve said before, your boy is a man of morals.”

  I roll my eyes. “Pfft, whatever.” I shake my head, my tears starting to dry as his anger calms. I throw my head back in a groan. “I can’t believe he showed you pictures of me.”

  He taps my thigh before leaving his hand to rest there. “Yeah, no offense, but not very smart, babe.”

  “So, no girl has ever sent you nudes?”

  “I’m feeling it’s not a good idea to answer that question.”

  My Rex is resurfacing. No matter how upset he is with me or how dumb my choice was, he’ll never stop having my back … never fail to put a smile on my face, even in the shittiest of situations.

  “Come here,” he says, waving me to him, and I scoot closer. The tip of his finger lifts my chin, and his lips slowly brush mine. He speaks against them, “Never be embarrassed with me, okay? No matter what, I’ll be by your side, fighting with you.”

  I nod, resting my hand on his cheek. “Thank you.”

  He kisses my lips, my cheek, the tip of my nose, and then my forehead before pulling back. “Now, turn on one of thos
e stupid-ass romance shows you like to get your mind off the bullshit, and I’ll be busy at work over here.”

  Tension leaves my body. “Busy hacking into James’s files?”

  “Files, photos, emails, text, phone calls …” He shrugs as if it’s no big deal.

  “That’s scary you know how to do all that. You should get a job with the FBI.”

  “Thought about it once, but I’m not one to follow rules.”

  My eyes are sleepy, and I rub at them as Rex carries me to bed in his strong arms. I yawn loudly as he flips on my bedroom light and attentively drops my sleepy self onto the comfy bed.

  He sits down on the edge of it, peering down at me as I lie on my back, and runs a finger along my cheek, slowly stroking it. “Everything will be okay, babe. All I need is honesty.”

  I close my eyes, relaxing at his touch, at his presence. “Nine billion percent honesty from now on. I swear it.”

  “Sorry, I’m going to need nine billion and one percent to be happy.”

  A lazy laugh escapes me. “Fine. Nine billion and one percent.” I reach forward and slide my hand up and down his arm. “Will you stay with me tonight?”

  Being in his arms is the only way I’ll be able to get a wink of sleep.

  His arms are my comfort blanket I never want to give up.

  “Will your sister care?”

  Rex has never spent the night here. Our sleepovers always happen at his place.

  I shake my head in response.

  “You sure?”

  “Eh …”

  Definitely not sure but willing to risk it.

  Willing to risk anything to keep him here with me … in my bed … in my life forever.

  “We can say you slept on the couch.”

  Scooting over, I flip the covers up to allow him enough room to join me. Realizing I’m wearing a dress, I rise to my knees and pull it over my head, now wearing only a bra and boy shorts.

  Rex lifts from the bed, panic ensuing me.

  He’s leaving.

  My hands shake as I wrap my arms around my body, my eyes glued to him as he walks to my closet.

  He snags a shirt and tosses it to me. “If we’re sharing a bed, put this on, please and thank you.”

  I raise a brow. “I’m not wearing that to bed.”