“Okay, well, you have my number. Call me if you need me.”
“I will. Thanks Cam.”
“Goodnight, Andi.”
The SUV didn’t move as I walked toward David, pausing only when I reached him. I turned and waved, letting Cam know I was fine and he didn’t have to stick around. The SUV still didn’t move, and I figured he was waiting until I went inside. A part of me didn’t want David to come in, but I knew having a conversation with him on the street wasn’t going to be the best idea either. So, regretfully and without a word, I opened the door to my building and held it open for him to trail in behind me. Then I stopped and turned to him, not about to invite him upstairs.
“What do you want?” I asked sharply.
“You,” he said, and as he said it I realized he was not only drunk, because I could smell the bourbon on his breath, but his eyes were bloodshot, indicating that he’d been drunk for a while.
“No, you don’t,” I told him, surprised I was keeping it together as well as I was.
“Yes, I do, Andi. Please. Can we go upstairs and talk?”
It was the first time he’d called me Andi, and it sounded odd coming from his lips, but at least he was obeying my wishes.
“I think it’s best if we stay down here,” I told him, crossing my arms over my chest. “I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“I have things I need to say – things you need to hear,” David said.
Behind me a door opened, and my neighbor who lived on the ground floor emerged, giving us a curious look. I didn’t know her, but I’d passed her in the entryway enough times for her to recognize me. When I turned back to David, he was looking at me with pleading eyes.
“Please Andi. I don’t want to have this conversation with prying eyes and ears.”
He knew how thin the walls in my building were, because I’d complained about them on numerous occasions. Even as we stood there, I could hear someone’s TV, and I could hear someone else talking on the phone.
“Okay, fine,” I said tersely and turned toward the stairs.
I wasn’t sure why I was humoring him, but there I was, essentially letting him back into my world. I told myself that no matter what, I was done with him. I’d hear him out, but that was it. I’d give him five minutes, and then he needed to go.
We walked up to the third floor in silence. I wondered if Hannah was home, but then I remembered that she was at Henry’s. The apartment would be empty. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. On one hand, David and I could talk in private, but on the other, Hannah not being home would leave me without someone to stop me from sleeping with him. And I really couldn’t do that.
“Who’s the guy you were with?” he asked me after I’d closed the door.
I’d taken a seat on the couch, but David remained standing, no doubt repulsed by the fact that our couch was secondhand.
“A friend,” I said, being purposefully vague.
“He looked a little young.”
“He’s just a friend,” I assured David, not sure why I was bothering. “It’s not like he’s my husband or anything.”
David sucked in a breath. “That was a low blow, Andi.”
I shrugged. “You deserved it.”
He nodded. “You’re right. I did.”
“So what do you want?” I asked him tersely.
“You. I want you, Andi.”
“Why?” I asked him, trying to pretend I wasn’t affected by what he’d said. It didn’t change anything.
“Because I love you,” he said, essentially rendering me speechless. “I didn’t realize how I felt until you were gone, but I love you.”
I clenched my hands into fists, because as much as it made me elated to hear that he loved me, it wasn’t enough. He was married, and I couldn’t overlook that.
I shook my head as tears pricked the backs of my eyes. “No. You can’t say that, David. It’s too little too late.”
He took a step toward me and dropped to his knees, shocking me not only with his proximity but with the desperation in his eyes. “I love you, Andi. I love you enough that I left Teresa. I told her I wanted to be with you, and I left.”
“I don’t believe you,” I said, but he became blurry as my eyes filled with tears.
“Believe it. I moved out yesterday. It’s the truth. Now we can be together.”
He kissed me before I could stop him, and for several seconds I let myself get sucked in. I tasted the alcohol on his tongue as it swept over mine, but then I remembered him kissing his wife. I remembered him telling me that he loved her, and I pushed him away, shoving against his chest so hard that I pushed him to the floor.
He looked up at me in stunned silence. “What the hell was that?!”
“Get out!” I screamed at him.
“You’re acting crazy. What the hell, Andi?”
“And you’re a liar,” I said, getting to my feet. My cheeks were wet with tears, but I couldn’t bring myself to care, and I couldn’t look at him for one more minute. “You don’t love me. I don’t give a shit if you moved out. It doesn’t mean anything. All that matters is that you were married when we met, and you didn’t tell me. You wouldn’t have told me. The only reason you acted on anything is because you got caught, and I’m guessing your wife found out about us.”
I had no idea if that was true or not, but as soon as his expression faltered, I knew my assumption was validated. He hadn’t moved out. She’d kicked him out, and now he’d come crawling back to me because he didn’t want to be alone. Well, fuck that.
“That’s it,” I said, anger pulsing through my veins. “She found out about us, and she kicked you out. That’s why you’re here now, isn’t it? When did she kick you out? Today?”
“Yesterday,” he said contritely as he got to his feet. “But I called you six times over the past two weeks. I wanted to work things out.”
“David, if you really wanted to be with me, you would have left her two weeks ago. You would have been here, begging me to forgive you. You would have picked me, but you didn’t. So screw you, David. Screw you and your lying, cheating, unfaithful ass.”
I walked over to the door, opened it and held it while he stared at me. After several moments, he begrudgingly walked past me, but he stopped just as I started to slam the door in his face.
“You’re going to regret this decision. Call me when you do. I’ll be waiting.”
“Fuck you,” I growled at him, and then I slammed the door in his face.
Only after he was gone did I slump to the floor and burst into tears, every piece of his infidelity coming back to haunt me. With my head in my hands and my entire body shaking, I let myself cry for everything he made me feel, for how much he hurt me, and for how much I hated him.
I heard my phone beep from my bag where I’d left it on the kitchen counter, but I didn’t get up to see who it was. I knew if it was David, I’d lose it all over again. So I just sat on the floor with my head against the door and stared at the wall, wondering where I’d gone wrong and why I didn’t have better taste in men. I always got sucked in by the shitheads, and I was so sick of it.
When my phone rang fifteen minutes later, and it was Gabe’s ringtone, I finally heaved myself off the floor and grabbed my phone. I knew hearing his voice was the one thing that would soothe me. The only thing better would be seeing him the next day.
“Hey you,” I said softly as I took my place against the door once more. For some reason it was comforting to feel the cold, hard tile beneath me and the hard wood against my back.
“Andi! Guess what?!” he said, apparently not picking up on my melancholy mood.
“What?” I asked, trying to sound excited. He apparently had news.
“Dane just surprised me with a trip to Mexico! Freaking Mexico! Can you believe it?!”
“That’s great, babe. Good for you.”
“Um, it’s amazing for me. And the best part is we leave tomorrow morning.”
I felt my stomac
h clench as he said that. “Tomorrow?”
“Yes, it’s just for three days, but it’s the only time off I’ve had in forever, and it’s going to be amazing. But don’t worry. I’ll be back in time for turkey on Thursday. My family is coming to your house, and I’ll be there with bells on. Then you can meet Dane that night. We’ll hang out at my house, and then I’ll be yours until you go back to New York. You’re not mad, right? You’re happy for me?”
I felt my shoulders sink. “Of course I’m not mad. I love you, and I’m so happy for you, sweetie,” I said with forced cheer. “Have the best time, and when I see you on Thursday we’ll make up for lost time.”
“Totally. Oh, I’m going to be so tan when I get back. You’re going to be so jealous.”
I was already so jealous – just not about that.
“I’ll bet. Have fun and be safe.”
“I will. Hey, you’re okay, right? You sound a little off.”
“I’m great,” I told him, lying my ass off. “Everything’s good.”
“Good. I’m so glad to hear it. Love you. I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon,” I told him.
When I hung up, I let my phone fall to my lap as the tears welled up in my eyes again. I let them spill down my cheeks just as I noticed that the text message app on my phone had a ‘1’ over it. Without thinking, I opened my messages, hoping it wasn’t from David. I sighed in relief when I saw it was from Cam.
Are you okay?
I let out a shaky breath as I read his words of concern. He was such a sweet guy. Although we’d just met, he’d known when I’d said goodbye that I wasn’t okay, and he was checking on me. Why couldn’t all guys be like him?
In a moment of vulnerability, I responded, No, I’m not.
His response came back almost immediately. What happened? Is he still there?
No, he’s gone.
Okay, I’m coming over.
Coming over? What? It took me a few seconds to process what he was saying, but by the time I did and knew I should tell him no, I realized just how much I didn’t want to be alone. But shit, I barely knew the guy. Was I really going to just let him come over to my apartment?
Yes, I was, because I was feeling sad and vulnerable, and I desperately didn’t want to spend another second by myself. Where was Hannah when I needed her? In love – the same place Gabe was. And I couldn’t call Tory. I’d talked to her that morning, and she’d been riding the high from sleeping with Van and under the impression that he’d call her because he’d said he would. I hadn’t argued since I didn’t know him at all, and hell, maybe they’d hit it off and were now in love. Just the thought made me feel even more alone.
I was crying again when a knock sounded on the door behind me. I sighed and tried to pull myself together as I got to my feet, wiping under my eyes. I took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob, opening the door to see Cam standing on the other side, a worried look on his face.
“You’re crying,” he said, and pulled me into his arms before I could stop him.
Then I was crying even harder, my tears soaking the shirt of a guy I’d only met twenty-four hours earlier who was now the person helping me get through the most emotional thing I’d experienced in years. Cam’s hands ran up and down my back as I felt him move us into the apartment and kick the door closed behind him.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and held on, not even caring if social etiquette dictated that this was appropriate or not. I didn’t care. He was being sweet, and I needed that so much.
“What happened?” he asked when my tears subsided a few minutes later.
I hated that I was crying over David, but what was making me upset was also so much more that I couldn’t define. I just knew it hurt. Everything hurt.
I pulled back and looked up at Cam, sure that I was a scary mess of mascara soaked tear stains and red, puffy eyes. It was a good thing I wasn’t trying to sleep with him, because I was fairly certain he never would have said yes after seeing me in this state.
I took a deep breath. “He was married. I found out, and I ended things, but he came back. He told me he left his wife, and he loves me. He said he wants to be with me.”
As I said the last words, my voice broke, and I started crying all over again. Cam was hugging me against his chest once more, his arms wrapped tightly around me, his warmth engulfing me as I cried for a man who didn’t deserve my tears.
“I hate him,” I said softly.
“Me too,” Cam agreed. “And I don’t even know him.”
I laughed in spite of my tears, surprised that it was even possible to do that.
“Hey, solidarity sister,” Cam said jokingly.
“I appreciate that more than you know,” I told him, taking a few moments to absorb the comfort he was offering.
It was what Gabe would have done. He’d been my go-to when I was upset about a guy for so long, but he wasn’t here in the flesh. Cam, a guy I hardly knew, was the one who’d shown up at my apartment in practically the middle of the night, just because I’d said I wasn’t okay. I couldn’t imagine doing that for someone I didn’t know, but then again, Cam had been surprising me since I’d first met him. He was so different from how I’d originally assumed that I felt bad for ever thinking less of him. He was a truly great guy.
When I felt like I might have been taking advantage of his offering, I stepped away from him, wiping under my eyes once again. “I’m sorry.”
“For what? For having feelings? For being upset?” He waved me off. “Never be sorry for that. That guy’s an asshole, and he doesn’t deserve you.”
I nodded. “We can both agree on that, but I’m sorry you had to come over here. I should have told you I was fine. It’s late.”
“It’s not that late. You forget how young I am. I say up late,” he teased.
That made me smile. “This is true. You’re just a kid.”
He grinned. “I suppose, but in all seriousness, I couldn’t stand that you were upset. I wanted to make sure you were good.”
“I’m fine now. Thank you,” I told him, not really feeling fine, but I didn’t want to keep him any longer than was necessary. He’d already gone above and beyond in letting me soak his t-shirt with my tears.
“What do you need?” he asked me.
I forced a smile. “Nothing. I’m fine,” I said, turning away from him. It was only three steps to the refrigerator where I retrieved a bottle of water. “You want a water?”
“Sure,” he said, and when I turned around to hand it to him, he was sitting on my couch.
I looked at him in confusion for several seconds before I handed him the water.
“Is this okay?” he asked.
I nodded. “Sure, but you don’t have to stay. I’m really fine.”
He took a deep breath. “Nice try, but I know you’re lying. Why don’t you go take a bath, and then we’ll watch a movie – if you want.”
“You want me to take a bath?”
“I want you to relax, and what better way is there to relax than to pour half a bottle of bubble bath into hot water, light a candle, and zone out with a mindless magazine. You have one of those, right?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, then go,” he said, shooing me toward the open door to the bathroom. “I’ll watch TV until you’re done. Unless you really want me to go.”
“I don’t want to keep you,” I said, but it was an empty statement. I was honestly touched by his offer to stay.
He smiled at me as he picked up the remote for the TV. “I’m good here. I was going to do this same thing back at my hotel since the guys are all gone and I gave Chris the rest of the night off. You’re saving me the agony of being alone.”
“You really hate being alone, don’t you?” I mused.
“More than you know. Now go.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll be back in like fifteen minutes.”
“Take your time. I’ll be here.”
“Okay,” I said and then headed
into the bathroom. I poked my head out, and Cam looked over at me.
“Need something?”
“Why isn’t this weird? We just met.”
He shrugged. “You think too much. Stop doing that. It’s not weird to me, so as long as it’s not weird to you, who cares?”
“Yeah, okay. I guess.”
“Go relax, Andi. Turn your brain off for a little while.”
“Is this what you do to relax?”
He just shook his head, a smile playing on his lips, and I knew he wasn’t going to tell me.
I smiled. “Okay, fine. I’m going.”
I stuck my head out one more time. “Thanks, Cam. It was really sweet of you to come over.”
He smiled. “It was no problem at all.”
When I closed the door to the bathroom and turned on the light, I was greeted by my tearstained reflection and was immediately horrified. So while the water filled the tub, I scrubbed my face clean of my make-up that had seen better days. Then I took Cam’s orders, lit a candle and immersed myself in the hot, bubbly water, closing my eyes as I tried to let the tension I was feeling go. For some reason it was easier knowing he was just outside waiting on me. I didn’t have to be alone because of him, and that was better than he could have known.
Twenty minutes later, I let the water drain from the tub, wrapped my robe around my body and emerged from the bathroom, feeling better than I could have hoped.
Cam smiled up at me from where he sat watching a SNL rerun. “Feel better?”
I nodded.
“Good. Put something comfortable on, and come back and join me. I’ve got some movie options for us.”
I changed into yoga pants and a sweatshirt, leaving my hair in the bun on top of my head. Then I came back out to join Cam who was lounging with his feet up on one end of the couch, essentially taking up the whole thing.
“You need a coffee table,” he said.
I smiled. “Not possible. There’s no room. It would block the way into the bedrooms if we did that.”
He nodded as his gaze shifted around the small space. Then he looked back up at me. “We?”
Westside Series Box Set Page 11