Epic Lies (Epic Fail Book 2)

by Trudy Stiles

  “Where are you going?” he asks, grasping me by my shoulders.

  “This is weird, Dax. I just can’t–”

  He pulls me against him and kisses the top of my head. “You can’t leave,” he says, and I stiffen in his arms.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Hear me out, okay? Just promise me you’ll calm down.” He grabs my hand and begins to pull me into the outer room.

  “I need more clothes.” He stops and opens a drawer in his dresser, handing me a pair of boxer briefs. I slip into them and walk over to the door. I need to get out of here so I can attempt to process this insane coincidence.

  “I can’t,” I say. “I need some air.” He follows me and places his arms on either side of me, caging me against the door.

  “We need to talk about this.” Concern fills his voice as he grabs my hands.

  “We’ll talk. I promise,” I say. “But, I–I just can’t right now. Okay?” I pull my hands from his.

  He shakes his head, “Don’t run away, Giselle.”

  I laugh nervously. “Where would I go?” My chest tightens, and I feel trapped. His eyes are pleading with me, but I need to leave.

  “Promise me we’ll talk. Please,” he begs.

  I nod, and he opens the door for me.

  “I promise.” I back out of his room and turn to walk quickly toward my own. I hear his door shut when I’m safely inside.

  “Oh my God,” I whimper as I lean into my door. Tears spill down my cheeks, and I grab my sides. How is any of this possible? How is this even happening?

  “Lara,” I cry, looking up at the ceiling, as if she’s going to suddenly descend from the heavens. I need her now, more than ever, and I can’t imagine telling her what I’ve been doing with her boyfriend. Holy shit.

  I find myself once again apologizing to my dead cousin.

  “I’m so sorry…”

  Dax

  Present

  I WAKE UP WITH A GASP, my heart racing. It’s six-o’clock in the morning, and I realize I’ve only been asleep for a few hours. After Giselle left, I paced around my room for what seemed like forever. I went out into the walkway between our rooms at least a dozen times, trying to muster the courage to knock on her door and get her to open up to me. But instead, I treaded throughout my suite, crazy thoughts swirling in my head, trying to make sense of this whole predicament.

  Yesterday with Giselle started out amazing. Every moment with her felt natural, like we were supposed to be together. Her smile, her lips, her body against mine. Complete perfection. Something I haven’t experienced in a very long time.

  And then…

  Fuck.

  After the realization set in, she bolted, and I can hardly blame her. This is so unbelievable. She’s Lara’s cousin, the one she looked up to all of her life. The one she confided in and trusted more than anyone. Including me.

  A familiar jealousy rises as I remember how I felt when I was a teenager, when Lara wouldn’t tell me what was going on. She didn’t trust me enough to allow me to feel.

  I clench my fists on either side of me and inhale deeply. Lara died so long ago, and I have to remember, that in the end, she followed the path she wanted. As much as it destroyed me, I can’t blame her for the choices she made. Thank God she had someone.

  Thank God she had Giselle.

  I rest my head on the headboard, a headache ripping through my skull. Has she had enough time to process this? Have I?

  I want to see her so badly, it’s killing me. We need to talk, to sort this whole thing out. We need to make sense of everything and figure out how to move forward. Together.

  That realization grabs me like a vise. We’ve only known each other for a short time, yet, I don’t think my heart can take the alternative. None of this makes sense to me, but the void in my bed is cold. I’m aching for her to be next to me. We fit together and I need to make sure we can get past this crazy revelation.

  I swipe my phone from the bed and call Alex.

  “Dax? Everything okay?” he says, his voice groggy. “It’s five in the morning.”

  Shit.

  “I’m sorry, I’ll call back later,” I say, forgetting about the time difference.

  “Wait. I’m up. I’m up.” He yawns into the phone, and I can hear him fumbling around. “What’s going on, dude?” he asks.

  “It’s a mess,” I say and wipe my hand over my face.

  “What? Are you okay?” he asks, his voice firm and worried.

  “It’s Giselle.”

  “You need to start getting specific. You’re scaring me.” He laughs nervously. “Do I need to call Sonya?”

  “No, nothing like that. Sorry, I didn’t mean to be dramatic.” Sonya is the head of PR for the band and is used to getting calls from us when one of us has fucked up.

  “Then what the fuck is going on? You’re calling me at the ass-crack of dawn and being all ambiguous. Not cool.”

  I inhale deeply. “Giselle and I have met before,” I say.

  “Yeah. And? I know this already. You met when she saved your life, and you saw her again a few weeks ago at The Lounge. Old news.” He sounds annoyed, and I need to bring him up to speed.

  “She’s Lara’s cousin,” I blurt out, and I hear him suck in air.

  “What?”

  “Yeah,” I say, bracing myself for what’s coming next.

  “Whoa.”

  Alex is silent as he contemplates the situation. His breathing slows, and I wonder if he’s still there.

  “Hello?” I ask.

  “Give me a minute,” he says, and I do.

  After another long pause, Alex is back. “I don’t know what to say. I mean, this is a shocker, right?”

  “Yeah, obviously,” I say.

  “How did you not know they were cousins? Didn’t you ever meet her when you were dating Lara? You must have, right?”

  I shake my head. “No. Giselle’s family didn’t live near us. I remember Lara telling me that her cousin lived about an hour away, and the only time they really spent together was when their families rented a house at the beach every summer.”

  “So, you didn’t know who she was?”

  “Of course not. What are you getting at?”

  “Dude, I know you. You’re stressing out over a missed connection. Something that would have prevented you from doing anything with Giselle. A twinge of recognition that would have stopped you from pursuing her. Stop looking for it, it’s not there. Take a deep breath and try to think of all of the reasons why Giselle should be in your life.”

  “It’s not like I was really pursuing her,” I say and realize that’s exactly what I’ve been doing since she saved my life.

  “Bullshit. You haven’t been able to get her out of your head. You know it, and I know it.”

  “Maybe I couldn’t get her out of my head because, deep down, I really did remember who she was. We met once, back then, you know.”

  “When?” he asks, confused.

  “After Lara’s funeral. Remember the girl outside?”

  “Help me out here, that was so long ago, dude,” Alex says.

  “She was getting sick outside, in the bushes, remember?”

  “Oh, the girl puking.”

  “Yes. That was Giselle.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “See? This is crazy, right?” My heart is racing. I need answers. I need to understand why this is happening.

  “That’s wild,” Alex says.

  “So, what do you think?” I ask.

  “What do you want me to say? The two of you have somehow found yourselves together in more than one unlikely situation. Stop trying to figure everything out and just embrace it, dude.”

  He’s right.

  “Okay,” I say and close my eyes.

  “Can I go back to bed now?”

  “Oh. Yeah, sorry. It’s just–”

  “Embrace it. Figure it out together. Go find her,” he says.

  “It’s not that easy,” I say.

>   “Nothing ever is.” His words ring such a stark truth of reality not only for me, but for him. He had to fight for his relationship with Tabby, and it certainly wasn’t easy.

  “Thanks, man. Sorry for waking you up.”

  “Later,” he says and disconnects.

  No matter what brought Giselle and I together, we need to figure out if we can move forward.

  AFTER A QUICK SHOWER, I walk out of my room and knock on her door. I feel bad trying to force the issue, but after my talk with Alex, I’m confident I can convince her to hear me out. She needs to hear me out.

  She doesn’t answer, and I put my ear against the door. I don’t hear anything–no movement, no sounds coming from the room. Where is she?

  Laughter drifts from the pool area, and I jog down the walkway. A group of people are standing, mulling around. Some drinking coffee, others holding notebooks and stacks of paper. They look familiar, and I recognize most of them as Giselle’s co-workers.

  Then I see her.

  Her head is bowed down, her long hair covering most of her face. She’s typing feverishly on her cell phone as she shakes her head. She looks miserable.

  Fuck.

  “Giselle!” one of the girls in the group yells. “Put that damn phone away, and let’s go! You’ve been on it all morning. I can’t imagine what’s so important to tear you away from paradise.” She giggles and grabs Giselle’s free hand.

  Giselle huffs and tucks her phone into her pocket. She follows the group of people away from the pool, toward the main building. I realize that I’ve missed my opportunity to steal her away so we can talk.

  I walk over to the restaurant and sit at a table on the patio. A waiter immediately pours me a tall glass of orange juice and slides the menu onto the table.

  “Coffee or tea?” he asks, and I shake my head.

  Without looking at the menu I say, “I’ll have scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns, please.” He nods and quickly walks away.

  I look out at the sea and listen to the waves crashing into the beach. The water isn’t rough, but there’s a constant flow of shallow waves rolling onto the sand. Crystal blue water reflects the early morning sunlight, causing me to squint. It’s beautiful. Peaceful. Yet, I’m incredibly tense and preoccupied.

  The scent of fresh bacon wafts into my nose, and I realize my breakfast has been placed in front of me, and the waiter has already disappeared. I bite into a warm, crispy piece of bacon, and remember when Giselle unapologetically devoured hers. She savored every single piece, smiling the entire time. It was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

  I swallow, wipe my mouth, and reach for my phone.

  Me: We need to talk ASAP.

  I hit send and nervously wait for her response. My foot is tapping uncontrollably under the table as I press my free hand against my knee.

  After a few minutes, nothing.

  Me: We aren’t leaving Mexico until we talk.

  I finish my breakfast and still nothing.

  Me: Don’t make me start stalking you–because I will ;)

  Still nothing.

  I re-read my texts and realize I’m being a pain in the ass. And creepy. I’m sure I’m only making this situation more awkward by spamming her with these messages. I need to back off and just be real.

  Me: Sorry. I’ll be here–whenever you’re ready.

  The waiter places the bill next to me, and I scribble my name. I grab my phone and walk back to my room.

  My mind is racing with everything I need to say to her to convince her to give this a shot. Give us a chance. The pain of what we both went through with Lara somehow connects us, binds us. We were young and didn’t know how to process the loss we both experienced. At least I didn’t. Giselle seems strong and resilient. Maybe she can help erase my bad memories and help me come to terms with the loss I experienced so many years ago. Would it be fair to even ask her to help me?

  The one thing that’s clear is we’ve met again for a reason. We were supposed to meet. We’re supposed to be together.

  I’m tempted to grab a chair from my patio and sit outside on the walkway between our rooms, but I don’t. She’ll come find me.

  She has to.

  Giselle

  Present

  “THANK YOU ALL for everything you do for our firm,” Marilyn says as I shift in my seat. It’s too hot, and I’ve barely paid attention to her speech that started over forty-five minutes ago. My bare legs are stuck to the chair beneath me, and sweat is pooled between my breasts. “I’m so pleased that you could all join me in paradise!” She raises her glass in the air and says, “Cheers!” The sound of applause and glasses clinking fills the air.

  “She’s seriously the best manager I’ve ever had,” Dawn says.

  I nod. I need to get out of here.

  “What’s with you today?” she asks. “Late night with the boyfriend?”

  “Something like that,” I say, feigning a smile.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about him?”

  Because there’s nothing to tell.

  I shrug my shoulders. “I didn’t think anyone would care.”

  “Well, that’s one hell of a secret to keep, girl.”

  The irony of her statement doesn’t escape me.

  I didn’t sleep at all last night, and our final group session started early this morning. My mind raced all night with the realization that Dax and Lara were in love. That date is stamped on his chest, reminding me of all of the reasons why we shouldn’t be together. Right?

  “I need a nap,” I say as I stand, stretching my arms above my head.

  “I bet you do,” Dawn says, smirking.

  “I’m going to sneak out of here, okay?”

  “Sure, I’ll cover for you. We’re about done anyway.”

  “Thanks.” I grab my things and peel my legs from the chair.

  Once I’m outside the conference room, the hot sun hits my face. What time is it, anyway?

  I pull out my cell phone and turn it on. Marilyn was adamant that we turn off all of our devices when we entered the session this morning. As soon as it powers up, the screen fills with missed messages. Dax and Mia.

  First, I scan Mia’s messages and immediately call her.

  “Hey!” she says after the first ring. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you all day. You can’t text me like that and leave me hanging. What the hell happened?” She sounds concerned and rightly so. I vague-texted her when I got back to my room yesterday.

  “Let me get somewhere private so I can fill you in,” I say as I walk across the resort, making a bee-line for the private lounges.

  “Seriously, Giselle, you’re really worrying me. You better tell me everything.”

  I reach the furthest lounge and scoot in, closing the curtains around me, and while it’s not exactly private, at least I won’t be seen. It takes me ten minutes to tell her everything that happened with Dax yesterday. She gasps when I tell her about his connection to Lara.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” she yells into the phone.

  “I don’t know what to think,” I say, hoping she’s going to tell me to run far away.

  “Giselle, stay with me for a second, okay?” she says. “Hear me out.”

  Oh boy.

  “Okay–”

  “You know I don’t get all hokey and shit, right?”

  “Yes…” Where is this going?

  “The first thing that came to mind when you told me about your connection to Dax is this is FATE working. Do you hear me? FATE.”

  “What?” I ask, confused.

  “You and Dax. All of this was supposed to happen. You saving his life. Your chance meeting at The Lounge. You being in Mexico, together.” She pauses, and I can hear her breathing excitedly. “Now, you suddenly find out about this crazy connection that you have? Seriously, Giselle. FATE.”

  “It’s all a bunch of weird coincidences,” I respond. She’s grasping at straws, trying to make me feel better about this fucked-up situation.


  “Bullshit,” she says. “This is more than that, and you know it.”

  I want to believe her so bad. I want to buy into the whole ‘it’s meant to be’ mentality, but it’s so hard.

  “Help me, Mia. I desperately want you to be right,” I whimper.

  “What’s holding you back?” she asks.

  “Seriously?”

  “Tell me.”

  “Doesn’t it bother you that he was in love with my cousin?”

  “How many years ago was that?” she retorts. “Over a decade?”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “A lot has happened during that time.”

  “Right, but–”

  “There isn’t much you can say right now that’s going to convince me that you shouldn’t give Dax a chance,” Mia says, cutting me off.

  I squeeze my eyes shut as I lie on the lounge. “I don’t want to convince you,” I admit.

  “Then what the hell is wrong?” she yells into the phone.

  “I don’t know,” I admit. Everything about Dax just feels so right.

  “I’ve seen changes in you since you met him. Since you saved his life,” she says.

  “What?”

  “You’ve been different. Good–different. Happier.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes!”

  “This is all moving way too fast,” I say.

  “The best things in life usually happen quickly…without warning.”

  “Literally,” I laugh. Finding Dax stranded on the side of the highway was certainly without warning, and my escalating feelings for him has certainly happened quickly. Too quickly?

  “Giselle, stop overthinking. I’m sorry for saying this, but Lara’s dead. She’s in Heaven. You’re doing absolutely nothing wrong by seeing where things are going to take you with Dax.”

  “I just–”

  “Stop!” she says. “Repeat after me. I’m. Doing. Nothing. Wrong.”

  “I’m doing nothing wrong,” I say softly.

  “I didn’t hear you,” she laughs.

  “I’m doing absolutely nothing wrong.” I smile, and for the first time in the past twelve hours, I know I’m right.