by Abigail Lee
Shifting Lines
Copyright © 2014 by Abigail Lee
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Editing by Jenny Sims of Editing4Indies
Interior Design by Angela McLaurin of Fictional Formats
Cover Design by Tracy McMurphy of Dream Designs
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing.
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication and use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.
All rights reserved.
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Don’t Dream Your Life,
Live Your Dreams
—Author Unknown
My window was down, and I let the wind whip through my hair as I flew down the highway. I had only been gone for two hours, but I felt free. My shoulders loosened, and I found myself looking in the rearview mirror less and less. He was no longer in my life. I had somehow found the strength to end things with the man who I had called my boyfriend for the past three years.
Our relationship had always been tense, always on the edge of breaking, but I had held on. Convinced that I was the one woman who could make him change his ways. Form him into the man who I wanted him to be. Needed him to be.
We had met at the beginning of my college career and stayed together, despite the few hours between our cities. He had moved to Arkansas after he graduated college, and I had stayed in Austin, since I was still in school. That would make this change easier for everyone. Thank God, we didn’t live together or own anything together. I assumed he would make a plea to get me back at some point, but for now, I was free.
When I left his apartment, he was turning on his laptop and acting unaffected by my presence. This had become our normal interaction, for the past few months anyway, so it seemed fitting for our breakup. His last words to me were to ask if I was coming back the next weekend. I knew he had heard each word I had just said to him, but this quiet, controlled reaction was pretty standard for him. I had looked at him for a few seconds from the doorway before turning and leaving without another word.
I pulled my black Honda Civic into the small parking lot in front of my apartment complex and came to a stop in my space.
“So, is it a done deal?” I heard my roommate ask before I shut the door.
“Yep.” I laughed and walked into the living room. “It’s done.”
“Thank God!” she squealed and lunged at me for a hug. “You’re finally done with that douchebag.”
I just smiled and let her hug me. Hannah and I met freshman year of college and had been inseparable ever since. We lived in a two-bedroom apartment close to campus, and we were both getting our degrees in advertising.
“Let’s go out and celebrate.” She let go of me and led me back into the living room.
We had decorated the space with reds and blacks, with a few paintings on the walls. A large mirror stood in the corner, and pictures of us were framed throughout the room. It was definitely a girl’s apartment.
I fell onto the overstuffed, cherry red couch and let out a long breath. If we went out tonight, it would be the first time in three years that I had gone out without him. He was always possessive and found a way to control my actions even with the miles between us. He never wanted me to go out with just my friends. When I went out with him, it was never for longer than an hour, and I never drank.
I definitely wanted to go out tonight.
“Where should we go?” I smiled and looked up at her. “And what should I drink when we get there?”
“Yes! That’s the Riley I’ve been waiting on all of these years!”
“Me, too.” I laughed. “I can’t believe I broke up with him. Is it horrible that I’m not even sad about it? Like, not even a little bit.”
“Nope,” she answered without hesitating. “That only means you made the right decision.”
“That’s what I was thinking, too.” I sighed. “Surely, he’ll be okay. He just sat there and barely reacted when I told him. I should have just called him and saved the gas money.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie.” She stood up and motioned for me to follow her. “Tell me about it while we get ready for our night out.”
We spent the next hour curling our hair and applying extra eyeliner. My long, blond hair fell to the middle of my back on top of the short purple dress Hannah had picked out for me. She explained that we couldn’t just wear jeans and cute tops; it was a short skirt kind of night. I was not sure I even wanted to know what that meant, so I just went along with her suggestions.
“I’m ready,” I announced as I stepped into my tall black heels.
“Yeah, you are,” she whistled. “Look who’s been hiding all this time. You look hot!”
I rolled my eyes but caught my reflection in the mirror before walking out of my room. My blue eyes were surrounded with dark, smoky eye makeup. My lips were a deep red, and the short dress displayed the lean legs that he never let me show off. My head cleared even more as we walked to the front door. Leaving him was the best decision I have ever made.
Hannah made the executive decision that we would go to College Street. This was the area of town that had a host of bars to choose from and the most popular area for college students to go out. The cab dropped us off in front of a bar that had bright blue and green lights flashing in front. The only people going inside looked like they could be my grandparents.
“Not this one.” I laughed.
“No, not that one.” She grabbed my hand, and we crossed the street to a section of bars that seemed to contain more people our age.
We walked through a door into a loud room after showing the bouncer our IDs and made our way to the bar.
“Here’s the deal.” She turned around and faced me. “We’re having one drink at each bar and making our way down the street. Unless we see a reason to stay in one place, we’ll keep moving. Sound good?”
“Lead the way, friend.” I looked around the already packed room. There wasn’t a dance floor, but that didn’t stop a small group of people from moving to the choppy beat of the techno mix. Red, blue, and green lights flashed throughout the room, making it hard to focus on any one thing.
“We start with beer.” She handed me a bottle and clanked hers against mine. “Cheers to your freedom.”
“Cheers.” I smiled.
I managed to take three drinks before I couldn’t fake the awfulness that was filling my mouth. I gagged as I took the next swig.
“What’s wrong?” She looked at me. “You don’t like it?”
“It’s just not what I imagined it would taste like.” I shook my head. “I thought it would be fr
uity or at least taste good. This is nasty.”
“You’re such a girl.” She tipped her bottle back until the last drop was gone. “Let’s go get you a fruity drink.”
We made our way through three bars before I felt the full effect of the alcohol. As promised, I was provided with three yummy, fruity drinks, and now I was feeling every bit of them. Everything Hannah said was somehow hilarious, and my laughing couldn’t be controlled.
“Okay, woman.” She stood up from our table and helped me up. “We need to slow down, or we’ll be back home before Saturday Night Live even comes on.”
“Oh, good.” I laughed. “Miley Cyrus is hosting tonight.”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “It’s time to dance.”
The club we were in now centered around a large dance floor that was already filled with college students having a great time. We made our way to the middle and started moving to the beat. I found myself flowing easily with the music. I stopped suddenly when a thought crossed my mind.
“What?” Hannah shouted over the music.
“Do I look stupid dancing? Because those drinks you bought me have me convinced that I look awesome.”
“That’s because you do look awesome. You’re hot.” She swatted at my behind. “Now, keep moving.”
Hannah tossed her long, brown hair behind her shoulders and kept moving to the beat. She looked graceful and sexy, and I prayed I looked the same. She was beautiful, no question there. With her dark green eyes and olive toned skin, it wasn’t long before a guy who looked like he belonged in a fitness competition pulled her next to him to dance.
When the song switched to a slower sound and they continued moving, I decided to make my way back to our table and order a water. My head was starting to clear a little, but the dancing had made me hot, and I wanted to cool down. I sat and watched the people around me. People watching was one of my favorite pastimes. I loved to come up with life stories for those who passed by.
Sitting at this table alone reminded me of the last time I went to a bar with him. We had sat at a table similar to this. No talking, no touching—just him drinking his one drink, and me watching everyone else around me. I had watched that night, looking for someone who he could date. Someone who could take my place and maybe make him happy. That was the night I realized I needed to get out. When you sit and hope that your boyfriend will cheat on you just so you have a reason to leave, well, that pretty much screamed the relationship was over. What a sad, odd relationship ours had turned into.
“Is this seat taken?” a voice interrupted my thoughts.
I looked up to see a cute cowboy staring down at me.
“Um, yeah.” I really wasn’t interested in meeting anyone. “My friend is just out dancing.”
“Okay, well I’m standing right over there if you get lonely.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I smiled and turned my attention back to the dance floor.
Texas men were so nice. Even when you turned them down, they were still polite. Don’t get me wrong, if they drank enough, they were wild and liked to fight. But for the most part, the southern charm was what would always make me stay in Texas.
Hannah waved at me from the dance floor, and I smiled back. We never went out together, and I was glad she was having fun. Standing up from my seat, I began to make my way to the bathroom. Moving through the crowd of people, I walked to the back of the club. Before I pushed open the bathroom door, I saw movement at the end of the hall. Two people were standing and shouting at one another.
It wasn’t until I took a step closer that I realized one of the people was a female about the same size as me. I couldn’t hear them over the music but as soon as his hand slammed into the wall to the side of her face, adrenaline and too much alcohol set in.
“Leave her alone!” I shouted as I neared them.
Both of them turned to look at me in shock, and the girl quickly wiped the tears from her face. I grabbed for her hand and pulled her closer to me.
“What the hell?” He looked at both of us, but then glared at me. “Who in the hell are you?”
My breath caught as his green eyes bored into mine. He ran his hands through his short brown hair, and I caught sight of the tattoos that ran down his arms. This guy was clearly bad news, and I was frozen here, staring at him like an idiot. He moved toward both of us and pointed at the girl.
“Remember what I said,” he warned her before stalking back to the front of the club.
We both watched as he disappeared.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I turned to her.
“Yeah.” She nodded her head and smoothed her hands over her short, platinum blond hair. “He just gets mad when I show up here drunk. He should be grateful I’m here at all.”
“It’s a club. Isn’t that the point of a place like this?”
“That’s what I think, but he’s the boss.” She rolled her eyes.
“I hope you know you don’t have to stay in a relationship like that.” I stared her straight in the eyes.
“Unfortunately, I do.” She let out a small smile. “He’s my brother.”
I hurried through the bathroom routine and made my way back to our table. Relieved to see Hannah and her new friend sitting there, I took my seat and grabbed her arm.
“You’re never going to believe what just happened.”
“What?” she looked my way.
“I just broke up an argument between…” I stopped short when I felt the odd sensation that someone was watching me. Chills ran up my arms to the back of my neck. What in the hell was happening?
“What?” Hannah asked again.
I only shook my head at her as I looked up and found myself lost in a pair of familiar green eyes. He was standing across the table, next to Hannah’s new friend, and glaring at me. He was tall and his arms looked massive crossed over his chest. What was his problem? I narrowed my eyes back at him because there was still enough alcohol in my system to make me think I could take on the world. Some random guy wasn’t going to make me squirm on the same day I found my confidence to leave my jerk of a boyfriend.
“Riley, this is Trey.” Hannah elbowed me in the side, causing me to look her way.
“Hi, nice to meet you.” I forced a smile as I shook Trey’s hand. The other guy’s shoulders seemed to stiffen as soon as I touched Trey.
“Nice to meet you, too,” he replied and pointed to the guy next to him. “This is Luke.”
So, the brooding hunk has a name. I attempted to smile and meet his eyes again but quickly looked down when I noticed his glare had turned menacing. Seriously, was he that pissed that I had broken up his argument? Swallowing the lump that was forming in my throat, I looked back up to see that he was gone. I felt a wave of relief but also a new emptiness that I wasn’t used to.
“Are you about ready to head home?” Hannah asked.
“Sure,” I answered as I made a quick scan of the room. Luke had disappeared.
I followed Hannah and Trey through the club and out the front door. The fresh air immediately helped calm my nerves.
“Let’s go to Cheesy’s before we go home.”
“Are you serious?” I asked. “I thought we were on another diet.”
Cheesy’s was a greasy diner close to our apartment. They served the best cheese fries and were open twenty-four hours a day.
“It can start tomorrow.” She shrugged.
“Sounds good to me,” Trey spoke up as he held the door open for the cab.
I rolled my eyes as I climbed into the far side of the backseat. Hannah had never been a relationship girl. She liked to have her fun but never settled down for long. Trey was tall and all lean muscle and seemed like he was interested in more than one night with my friend. He seemed nice enough, and a part of me was hoping she would give him a chance to stick around.
The cab dropped us off, and we were soon seated in a red vinyl booth with burgers and cheese fries in front of each of us.
“What were you tryi
ng to tell me earlier?” Hannah asked between bites.
“I’ll tell you later.” I gave her a look letting her know to drop it. Trey obviously knew Luke, and I didn’t want him to tell Luke I was talking about him. Wait, why did I care. I should ask him about Luke now.
“So what’s the deal with your hot, angry friend?” Hannah turned to Trey, beating me to the questions.
“Who?” he laughed.
“The one standing next to our table. He looked pissed.”
I sat in silence and listened as this conversation took place in front of me.
“Oh, Luke. He’s always pretty tense when the bar is busy like that. Who knows what his deal was tonight.”
“He was staring at Riley,” she said matter-of-fact.
“No, he wasn’t.” I nearly choked on my Coke.
“Um, yeah, he was.” She reached for more cheese fries. “It was getting tense in there.”
“Shut up.” My face was burning red.
“Just saying.” She laughed and leaned into Trey.
“I have his number if you want it.” He reached for his phone.
“I hate you both.” I stood up and placed some cash on the table. “Let’s go home.”
My fingers drummed against the dark wooden desk as I stared at my computer screen. I was here to catch up on paperwork, but my mind wouldn’t focus on anything. Anything other than blond hair and blue eyes and red lips.
“What in the hell is your problem, dude?” A voice cut into my thoughts, and I turned to see Trey lounging on the couch in my office. “I’ve been in here for over ten minutes, and you’ve just been staring off into space.”
“Nothing,” I coughed to clear the thickness in my throat. “Just focusing on some work stuff. What’s up?”
He watched as I sat there and began to lose focus again. He knew I was holding something back, but I didn’t care. Like the truth would have made any sense. She had been in front of me for all of two minutes, but I couldn’t concentrate on anything but the memory of her eyes. For the last three days, nothing had existed to me except for those eyes.