“Everything. I lost my job. I lost my apartment. And all because of her. Well, there’s one thing I can take back. I won’t let you stand in my way. Where is she?”
“You lost your job?” I’m hoping to distract him. For what, I have no idea. But the longer I keep him talking, the longer it holds him off.
“Yeah, I lost my fucking job, and it’s all her fault. I couldn’t go to work, not while she was over here riding your fucking dick.” He takes another step.
“What do you want with her? You really think you can just go back to how things were? You think you’ll be able to drag her out, kicking and screaming, and she’ll just stay with you, love you, marry you?”
He pauses. It looks like this is the first time he’s thought this far into it. If he gets her, what’s going to make her stay?
“She doesn’t love you, Nick. How could she? You did nothing but leave her alone. You cheated on her. You traded dinners with her for parties with drugs. And then when she tried to leave, you held her against the wall by her throat. You not only caused her mental pain but physical pain too. How could she ever look at you the same?”
“This is all your fault. You wouldn’t let her come back to me. You were only thinking of yourself. You took her for yourself. You can’t tell me it didn’t cross your mind the first time you touched her, kissed her. You had one taste, and you decided right then that she was yours. Well, Levi, nobody takes from me.” Without another word, he rushes toward me, tackling me, and taking me to the ground.
In my fall backward, the bat flies from my hand. It clatters to the floor several feet from me, but I don’t have time to get it. All I can do is block the hits coming at my face as he sits on top of me, throwing punch after punch.
I thrash against him, trying to knock him off of me. There’s nothing I can do from beneath him. Nothing but block his hits and hope he wears down soon. Somehow, he lands a hit to my jaw, and it cracks loud. My ears ring, and my eyes get a little fuzzy, but I fight harder to knock him to the ground.
I use every bit of strength I have and roll us over. Taking a swing, I land a punch to his nose. It starts bleeding on impact, and he cups his hands around his nose to catch the blood. I pull my fist back again, but before I can swing, he bucks upward, throwing me off of him. I scramble to get to my feet, and so does he.
The front door swings open, and Dani runs in with Mia behind her.
“Stop!” Dani yells, eyes flashing back and forth between us.
Everyone freezes as she rushes up to me. She cups my face, and I flinch when she touches the bruise forming on my jaw.
“Are you okay?” she softly asks.
“I’m fine. What are you doing here?” I ask, spinning her around so Nick can’t even see her.
“You didn’t answer your phone. I got worried and looked at the security footage. I saw Nick walk in the balcony door, and I rushed over here. I was so worried he’d hurt you.” She pulls herself to my chest.
I cup her cheek and kiss her deeply, savoring the taste of her on my tongue. “You shouldn’t have come here,” I say against her lips.
“Yes, she should have,” Nick speaks up from behind me.
I turn around to face him, shielding her behind me. “You need to leave. She’s not going anywhere with you. I know we were friends at one point in time, but that time is over. I won’t hesitate to call the police. I shouldn’t have to remind you that you are breaking the order of protection.”
“Call the police if you want to.” He takes a step to the side, trying to get Dani to look at him. “Danielle,” he says her name loud and strong. “Look at me,” he demands.
She jumps from his harsh tone, but she steps out from behind me.
“Come with me, Danielle. Let’s put all of this behind us. Let’s go home.”
“I am home, Nick,” she says, strong and sure. “I love Levi. I want to be with him. I want you to leave us alone.”
“You don’t mean that, Danielle. I know you don’t. He’s tricked you. He turned you against me.”
She shakes her head. “That isn’t true. Levi loves me.”
“No, I love you. I loved you first.” He reaches out and places his hands on her biceps. “All he did was weasel his way in when he saw that you were hurting. That’s when this started, didn’t it? After you came running to him, he used your pain against you. He manipulated you. He’s always been jealous of me. Can’t you see that? Taking you, it wasn’t because he wanted you. He just wanted to hurt me, wanted to take my life.”
“That’s bullshit, and everyone knows it,” I say, stepping up to her side.
“Really, Levi? You think it’s bullshit?” Nick says, releasing her and turning toward me.
“Yeah, that’s what I think. I didn’t manipulate her. I didn’t trick her into being with me.”
A wicked gleam fills his eyes. “If this was about her, why didn’t you tell her that I was cheating on her before, huh? You had plenty of chances to. You’ve watched for years while I got drunk and took woman after woman. All this time, you’ve lied to her face about it all. You just sat back and watched me fuck up while lying to her about it.”
“What’s he talking about, Levi?” Dani asks, turning to me.
“Yeah, Levi. What am I talking about?” he repeats.
I turn to face her. “It’s true. I knew he had been cheating on you, and I didn’t tell you. I wanted to stay out of it. We hadn’t gotten to be very close yet, and my friendship loyalty was with Nick. But as time passed, we got closer and became friends. I told Nick he was being a dumbass. I told him to stop fucking around on you. That you were too good, deserved better.”
“You knew? That’s why you were so angry when I told you about the engagement, isn’t it? You knew he wouldn’t change.”
“Dani, I love you. Does it really matter that I knew about all of this? It’s all over now, anyway.” I reach for her hand, but she pulls it away.
“I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you knew he was cheating on me, and you didn’t have the common courtesy to tell me. You just lied to my face day after day, probably laughing and joking with Nick about how stupid I am.”
I shake my head. “No, Dani. That’s not true. I tried to get him to stop. I didn’t like seeing you treated that way. I knew you deserved better. That’s another reason why I stopped hanging out with Nick. I saw that he was turning into someone I no longer considered a friend. I mean, if he had you, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, someone smart and kind and funny, and he could treat you that way, I knew it was only a matter of time before he fucked me over too. I wanted to be there to protect you. I didn’t want to be the reason you hurt, and if I told you the truth, you probably wouldn’t have believed me anyway.” My words are coming out so fast that I don’t even know if they make sense. All I can think about is the way Nick is manipulating her. He’s turning this all around on me. She knows he’s the bad guy, but now he’s making me look the same way.
“I can’t do this right now,” Dani mumbles, turning and heading for the door.
“Dani, wait,” I yell, chasing her out into the hallway. I catch her wrist and spin her around. Her chest presses to mine, and I pull her in for a kiss. Maybe if she feels me, feels my love for her, she’ll realize I never meant to hurt her; maybe she’ll listen.
But she shoves me away as tears fill her eyes. “If you can lie to my face about what he’s doing behind my back, how will I ever be able to trust that you won't do the same?” Without another word, she turns and steps into the elevator.
I stand there, stunned.
“I’ll talk to her,” Mia says.
I nod, unable to talk.
“Is it true, though? Did you know what he was doing behind her back?”
Again, I nod.
“And you didn’t tell her?”
I shake my head.
She swallows down whatever she wanted to say next and carries on, stepping into the second elevator. She pushes a button and crosses her arms over
her chest. Her eyes meet mine just as the doors close.
Feeling broken, I turn and walk back into the apartment. Nick is sitting on the couch, feet kicked up on the table, a strong drink in his hand.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I ask, freezing in front of him.
He nods toward the table where there is another drink. “I figured we could both use a drink.”
I shake my head as I pick it up and tip it back. It goes down in one smooth gulp.
“Why’d you do that? Why do you gotta fuck everything up?” I ask, throwing my glass against the wall. It shatters on impact.
“If I can’t have her, you can’t either.” He smirks.
18
Danielle
“Come on, Danielle. Just come back to my place and crash. Where else are you going to go?” Mia says from behind me.
With her words, I freeze. She’s right. Where else am I going to go? I mean, I could go to a hotel, but all that will do is drain my bank account before I can even find a place of my own.
“Fine,” I breathe out, turning to face her.
We walk back inside the building and get on the elevator to go down to the garage. I slide into the passenger seat of her car, and she twists the key.
On the ride back, neither of us talk. I’m numb. My mind is an endless list of questions. Why didn’t Levi tell me the truth about Nick long ago? Why did he offer me a place to stay if he didn’t care about me? Was it really just to get back at Nick? And what did Nick mean by Levi always being jealous of Nick? Up until this past year, they seemed like really good friends. I never would’ve thought that Levi would be jealous.
I tell myself that most of the questions I have are just shit Nick put into my head to make me confused. Nick wanted to make sure I left with him, not Levi. Hell, Nick would’ve said anything to make sure I don’t end up with Levi. I guess the question that really holds any importance at all is: why didn’t Levi tell me what Nick had been doing? Even if he didn’t want to be the reason for our breakup, why didn’t he tell me after I’d left him? Why keep it to himself all this time?
“I know you’re mad, Danielle,” Mia says as she pulls the car back into her garage. “And you have a right to be, but—”
“Please, just don’t,” I say, rubbing my eyes. I have a painful headache that’s causing ringing in my ears. All I need is sleep. A deep, dreamless sleep where I don’t have to feel or think.
“All I’m trying to say is—”
“No offense, Mia, but I don’t care what you’re trying to say. I don’t want to hear you stick up for him, because I know that’s what you’re trying to do. Right now, I want to be mad. Is that okay?”
“Of course,” she replies, turning off the engine and climbing out.
On our walk back up to her apartment, she doesn’t talk, and I refuse to think. I don’t want to have these questions. I don’t want to think about Nick or Levi. I don’t want to question their friendship or loyalties to one another. I don’t want to do anything but go to sleep and escape my problems for a little while.
I crash back onto the guest bed, and Mandela is still lying curled up in a ball. I run my hands over her shiny, black coat, and she purrs loudly.
“Must be nice to be a cat,” I mumble. “Your biggest problem is that your food bowl isn’t completely full.” She nuzzles his head against my hand.
I take a deep breath and let it out as I snuggle into the heavy blanket and thick, fluffy pillows. Closing my eyes, I see Levi. I see his icy blue eyes and silky hair. His squared jaw and deep dimples when he smiles widely. I can smell him like he’s lying behind me. I can taste him like his lips are pressed against mine.
In all the years I was with Nick, I never felt this way. Right now, there’s a pain in my stomach, and I don’t know where it’s coming from. There’s an ache in my heart like it’s been ripped in two. Is Levi my soulmate? Is that why this hurts so much? I loved Nick, but even when I found him cheating on me, it didn’t hurt this much. Levi did nothing but hold back some secrets, and I feel like I’m dying.
Before I can get too lost in my thoughts, exhaustion takes me under.
I sleep long and hard. I don’t think I moved at all in my sleep. When I wake, I look at the clock to see that it’s nearing four p.m. I sit up, and my body is stiff from being still so long. I pop my neck, and my back cracks when I stand.
I open my bag and pull out some fresh clothes, then hit the bathroom. I walk out nearly an hour later to find Mia on her computer.
Her eyes find mine. “Good morning. There’s coffee in the kitchen.”
“Thanks.” I walk past her into the kitchen and pour myself a cup.
I go back into the living room and sit on the couch, holding my cup between two hands, needing the warmth.
“Are you ready to talk now?” she asks from behind me.
I shrug one shoulder. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to talk.”
I hear her chair roll across the floor, and moments later, she’s sitting next to me. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
I take a long breath and blow it out slowly. “I guess my main question is why? Why didn’t Levi tell me what was going on with Nick behind my back?”
“He was Nick’s friend, not yours.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s so juvenile. That’s like, I can’t be your friend because I’m their friend.” I roll my eyes at the playground rules.
She laughs. “It’s true, though. Say me and you are best friends, right?”
I nod, playing along.
“Say that after this weekend, we decide we want to stay friends, and you end up moving in here. I introduce you to my boyfriend, and you like him well enough. We’re friends, so you have to put up with him too.”
I nod.
“Then imagine if you’re just hanging out here one night, and I walk in with a new guy. You’re going to have questions, but I tell you it is just a one-time thing, and to please keep my secret. The next time you see my boyfriend, what do you do?”
I shrug. “I keep the secret. It’s a one-time thing, right?”
She nods. “But what if I do it again, and use the same excuse? And I do it again after that. You’re going to keep the secret until it starts eating at you.”
“Are you saying that’s what Levi did? He kept Nick’s secret until he couldn’t anymore?”
She moves her head from side to side. “Not until he couldn’t keep it anymore, but until it was no longer an issue and you were out of harm's way,” she replies, sliding a piece of short blonde hair behind her ear. “Levi is a great guy, and I bet he wanted to tell you. But he couldn’t. And then when everything blew up, he felt like it didn’t matter anymore because you were no longer in that situation.”
I take a sip of my coffee. “Fine, maybe he had a good reason to keep the secret, but what does that say about us? He says he loves me, but he still kept that from me. Who’s to say he won’t keep other secrets from me in the future?”
She shrugs. “That’s just the leap of faith we all have to take when we get into a relationship, Danielle. We’re all people. We all have faults and issues and trouble letting go of things. What Levi did, I believe he did for you. He didn’t want to see you hurt. He loves you. I mean, even I can look at the guy and see him drool for you.” She laughs.
It causes me to giggle. “So you think I’m being overdramatic? Or are you playing by playground rules and just wanting your friend to get the girl?”
She laughs. “I do want to see Levi happy, but I could never give someone bad advice to make that happen. All I’m saying is Levi is a great guy. I think you know that. And yeah, he may have screwed up by keeping this secret, but he’s only human, and we all make mistakes. Do you really want to give up on someone you love just because you’re mad he didn’t tell you a secret that wasn’t his to tell?” Without another word, she goes back to her computer, pulling on her earphones.
I take another sip of my coffee and think things over. A part of me knows she’
s right, but there’s still something inside of me that isn’t ready to let go just yet.
I finish my cup of coffee and place my cup in the sink before heading for the front door. I walk down the street, needing some air and sunshine. Needing to be out and alone. I breathe the air in deeply and let the sun warm my skin. Finally, I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Nick.
“Yeah?” he answers.
“I want to talk to you,” I say into the phone, coming to a stop. “Can you meet me at…” I look up and read the sign at the building I’m in front of. “Louie’s Bar?”
“Yeah, I’m on my way,” Nick says excitedly.
I hang up and go inside, sitting down at the corner booth. I look at my watch and realize it’s going on dinner time. I haven’t eaten anything since dinner yesterday at Maddie and Bennet’s, so I wave down a waitress and order a salad and sparkling water.
Nick walks in just as my food is placed in front of me. The waitress looks down at him. “Can I get you anything?”
“Yeah, I’ll take a beer and some hot wings,” he orders.
His eyes flash down to my plate. “On a diet?” he asks with a grin.
“No, just eating healthier,” I reply.
He rolls his eyes. “Levi got to you with his weird eating habits. Didn’t he?”
“There’s nothing weird about it,” I argue. “And I’m not here to talk about Levi or what I will and won’t eat. I’m here to talk to you about us and hear you out, so you’ll let all this go. I want to get back to my life.”
“Alright. Shoot.”
“How long did Levi know?” I stab a tomato with my fork and pop it into my mouth.
“The whole time,” he replies.
“How long?”
He leans back and lets out a breath of air; it hisses between his teeth. “The first time I cheated on you was my first weekend in New York. I told you I had to work, but the truth was I wanted to go partying with some guys from work. They got me wasted, offered me a joint, and we went to a strip club. I don’t remember anything about it other than waking up next to this strange woman. When I got home, I told Levi about it. He was pissed, but promised me he wouldn’t say anything as long as it never happened again.”
My Best Friend’s Ex: Make Her Mine-Book 4 Page 13