Amanda steps closer, but this time, I don’t move. She approaches me and snakes her arms around my torso. She peers up at me, those blue eyes glistening red and a trail of tears staining her cheeks.
“I love you,” she feebly implores.
“I…” I hesitate but she weakly smiles nonetheless, standing straighter against me. “I don’t love you.”
I didn’t hesitate because I’m not sure what I feel for her. I hesitated because despite what she did to me, I don’t want to hurt her, but I guess I did anyway because the look on her face morphs in pain.
“What—but—I—” she blubbers, and more tears cascade down her face. “You really don’t miss me?”
“Amanda.” I grab her shoulders, staring down at her and as I do, I think of brown eyes. “I don’t. I don’t miss you and I don’t have any more feelings for you.” I gently push her away from me until her arms fall at her sides. “I think it’s best if we stop talking to each other.”
Her brows pull, lips thin, and bloodshot eyes hollow. “You really don’t want to give us a second chance? You really can’t forgive me?”
“No,” I firmly say. “I don’t want a second chance and I’ve moved on.”
Her face grows taut and those saddened eyes turn ice cold. “Moved on with Bryson’s ex? Is that who you’re going to see now?”
“I don’t need to explain myself to you.”
She ruefully laughs and folds her arms over her chest. “I saw you both at the party. I saw the way you were dancing with her. Is this your way of getting back at both of us? If this is your wayof making me jealous, congratulations. It worked. I’m jealous. Really fucking jealous, Danny.”
“I’m not doing this to get back at you. We’re friends and we were just dancing.” I grind my teeth, doing my best to hold it together.
“Just friends? She had her ass all over you. That’s not a friend!” She drops her hands at her sides then points an accusatory finger at me. “Wait, that was her in the picture, wasn’t it?” She sullenly laughs when I don’t answer. “You had your fun, petty moment. I get it, I deserved it. If there’s videos too, send them my way. I deserve that too. But I’m willing to overlook it all. I don’t care what you’ve done. I just want you back.”
“No!” My voice raises more than I intended it to. “I can’t keep doing this. I’m trying so hard to keep the peace but you just?—”
“I just what?” Her voice raises. “I’m just trying to get my boyfriend back. I’m just trying to apologize because I know I fucked up. I know what I did was wrong. I know! I’m so sorry!”
“You fuckedmy teammateon my birthday!” She flinches but I can’t bring myself to care anymore. I’ve been too nice, and she has the audacity to act like she’s in pain as if she didn’t cause me my own. “You sextedmy teammateon our anniversary! You looked at the camera whenmy teammate’sdick was between your breasts and smiled. You fucking smiled, Amanda! You’re not sorry, you’re just sorry you got caught. We haveso manymemories, but in all of those, he was there too. So don’t make yourself the victim.”
The worst of it is that it wasn’t just Bryson. She may not have slept with the other guys, but she flirted with anyone who’d give her attention. She loves that and that’s why she fucked around with Bryson because he gave it to her.
“I didn’t know he was going to send it to you,” she meekly says.
I laugh, because she’s got to be kidding me. “Not only did you fuck him but you knew he had a girlfriend. You knew he was dating Josefine. You knew and neither one of you cared. So whatever I do with Josefine is none of your goddamn business.”
She’s shaking with rage, fisting her hands at her sides, blowing a ragged, brittle breath.
“Fine, whatever.” She stalks past me, but before she’s out the door, she looks over her shoulder. “He wants her back, you know. Bryson.” She says his name as though I need the clarification, and then she storms out and slams the door.
A second later, the guys walk in, pretending like they didn’t hear that, but I know they heard everything.
“See, now this is why I don’t do girlfriends,” Angel announces and I know it’s more to lessen the tension but I’m so mad, I go to my room, grab what I need, and leave.
I’m speeding into Josie’s driveway forty minutes later. I’m only ten minutes late but she could have already gone to bed. I’m hoping that’s not the case and my hope is kindled when I see her outside, her driver’s door opened.
All the anger coursing in my system instantly vanishes at the sight of her. My thoughts of Amanda, Bryson, and the email I have yet to open shift to the back of my head. Incandescent brown eyes take over my field of vision when I put my car in park and hop out with the gift in my hand.
“Hey, what are you?—”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Josie lashes out, voice cracking with fury and eyes burning with a lethal rage. I stagger in my step.
“What’s wrong?” I walk towards her, but she steps backwards and away from me.
“What’s wrong?” she repeats in disbelief. Her sharp, seething voice pierces me, her body vibrating so fiercely it stuns me. “What’s wrong? You said thirty minutes! You said…” She stalks towards me and jabs her finger at my chest. “Thirty minutes, Daniel! You said you would be…” Her voice goes hoarse and then it cracks. “Here in thirty minutes. You promised!”
“Josefine, hey, I’m here now, I’m sorry. I didn’t?—”
