“Excuse me?” Outraged, I glared at him. “This isn’t my fault, you asshole. Don’t you dare blame your bad behavior on me.”
His sheer audacity stunned me. And made me want to punch him in the face. Maybe put a kink in that long, straight nose of his.
“First of all, I know you don’t like the hours I work, but if it was a deal breaker, then you should have either told me so I could decide whether to change or just ended things. Secondly, I weigh the exact same as I did when we met. You thought I was sexy then, so don’t try to gaslight me about it now.”
I knew I was thickly built, but I was fit from years of Pilates and yoga, and I liked my figure. Plenty of men had proven they had no problem with it either. Some had even rhapsodized over the curve of my breasts and ass.
“Fuck. You,” I enunciated.
Because seriously, screw him.
A lot of plus size women I knew were self-conscious about their weight, and if he’d pulled this same shit on them, they might have bought into it. How dare he try to play into anyone’s insecurities like that?
“In case it isn’t clear, we’re over.” I turned away from him and started for the door, but a hand landed on my arm. Small but with a firm grip. “Let me go,” I growled at Coral, tearsstinging the backs of my eyes. I had to get away from them before my emotions got the better of me.
“Tally, I—”
I yanked my arm away from her and ran from the bedroom, my bag jostling on my shoulder with each step. I bolted across the living area, out of the apartment, down the corridor and into the elevator, where I collapsed against the wall.
I stared back down the hall, afraid that one of them—probably Coral—might try to follow me, but no one had emerged by the time the doors hissed shut with painful slowness.
I jabbed a button and fought a wave of nausea as the elevator carried me down to the basement parking garage. The doors opened and I peered around, trying to keep my wits about me, but all I could focus on was getting to my car.
I rushed across the concrete floor, my heels clacking loudly. Thank God the keys were still safely in my grip. I pushed the key fob to unlock the car, grabbed the handle, and dove inside, pushing the button again to lock myself in.
Then, as I drew in a shaky breath, the tears finally began to stream down my face.
What the hell was I supposed to do now?
Alec.
I had to call Alec.
My best friend.
The guy who was always there for me.
He’d know what to do.
I found my phone and tried to bring up his number but was trembling too badly to hit the right buttons.
It’s okay,I soothed myself.Thad is an asshole. And Coral is a bitch. Just keep breathing. Don’t let them get into your head.
With my emotions a little more under control, I was finally able to dial Alec’s number. I waited, scarcely daring to breathe, for him to pick up. When he did, the tears came even faster.
“Tally?” he asked. “What’s wrong, cocobug?”
TWO
ALEC
“Thad… I… He… Ugh, I can’t fucking believe…”
I shook my head, unable to make sense of Tally’s mutterings. Her voice was thick and she was obviously upset. That asshole boyfriend of hers must have done something. My fists clenched at my side. There were days when I wanted nothing more than to wipe the shit-eating grin off that smug bastard’s face.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have written the playbook when it came to managing my best friend.
“Hang on a sec, cocobug.” I heaved my gear bag over my shoulder and shoved the changeroom door open. Hearing her was difficult enough without the kerfuffle of my teammates in the background. Once I was in the corridor, I dropped my bag to the floor and leaned against the wall. “Where are you?”
