She’s reaching out her tattooed arm to me touch me, to seal the bond between us and remind me what I’d just recently promised her. Her eyes are burning through me with so much pain and fear. Her voice tells me she’s terrified. She’s trying to keep it reined in but at the same time silently remind me about those scars on her arm. Her outstretched hand is apprehensive to touch me, afraid I will shun her touch. And I do.
I step back from her like she’s infected with the plague and hold up the photos and the court paper. “Is this what you meant when you said I’m supposed to believe you? I’m supposed to take your word thatthisisn’t real,” I shake the photos in her face, “butyour wordsare real? Is that what I’m supposed to do?”
Her answer is simple, and to the point, and is like a dagger in my heart. “If you really love me, then yes. Do you think I’d do any less for you?”
“How am I supposed to believe that you haven’t been just trying to fool me all this time? That you’re not just pretending to be someone you’re not?”
“Luke, listen to Andi. I don’t care what that fucking paper says,youknowher,man,” Brandon interjects, and spears my dad with a menacing glare. Brandon taking up for my girl, when I’m obviously not, pisses me off worse and I take it out on Andi.
“No. I don’t fucking know her at all,” I yell at Brandon while pointing at Andi. “This wholerelationshipwas built on lies. How can I love someone who lies to me? I’ve been betrayed before and I won’t fucking fall for it again.” The venom I spit at her visibly wounds her and though I wouldn’t have thought it possible, her tears increase.
“You don’t mean that, Luke. You know that’s not true, I would never betray you,” she sounds defeated. Broken. Infinitely sad. But she doesn’t look away from me. Her eyes are still begging me. Her bottom lip is quivering and she’s close to sobbing now. The tightness in my chest threatens to take my breath away.
“Did she even bother to tell you about her birthday coming up soon?” Dad asks accusingly.
I shake my head no. “What about her birthday? What’s the big deal about not telling me?”
“Her birthday is a big deal, son. She inherits the rest of her father’sbillionsthen. Doesn’t it seem strange that she hasn’t told you anything about it?” Dad asks sardonically.
“Luke, man.Don’t. Do. This. You will be sorry. I promise you that,” Brandon warns me. He spears my father with his cutting eyes, “This is insane.”
I turn my anger on Brandon then spew, “You know as well as anyone that I’ve had my fill of lying, conniving women,Brandon.”
I shake my head in disgust and storm out of the room, throwing the photos in the air behind me. Brandon shouts obscenities at the back of my head but I keep walking and ignore him. I hear Andi’s sobs of pain but that doesn’t stop me either.
I keep going until somehow I arrive at my apartment and only now does it occur to me that I left Andi behind at my parents’ house. I left her without a second thought as to her welfare, how she’ll get home, or how badly I’ve just hurt her. At this moment, all I am focused on is how the owner of my heart could have kept something this big from me.How the fuck could she have betrayed me like this?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
LUKE
For the last four hours, I’ve been in my apartment pacing and steaming mad. I still can’t fucking believe she would do this to me. I really thought she was different. I thought she was the most genuine and giving person I’ve ever met. Turns out she’s just really good at hiding the shit she doesn’t want others to see. I fucking fell for her act hook, line and sinker and I feel like a complete fucking moron for it.
I fling open the door at the sound of incessant pounding and find Brandon standing there, looking like he’s ready to take my head off. Just what I fucking need right now.
“I’m not in the fucking mood, man,” I try to shut the door in his face and he shoves into the door with his shoulder, knocking me out of the way and he barges in anyway.
“I don’t give a fuck what moodyou’rein,” he yells in my face. Then he roars loudly as he runs his hands through his hair in frustration. “You shouldn’t have left her like that! You should’ve listened to her and stood by her. You owed herat leastthat much!”
“She lied to me! What the hell – am I supposed to just forget that?” I yell back.
“About what? Whatexactlydid she lie to you about? You knew there was something she didn’t tell you. I heard her – she said she’s never told anyone, Luke. But she wanted to tellyouand you promised to believe her. She at least deserved to be heard!” Brandon bellowed.
“What did you expect me to do – choose her side over Dad’s?” I scowl back at Brandon even as I faintly hear that nagging voice in the back of my mind. The one that tells me –although usually too damn late– when I’ve royally fucked up.
“Ifthisis how you support someone you supposedly love, you don’t deserve her, Luke.” His voice is suddenly calm and it’s more alarming than when he’s yelling. He’s reaching the end of his patience with me. I just shake my head and try to end the conversation with silence.
My tactic doesn’t work. Brandon knows what’s on my mind without me even saying it.
“Luke, she’s nothing like Megan. Look, you never would listen to me about Megan. She had been hitting on me for a while but I didn’t think much about it until she openly propositioned me. She didn’t care which one of us she was with – she was trying to play both of us. When she kissed me, I pushed her away, I swear. She was a slut, she didn’t care and she’s definitely not the standard you should measure any other woman against.
I know you thought you lovedher, man. But, you never looked at Megan like you do Andi. You never cared enough about Megan to even fight with her. The only part of you that was hurt over Megan was your pride and you know it. I didn’t betray you – Megan did. What happened with dad’s business wasn’t your fault any more than it was mine. And you know Megan’s not worth even mentioning again – much less thinking about.”
When I don’t say anything, Brandon continues, “Not once has Andi ever been even slightly interested in me. Even when you said you were just friends and I was openly flirting with her. I love you, man, if sheeverlooked at me the way she does you, I would take her away from you in a heartbeat.
You didn’t see how it hurt her when you left like that. You weren’t the one wholiterallypicked her up off the floor. My shirt was soaked from her tears – foryou! You may never find someone who loves you like that again. You’re lucky to have found it once. You should think about that.” Then he walks out to leave me alone with my pain and anger.
ANDI
