"This, I can explain." Cal says, he is breathing hard like he is winded from reconnecting with the ex? It wasn’t hard to imagine, but I still struggled with what was happening in front of my face. I believed him.
"No..." I say and take a step back and feel the crushing blow of the truth.
"Jen, this is not-"
I cut him off, pain evident in every feature. “I can’t do this with you.” I have tried so hard, I know I have, but seeing him with her, kissing her? This is the one place I feel the safest and that leaves me with nothing to explain.
“This is not what you think Jen.” Cal says and comes after me. I am trying to get out of here and my keys are missing, and I can’t find Sully, Noah or Asa. I try to make my way to the roof because it is most likely where they are.
“I’m going to go…” Tayla says from behind me and my blood runs cold.
“Why are you even here?” I ask and stop, knowing it gives Cal the edge to get me close again, and I can’t walk away if he so much as makes eye contact.
“She’s going through a hard time…” Cal answers for her when she doesn’t answer me. I feel his fingers skim my hand and his touch tempts me to forget what I saw.
I look at him and the pain I feel by those words is evident in my stare and everything shatters including my restraint. “Then she needs to go to Black!” I scream and they both flinch. I look at Tayla. “He isn’t yours anymore!” I scream again and yank my hand from Cal’s.
“Well, neither is Black.” Tay says and her lip quivers as she says it and I want to slap her.
“How is that his problem?” I ask but honestly? I don’t care anymore. “Know what? You stay, I will leave.”
“Jen?” Cal yells for me, but I booked it out the back door. “Jenny?” He yells again, and I know he is chasing me, but I cannot let him see me hurt. I have never let him see what loving him, being neglected by him, has done to me. I won’t start now.
“What the fuck pet?” Sully asks and stops me from running, even though I am fighting to get out of his arms. Cal and Noah and Tay all have their people, but I have mine and they are here with me now.
“I g-g-g-gotta g-g-go.” I sob and fear that door opening on me and him seeing what it all has done to me. I am safe with these guys seeing my heart exposed and bleeding, but he can’t… he just can’t.
But, that door flew open before I could get away and shame, like a tsunami came over me as I tried to hide my pain from him. Sully pushed me aside until I was in Asa’s arms. I feel his hand on the back of my head, shielding me as best he can from Cal. “Oh, whatever you did to cause this is reason enough for you to run from me pretty boy! I am two seconds away from breaking your million-dollar fingers.”
Asa wasn’t kidding either. I might be the black mark that smudges the TAT world, but these guys saw me, knew me and never judged me.
“Asa, get her out of here.” Sully says, and I feel Asa nod as he pulls me to my Escalade.
“You, stay right the fuck here Cal.” Sully’s voice cut off immediately when Asa closed the door and I didn’t dare look out the window.
“Take me to Noah's.” I say and keep my head down until I know we are a good mile away. And I fall apart.
Cal
“You know damn well I am not a threat to Jen.” I say to Sam, though it is clear he is on her side right now. I get it, I get her fear and why she is upset. Shit had to look bad, but I can make it right.
“Then let her go and calm down. No harm no foul.” He shrugs his shoulders like what just went down was no big deal. It’s a big fuckin deal.
I feel the ebb of fear creep in and I feel like there’s this huge weight on my chest and if I don’t fix this shit now, it will fester and infect every good thing in my life right now. “She saw Tay kiss me.” I say and wait for him to flip out on me or break my jaw or some shit.
“So?” He says and takes a drag of his smoke, letting me go as he leans against the door.
I pause with the lack of concern, confused by it. “What do you mean so?”
“Why would she care? I know she wants you happy and to either get over it and move on or forgive her and move forward.”
“Did she say that?” I ask and look to Sully, needing to confirm what I already know. She has kept this thing between us a secret.
“In not so many words.” He kicks off the wall and comes close, looking me over and I see this… for lack of a better term, a light goes off. “Hoe-lee she-yit!”
He is staring at me, like he just figured out the truth of a secret that’s been eating him alive. “You're in love with her.” He doesn’t ask, he says it so matter of fact and I am confused.
I shake my head no and look up to the sky… for who knows what. I can’t even process why this shit is always so damn dramatic. I always figured if I fell for a girl, she would want me back and that was that. Sure, as shit wasn’t the case though.
