“That was amazing,” I say. He kisses my cheek, beaming. “Julian, you’re amazing.”
“Yeah?” His mouth quirks up at the side. “So are you.”
After disposing of the condom and cleaning up, we’re wrapped in each other’s arms on his bed again. I turn over to better face him, to fuck the consequences and tell him the words that have been on thetip of my tongue all night, but his eyes are shut as he breathes softly into the pillow.
Maybe it’s better this way. To wait until we’re more secure in our relationship, whether we’re fully committed or still only dating exclusively when that happens.
I sink back into bed, falling asleep before I know it.
43
Julian
Andrew looks like hell when he gets in the next day. Leti is still fast asleep in my bed as I get the coffee started for us, figuring she’ll be waking up soon, only now all our lazy morning plans are thwarted by her brother’s arrival. He still looks half asleep with dark circles beneath his eyes and his unstyled hair falling flat over his forehead.
“It’s over.”
My brows furrow as he stumbles onto a barstool, and concern for him only grows. His head falls in his hands, and a sound disturbingly like a sob escapes the back of his throat.
“What do you mean, ‘it’s over’? Andrew, what happened?”
“We took a break, and I thought it was temporary.” His voice warbles. “But I found out last night she’s seeing someone else. God, I can’t believe she’sdatinghim. Openly dating him, like she doesn’t even care what she did to me—”
“Andrew, you’re not making any sense.” The coffeepot finishes its gurgle and hiss, letting me know it’s finished brewing. “Here, let me grab you a mug. Maybe you’ll make more sense after some caffeine.”
Coffee seems to do the trick. After a few sips, Andrew startsover but I’m not any less confused than I was before he startled babbling. “Kayla broke up with me.”
“What?” I run a hand through my hair. “Oh, man. I’m so sorry. What the hell happened?”
“I found out she cheated on me the week before my birthday,” he says, looking more defeated than I’ve ever seen him. “Her coworker texted when she was in the bathroom, and I picked up her phone thinking it was her mom or something. When I confronted her, she didn’t try to hide it. I was so mad, I came back here.”
“Kayla cheated on you?” I can’t fathom this. “Wait, I don’t understand. Why would she break up with you if she’s the one who cheated?”
“Because I forgave her.” He sighs. “She said it was a stupid, one-time thing and I believed her. Well, I got batshit drunk at my birthday party, tackled you to the ground after catching you with my sister, andthenI chose to believe her.”
“God, no wonder you were so messed up that day,” I say. “I was so focused on Leti, I hadn’t noticed you were hurting or that anything was wrong. I’m sorry. When did you guys break up? I thought you were staying with her last night.”
“It’s not your fault.” He shrugs. “We decided to take a break the morning after my surprise party, and then she officially dumped me last week. I’ve sort of been using Kayla as code for crashing on Elena and Diego’s couch. They’re getting pretty sick of me.”
“You shouldn’t have lied to me,” I tell him. “I’ve been worried about you guys. I can’t believe she cheated and you didn’t tell me.”
“You would’ve hated her, and it would’ve made forgiving her impossible,” he says. “It’s a moot point now that she’s with the guy she cheated on me with. She’s posting him all over her socials, and I’m fucking sick she didn’t block me before I saw it.”
“She’s an asshole,” I tell him. “Seriously. That’s a fucked-up thing to do to someone you loved.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Leti pads into the kitchen wearing one of my oversize sleep shirts and her pajama shorts. She goes straight to the coffee before she notices neither of us has answered yet. “Well?”
“Kayla and I broke up,” Andrew says.
“Good. I hope she dumped you.”
“Leticia.” She looks up at me, shoulders raised in defense like she’s questioning why I would admonish her. I give a single shake of my head, a warning she ignores.
“You got your wish,” Andrew tells her. “She dumped me for the guy she’s been cheating on me with. Are you happy?”
“Ecstatic,” she says casually, unbothered by the glare I send her way. “I never understood what she saw in you anyway. While I don’t normally condone cheating, Idosupport women’s wrongs as much as women’s rights, so fuck it. Go, Kayla.”
“That’s enough.”
