Reid: It's Okay

Thank you guys so much for your patience! I was going to split this into two posts, but the words kept flowing and so I just went with it! Take this long one as a thank you for putting up with schedule changes and late posts! You're the best!

*****

If dating Jasmine had been a dream, then the early days with Sarah were heaven. I had never met anyone like her before. Despite the fact that she was two years older than I was, she was incredibly innocent; it was like her world had never been tainted with any ugliness. I was intoxicated by her sunny optimism and sweet naïveté. Being around her was like catching hold of the carefree childhood I never had. Whenever I was with her, I felt lighter, as if my family was a burden she could physically lift from my shoulders.

The more I got to know her, the more I wanted to be around her. I could lay with her on her narrow single bed for hours, listening to her talk about her microbiology classes, the research internship she was gunning for, her roommate's quirky housekeeping habits. I was fascinated by her. I couldn't believe that someone this pure, this sweet, this beautiful could exist... Or that she'd want to be with me.

Don't fuck it up, I told myself the very first time I saw Sarah. Those words became a constant refrain in my head. I was head over heels for Sarah, and I was determined that nothing was going to screw it up, especially not my shitty family situation. Luckily, Sarah was so ambitious and driven with school that we only saw each other twice a week, which made it really easy to keep up with Marley's activities and commitments. She also had a fairly spacious off-campus apartment that she shared with a roommate and we mostly hung out there. I had told her that my roommate situation was really sketchy, which it was... I just failed to mention that my roommates were my parents. My dirty little secret was going to stay buried as long as possible.

But of course, life just doesn't work that way.

About four months in, we were out for dinner one Saturday night when I got a call on my cell. I ignored it without even checking the caller ID. When it rang again and again, nonstop for several minutes, I excused myself and hustled to the lobby, eager to get rid of my persistent caller (most likely Jay harassing me to go get drunk) and get back to dinner with Sarah.

I pulled my phone out from my pocket and my stomach dropped. I had eight missed calls from Home.

I flipped my phone open and called back, my heart pounding out of my chest. It rang once and then was picked up, and I heard Marley's quavering voice ask, "Hello?"

"It's me Mar." My voice was low and soothing, completely at odds with my insides, which were in complete turmoil. "What's wrong?"

"It's Mom," she said tearfully.

I felt bile rise in my throat. "What's going on? What is she doing?"

"I don't know what hap-happened," Marley hiccuped, beginning to cry in earnest now. "I woke up and she was digging through all of this old stuff in the closet, and she said she was look-looking for a scrapbook. I tried to help her, and I acc-accidentally knocked over a vase, and it broke, and she just started screaming at me and calling me n-names and I don't know what to do -" The words that had been tumbling out came to an abrupt stop as Marley took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Where's Dad?" I asked. Listening closely, I could hear the muted sounds of screaming, a few muffled thumps and bangs. Medusa Mom.

"I don't know. He's not here." Her voice broke over the words and my heart broke with it. "I'm in my room. I'm scared, Reid. Can you please come home?"

I swallowed hard, my jaw clenched with fury. I shoved it down just long enough to squeeze the words out. "I'll be right there, Marsbar. Just stay in your room and lock the door, okay? It's gonna be okay. I'll be right there."

I hung up the phone and strode to the table as quickly as I could. Sarah looked up, and her face crumpled with concern at the look on my face. "Are you okay?" she asked.

I was already grabbing my jacket. "I'm so so sorry about this, but I have to go. There's an emergency and I have to leave right now."

She blinked. "What kind of emergency? Is somebody hurt?"

"I'm sorry, I really can't explain right now," I said pleadingly. You'refuckingitupyou'refuckingitupyou'refuckingitup played on repeat as I looked into her eyes and tossed some cash on the table. "This should cover dinner and a cab ride back to your place. I'm so so sorry, but I really have to go." I dropped a kiss on her mouth. "I'll call you tomorrow."

I didn't even look back as I wound around all of the tables, almost shoving people out of the way in my haste. Thankfully, the restaurant was fairly close to my house. If I hurry, I can get there within ten minutes, I told myself. She can't do too much damage in under ten minutes. But my stomach continued to twist and churn. I knew all too well that my mom was capable of tearing the house to pieces within seconds.

I was pulling open the car door when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I spun to face Sarah, her eyes wide with worry. "I'll come with you," she said. "I want to help."

I shook her off. "You can't."

Sarah fell back, wounded. She looked like a puppy that had just been kicked. I ran a hand over my face. My mind was torn in two directions. I knew I needed to salvage this situation, but I was ever conscious of the seconds ticking by and Marley, cowering in her room, terrified. "I just... It's just... I mean..." I stumbled over the words, before finally settling on, "I'm going into a very bad situation and I don't want you to have to see it."

She softened, stepping closer again, her hand back on my arm. "Please," she said softly, "I want to help."

My mind spiralled into panic. There was no way I could drop Sarah off first; her place was in the opposite direction. I knew bringing her with me was a sure fire way to fuck the whole thing up, but I was out of time and Marley needed me.

"Okay," I said, "Let's go."

The car ride was silent. My knuckles were white on the steering wheel as I pushed the speeding limit, weaving through traffic and hurtling down the suburban streets. Sarah didn't say a word, her eyes huge and fearful as she took in my crazy driving, my jaw rigid with tension, my eyes glistening with angry tears. I wanted to say something, anything, but I felt like there was a cement block in my throat.

The car screeched to a halt in front of my house nine minutes later. "Stay here," I said firmly to Sarah, before hopping out and sprinting up the driveway. I slammed the door open and right away took in my mom,  rocking back and forth in the middle of the living room, wearing a ratty old housecoat, half of her face covered in makeup that was running down her cheeks as she sobbed. I went over and hoisted her up by her armpits. She screamed and tried to fight me off, her fists pounding weakly at my chest. I wrapped my arms around hers, pinning them to her sides, until she finally gave in, her face sinking into my shoulder, her thin body wracking with sobs.

I lifted her up and carried her into her bedroom. She was as frail and delicate as a china doll, and I laid her gingerly on the bed, pulling the covers up gently like I'd seen my dad do a million times before. I sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing her back until her heaving sobs faded into occasional hiccups.

I crept out of the room, turning back to look at my mom as I closed the door. She was laying on her side, eyes glassy, staring off into nothingness.

I turned and walked down the short hallway to Marley's room. I knocked gently and called softly, "Mar, it's me."

The door was immediately thrown open and Marley launched herself into my arms, tears on her face. "I was so scared," she said, her voice muffled as she buried her head into my chest.

"I know, I know," I whispered back soothingly. "It's okay now, it's okay."

I gently pushed her back and looked into her face. "I need you to do something, okay?"

She nodded.

"I need you to pack up some clothes. Enough for a week, okay? That's seven of everything: shirts, pants, and underwear. Bring some of your favourite stuff too. Your teddy and some of your books. Okay?"

She nodded again. "But where are we going?"

"To grandma and grandpa's. I'll go get you a bag," I was already turning out of her bedroom, striding down the hall to the basement stairs. I went down and grabbed a duffel bag. As I came back up the stairs, I paused, taking in the wreckage in the hallway. I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall, my hands shaking. I took a few deep breaths, trying to push away the knowledge of what could have happened. Of what almost happened.

I rolled my shoulders back, wiping my face free of any stress as I came back into Marley's room. "Almost ready, Marsbar?" I asked, willing my voice not to shake.

"Yup!" She smiled weakly at me.

I tossed the bag onto her bed and started piling the clothes she'd picked out into it. It was half full when I heard the front door open and close. There were footsteps in the hallway and when they came to a stop, I turned and faced my dad. My whole body clenched with fury.

"What's going on?" he asked. "What happened?"

"What do you think happened?" I spat at him, my voice laced with contemptuous anger.

He leaned against the doorjamb and sighed. "Why are you packing?"

"Marley and I are going to Grandma and Grandpa's," I said shortly, turning back to finish tossing Marley's stuff in the bag. I zipped it up and faced him again.

"You can't make that decision, Reid," he started to say. I cut him off, turning to Marley.

"Go wait in my car, okay kiddo?" Her eyes flickered between me and my dad, before she nodded, scooting past him out the door. I listened for the sound of the front door closing, and then slung the bag over my shoulder and turned back to my dad. We faced each other like two lions about to fight to the death.

My dad finally broke the silence.

"You are not her parent, Reid. You do not get to pack her up and ship her off -" his voice rose in mounting anger.

I choked out a bitter laugh. "And who is the parent around here? You? Mom? That's a fucking joke."

He stepped towards me, his face reddening. "Don't you dare talk to me like that!"

"How could you leave her here alone with mom?" I hissed through my teeth. "What the fuck were you thinking? She was terrified, and she should have been! Anything could have happened! What is wrong with you?"

"Stop it!" he thundered.

"She doesn't deserve this. I'm taking her to Grandma and Grandpa's and I'll be back for the rest of her stuff tomorrow." I started to step around him, and he moved to block my path. Without even thinking, I pushed past, shoving him sideways. He flew into the wall, hitting a picture frame so hard that it fell to the ground and broke. For a moment we stared at each other, stunned. He looked at me, rubbing his shoulder. I realized suddenly that my mom wasn't the only one who had become old and frail.

"You can't just take her," he said, his voice hoarse.

My resolve hardened. "She is not going to live the way I did. I will do whatever I have to, to keep her safe."

He shook his head helplessly, and I felt pity and contempt mix together in my gut. "She needs a mother," he said, a pleading note creeping into his voice.

"Then why don't you go find her one," I said coldly. His shoulders crumpled, and his eyes dropped to the floor. I turned to walk out the door and froze. Sarah was standing on the other side of the screen door, her face shocked.

I wanted to puke. The thought of her witnessing any of this uglyness sickened me, but there was nothing that I could do about it now. It was all fucked now. I set my jaw and continued walking to the door. I stepped out beside Sarah and said as calmly as I could, "Let's go."

We climbed into the car. Nobody said a word as I backed out of the driveway. My headlights flashed across the house and lit upon my dad, standing in the doorway watching us go, his posture slumped, defeated.

"Isn't Dad coming with us?" Marley asked.

"Not this time, kiddo," I said.

"Oh," she said softly. I hated the look of grim understanding on her face. I wished I could erase the whole night from her memory. Anger rose inside me, and I wanted to beat the living hell out of my dad, and myself, for not being careful enough.

We were quiet again for a moment, before Marley turned to Sarah and asked innocently, "Who are you?"

Sarah laughed awkwardly. "I'm your brother's..." she trailed off uncomfortably. A few hours ago, she would've said "girlfriend" without hesitation. But it's not like I could blame her.

I let her off the hook. "This is my friend, Sarah. Sarah, this is my little sister, Marley."

"Nice to meet you," Marley said sweetly.

"You too," Sarah smiled weakly over her shoulder.

The awkwardness was so palpable that I wanted to scream. Instead, I turned to Sarah and said, "I just have to drop Marley off, and then I'll take you home." She nodded, and we lapsed into silence once more.

We pulled up in front of my grandparents' house and Marley hopped out, calling, "Bye!" over her shoulder to Sarah. I got out and walked up behind her to the doorway where my grandma was standing, as if she'd been waiting for us all along.

At my questioning look, she said, "Your dad called and told us you were coming."

I felt a sharp pang of something like guilt, but I shook it off and simply said, "I'll be right back. I just have to take care of something."

My grandma looked behind me to where Sarah was sitting in the car. She smiled sadly at me. "My little boy is all grown up," she said, patting my cheek before stepping back into the house.

As I drove Sarah back to her apartment, I tried to fight the fury rising inside of me. I looked at Sarah, who was resolutely staring out the window. I am never going to be happy, I thought to myself. I am never going to be free of this.

I finally pulled up outside of her place. She turned to face me, her eyes wet with tears. She opened her mouth to speak, but I interrupted her.

"You don't have to say anything. It's fine, I get it." I stared down at the steering wheel. I waited for her to get out, but she didn't. After a minute, I looked over at her. She was just looking at me with the saddest expression on her face. She moved to lay a hand on my shoulder, but I pulled back. I didn't want her pity. I didn't want to be a broken little boy for her to fix.

"Reid," she whispered, shaking her head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I laughed, leaning my head back against the headrest. "There isn't ever a good time to bring up your colossally fucked up family in conversation. It's not exactly the stuff dreams are made of."

She laid her hand on my shoulder again. I tried to pull away but she held on firmly. "Reid," she said again, shakily, tears streaming freely down her face now.

"What?" I croaked.

She stared into my eyes, her gaze shining with sincerity. "I don't need a dream. I don't want a perfect fantasy. I want you. All of you. Even the colossally fucked up parts. Don't you get that?"

I shook my head. "You don't deserve to deal with this. I don't want to bring you into it."

I would have turned away, but she grabbed my chin and forced me to look at her. "Listen to me," she said, her voice growing stronger. "I am not going anywhere. Stop pushing me away and telling yourself it's for my own good. I can handle this."

"Oh yeah?" I shot back. "Then why are you crying right now?"

I expected her to pull back, to jump out of the car, to snap back at me. But instead, she cupped my face gently in her hands and said, "Because I love you. And it hurts me to see you hurt."

All of my bravado shattered at her soft words. My lip trembled, and I closed my eyes tightly to ward off the tears. But I couldn't hold them back. They pushed out of my eyes and ran down my face. Sarah's arms came around me, she ran her hands in soothing circles over my back.

I gave into it completely then, burying my face into her neck, my shoulders shuddering with sobs. She turned her head and kissed my tears, murmuring softly into my ear. For once, I wasn't the strong one. For once, I was the one falling apart. And for once, I wasn't the one saying, "It's okay."

Three's a Crowd

Rhiannon spun and started blindly pushing her way through the crowd. I shot Matteo one more glare, then quickly followed, a few paces behind. I caught up to Rhi halfway back to the booth, and latched on to her arm. She turned to meet me, her expression a war between hurt and rage.

"That lying son of a bitch!" she hissed. "He swore there was no one else."

"Rhi, it's been months," I said soothingly. "Maybe he was telling the truth."

She choked out a bitter laugh. "Even if I wanted to delude myself into believing that, I know it's not true. I've met that girl. Teo was a TA in a first year class and she was one of the students. She was in one of the extra study groups that he led. She would go to his office for "extra help" all the time. I can't believe I didn't see it before."

I felt my own anger rise on Rhiannon's behalf, but I pushed it aside. "Rhi, let's just go, okay?" I said softly. "Rachel will understand."

She shook her head emphatically. "No. He's already made a fool of me once. I'm not crawling out of here with my tail between my legs. If he's uncomfortable, he can be the one to go!"

I sighed. "I don't know, Rhi... I think we should just leave. I don't see how this is going to end well."

"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth, rage clearly winning the battle now. Rhiannon had the softest heart, but when she was angry, she was a force of nature. There was no standing in her way. Her eyes focused on something over my shoulder and her face hardened further. "You want to help me, Allie? Keep him the fuck away from me."

I glanced backwards and saw Matteo making his way over to us. When I turned back to Rhiannon, she was already shouldering her way back to the booth.

I set my shoulders and stood firmly in Matteo's path as he approached me. He stopped in front of me and I stared into his face, my brows raised, my mouth pinched with contempt.

"Allie..." he started, before trailing off, his eyes dropping to the floor.

"Don't bother, Matteo," I spat the words at him, my voice sharp. He flinched.

"Come on, Allie," he said. "I just want to talk to her, to explain it... It's not what she thinks."

"Does it even matter?" I said. "What could you possibly say that would make things better?"

He swallowed hard, guilt etched into his face. "I didn't cheat on her."

"Honestly, Teo, it doesn't even matter." My voice was cold, disdainful. I had the knife in him, and I sure as hell wanted to twist it. "She loved you, she built her whole life around you, and you just shattered her and walked away. Whether you started fucking your freshmeat before or after the fact is irrelevant."

He set his jaw, and a steeliness came into his eyes. "She built her life around me? More like the other way around. Our whole relationship revolved around her career, her dream." His voice cracked with bitter emotion. "I'm not the kind of guy who can be content with spending his whole life in the passenger seat."

I felt sick to my stomach. His words echoed what Gavin had said during our huge blowout. I heard the barely suppressed rage mingle with the contempt in my voice as I shot back, "So she should have given up on her dream so you could feel like more of a man? How pathetic."

Matteo's face twisted and I could tell that I had hit the mark. He opened his mouth to respond, when his little Barbie appeared at his side, tugging at his arm. "Matty, let's just get out of here."

I raised a brow and laughed. "Yeah, Matty," I spat the whitewashed nickname at him. "I think you've done more than enough damage for one night."

He looked at me in silent fury for a second, and then turned without a word towards the door, his girlfriend trotting dutifully at his heels like a little puppy.

I let out a deep breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding, some of the rigid tension leaking out of my shoulders. I turned and slowly made my way back to the booth, less than eager to resume the festivities.

I didn't even spot Rhiannon right away, and when I did, I heaved a sigh of frustration. She was nestled into a corner of one of the booths, Eric practically wrapped around her. He had one arm slung over her shoulders, his hand playing with her hair as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. His other hand was sitting dangerously high on her thigh. She was smiling flirtatiously into his face.

I debated what to do for a moment, and Rachel appeared at my side. Her eyes were on Rhiannon and Eric too, but her innocent, excited expression mirrored none of my concern.

"It really looks like they're hitting it off! I'm so happy Rhi is finally giving Eric a chance. He's been into her forever! And she's been a freaking nun since the breakup. I'm glad she's finally moving on!"

"Yeah, I wouldn't be so sure about that," I said wryly.

She frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"We just ran into Teo," I said. I almost laughed at the shock on Rachel's face. "And  he was with a tiny blonde teenager who he is apparently screwing."

She grimaced. She looked back over at Rhiannon and Eric, and tilted her head to the side contemplatively. "Well, maybe this is a good thing, then," she said, her voice hopeful. "Give Rhi a confidence boost."

"I'm more concerned about how she's going to feel in the morning," I said. "She's obviously not thinking clearly."

"Right," Rachel said sarcastically. "Because God forbid she'd be interested in one of Derek's friends. Eric couldn't possibly be good enough for her."

I raised my hands defensively. "Whoa! Why are you getting pissed with me? I'm just trying to look out for Rhi."

"Yeah, and you always know best, don't you?" Rachel shot back, her voice quivering with resentment now. Her words began to tumble out as her anger picked up speed. "Get off your high horse, Allie. You and Gavin and Rhiannon and Teo were just a perfect foursome, weren't you? Just way too mature and sophisticated for me and Derek. Well I hate to break it to you, Allie, but Teo is the one who broke Rhi's heart into a million pieces. Eric is a good catch. He's smart and has a good job. Rhi would be lucky to be with him. And you just don't want to admit it because you don't want to be the one on the outside for once."

With that, she turned and flounced back to the booth. I stood there in shock. Tears rose to my eyes as waves of anger, hurt, and shame rolled over me. I had never realized that Rachel felt excluded by me and  Rhiannon. I was naturally closer with Rhi, and I hung out with her more one-on-one, confided in her more. I never thought that Rachel even picked up on it, let alone felt hurt by it.

The effects of the turbulent events of the night hit me all at once and I suddenly felt like couldn't stay there a minute longer. I approached Rhi and tapped her on the shoulder. She looked over at me as if in a daze, "What's up?"

"I'm gonna head out," I said. "You coming?"

She hesitated, looking back at Eric. "Stay and hang out. I'll take you home," he said.

I'll bet you will, I thought spitefully. I waited for her answer.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna stick around a while longer," she said casually.

I had a very strong feeling that she was going to regret this in the morning, but I knew Rachel was right about one thing. I couldn't make Rhi's decisions for her. She had to be free to make her own mistakes and I just had to be there to help her through the fallout, no judgment. God knows she'd done that for me enough times when I was single. "Okay, then. Text me so I know you get home safe,
okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, turning away. "I'll be fine."

I said my goodbyes to everyone. Rachel refused to meet my eyes. I went out back and ordered an Uber, which luckily came within minutes.

By the time I slipped between my sheets, I was exhausted and had a dull pounding feeling behind my eyes. I tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable, flashes of the night playing on a loop inside my head. Rhiannon's tear-filled eyes. Teo's bitter words. Rachel's angry resentment.

Unbidden, Reid's face joined the jumble. I groaned, rubbing a hand over my face.

What a colossal fucking mess.

Painful Reunion

Thank you all so, so much for your understanding this week. I managed to actually get a full night's sleep and was able to finish the post! I'm working on Part 2 now, and will have it up tonight or tomorrow AM! 

*****

I woke up the morning after the Foxhole in Gavin's arms. As my drugged feeling of sleepiness began to melt away, the events of the night before crept back in. Immediately, my stomach began to churn as Reid's words came back to me. His image flashed in my mind, his jaw set, his eyes intense, and I shivered.

Gavin slowly began to wake up, and as he lazily trailed kisses down my neck, stroking my body, and turning me towards him, I forced the thoughts of Reid from my mind.

The uneasy feeling lingered like a fog around me for the next week. As I studied for finals, proofread my papers, ran on the treadmill, made dinner with Gavin, my unease would be there in the back of my mind, waiting to be acknowledged.

When Saturday arrived, I woke up feeling completely tied up in knots. The idea of facing Reid made me feel almost sick with tension. I didn't know how to deal with what he'd said. I didn't know how to act around him. Should I force the issue and confront him? Should I act as if everything was normal?

In the end, I did neither. I texted Ainsley and bailed on the game, saying I was too busy cramming for finals.

Instead, Gavin and I went out together to start our Christmas shopping. We walked idly hand-in-hand through the stores, teasing each other playfully. I finally felt the tension of the last week start to ease.

We stopped for a late lunch at our favourite Thai place. As we hungrily devoured our spicy green curry and pad Thai, Gavin asked me, "What do you want to do tonight?"

"It's Derek's birthday today, remember? We're heading out to some bar downtown." I caught the vague grimace on Gavin's face and laughed. "I'm obligated to be there, but you're off the hook. You don't have to come."

"Thank you," he said, clearly relieved. "Derek is cool, but I don't know if I'm up to the whole brodown tonight."

Rachel's boyfriend Derek on his own was a nice, if rather bland, guy. He and Gavin got along well enough. His group of friends, however, were completely obnoxious idiots. They had all been friends since high school, and whenever they were together, all of them regressed into teenage boy mode. Whenever we hung out with them, Gavin always ended up sitting to the side, feeling painfully awkward as they tried to out-douche each other. I couldn't blame him for wanting to skip another evening like that. Frankly, if I could have bailed without hurting Rachel's feelings, I would have.

Gavin dropped me off at my apartment and I studied for a few more hours before I had to start getting ready. The bar we were going to was fairly new and I hadn't been there before, but I'd heard it was a more upscale place. I showered, put on some makeup, and curled my hair into long loose tendrils. I put on a silky, slightly sheer dark pink top and skinny charcoal pants. A pair of black, heeled ankle boots completed the outfit.

Rhiannon showed up just after 9, and we headed downtown. There was already a pretty big line forming outside, and I was very happy that Derek had the forethought to put his party on the list. We bypassed the line, and as we went in, ignoring the glares of all of the 21 year olds shivering in their skimpy outfits with no coats, my eyes caught those of a tiny, pretty blonde girl. She looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place her. She stared at me and Rhiannon for a moment longer, before turning and whispering to her friend, both of their eyes on us.

That's weird, I thought to myself. I shrugged and followed Rhi in. Bitches be hatin'.

Rachel, Derek, and all of his friends were sitting at two massive booths in the back of the bar. I waved at Rachel, who was penned into the corner of the booth talking to one of the guys' girlfriends, Ashley, who I'd met a few times over the years. We hugged Derek and wished him a happy birthday before being crushed into a booth with the guys. They were in fine form, yelling over each other as they reminisced about their wild high school and college antics. Rhi and I smiled along, but rolled our eyes at each other when they weren't looking. We'd heard most of these stories before, many times over.

About an hour after we got there, Derek's friend Eric arrived. One of the perpetually single guys of the group, Eric was gorgeous, with dark almost black hair, olive green eyes, and an easy, cocky grin. Somehow he managed to weasel his way in on Rhi's other side, and immediately began laying on the charm. He'd been trying to get with her for years, but I had a feeling he was going to be spinning his wheels again tonight. He was sexy, smart, and funny, but definitely not Rhiannon's type. Too smooth, too practiced. She matched his banter easily, but I heard the cynical note in her voice and I could tell she saw right through him. He leaned closer, and Rhi pulled back so far she was practically in my lap.

"Bathroom?" I suggested, and she nodded eagerly.

"Don't take too long," Eric said, smirking. Rhiannon smiled tightly at him.

As we touched up our makeup in the bathroom, Rhi groaned, "God, Eric cannot take a hint."

I laughed, rearranging my curls. "He's smitten with you! Poor guy!"

She rolled her eyes. "Please. He's just too into himself to accept that any girl could resist him."

"I dunno," I said, playfully. "He's pretty persistent. I think he actually likes you."

"He just likes the chase," she said, dismissively. "He's a player through and through."

We went to grab a drink from the bar on our way back to the booth. The place was now packed, and Rhi kept a loose grip on my wrist so we wouldn't get separated. I was leaning over the bar, yelling my drink order to the bartender over the music, when her grip suddenly tightened, her nails digging into my wrist painfully.

I yelped, turning towards her. My words died in my throat as I looked into her face. She stared, stricken, over my shoulder.
She looked like she'd seen a ghost. I knew who she had seen without her even saying a word. Only one person had ever been able to shatter Rhiannon.

"Matteo," she choked out.

I followed her gaze to the familiar figure on the other side of the bar. He hadn't seen us yet. He looked happy, laughing over his shoulder to someone behind him.

I looked at Rhi, who was swallowing hard, trying to regain her composure. It was the first time we'd run into him since their sudden break up a year ago. Rhi and Teo had been together since our sophomore year of college. They had been the golden couple, his dark Argentinian looks highlighting her exotic beauty. Many guys had laid themselves at Rhiannon's feet over the years, but Teo, with his gentle, soulful spirit, was the only one who she'd ever truly fallen for.

After four years of seemingly blissful coupledom, the sudden break up came with no explanation. Teo packed up his stuff and was out of their apartment within a few hours. Rhiannon was devastated, only leaving the apartment to go to class and the hospital. She lost so much weight she started to look like a corpse. It was only in the last few months that she had started to come out of it, but the scars were deep and lasting. She had held every guy at arm's length since then, and her once vivacious personality was considerably muted.

I was mulling this over when I heard Rhiannon choke back a sob. I looked back over at Matteo, and what I saw filled me with a murderous rage.

He was still standing at the bar, but now he'd been joined by a tiny, blonde who was wrapping her arms around his waist. As she tilted her head back to look up at him adoringly, I recognized her as the girl who'd been staring at us outside the bar.

He raised his head to order a drink. I could tell the moment he saw us. His smile fell off of his face as he took in Rhi's shocked sadness and my furious glare. He looked guiltily at the tiny Barbie beside him.

Rhiannon had finally gotten her explanation.

Update and apology!

Hey guys,

I'm so sorry I haven't gotten a post up yet. That wedding shower ate up my whole weekend (Never. Hosting. Again.), and I've been at work late the past two nights. I have literally been coming home and passing out immediately. I will finish up the post and have another one up, even if it means a double post on Saturday.

I'm having trouble sticking to the schedule right now, because I have a big project deadline coming up at work. I'm on vacation right after it wraps up at the end of the month, and will get back on track then. Until that point, I'll still post once a week, it just won't be on a set day.

Again, I'm sorry. I look forward to a time when work is not owning my life and I get home before 9 PM!

Running late!

Prepping for a wedding shower that I'm hosting tomorrow! Post will be up tonight, just later :)

EDIT: Hey guys, I'm sorry but I JUST finished my baking/cleaning/setup for this shower and I'm exhausted. I thought I would have more time to finish the post today but I just didn't get to it. I'll do my best to put it up tomorrow. Sorry again!