23–Joey
Icouldn’t sleep
Alex had dropped me back at my apartment, after the wedding reception, he’d kissed me on the cheek and driven away, 1 thought that was what I wanted, give myself time to process the day and hopefully move on. But laying here, alone in bed, after having my heart completely trampled on in front of almost one hundred people, 1 knew where I wanted to be
With Alex
Sighing, I packed myself up out of bed and got dressed, pulling on oversized sweats. Going to the living room, I picked up
handbag and took it back to my room, shoving a set of clean clothing and some pajamas down into its depths. Zapping it closed. I left my room and then the apartment, going down to the lobby and then out into the street.
Hailing a cab, I climbed in and rattled off the address of Alex’s hotel. As I sunk down into the seat in the back of the cab, I pulled out my phone and opened up social media, scrolling through it
There, loud as anything and bright as day, was Phoebe’s status update.
Today–Married to Juke Kazum
There were photos of the wedding the wedding party, and none of me. I scrolled through them, trying to find one out of all the bridal parties and blinked at the side of my arm and a scrap of green, which had just managed to be caught by the cropping of the photos
That’s how much she wanted to wipe me from both the wedding and Jake’s life, she’d even cropped me out of the wedding photos. Ispickly looked at Jake’s profile, seeing similar pictures and again…nothing with me and him. Even his cover photo, which had once been of us at our graduation, was replaced with a wedding photo.
Phoebe had gotten her wish she had cut me from my best friend’s life. No doubt she had control of his social media as well
Cloung my phone. I shoved it into the depths of my bag and vowed to not look at it for at least the next week, unless it was my Pa calling, because I knew there would be an avalara he of photos from Hawaii and I didn’t need the reminder, that even though one told Jake it was my dream destination, he still took his new wife there for their honeymoon.
I stumped into the seat and watched the scenery fly past as I made my way across town and ten minutes later, I was standing in front of Alex’s do I stood there for a few minutes, staring at the door, wondering if I should just turn around and go home Maybe bypass a shop and grab an extra–large tub of ice cream on the way. But in the end, I decided to be the
rown–ip and do what I come here for And that was to see Alex again
My hand led to the wood and even though I hesitated eventually I knocked on it.
the longest few second of my life
hew Would he tell me to go home Would he have someone else there with him…?
The door popped open and my gaze lifted to Alex. He was in a pair of dark silk pajama pants and nothing else his tattoos bright, his dark hair damp as if he’d an climbed out of the shower. “Joey”
“I’m sorry, Ales. I couldn’t mean but my lap, to stop it froth quivering and dropped my gaze, hands fumbling with the hanelle of my handbag “I dont know why Fm here.”
*I do ” Alex’s haud came out, taking me genely by the arm and he brought me into the room, closing the door behind me.
voking under my thun “Do you have spare clothes in your bag?”
Alex turned
Iolded and looked up at ham. He reached our and grabbed my hard and took me into the bedroom, stopping me in front Üle bed Tet changed. I’ll be back in a enutiute
Alen let m in the room and 1 heard him moving through the living area. I dug into my bag, pulled out my pajamas, and a Alex came back into the room and closed the door behind him. He came over to the bed and pulled tuning to the maTEL
Tin you prt
I blanked at him, and be ghed, walking around the bed and stopping in front of me, hands going to my shoulders. “As much as I would love to fuck the shut out of you and make you forget about today. I’m not going to. Tonight, you need a
safe harbor, not sex. Get in the bed.”
1 nodded and turned to the bed, climbing in and Ales went to the other side and climbed in next to me. Moving, Alex slipped his arm under my neck and pulled me closer to him, as he reached out and turned off the lamp on the bedside
table.
Alex rolled toward me, bringing me into his arms and I held back my tears at how gentle and calm he seemed to be right now, I could only imagine what he thought of his brother. Whatever had happened to them in the past, had not been resolved and I knew if Jake found out about what had happened between us, it never would be. I didn’t want to be the reason they didn’t get along.
Allex pulled me closer, his arms wrapping around me tightly. My body was coiled with anger and sadness, and I was trying to hold back the tears, and obviously he could feel it in my body.
“Don’t hold back your tears because of me, doll,” Alex whispered, pressing his lips against my forehead. “If you need to cry, then cry. I don’t mind getting a wet shoulder.”
With his permission to let it out… I wrapped my arms around Alex’s waist, buried my face against his chest… and wept until I fell asleep.
