Chapter 10 Miscommunication #2
“Steve says he doesn’t know. Maybe. Want us to come up? We can walk with you to her room, just to check.”
Sophie almost told them no, that she didn’t want to be that person, but at the last second, she changed her mind.
“Please. And Jackie, thank you.”
“Of course,” her friend replied. Sophie cringed at the pity that laced those two words.
Sophie hung up the phone and fought back tears.
She had no business being this upset about a guy she barely knew and had spent just one night with, but she couldn’t help feeling like Brad was more than just a crush.
The opportunity to get to know him better had come along at such a perfect time in her life that it had to be more than just a crazy coincidence.
Which is why she would feel the loss of him more than Drew.
Not two minutes later, there was a knock at the door and for a moment, Sophie allowed herself to imagine it was Brad and that he’d just forgotten his key. She threw open the door, an expectant smile on her lips that fell when her gaze landed on a sullen-looking Steve and Jackie instead.
“Let me see it,” Jackie demanded, her hand extended.
Sophie reluctantly handed over the note, which was crumpled and damp at this point, and Jackie sighed.
“Steve, you know I love you, but I’ll kill your friend if he’s there, you know that too, right?”
Steve nodded, all the more attractive with day-old stubble and his hair tucked away in a ball cap.
Wasn’t it just her luck that these two showed up looking perky and perfect?
She felt like crap and was pretty sure she still looked it, shower or not.
“I got it, babe. You’ll have to wait in line.
Let’s be absolutely certain before we judge the guy, though, alright? ”
Jackie threw her hands up in a conciliatory gesture. “Fine. Let’s go.”
Sophie got her stuff, threw it in her backpack and left the note where it sat on the floor, next to the one she’d written for Brad.
She walked quickly, her feet carrying her half against her will, closer to the room number that was written on the letter from Julia. She stopped in the middle of the hall without warning and grabbed Jackie by the arm.
“This is silly, Jackie,” she said. “Isn’t it?”
“You don’t sound very sure of yourself, Soph. Keep walking. Let’s go.” Jackie shuffled Sophie along.
“Ugh,” Sophie said. “I feel like a stalker.”
“You should. But it doesn’t mean you’re wrong.”
“It doesn’t?”
“No. I mean, you have to do your homework if you like the guy. You do like him, don’t you?”
Sophie glared at Jackie, who threw her hands up. “Okay, I get it. You do. Then let’s just walk by and prove that you have nothing to worry about. You’ll feel better knowing, won’t you?”
Sophie nodded.
“And she’s gone mute,” Jackie mumbled under her breath. Sophie heard her but kept her thoughts to herself. For some reason, this whole thing struck her as ridiculous, but her stomach flipped and sweat lined her brow. She was nervous.
After what seemed like an eternity, the three of them found themselves in front of room 233. Sophie turned to Steve, her bottom lip quivering.
“How come you’ve been so quiet about this, Steve?”
She almost laughed at the “who, me?” look Steve shot her. It had the effect of lightening the mood, which she could have kissed him for.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t notice I was here and I could avoid the ‘what the hell are you doing’ speech reprisal from last night. I love Jackie, and I’m not gonna hear anything that tells me I should feel otherwise.”
“You won’t hear any of that from me, Steve.
To be honest, I found the whole thing incredibly romantic.
” At this, Sophie turned her attention to Jackie, finger outstretched accusingly like a teacher pointing at an errant student.
“But that doesn’t mean you and I aren’t going to have a serious conversation about all this when we get home. ”
Jackie laughed, her arm around Steve. Sophie loved the way her friend gazed up at her paramour.
Her hand pressed against another stab of jealousy.
She wasn’t lying to Steve. The whole idea of her perpetually single friend finding someone just like her and falling in love in a night was something so utterly predictable, Sophie was shocked she didn’t see it coming.
“Okay,” Steve said. “Let’s get this over with so I can pound my best friend’s face in if he’s doing what we all hope he isn’t right now.”
Sophie nodded, the nerves resurfacing. Jackie reached for her arm, squeezing it, but all Sophie could offer back was a wan smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
Steve’s hand was balled up, ready to knock, when a woman’s loud voice came from the room behind the door.
He stopped, and the three of them edged closer to the door as silent as a pack of thieves.
Sophie hoped no one came across the three of them huddled against the door, looking like third-rate spies in some bad TV show.
It was wholly embarrassing, but at the same time, she didn’t really care.
If she heard correctly, the woman she’d just heard had yelled, “What took you so long?”
Sophie bit her bottom lip and tried to look as if she wasn’t bothered when the woman said a little louder, this time clear as water, “Seriously, I’m not going to be mad. Just tell me what took so long. I left you the message hours ago.”
The three spies closed the millimeters of distance between them and the door as if on cue. They would have fallen through the door had anyone on the other side opened it.
“Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I love you and you’re here now.
I missed you, you know.” There was no mistaking those words, and Sophie’s heart fell to her stomach like a lead-lined rock.
A muffled man’s voice muttered some sort of response that seemed favorable, but all three of them shared looks of confusion, meaning none of them had caught the transaction.
The man was too far away from the door. Sophie was conflicted about whether she should will him to move closer, so she could hear him, or pray he stayed put so she didn’t have to hear what he was saying.
“Can I just ask you a question, and no judgment, I just have to know,” the voice that was so clearly Julia’s asked. Sophie held her breath, afraid to exhale too loudly and miss the rest of the inquiry.
“Were you with her?” Sophie closed her eyes tight, willing back the flood of emotions that threatened to push their way to the surface and come out screaming like a toddler’s tantrum.
Another muttered response that none of them caught, but the woman, closer now to them than she had been up until that point, said, “Okay. I believe you. I need to if we are going to do this again.”
Sophie’s mind went blank, and she slid fully to the floor.
Her thoughts went to Brad’s hands on her hips last night, to the way he’d looked into her eyes and told her he didn’t want to be anywhere else, ever.
She’d believed him too, because nothing had ever felt so right to her and she doubted anything would after that either.
It was almost as if his body was made to connect with hers, and even though she didn’t know near enough about the adult Brad she’d slept with the night before, she had a damn good suspicion their souls were pretty well-aligned too.
Boy, had she been misled.
Jackie squeezed her arm and cocked her head to the side, as if to ask, “what do we do now?” Sophie shook her head, a few traitorous tears cresting and falling, betraying her desire to look as cool and calm as she could. She didn’t have a damn clue.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Steve offered her his hand.
She took it, marveling at how strong he was as he lifted her from the floor.
He brought her to her feet and into his arms for what was the most all-encompassing bear hug she’d ever had.
It felt good and safe. She let the tears fall, knowing that no matter what, she had her answers, even if they weren’t the ones she hoped for.
Steve held her like that for a few minutes until he finally sighed and pulled her away so he could look at her. The fabric of his shirt was tear-stained where her head had been, and she dabbed at it in vain.
“We should go,” he whispered. “Are you okay?” Sophie shook her head. No, she wasn’t okay, but she agreed they needed to leave. As soon as possible.
“Let’s go, then. I’ll be fine. Can I get a ride with you two?”
“For that matter, can I?” Jackie asked. “We can get my car tomorrow. I wanna make sure Soph gets home okay.”
“Of course, darlin’, but Sophie, are you sure you don’t want me to go talk to Brad? I mean, this is pretty effed up, even by my standards.”
Sophie smiled weakly.
“No, leave it. He’s made his choice.” Sophie looked wistfully at the door, behind which was a silence that unnerved her.
She’d rather not know what was going on now that the talking had stopped.
She knew all too well what replaced it, her body tingling in the places Brad had touched her when they’d stopped talking.
She faked a smile as best she could. “I’d rather you drive so Jackie and I can talk about you like you aren’t there.
I need to find out what happened to both of you last night.
Because I’m not ruling out bitten by zombies.
There’s no other explanation for the abominable cuteness that’s taken over the two of you single-for-lifers. ”
She laughed, an empty gesture. It was meant to change the subject so she didn’t continue to replay the night before, followed by what they’d just overheard, on a never-ending loop and make herself crazy.
It seemed to work. Jackie threw her arm around her best friend and giggled.
“Well, we don’t need to wait for the car for that.
Let me just start by saying, my man is the best kisser this side of the Rockies.
” She winked at Sophie, who balked accommodatingly.
“He does some other things pretty good, too,” she whispered conspiratorially.
“I can hear you, love,” Steve chimed in, a grin on his face like he’d won the lottery.
“That’s the point, hun. I’ve got no intention on keeping you a secret. I want the whole world, including you, to know you’re mine and I couldn’t be happier about it.”
Sophie nodded along as Jackie gushed about how she and Steve hit it off, when she knew he was “it” for her, what their plans were now that they were engaged. She tried to be happy for her friend, but all she could muster were “hmmms” and “awwwws” and the occasional tight-lipped smile.
Down in the lobby, Marge waited in the dismal line of overindulged guests waiting to check out, the same pissed-off look on her face as she’d had the night before.
Alan wasn’t there, but Sophie didn’t care if he could save her or not.
She was past caring about any of that now.
She asked Jackie to wait for a minute and ran up to Marge, trying not to seem as hurt or desperate as she was.
She felt Jackie’s and Steve’s eyes on her but was thankful they left her alone to handle this.
She needed to regain at least some of the control over this situation.
“Hi, Marge,” she began, but when the woman didn’t respond with a smile, let alone an outstretched hand or mirrored greeting, Sophie dove headlong into her question, her chest out, shoulders back.
Trial Sophie was there to play.
“Marge, have you or Alan seen Brad this morning? He wasn’t in the room when I woke up.” Marge’s arms crossed over her chest, tight against her shirt, and her eyes became virtual slits. Sophie wondered how she could see out of them, they were so narrow.
“I haven’t seen him since last night when he left early without saying so much as a goodbye to me or his father.
The bride was upset at his departure as well.
Maybe he went to see her this morning to apologize for his inexcusable behavior, and for yours as well.
Since they have so much history, that is.
” Marge’s voice hadn’t warmed at all since the night before, and Sophie thought she saw a hint of a smile on the woman’s lips when Sophie said she hadn’t seen Brad that morning.
“Thanks for your help,” she said, not meaning a word of it.
The only redeeming news regarding Brad’s defection was that Sophie would be rid of Marge, though that was barely enough of a consolation to take the edge off the hurt enveloping her chest. She jogged back to her friends as Alan walked up to Marge with what looked like breakfast. Sophie waved at him, her eyes wistful.
He smiled back, his face joyful. If Marge hadn’t grabbed him by the shoulders, turned him away from Sophie, she had a feeling he was getting ready to walk over to her.
Oh, well. She’d miss him, but she’d miss his son more than she had words to describe.
Moments later, still no sign of Brad, she left the hotel with Jackie and Steve. She couldn’t wait to be home. When they got to Steve’s car, Sophie whistled low and appreciatively at the ride.
“Wow, Steve. This is nice,” she told him, gesturing to the just-off-the-lot white Dodge Charger. She ran her hand along the red racing stripes affectionately.
“Thanks. I finally traded in my piece of shit truck yesterday. Damn thing was costing me more to fix than she put out. This here’s my brand-new baby, my first and truest love,” he said, patting the hood like he might have done to a puppy.
“That is, she was until last night.” Steve nudged Jackie, who blushed.
Their budding romance was at once intimate and passionate, everything Sophie wanted for her friend.
If she was being honest, though, the timing for her ability to be truly thrilled for Jackie was less than perfect. It was downright awful, actually.
Still, she played the part of the best friend, telling Steve he’d better not hurt her girl—like Brad had hurt her, she wanted to add, but didn’t—and asked questions that the happy new couple was all too eager to answer about the wedding plans, the bachelorette party, and all things love.
Despite the distraction of Steve and Jackie’s relationship, Sophie tried to tune out a small voice in her head that told her to turn around, to go back and confront Brad, to have it out with him and ask him why he’d slept with her if his plans were always to go back to Julia.
It didn’t work, though, and the rest of the way back to the city, she barely heard a word Jackie said, her stomach was so unsettled.
She somehow felt like even though her heart was in a million pieces, she’d been the one to do something wrong.