Chapter 11 Aspen
Aspen
I stare out the windshield at the apartment I’ve only lived in for a month. I don’t want to get out of the truck. I don’t want to have to break up with Zach. I don’t want to walk away from the life I was building.
But I have to.
I can’t stay with someone who doesn’t respect me.
“Thanks for the ride,” I tell Brooks.
“Yep. Of course. Do you want me to… wait?” he asks. Brooks has been so sweet to me over the last twelve hours. From getting me away from the scene of the crime to giving me a place to stay and making me breakfast this morning. I feel spoiled in a way I probably shouldn’t.
“No, I’ll be ok. Thank you.”
He nods. “Alright then. Good luck. Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks.”
I slide out of his truck and slowly force myself up the stairs to the apartment. When I open the door, Zach sits up on the couch. I’m guessing he slept there since there’s a pillow from our bed and a rumpled blanket around him.
“Aspen,” he whispers.
“Zach.” My voice comes out firm and serious. Thank god. I do not want to cry in front of him. Not after the way he treated me.
We both stand across the room from each other, and it’s like I’m looking at a stranger. I don’t understand how we could spend two years together, but now it’s gone. Everything is over. All our plans are out the window. How could he say he loves me and then do what he did?
“Whose shirt is that?” he asks.
I look down and realize that I’m still wearing Brooks’s shirt. I didn’t have anything else to wear, so I just threw my shorts on underneath. My shirt from yesterday was all sweaty from being at the festival. It dawns on me that Brooks didn’t even mention me giving it back.
“Really? That’s the first thing you’re going to say to me?”
He shakes his head. “No, sorry. It just threw me off for a second.”
“Yeah, it seems like a lot of things have thrown you off recently.”
He sighs and walks toward me. “Babe, I am so sorry.”
He tries to hug me, but I take a step back and hold my hand out to stop him. “Don’t touch me.”
“Aspen.” He has the audacity to look hurt.
“No. Don’t Aspen me. You cheated on me!”
“It didn’t mean anything, I swear.”
“Is that supposed to make it ok? I’m just supposed to be fine and move on from the fact that you cheated?” I ask.
“I made a mistake, Aspen. It was so stupid. I don’t want her; I want to be with you.
I love you.” I’ll give him one thing: he does look genuinely upset.
Part of me feels like I need to make him feel better, but then I remember what he did to me and that worry is instantly gone.
I gave him two years of my life, and he threw it away like it meant nothing.
“It was stupid,” I agree. “But you will never have me again.”
His eyes go wide. “What? Aspen, no. Please give me another chance. I can’t lose you.”
“You lost me the second you put your mouth on another woman. You made the decision for both of us.”
“I told you it was a mistake. Please forgive me. Give me another chance,” he begs. He drops down to his knees in front of me and wraps his arms around my legs.
“I can’t forgive you.” Seeing him on his knees like this makes me feel even more disgusted. I’m sure he thinks begging will show me how sorry he is, but it just feels fake and way too dramatic. He’s not a child, but he’s acting like one.
“You can,” he pleads. “Please.”
I pause and look down at him. His eyes are glossy, like he might cry any minute. “Did you sleep with her?”
“What?” he asks, surprised by my question.
“I saw you kiss her, but did it go any further than that? Be honest.”
His shoulders slump, and his arms loosen around me as he admits, “Once.”
I nod. That’s all I need to hear. There’s no reconciliation happening now. Not that I was planning on it anyway, but that admission sealed the deal.
“I’d like for you to leave while I pack my things,” I tell him and take a step back out of his grasp.
“Aspen, please. You can’t leave me.”
“I can, and I am.”
“Where are you even going to go?” he asks.
“None of your business, but I’ve got somewhere to stay for the time being. So, I’m going to pack my things, and then I’m going to leave. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
“I will make it harder because I can’t lose you, Aspen. I love you.”
“No, you don’t!” I yell, losing my patience. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t have done what you did. This is all your fault! Don’t try to make me feel bad for taking care of myself now.”
He stands up. “You’re right. This is my fault, and I’m going to fix it. I’ll give you space, but just know I’m not giving up on us. I’m going to keep fighting for you. You’ll see.”
I sigh and walk past him to the closet to get my suitcase. “I’d rather you didn’t.”
He grabs his keys off the counter. “Too bad. I’ll prove to you that you and I are meant to be.”
I shake my head. “Please leave.”
He looks at me for so long. I’m afraid that he sees the pain in my eyes, but I refuse to cry in front of him. I did my crying last night. Now, I’m moving on.
“I love you, Aspen.”
I don’t say it back as I walk toward the bedroom to pack. I hear the front door close as Zach leaves.
I can’t believe I just unpacked all of this stuff and now I’m packing it back up. I can’t believe I followed a man to a place where I knew no one. I can’t believe the man I thought loved me betrayed me so easily.
My mind reels with anger as I shove as much as I can into my suitcase.
I pull up outside of Brooks’s little cabin.
I texted him on my way over, so he’s waiting for me by the door.
As I get out of the car, I realize I’m still wearing the shirt he gave me to sleep in last night.
I was so focused on packing my things and getting out of that apartment that I didn’t think about changing.
Thankfully, he doesn’t mention it as he helps me get my bags out of the trunk.
“Everything go ok?” he asks.
“As ok as it can when you’re ending a relationship,” I tell him.
He nods. “Right. Well, I’m glad you’re here. Let’s get you settled in.”
He takes me to the cabin. He was right, it is small. Just all one big room. The kitchen area is against one wall. The bed is across the room. There’s a dresser, a small couch, a small table, and a TV. Just the basics, but it’s everything I need right now.
“Well, this is it,” Brooks says as he puts my bags down. “Bathroom is right there.” He points to the door near the dresser.
“This is perfect. I can’t thank you enough, Brooks.”
“No need to thank me. If you ever need anything, I’m just next door. Oh, and this place doesn’t have a washer and dryer, so you’ll have to come to my house when you need to do laundry. Just let me know when you need it, and I’ll make sure to leave the door unlocked for you.”
“Got it.”
“Alright, well, I’ll let you get settled. Let me know if you need anything, ok? Seriously. Don’t be shy.”
I smile at him in an attempt to ease the worry in his eyes. I can tell Brooks has a big heart. He feels terrible about what Zach did and is trying his best to make it up to me the only way he can. I really do appreciate it. “I will. Thank you. And thanks for letting me have the day off today.”
He nods and leaves me alone in the cabin to get settled. Even though this place is small, it’s really nice. It’s obvious Brooks spent a lot of time and effort making this place a home. It’s kind of cool to stay in a place he built himself.
While I can understand why Zach didn’t like being here when he was a kid because of the lack of privacy, it’s perfect for one person.
It doesn’t take me long to get my clothes unpacked.
I left a lot of my things at the apartment.
I focused on clothes and toiletries, leaving all of my furniture and kitchen supplies behind.
I don’t want them anymore anyway. They’re all going to have bad memories associated with them now. This is a fresh start for me.
After I’m unpacked, I head into town to get some groceries. When I get back, Jazz is waiting at the front door of my cabin.
“I am so mad at that motherfucker,” she practically yells when I step out of the car. I don’t even have to guess who she’s talking about. News travels fast in small towns.
“Yeah, that makes two of us.”
She helps me grab my groceries and follows me into the cabin, ranting about what an idiot Zach is. I’m not going to lie, it makes me feel better to have someone to share this anger with.
“Why didn’t you call me?” she asks once she’s finished her ranting.
I shrug. “ It all happened so fast, and I didn’t want to bother you.”
She puts her hands on her hips and stares me down, unsatisfied with my answer. “Aspen. We’re friends. You call your friends when bad things happen.”
I smile. I’d hoped we’d become friends, but I didn’t want to assume. “Noted for the next time I get my heart broken.”
“Good. It was nice of Daddy Brooks to let you stay here. This place is nice.” She looks around the cabin, taking it all in.
“Oh god, don’t call him Daddy Brooks!” I laugh.
“Why not? He could be my daddy any day.”
“Stop!”
She laughs. “Come on. You know he’s hot.” She stops walking and looks at me. “Oh my god. It would be perfect revenge to sleep with Zach’s dad!”
I gasp. “Absolutely not!”
“Why not?”
“Well, besides the fact that it would be weird, he’s also my boss. Plus, do you really think he would want to hook up with a twenty-four-year-old with no life goals?”
“I think he would be very interested in hooking up with a hot twenty-four-year-old who is living only a few feet away from him right now.”
I laugh. “You’re insane.”
“Not the first time I’ve heard that. But for real, I think you should consider it. Make a move. Let him know you’re interested.”
“I’m not interested!”
“There is not a woman in Blue Haven that isn’t interested in Brooks Calloway.”
“Well, I’m not interested in sleeping with my ex-boyfriend’s dad. That feels illegal or something.”
She shakes her head. “Nah, not illegal. It’s called an upgrade rebound.”
“I can’t do that.” I can’t rebound with Zach’s dad… can I? No. No way. That’d be too weird. “And I’m not ready for that.”
She sighs. “Fine. Just remember that you’re always allowed to change your mind.”
“I know.”
She helps me unload the groceries. It’s not much, but it’s enough that I probably won’t have to go back to the store for a few weeks.
“Oh, good,” she says, pulling two items out of a bag. “You got the essentials: Wine and ice cream. It’s gonna be a good night!”
I was planning on spending the night by myself wallowing in self-pity, but it actually sounds a thousand times better to do it with my new friend.