Thirteen
Reece
Shit.
Oh, Stacy’s pissed. She’s pissed pissed. And frankly, she has every right to be. I brought her here as my girlfriend, I flaunted her around to my family and friends, I asked her to spend her Saturday night here with me and I just completely blindsided her in front of everyone.
It’s not like I didn’t want to tell her about Lance.
Part of me has been dying to tell her about my older brother, but it’s something that’s still very hard for me to open up about.
I journal about my feelings, the way my grief counselor told me to after Lance passed, the way Lance always did when he was alive, and usually that outlet is enough for me.
It took me forever to even tell Drew the story, and I only told him after far too much whiskey at a hockey party freshman year.
But Stacy isn’t Drew. She isn’t Miles or Tashia or Mae or anyone else in my life. She’s doing me probably the biggest favor that anyone’s ever done for me before and I owed her that part of myself before I brought her here and humiliated her.
Everyone’s staring at me as I reflect on my own dumbass decisions, Stacy having disappeared to find the restroom. If that’s where she even went. She’s probably in an Uber on her way back to Wing Haven right now.
Gemma’s the first one to break the awkward silence in the circle. “Reece… have you not told Stacy about Lance?” Her voice is small, way too quiet for normal Gemma, as if she’s trying not to spook me.
I swallow, my throat thickening as I shake my head and stare at my dress shoes.
“Dude,” Evan huffs. “You fucked up. Fucked up hard .”
I glance up and everyone’s nodding in agreement.
“Shit,” I mutter, scrubbing my hands down my face.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re still doing standing here,” Brayden intervenes. “You better go get your girl, bro.”
I groan, about to turn away before Gemma’s voice stops me. “Hey, the next time you’re hiding our dead brother from your new girlfriend, maybe give us a heads up.”
Great. Gemma’s pissed at me. Stacy’s pissed at me. I’m pissed at me.
I give my sister a curt nod before turning to Evan and Tashia. “Congrats, you two,” I say before taking off in the direction of the restrooms.
When I get to the hallway, I realize that both of the restrooms are empty so Stacy isn’t really in there.
I take a couple laps around the clubhouse and stride down the hallway to the locker rooms, finding nothing but wait staff and a particularly drunk couple from Tashia and Evan’s party making out in a hallway alcove.
No sign of Stacy.
My heart starts to pound a little bit as panic encroaches. What if Stacy really did leave? What if she’s on her way back to Wing Haven and she doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore?
I realize with a start that I’m less worried about the fake relationship and explaining my lack of a girlfriend to my family and more worried about Stacy’s feelings and the fact that I upset her. I’m afraid that I took any possibility of a budding friendship with Stacy and completely discarded it.
Before I can spiral further, I push out of the front double doors and into the muggy late summer night.
I catch a flash of blonde and green off to my right and see Stacy perched on one of the flagstone steps.
She’s staring off into the dark parking lot, her elbows propped up on her knees with her chin resting in her hands, but she doesn’t turn around even though I know she hears me.
“Stace,” I say, my voice gruffer than usual as I trot down the couple of stairs dividing us.
“I don’t really want to talk to you, Taylor,” she mumbles as I take a seat beside her on the step.
I sigh. “Well, that’s too damn bad. Sounds like you’re going to have one hell of an annoying car ride back to Wing Haven.” I bump my shoulder into hers, trying to make light of the situation like I always do.
Until she turns to face me.
In the torch lights, I see the tears rimming Stacy’s lash line. Her eyes are red and watery and the sight alone is enough to knock the breath out of me. To add insult to injury, her bottom lip quivers before she bites it down to get it under control.
“Stacy,” I breathe, instinctively wrapping my arms around her shoulders and bringing her into my chest. “I’m so fucking sorry. I should’ve told you about Lance, I should’ve warned you. I made a mistake and I’m really sorry.”
Stacy pushes away from me, breaking out of my hold and piercing my heart at the same time. “I don’t want an apology,” she mutters.
“But you deserve one. I hurt you, clearly, and I didn’t mean to. I’d never intentionally hurt you and—”
Stacy stands, cutting me off as she glowers down at me.
“You made me look like a fool,” she spits furiously.
“You said the other day that you get what you give. But I’ve given you complete honesty and obviously have not gotten that in return.
You’re the one who begged me to enter into this ridiculous arrangement with you and now I’m the one who looks stupid.
I’m the girl who acted head over heels in love with you in front of your family just to find out that I don’t know about an integral part of your life.
And you know what your family’s going to do now? ”
I sit in stunned silence while Stacy pauses.
She folds her arms over her chest when I don’t answer her hypothetical question and goes on.
“They’re going to pity me. Poor Stacy, she thought Reece was serious about her.
Poor Stacy was humiliated at the engagement party.
They’re going to pity me, Reece. Which is exactly what you were afraid of them doing to you.
So, congrats. The attention was shifted onto me, just like you wanted. ”
My mouth is dry and my throat is tight as I work down a swallow and stand. “Stace.” I reach for her elbow but she steps back before I can touch her. “That was never, ever my intention. They don’t think you’re stupid, Stacy, I promise. If anyone looks like a fool after tonight, it’s me.”
Stacy’s not convinced, her lips pursed and eyes cold. “This doesn’t even matter,” she finally says .
Desperation starts to claw its way up my throat as I try and reach for her again to no avail. “Yes, it does. Your feelings matter, the fact that I hurt you matters.”
“It doesn’t,” she says again. “This is a fake relationship, Reece. Let’s remember from now on to keep things transactional. Just forget I said anything. This was stupid.”
I lick my quickly drying lips as Stacy stares out at the parking lot again.
It’s clear that Stacy has retreated entirely back into her shell and if I know one thing about Stacy Dunn, it’s that she’s stubborn.
She won’t come back out, she won’t let me make nice with her until she’s good and ready.
Any attempt I make right now at getting her to open up will just send her deeper into herself.
“Can I take you home?” I ask after a painful beat of silence filled with cicadas and distant cars.
“Don’t bother.” She descends the last couple of steps and takes a seat on the wrought iron bench next to the staircase. “I already texted Mae. She’ll be here in about thirty minutes. Go back inside and enjoy your party, Reece.”
“Hell no, I’m not leaving you out here alone to wait for—”
“Go. Enjoy. Your party, Reece,” she says again, enunciating each word before glancing back at me with pleading eyes. “Please,” she tacks on, her voice small.
I say nothing as she faces forward, my gut rolling like someone sucker punched me. She’s retreating further, I can see it. If I push, she’ll pull, and I can’t have her pull any further away from me right now.
So, I surrender. I give Stacy her peace and trudge back up the steps because I know that space is the only thing that will make Stacy come back around.
Space and maybe a little bit of ass kissing when the time is right.