Eruption - Chapter 25
Monday
"Hey, Rob," I said as soon as he picked up the phone. I had eaten lunch as quickly as possible with the other marketing interns. Now I was standing outside the office, hoping I could get some answers.
"Hey, sexy, what's up?"
I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn't see me through the phone. "I was just calling to see if you had fun during James' bachelor party."
Rob laughed. "That's a ridiculous question. It was fucking awesome."
"So, what did you guys do?"
"Well, I won over the hottest girl there and Matt acted like a little bitch about it."
I laughed. "Congrats on your conquest. What about James and Mason?"
"They were super lame. They sat by the pool all day."
"And what about at night?"
"Are you trying to find out if we hired strippers, got him wasted, and then he engaged in tons of unprotected sex with strangers and now has a baby momma?"
Jesus. "Did you? Did he?"
Rob laughed. "You'll never know. But you know how he gets when he's off the rocker..."
"Rob." My voice sounded strangled. "Seriously, did James cheat on me?"
"If he did, it was with Mason."
I sighed.
Rob laughed. "No, he didn't cheat on you, Penny."
"You're sure?"
"I mean, I didn't watch him every second. But he barely participated in everything we had planned. The only sex he had was probably with his hand while he stared at a picture of your beautiful face."
I shook my head. This conversation hadn't made me feel any better. "Okay, thanks, Rob. I'll see you on Friday."
"Wait. Penny, are you really worried about this?"
"Yes. And I'm pretty sure you wouldn't tell me even if you did know. So I'm sorry that I called. Please don't tell James. I'm just freaking out over nothing."
"That's not true. I like you way more than I like James. I'd tell you anything. I really don't think he did anything stupid this weekend. Despite all of our best attempts."
I laughed and looked across the street at Central Park. There was more bothering me than just what did or didn't happen this weekend. "Do you know if he still has feelings for Rachel?"
"Rachel?"
"The girl he dated in high school?"
"Oh. That Rachel."
How many Rachels has he dated?
"No, I don't think so. He was pretty torn up when they called it off, but he was just a kid. Everyone romanticizes their first love. No one holds on to it, though."
James was my first love. I was holding on to that. This conversation wasn't calming me down.
"Are you getting cold feet or something?"
I looked down at my feet. "No. I'm worried that he is."
"He's not. If there's one thing I'm sure about, it's James' addiction to you. I mean, like, obsession." Rob cleared his throat. "Sorry, those weren't the best words. What I mean is that he loves you."
"So, you think that's true too?" Isabella had said that to me. It was different hearing it from Rob. I believed Rob.
"That he loves you? Yes, he's crazy about you."
"No, that he's addicted to me."
Rob paused. "You know it's different. You're actually good for him. Perfect, really. The two of you together just makes sense. He's good now. He's happy. You did that."
For some reason, hearing that made me feel like I could breathe again.
"Trust me, James isn't having cold feet. All he did all weekend was try to get his phone back so he could call you. By the way, were you okay? You called him like a million times. You're awful at being alone."
I am awful at being alone. "Yeah...I just...it doesn't matter. I really have nothing to worry about?"
"Nothing. Except for me trying to be your last hurrah before you get married on Saturday. But really you should just be looking forward to that."
"Rob, I'm not sleeping with you."
"Can't blame a guy for trying."
I laughed. "Thanks for calming me down."
"You know what else is good for calming nerves..."
"I have to get back to work. Thanks, Rob." I hung up before he could tease me anymore. I felt a million times better after talking to him than I did after talking to James. But maybe it was because James really hadn't done anything. Isabella was just fucking with me.