CHAPTER 17
A snowflake fell on the tip of my nose, melting away as quickly as it fell—winter came in late this year. But everything about New York was unpredictable. Like the homeless man who used to smile when I gave him my leftover food but now sneered at me, accusing me that I gave him food poisoning instead.
I sighed; it’s been a week since Seattle.
A week since I last saw him. After everything that happened, Jay decided it was probably best if I’d returned home, stating he could manage without an assistant for a week. He told me that my salary wouldn’t be compromised and asked me to rest, promising that he would meet me after London.
It’d been radio silence ever since. His promise was on word of mouth, and I wasn’t sure how he was going to execute it.
I also sent him my manuscript but hadn’t heard a word back except for a ‘thank you.’ A tick of nervousness raced through my heart at that thought. Had he started reading it?
But just as he vowed, the money got dropped into my account last night. Now it sat heavy. I couldn’t wait to cash it out and throw it in David’s face and finally free myself from the debt.
My thoughts halted as I keyed my apartment open, carrying the heavy mountains of groceries in my arms, which were dying of numbness at this point.
Strawberry’s cute little bark greeted me as I rushed to the kitchen and dropped all the bags on the island.
A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I shook my forearms, damn those were heavy.
The shrill sound of my phone ringing cracked through the air as I started placing the items in the fridge.
“Hello.” I clutched the phone between my ear and shoulder.
“Evy,” Gabe cried out. “You have to come to the emergency room now.”
My heart dropped as my hand stilled on the carton of milk I was holding. “Why?” My mind immediately drifted to bad scenarios, worst scenarios.
“I tripped on ice,” he cried out again.
I could hear the nurse in the background asking him to switch off his phone, but he just kept crying.
“Hang in there. I’ll be there in a few.”
My heart thrummed in my chest as I ran out the door.
It took me exactly thirty minutes to reach the emergency room of NYC Health. I hated it; the smell, the bustle, and the look of desperation, everything reminded me of Auntie M.
But I didn’t wait to ponder. My feet hurried through the white-tiled floor till my eyes landed on Gabe, who was clutching his mouth, with Rory consoling him.
I frowned. For someone who fell, he actually looked perfectly fine. Then fear hit me. Did he have any internal injuries?
“Gabe, what’s wrong?” I rushed to his side.
“Evy,” he wailed, holding out his arm.
And I stopped, frozen in my tracks, trying hard to stifle the laughter waiting to burst from my lips.
He cried harder when he noticed the look on my face. “Not you too. I hate you all.” He pointed an accusing finger at me.
Rory didn’t even try to hide it as he chuckled.
A hollow gap filled Gabe’s mouth as his four front teeth were clipped in half. A crack ran through them vertically.
“Sir, this is an ER, and we have patients to attend to. You don’t have a medical emergency. You need to visit the dentist to get your teeth fixed.”
“No, fix me. I can’t go out like this. I brought you all the pieces, glue them back at least.” He opened his palms, revealing the chips of his broken teeth.
I couldn’t contain my laughter anymore.
“Sir, like I said, we can’t do that here. You need to make an appointment at the dentist.” The nurse looked like she was ready to throw him out.
Rory rubbed his back while he whispered something that finally made Gabe nod and pull out of the bed.
An hour later, we ended up at the dentist’s office, who informed us that Gabe needed a root canal and dental crowns for the extent of his fracture. Thankfully, even though he broke his four teeth, he didn’t feel any pain.
“What am I going to do?” Gabe sniffled. “I’m so ugly now. I’m going to stay ugly forever, Evy.” He rocked my arms, peering at me with teary eyes. “Rory is going to break up with me, I know. He can’t live with someone ugly like me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Gabe, stop being dramatic. Your teeth will be fixed in a few weeks.”
He shook his head. “I don’t have insurance. And I can’t afford it.”
I let out a heavy exhale as I stared at the sky. “I’ve told you a hundred times, Gabe. I’ll take care of it. You don’t have to worry.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I can’t make you do that. You need to pay back David.”
“It’s completely fine, Gabe. I will still have plenty left after the bills. At least the debt will be halved. It’ll probably take a few months, but eventually, I’ll get out of it.”
“I still can’t make you do that.”
“It’s already done.” While he was crying and moaning to Rory, I took the opportunity to pay the bills for his upcoming treatment plan. And I lied when I said that my debt would be halved. More like quartered. If not even less than that, almost nothing at all. Who knew new teeth could cost a fortune?
It saddened me that I was back to square one again, but I was glad I had the money to help my friend to whom I owed everything.
But I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this situation. By this point, I was convinced that no matter how much I ran through to get to the end of the tunnel, something would eventually pull me back to the deep end.
“I swear I’ll pay you back, Evy. I’ll set aside some of my salary. I can’t believe today, of all days, I had to slip on thin ice,” Gabe said sadly as he leaned his head against my shoulder.
I sighed. “It’s okay. I’ll figure something out. I always do,” I mumbled, patting his head.
I was knee-deep skimming through the job adverts that I almost missed the knock on my door. Strawberry immediately waggled her tail, sniffing at the door. She was getting a lot more curious now.
Frowning, I rose to my feet, who the fuck was visiting me on a Friday night?
“Surprise,” cheered a loud voice before I was instantly engulfed in a huge bear hug.
I grinned, hugging him back. “Surprise, indeed.” I looked at the beautiful blonde grinning over his shoulder. “Hey, Bekah.”
“Hey, Evy.” She smiled back sweetly.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked as I let them inside.
“We were in the area and thought we’d visit our favorite New Yorker.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m the only New Yorker you know.”
Bekah gave him a punch on his ribs, to which he doubled over, moaning as if it really hurt him.
I shook my head, watching those two.
Will and Bekah were a match made in heaven. After everything that happened in LA, he kept in touch with me. He never once judged me for what happened and also helped pay my hospital bills back in LA. I would always be grateful for everything he had done for me.
After a year of chasing fame in LA, the Crash Riders moved back to their Southern roots and took over the country scene. And Will finally pulled his head out of his ass and reunited with his high school sweetheart, Bekah, who was an absolute darling.
“But honestly”—Bekah laughed, her eyes darting to me—“we have some news to share.”
I raised a brow.
“We got engaged.” She jumped, showing me the glimmering stone on her finger.
My heart leaped as I crashed her into a hug. “Omg, guys! I’m so happy for you.” And I was. If any couple deserved to be happy, it was them.
Will stood brimming as he gazed at us. “Finally manned up, huh?” I joked.
He shrugged.
“Congratulations, you two. So when is the wedding?”
Soon, we huddled in the living room, chatting about missed time while Strawberry curiously investigated the newcomers, enjoying all the petting. God, she was spoiled.
“We are planning on an intimate wedding at the farm next month. You should definitely come,” Bekah drawled out in her thick Texan accent.
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it.”
Bekah squeaked a bit, jolting off to her feet. “Don’t mind me guys, but I really need to pee.”
I laughed as I watched her dash to the bathroom, and my eyes averted to Will’s, who had a warm look on his face as his eyes followed her.
“You did good.” I nudged his shoulder. “That’s one big rock.”
He shook his head, smiling. “She deserves that and more for putting up with me.”
“Yeah, that might be true,” I mocked.
Just then, a thud on the door interrupted us. “I’ll go get it. That must be the food.”
I scurried to the door, my hand twisting on the handle as I pulled the door open.
And my heart stopped.
My eyes widened at the sight that greeted me on the other side of the door.
It was definitely not the food we ordered.
Instead, it was black leather. Blue eyes. And the smell of wood.
The kind of food that I would really love to eat anyway.
“Hey,” he whispered.
I held the door close to me, apprehension setting in. What was he doing here? The timing was not right at all.
“Jay,” I breathed, “what are you doing here?”
He cocked a brow. “I’m here to see you, Evelyn. If it isn’t obvious. Are you going to let me in or stand there all day looking like you’ve seen a ghost?”
I swallowed. “Yeah, about that.” Right then, Strawberry swept past my feet and went in to meet him. A bright smile lit up his face as he crouched down to rub her ears. She wiggled her tail, nuzzling his palms.
“Evy, who’s that?” Will called out.
Fuck. Now was not the time, Will.
Jay’s hand froze on Strawberry’s head as his eyes flashed to mine. “Who’s that, Evelyn?”
I sighed out a painful breath. What kind of fucking twilight zone was I stuck in the middle of a door with two men asking me the same question.
The steeliness in Jay’s eyes told me he recognized that voice.
“Jay,” I started. “It’s not what you think.”
He rose, standing at full height as he towered over me. I craned my head to meet his blues. “Please don’t let it be who I think that is, Evelyn.”
“Jay,” I swallowed as he gipped the end of my door and dashed it open.
It was almost like a sense of déjà vu—the thunderous expression that crept over his face and the accusation that he held in his eyes.
Will’s eyes widened as he took in Jay. He held a hand up, realizing the situation that it painted. “Hey, man. It’s not what you think.”
“It’s exactly how I think it is,” Jay said.
I brought my hand to grasp his wrist. “Jay, look at me. This is a huge misunderstanding, okay? It’s not what you think. Will is just my friend. Actually, he was just visiting with his fiancée.”
“Save it, Evelyn.” His voice was so cold that it sent shivers down my spine.
Before I could say anything, he brushed me off and was already halfway through the hallway. But I didn’t think as I chased him.
My fingers circled his wrist, pulling him back to me. “Jay, will you stop for a second, and actually listen to what I have to say.”
He spun and was in my face in an instant that I had to take a step back. “What is it? What more are you going to say? What more stories are you going to spin? I knew you loved creating stories in your head, but I didn’t realize you would stoop so low to save face, Evelyn.”
Tears gathered in the corner of my eyes. “I wasn’t lying. I wasn’t spinning any stories. What you saw there was a misunderstanding. Will is just my friend, Jay.”
He gritted his teeth, grabbing my shoulder. “Are you out of your fucking mind, Evelyn? The man you cheated on me with is now your friend. What more are you going to say? You can’t blame Cece anymore. Are you going to tell me now that he forced himself on you and now that you’re the victim?” he roared; his eyes deranged.
I didn’t know what came over me as my hands swooped over the air and slapped him hard across the face.
The sharp crack of it mixed with our ragged breathing in the empty hallway.
“Fuck you,” I cried out.
A slow hand rubbed his face while his jaw clenched. “I think the truth is pretty obvious, Evelyn. I can’t believe I gave you the benefit of the doubt, but then you know very well how to play with me, don’t you?”
I shook my head, tears streaming through my blurred vision. “Jay, please listen to me. I didn’t lie.”
He held up a hand. “I won’t let you make a fool out of me the third time, Evelyn.” His dead gaze fixed on me; it was almost like he’d lost all the emotion in them. “This time, we’re done, Evelyn. For good. I don’t ever wish to see your face again. Goodbye.”
And with that, he stormed down the hallway without looking back.
A sob escaped my lips as I crashed to the ground, watching his back disappear.
The same cloud of moroseness that I felt all those years ago sat heavy on top of my head.
It was the same words that he’d said all those years ago. I don’t ever wish to see your face again.
Somehow, with the truth out, it fell like the culmination.