46. Stefan
46
STEFAN
As soon as I walk inside and look at Wren, I immediately know somethings wrong. “Wren, babe, what’s wrong?” I ask, pulling her into my embrace.
Instead of answering me, she wraps her arms around my waist and holds on to me. I love having her in my arms, yes, I’m officially pussy-whipped but whatever. She sighs heavily into my chest. “You’re scaring me, Wren.”
She lifts her head and instead of seeing her usual vivid-blue eyes, I see dull, almost gray ones. Her mouth opens and closes, “I … I have to go back to New York,” she morosely whispers. “Come the end of the season, Tania and Leif are ending my contract with the Legends.”
Processing her words, I nod. “Oh,” is all I can muster in reply. “So, you’re leaving?”
“Mmmhmpf,” she says, also nodding.
“You’re going back to New York?”
Again, all I get is a nod and a “Mmmhmpf.”
“Should I go out and do something stupid so they rehire you?”
“No,” she hisses and laughs. “You are not going to ruin everything you’ve done just so I stay.”
“Then what do I do to get you to stay?” He pauses. “I don’t want you to go, Wren. You’re the best thing to happen to me. I love you more than I love myself. I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to lose you.”
“I don’t want to lose you either, but my job is in New York and yours is here.”
“You could work in the LA office?” I suggest.
“I could, but won’t it be suspicious if I ask that?”
“I don’t care. I just want you. Maybe it’s time we come clean?”
“No,” she shouts, and who knew that a two letter word could cut so deeply.
Scoffing, I step back from her and shake my head. “I … I need some air.” Without waiting for a reply from her, I walk out, slamming the door behind me.
Walking down the boardwalk, I head for the nearest bar. Taking a seat at the bar, I wait for the bartender and when she arrives, I realize it’s a chick I’ve fucked on several occasions. “The fuck you want?” she hisses at me.
“A beer, please.” I smile at her, earning myself a scowl.
She pours my usual and slams it down in front of me, beer spills down the side. Without another word, she walks away, not before muttering under her breath, “Asshole.”
“What up, douchehole?” a chick says, taking the stool next to me. Turning my head, I smile when I see it’s Wren’s friend, Fern.
“Wren’s leaving,” I tell her.
“What did you do?” she snaps at me before ordering herself a margarita.
“Behaved.” She looks at me with confusion all over her face. “Since I’ve been behaving?—”
“She’s no longer needed,” she interrupts and guesses in one. “And you’re upset ’cause you and her have been fucking like rabbits and you’ll miss her.”
My eyes widen. I thought this was a secret between us. “What? How?”
“Dude, you have a glass front door that you can see the kitchen from. Let me just say, I will always wipe down your island bench before putting food on it.”
“Oh … how long have you known?”
“For a while,” she tells me. “You two have a connection that is smoking fucking hot.” She fans herself. “How others haven’t figured it out, I do not know, but you two fucking aside, what’s this about her leaving?”
“Tania and Leif fired her, well, come the end of the season, she’ll no longer be employed by them since I’m well-adjusted now.”
“Just do something stupid to get you in the headlines and then BOOM, they’ll hire her back.”
“I thought of that, but me doing something stupid will look bad on her.”
She nods. “Yeah, okay, I get that. Why not come clean with your relationship and then she can just move here. Doesn’t LTS have an office here?”
“I suggested that but she shot me down.”
“Why?”
“History.”
“Huh?”
Seems Wren hasn’t opened up to Fern about that dickwad. “It’s not my story to tell but she doesn’t want her reputation marred.”
“And hooking up with a client would do that?”
“Something like that.”
“Do you love her?”
“With all my heart,” I honestly tell her, and I mean it. Wren is a breath of fresh air. She makes me a better person. She made me realize the world doesn’t revolve around me and it certainly doesn’t owe me a thing. She’s opened my eyes to so many new things.
“Then you need to let her go. You need to let her spread her wings but when her heart aches from being away from you, you need to be there for her and she will come running back.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because Bradford once pushed me away, but our hearts were already entwined and we found our way back to each other. That will happen for you guys too.”
“I hope so because …”
“You love her.”
Grinning, I nod. “I do, I really fucking do.”
“Then remind her that you love her. That you support her and once she knows, the rest will right itself.”
I really hope Fern is right because I don’t know what I’m going to do without Wren in my life. She’s become the beacon of light in what was a dark life. I’m a better person when she’s around, and I kinda like the person I’m becoming with her guidance. Deciding to take Fern’s advice, I head home to discuss my feelings with Wren … like a mature adult.