17. Tristan
SEVENTEEN
TRISTAN
I was watching a racing contest while I sat alone at the dinner table, waiting for Ryker to walk downstairs, but didn’t pay attention to it. My mind was clouded with something else.
Why do I keep talking to her?
I repeated the question over and over in my head, unable to come up with a response as I sat alone at the dinner table, waiting.
Since last week, we’d seen each other every day, building a plan to convince Gorig we were worth the shot, so it wasn’t like I missed her or some shit.
So why do I still have that stupid app on my phone?
It might be because Chad knew her on a personal level I seemed unable to reach. Was I that lured into her that I wasn’t risking losing the connection, maybe because I was sure the moment she found out how I was, she was going to run without looking back?
Who would want a cold prick?
Over the years, I’d been seen in public with many girls—models, actors, and all that—but even though the press made up a new relationship every week, all I wanted from them and all they wanted in return was sex. They were willing to do anything so they could say, “I slept with the Tristan Graves,” and I liked my bed warm. For a while, though.
Now, I realized having someone who wanted me as I was—with flaws and all—and not just for my name, didn’t sound half-bad.
I wasn’t saying Haelyn might’ve been that person for me. Not at all. She had too much of a smart mouth and I didn’t have the patience for it. Yet I couldn’t stop wondering what she was going to do the second she learned Chad Bitt didn’t exist—at least, not the one I was pretending to be.
Closing the chat would be the smartest choice, but then I couldn’t find out things about her as Tristan. I couldn’t convince her to go grab something to eat or to tell me what was upsetting her.
Why the fuck did I care so much?
I shook my head, clenching my jaw. “Ryker!” I shouted, impatience running in my veins.
My fingers dropped the fork on the full plate and the chair creaked when I pushed it behind with my legs as I got up. I’d been waiting for him for longer than twenty minutes and the food had gotten cold in his absence.
I moved my teeth back and forth, going for the staircase when my phone rang. I took it out of my coat, my eyes rounding in surprise the moment they landed on Haelyn’s contact. The second I answered, her voice bloomed in the speaker, screams dimming the clarity.
“Um… Hi. I’m sorry for calling, but I have an idea about how we can get Gorig to work with us. I’m out with my friends, but if you give me twenty minutes I can make it to the office so we can sort things out,” she breathed out, and I sat in silence for a moment, taking in the background noise. “Of course, if you want and if you’re able to,” Haelyn added, sounding out of air.
I massaged my temples with my fingers, glancing up the stairs to where Ryker’s room was. If he hadn’t come until now, he wasn’t going to anytime soon. The way I knew Ryker, he was going to grab a meal in the middle of the night when he thought I was asleep.
In reality, I was in my office, drinking myself to sleep.
“Text me your address and I’ll come pick you up,” I said, then hung up the phone.
A few seconds later, a message popped up on my screen, but it wasn’t what I asked.
Haelyn Ross
I’ll grab an Uber. See you there.
I grabbed my car keys and exited the house, the big wooden doors closing shut after me. The cold air swept down my face and under my clothes, obliging me to take bigger steps toward the BMW in my driveway.
The lights flashed when I opened it, lighting the grey color of the car. I got inside, pushed the start button and the engine roared to life. I checked my phone, a small smirk creeping up my lips when I saw she had given up.
Me
I already left.
I grabbed my car keys and exited the house, the big wooden doors closing shut after me. The cold air swept down my face and under my clothes, obliging me to take bigger steps toward the BMW in my driveway.
The lights flashed when I opened it, lighting the grey color of the car. I got inside, pushing the start button as the engine roared to life. I checked my phone, a small smirk creeping up my lips when I saw she had given up.
Haelyn Ross
Location: West Street 38, Old Town Bar
A window popped up and I put on the GPS, my tires screeching when I drove past the gates. The bar was ten minutes away, but if it wasn’t for the shortcuts, it would’ve taken me thirty minutes with the traffic in Los Angeles.
This meeting with Haelyn could’ve waited until tomorrow, yet I knew if I remained home, I would’ve locked myself in my office and cleared the liquid in the last bottle of rum I had left. Hearing her idea was ten times better than falling into the cliff of alcohol once again.
I told myself I was going to quit and that was what I was going to do.
Once I was done with that bottle, I wasn’t going to buy another one. It was time to quit and it should’ve been relatively easy since it hadn’t been long since I started drinking. And maybe, if my father hadn’t chosen to stop taking his pills which resulted in his death, I would’ve never put my mouth on alcohol.
Unfortunately, it was his choice even if I considered it selfish. If he respected the doctor’s instructions, he would still be here today.
My jaw ticked as I pulled over in front of a small bar, lights flashing out of it as people rose to their feet, shouting in victory.
Was this where Haelyn spent her free time? Surrounded by drunk idiots who probably smelled like shit?
For some reason, the thought sent an unchilling shiver down my spine and my stomach turned with uneasiness. I had no doubt all eyes were on her, their fucked brains creating scenarios as they drank her in.
My fingers clutched the phone and I brought it to my ear, eager to get her out of there. It rang and rang, but she wasn’t picking up my call. I waited a few more seconds before insisting, but again, Haelyn didn’t answer.
With an annoyed sigh, I got out of my car and locked it before I stepped into the bar. The moment I opened the door, unwanted eyes scanned every bit of my body. I walked further, even though I had no idea where she could be, ignoring the looks and deadly silence.
A laugh brushed past my ears as the sound of my footsteps reverberated on the wood floor. Something about it was so new yet so familiar, that I found myself turning in that direction. On my left, my eyes landed on Haelyn’s back who was standing next to two guys and a blonde woman.
The blonde woman’s eyes squinted at me. “Who’s that?” She gestured toward me, and I simply stood behind my assistant, watching how she turned around in slow motion.
Her eyes popped in surprise and she glanced down at her phone, brows furrowed. “Why didn’t you call? I would’ve come out,” she said.
“Who’s this?” The other woman leaned down on the table, whispering at her friend as if I didn’t hear the first time she asked.
Both Haelyn and I ignored her. “I did.”
Another frown as she looked at her screen. “Huh. I must’ve lost my signal. I’m so sorry,” she excused herself, taking her purse from the chair. Haelyn stood up, a tight pair of black leggings hugging the curves of her legs and a crop top covering her top half. She threw a biker jacket over her shoulder, kissing her friend’s cheek. “I’ll call you guys after.” She waved at the guys and the moment she whirled around, a guy grabbed her wrist.
“Where are you going—” he asked, but before he could properly form the sentence, my hand was gripping his upper arm tightly. He threw me a look. “Get your hands off me.”
I kept my face neutral. “I’d let her go if I were you.”
“It’s okay, he’s my friend.” Haelyn placed her hand gently on top of mine, but I stood my position.
“As I said, let her go.”
The guy looked at her and she gave him a nod, at which he instantly removed his touch.
Pussy.
“Call me when you’re done. I’ll pick you up,” he said after sitting down on his chair.
I placed my palm on the small of Haelyn’s back—even if it wasn’t appropriate, I was protecting my territory—and turned us around with two last words. “She won’t.”
Haelyn looked up at me, asking with her eyes what she couldn’t with her voice. I ignored her and we walked between the tables, curious eyes still watching every move I made.
“I’m sorry about that.” She motioned behind her with a frown, and instinctively I looked at the table where her friends were.
The blonde girl moved her tongue in her mouth, pushing her cheek outwards as she motioned a blowjob with her hand. Before I could see the other’s reactions, a small palm covered my view.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Haelyn choked out her words, and the wind blew on us after she guided us outside. “You shouldn’t have seen that.”
I lifted a challenging brow. “What? That she suggested you give me a blowjob or the blush on your cheeks at the idea? Because both are equally entertaining.”