Chapter 18
We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with my sister, and before I knew it, five hours had passed in what felt like a span of minutes.
For dinner, I helped Rose make baked macaroni loaded with enough cheese to clog our arteries, and when we finished eating, she forced everyone to play Monopoly.
It ended up being a blast.
“…five, six, seven… Oh, shit,” Asha said when she realized where her roll had landed her.
Boomer pumped his fist in celebration. “Thank you for visiting Boomer’s Boardwalk luxury hotel and spa. That will be a cool two grand, please.”
Asha looked down at her measly pile of ones and fives, sighed, and then pushed everything she had—the pocket change, Baltic Avenue, and St. James Place—over to her boyfriend. “Well, I’m out. Doubt that will cover it.”
“I can think of a few ways for you to make up the difference,” he suggested with a smirk. “You could start with—”
“Boomer!” Asha exclaimed. Red bloomed on her cheeks, and she kicked him underneath the table. “This is a G-rated game. Behave yourself.”
“Babe,” he grunted as he rubbed his shin. “I’m pretty sure board games don’t have ratings.”
She pointed at the box. “It says right on the front ages eight and up.”
“Well, we’re not playing with any eight-year-olds,” Boomer said, “so you don’t have to worry.”
Alec turned to him and gestured at his Game Boy, which Boomer had pulled from his pocket and deposited on the table along with his wallet, cell phone, and a crumpled-up receipt from the Gas Exchange. “You sure?” he deadpanned.
Rose nearly choked on a sip of wine, while Asha threw back her head and laughed, embarrassment forgotten. Glancing around at our small group, I was unable to control my smile. I couldn’t help but think how perfect this moment was, being here with the people I cared about.
Then Alec’s phone rang.
His expression stilled when he saw the caller ID. “Excuse me,” he said, pushing his chair back and standing. I tried to catch his eye, to silently ask if everything was okay, but he slipped out of the apartment without a backward glance.
My mouth settled into a hard line. It had to be King calling. No one else could rattle Alec so easily.
Before I realized what I was doing, I pushed away from the table, my gaze focused on the doorway Alec had disappeared through. “Guys, I’ll be right back,” I said, not bothering to explain myself.
I knew he didn’t want me to worry, but I was done letting Alec deal with King on his own.
There was no way for me to fix whatever was broken between father and son, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t just be there for Alec.
If he wasn’t ready to tell me what was going on, I could live with that.
It wasn’t going to stop me from supporting him.
After what he’d done to help me find Rose, it was the least I could do.
As I made my way down the stairs, the sound of Alec’s voice drifted into earshot.
“Please, Vi,” I heard him say, his normally deep voice high with distress. Was he…begging? “I know this isn’t what I promised you, but give me a chance. We can work things out.”
Wait, what?
I gripped the handrail, not willing to believe what I’d heard. Maybe my subconscious was projecting my nerves into an imaginary conversation.
Yup, that had to be it.
But then he spoke again: “Of course I’m with you on this! After all the time we’ve spent together, how could you think otherwise?”
A sickening feeling rose inside me as all the doubts and fears I’d tried to suppress crawled out from the pit of my stomach.
Alec was fighting for his relationship—with Violet.
God, I was beyond stupid. Had I really thought he would pick me over someone like her?
He was a musician, she an actress. They were perfect for each other.
“No, I’m in Seattle,” he said. No mention of why he was here. No mention of me. “As soon as I get back, I’ll come see you, okay?”
He went on talking, but I didn’t catch any of it. My ears were ringing with words I couldn’t get out of my head.
Give me a chance.
We can work things out.
After all the time we’ve spent together…
One by one, my fingers curled into fists. Maybe their relationship was on the rocks, but nothing, absolutely nothing, gave Alec the right to cheat on Violet. I’d witnessed firsthand how my dad’s infidelity had crushed my mom, and knowing that I might have caused Violet the same pain made me sick.
Closing my eyes, I tried to take a breath, but my lungs wouldn’t cooperate. It felt like my chest was caving in with each strangled gasp I took.
“Felicity?” My eyes flickered open. Alec was standing two feet away, watching me with concern. “Are you okay?”
“No,” I snapped. “Not in the slightest.”
How could you? I wanted to scream. How could you kiss me and laugh with me and share bits of your life, when clearly there’s someone else who’s more important to you?
He startled at my sharp reply. “Okay…is there something you want to talk about?”
“Sure, Alec. Let’s talk.” My voice sounded different to my ears—broken, bitter. “How about we start with the fact that I just heard your conversation with Violet.”
I had to give it to him. Alec didn’t flinch at being caught. “That upset you?” He seemed genuinely confused. “Why?”
“Wow. Considering what I told you about my parents, how my dad cheated on my mom, did you really think I wouldn’t be upset?” Shaking my head, I backed away from him.
“Whoa, I don’t know what you think you heard, but there’s some kind of misunderstanding—”
“No, stop.” I held up my hand. Did he think I was stupid? Deaf? “I don’t need to hear your excuse.”
With a single step forward, Alec filled the space I’d created between us and cupped my face in his hands. Even though I was furious with him, my eyes fluttered shut and I leaned into his touch, allowing myself a moment to memorize the feel of his fingers on my skin.
I knew it would be the last time.
“Did I do something to make you not trust me? Because I don’t understand why you’re being like this,” he said, a tremor of panic in his voice. “After everything we’ve been through this weekend, you can’t give me a chance to explain?”
His words made me yank away. “Explain what? That you’ve been stringing me along this whole time?
” An indefinable emotion swelled inside me.
Whether it was rage or anguish I couldn’t tell, but I didn’t have the restraint to step away and sort it out before I said something I regretted.
“What did you expect? That because you helped me find Rose, I owed you? Or is it that I should consider myself lucky, no matter how many people you’re seeing, because you’re Alec Williams? ”
It wasn’t fair to throw the fame thing in his face, but words were pouring out of my mouth that I’d never say under normal circumstances, like part of my brain had blown a fuse.
Alec’s steady composure withered, his expression flipping between hurt and anger. “Is that honestly what you think of me?”
Yes! I wanted to shout, but my sentimental side—the part of me that was still head-over-heels for Alec—made me pause.
“I don’t know,” I said, hating the way my voice shook. “But I’ve dealt with too many lies recently, and I’m done with it. I don’t have the strength to sort out what is and isn’t the truth, especially if the answer is something I don’t want to hear.”
“So that’s it then?” The question came out like ice.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I suppose it is.”
“Fine.” His face hardened into a mask. Rather than finding the sharp intelligence and kind spirit I normally saw in his eyes, I was met with emptiness. He’d never looked at me that way before, indifferent, like I was nobody to him. “Tell Asha and Boomer good-bye for me.”
Then he turned to leave, and I felt my chest split in two.
***
“This is tragic,” Asha said. “Like Rose-not-making-room-for-Jack-on-the-door tragic.”
Was she seriously comparing my falling-out with Alec to the Titanic?
I ground my teeth together. “Nobody died,” I told her as I stared out the rain-streaked window at the forest blurring by. Today’s gloomy weather matched my mood perfectly. “Please stop acting like somebody died.”
“Your relationship died.” Asha kept stressing random words as if she hoped one of them would suddenly resonate with me, and I’d realize I was making a huge mistake.
“We were never in a relationship,” I reminded her. Why was I always pointing this out to people? What was it about Alec and I not dating that people couldn’t wrap their heads around?
“Fine. Your romance, love story, whatever you want to call it. You and Alec are over, and that, my friend, is the definition of tragic.”
I wished she’d drop it already. Every time she said his name, I felt like someone had reached inside my chest and yanked on my heart. But I had a feeling she wasn’t going to let up anytime soon.
Even though I didn’t want to go home, we were already on our way back to LA. The only upside was Rose was coming too. She’d called in sick and packed a bag, all so I wouldn’t have to face Mom alone. Now that I knew the truth, she figured there was no point in staying away.
Without Alec to drive us, we were forced to find a new way home. Rose didn’t have a car, but she was able to borrow the tiny Mitsubishi Mirage Steven’s parents owned. The fit was tight—and if I was uncomfortable, I couldn’t imagine how Boomer felt—but it was our only choice.
The trip was supposed to take over sixteen hours, so we’d left at the crack of dawn in order to get back before dark.
And that meant I had to endure Asha’s complaining for another seven.
She’d been ranting like this ever since Alec left.
When I told everyone what had happened between me and him, I thought she’d be up in arms, ready to fight for me like she had yesterday morning.
Not so much.