Chapter 43 Anna
Anna
“Oh. Hi,” Melody says in a sweet voice. She smiles. “Anna, right?”
I’m so shocked to see her that it takes me a few seconds of awkward stammering before I answer her.
“Yeah. Hey.”
She’s wearing purple scrubs.
“How random running into you here,” she says.
I try to laugh, but it sounds so forced and awkward. I have no idea how to play this. If she were anyone else, I’d have a polite exchange, then walk away.
But she’s the fiancée of the guy I hooked up with. He cheated on her with me.
Panic rises up inside me. Should I tell her? I know that’s the right thing to do…but she might get upset and lash out at me. Even if I explain that Colin led me on and hid the fact that he was engaged, she might not believe me. She barely knows me…
I stand there, my head a mess of thoughts, awkwardly silent.
“I didn’t know you were a nurse,” I finally say.
She grins and props a hand on her hip. “Yup. Labor and delivery is my jam.”
“Cool,” I say, hoping my smile doesn’t look as strained as it feels.
A long silence passes between us. It just doesn’t feel right to stand here and make small talk with her when her fiancé has betrayed her trust.
“Um, so, Melody, I need to tell you something…”
She grabs my arm, cutting me off.
“Wait, can I ask you something?” Worry flashes in her big blue eyes.
I’m caught off guard. “Sure.”
She swallows hard, her expression turning pained. “Tell me the truth: did you and Colin hook up?”
I stare at her, shocked by the bluntness of her question. She doesn’t sound mad, though. She looks sad. Almost like she knows the answer already.
I nod. “Yes. A couple of months ago. Right before spring break.”
Her mouth wobbles, and she starts to tear up. My heart breaks.
“I’m so sorry, Melody. I swear, I didn’t know he was engaged to you. When he started flirting with me, I asked if he was seeing anyone, and he said no. He said he was single.”
Her gaze falls to the floor as she sniffles.
“If I had known he was in a relationship, I would have never, ever gone out with him,” I say, my voice shaky with how awful I feel telling her this.
She nods, that sad look still on her face. I’m quiet as I give her a moment to process what I’ve just told her. My shoulders slump, and I’m fighting tears. I feel like trash.
Even though I shouldn’t. Even though this isn’t my fault. Colin is the one who cheated. He’s the one who lied.
She lets out a shaky breath. “This isn’t the first time he’s done this,” she says.
“It’s not?”
She shakes her head. Pain flashes in her eyes as she looks at me. “He got drunk and made out with a girl at a party once. But he told me right after it happened. He felt so bad, he cried. He seemed so sorry, so I forgave him.” She presses her eyes shut and shakes her head. “I’m so stupid.”
I grab her hand. “You’re not stupid. You gave him another chance. He’s an asshole for betraying you.”
She gives my hand a squeeze and flashes a sad smile. “Thank you for being honest with me.”
We’re quiet again for a moment before Melody takes her phone out of her pocket. It looks like she’s typing out a text.
She sighs. “I just broke up with him.”
“Oh. Wow.” That was fast. Go, Melody.
“I don’t want to spend another minute engaged to a cheating bastard.” She wipes her face, then pulls off the diamond engagement ring from her left hand and holds it up. “Want a free ring?”
I can’t help but laugh. I cover my mouth with my hand. I shouldn’t be laughing like this in such a somber moment. But she just smiles and puts the ring in her pocket.
“You should sell it,” I say. “Treat yourself to something expensive with the money you get from it.”
“That’s a good idea.”
For a quiet moment, we just stand there. It’s not as awkward anymore, even though I barely know Melody and we just had an emotionally wrecking conversation.
But we have something in common. We’re two women who have been hurt by the same guy, and instead of going after each other, we’re supporting each other.
And there’s something kind of wonderful about that.
“You can say no to this, but can I give you my number?” I ask. “In case you ever want to talk or vent. Or drink wine and trash Colin with someone who knows what a jerk he is.”
She offers a small smile. “I’d like that.”
We exchange numbers, and I give her a hug.
“I’m so sorry for what you’re going through,” I whisper.
“It’s okay. I’ll be okay,” she whispers back.
We break apart. She promises to text me, and I walk away, quietly hoping that she does.
* * *
Travis: Hey, how did seeing your new baby niece go?
Me: Wonderful :) She’s cute and precious and chunky. I got to hold her. I was so happy :)
Travis: That’s great. Your sister-in-law doing okay?
Me: Yeah, she’s just resting as much as she can. And eating lots of sushi.
Travis: Good for her, she deserves it.
Me: They named her Willow Amelia
Travis: That’s very pretty.
Travis: I miss you.
Me: I miss you too. Can you come over? Something happened at the hospital, and I don’t want to be alone.
Travis: On my way
When Travis walks into my apartment, he wraps his arm around my waist and hugs me against him. He kisses my forehead, and I close my eyes. The warmth of his body and his embrace is instant comfort.
He hands me a small brown bag.
“What’s this?” I ask. When I open it and see a cupcake with rainbow sprinkles, I melt.
“You sounded kind of upset in your text,” he says. “I don’t know what happened, but I thought maybe you’d like something sugary.”
That feeling of comfort burrows deeper in my chest, right where my heart is.
I kiss him. “You’re the sweetest.”
He tucks my hair behind my ear, his gaze watchful as he scans my face. “What happened?”
He follows me to the couch, and we both sit.
“I ran into Colin’s fiancée, Melody, at the hospital. Well, ex-fiancee.”
I explain how we bumped into each other during her shift, how she asked me for the truth about Colin and me.
“I told her everything.” I peel back the wrapper from the cupcake and take a bite.
“How’d she take it?” Travis asks.
“She was really understanding. She was sad and upset, of course, but she was so kind to me. She told me she appreciated that I was honest with her. Then she texted Colin and broke up with him.”
I set the half-eaten cupcake on the coffee table. Travis pulls me into a hug.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
I nod against his shoulder, melting into his embrace.
“I’m glad that Melody is leaving him. That guy sucks,” I say.
Travis kisses my cheek and hugs me tighter.
“What can I do to make this better for you?” he asks.
“Nothing. You’re perfect.”
When I pull away, he cups his hand over my cheek. “Feel like watching Grey’s Anatomy?”
“That sounds nice.”
I flip on the TV and pull up the show. Travis walks into the kitchen. A few minutes later, he’s back with a big bowl.
“Snack bowl for you.”
He sets it on my lap and kisses my temple. When I see he’s filled it with all my favorites—popcorn, potato chips, sour candy, and gummy worms—I grab his face and kiss him.
“You’re the best boyfriend ever.”
The episode starts, and Travis wraps his arm around me, cuddling me as we watch. His phone buzzes. When he checks it, he frowns.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Nothing. It’s just Nick is asking if I want to grab food.”
Travis texts him back. He huffs out a heavy breath. “I feel bad lying to him. I don’t know how much longer I can do it.”
I wrap my arms around Travis. “I feel the same way,” I say softly. “Maybe we should just tell him about us now. Get it over with.”
Travis hugs me tight and kisses the top of my head. “No, not now. He’s gonna be mad, and you dealt with enough stress today talking to Melody. Besides, you guys met your niece today. I don’t want to taint the day with something that will make him mad.”
He runs his fingers gently through my hair.
“We’ll tell him soon,” I say, the dread already curdling my stomach.
Travis nods. “After we all get back from dev camp.”
I look up at him, my chest aching when I see the worry in his eyes. I hate that he’s in this position, feeling stuck between me and my brother, who’s his best friend.
It feels like a quiet timer is ticking in my brain. Everything is good now…but when we tell Nick, there’s going to be a fallout. I’m just not sure what it’ll be.
“Let’s not think about that anymore,” Travis says.
We focus back on watching Grey’s Anatomy.
“Wait, why are they singing?” he asks.
“It’s the musical episode.”
He frowns, totally confused. “But this isn’t a musical. It’s a medical drama.”
“Callie is hallucinating because of the injury she sustained from the car crash she was in.”
“This is unhinged,” he says after a few minutes.
I burst out laughing. “Okay, yeah, it’s weird, but I still love it.”
He holds me tighter and kisses my neck. “I like that you love it.”
A warm, gooey feeling swoops through. I can’t deny it anymore. I’m falling so damn hard for Travis.
That warm, gooey feeling deepens. I feel it the whole rest of the night, even as we fall asleep cuddled together on my couch.
* * *
When I wake up, it’s light outside.
Travis is lying behind me, spooning me. I smile and stifle a yawn, savoring the way his massive, muscled arm is wrapped around my waist.
I reach out and grab my phone from the coffee table to check the time, and that’s when I see an email from Professor Sullivan.
I stare at my screen. That’s weird. Why is he messaging me in the middle of the summer?
I tap the message and read it.
Ms. St. George,
Apologies for reaching out to you in the middle of your summer break.
I’m recruiting students to join my research study program.
The focus is on cancer cell lines derived from patients with br-3 (HER2+) breast cancer.
One of my undergraduate students had to drop out, so I’m in need of a replacement.
I was impressed by your work in my lab last semester, and was wondering if you’re interested in joining my research team?
I sit up and gasp. Excitement zooms through me.
“Oh my god!” I quickly cover my mouth so I don’t wake Travis. But a second later, he starts to stir.
He opens his eyes and yawns. “What happened?” His voice is groggy and rough from sleep.
“I just got some amazing news.”
He scrubs a hand over the light brown scruff covering his square jaw. His mouth curves up in a sleepy smile. “What’s the amazing news?”
“One of my professors asked me to join his research team.”
I tell Travis about it, my voice pitchy with excitement.
“I can’t believe it.” I look down at my phone screen. “This is such an incredible opportunity to be part of research like this.” I shake my head, still trying to process it. “I think it would really help my chances at getting into medical school at Stanford too.”
Travis grabs my face and kisses me. “I’m so proud of you,” he murmurs.
I grin so hard, my cheeks ache.
“Have you replied to him yet?” Travis asks.
I shake my head, then type out my reply. The second I set my phone down, Travis stands up and hauls me over his shoulder.
“What are you doing?” I say through a laugh as he marches toward my bedroom.
“Showing my girlfriend just how proud I am of her.”
When he drops me on my bed, he falls to his knees. He pulls off my shorts and panties and pushes my legs apart.
He kisses down my thighs, and I close my eyes, lost in the bliss of my boyfriend’s mouth.