Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
T he next morning, I woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs. I covered myself in a sheet and wandered out to the living room. I found my discarded dress on the floor and clutched it in my hand as I wandered to the kitchen.
Ren stood at the stove with a spatula in his hand, dressed in black jeans and a white t-shirt, his hair loose around his shoulders. The sight of him sent a pulse of arousal shooting through me. Even after last night, he still had that kind of power over me—especially after last night, now that I knew exactly how good he could make me feel.
Ren gave me a big grin when he saw me. "I just put the bacon on, if you want to take a shower."
I felt acutely sticky in multiple places. A shower would be a good idea.
"Wait." Ren left the stove and came over to kiss me good morning. I was so wrapped up in the warmth of his lips that I didn't notice him tugging on my sheet until it fell to the floor. He grinned as I squeaked, wrapping his arms around my naked body, not letting me bend down to pick it up.
"This is a wonderful sight to wake up to," he said, teasing. His hands ran down my shoulders, squeezing my ribcage, until he reached my ass, caressing and kneading.
I was already starting to get wet again.
"I need to shower," I told him weakly. Even if he wanted to go again, I didn't want to be a smelly, sticky mess.
He laughed and let me go with one more kiss. "You've got ten minutes until the food's ready."
I rushed into the bathroom and did a thorough clean up. I had to use Ren's toothbrush, but I figured he wouldn't mind.
I stared at myself in the fogged mirror as I brushed. My cheeks were flushed, my eyes sparkling. I had a silly look on my face even around the toothbrush in my mouth.
God, last night had been…
"Ivy!" Ren called. "Bacon's ready. Do I have to drag you out half-naked?" I could almost hear the wicked grin. "'Cause I think I might prefer that."
I tugged my dress on quickly and smoothed my hair. I was glad I rarely wore much makeup, because Ren was going to see my bare face for the first time. At least the flush on my cheeks gave me some color.
I thought the morning after would be painful and awkward, but it wasn't. We chatted about our song as we ate breakfast, playing with each other's feet under the table. I wanted to help with the dishes, but Ren insisted I sit down and leave them for him. I felt awkward just sitting at the kitchen table and thought about getting my phone to play with, then I remembered the text message I'd gotten last night. Ren's birthday.
He had just finished with the dishes, so I snuck up behind him and gave him a hug. He turned around and squeezed me back.
"Come out into the living room," I suggested.
"You want more sofa cuddles?" he teased. "I have to leave soon. We both know what happened when we cuddle on the sofa."
I blushed. I wouldn't mind more of that , but he was right. He had to get back into the studio to make up for the lost time he spent with me. "I just don't want to forget to give you something." I hurried to my purse and grabbed the envelope. It wasn't anything special. I didn't figure a guy like Ren would appreciate a gift box with girly bows and ribbons.
"Here." I handed him the envelope. I hoped he liked it.
"Ivy, you didn't have to." He carefully peeled the flap away from the front, taking care not to rip it. "I didn't expect you to get me anything. The three month anniversary thing was just an excuse, really."
"It's not an anniversary present," I told him. "It's a birthday present."
His eyes went wide as he read the tickets. I saw his breath catch in his throat. I rushed to explain.
"When we were teenagers I wanted to invite you out to a concert, but I never worked up the courage." I didn't mention that he'd left before I'd been able to.
Ren had frozen, standing completely still as he stared at the tickets with an odd expression on his face. I couldn't read it.
"They weren't expensive," I reassured him. "I got them from the school. They're always handing out stuff like that."
Ren let out a strangled, choking sound. His face had gone pale, his hands trembling slightly. I could see the tickets shaking slightly in his hands.
"If— if you don't like it, we don't have to go," I said, confused and growing worried. Did he not like the present?
His face had clouded over, completely unreadable. His eyes went dark, almost vacant, as if his thoughts were a million miles away.
"Ren?" I asked, nervous. Why was he so upset?
He seemed to come back to himself with a start, crushing the tickets in his fist. "I can't go. This was a bad idea." His voice was dull, almost lifeless.
Hurt gripped my heart like a vice, squeezing until I couldn't breathe. "Do you not like concerts?" I asked tentatively.
He looked away from me to stare blankly at the opposite side of the apartment.
"Ren, what's wrong?" I was really concerned now.
He seemed to swallow hard and flicked his eyes back at me. The blank expression on his face was starting to bleed away as pain took its place.
"I can't—" he cut himself off roughly, then squeezed his eyes shut, his mouth twisting in something like anger. He exhaled heavily, almost a growl. His eyes snapped open, staring over my head at nothing, but with a new hostility, narrowed and glaring. "Just forget about this."
My breath stuttered, worry and fear welling up inside me. "About what?"
"This!" He gestured wildly. "Us. Just forget it. It was a bad idea," he repeated.
Something inside in my chest cracked open as my heart splintered into a thousand pieces. How could he be saying this? Why was he saying this? "I don't understand…"
He growled low in his chest and whirled around, storming off toward the apartment door. He grabbed the handle with a shaking fist and flung it open. He was still glaring, but he wasn't looking at me. He was avoiding my eyes.
"Just forget about us."
Ren walked out the door and slammed it behind him.
I was stunned and heartbroken.
I had no idea what I'd done wrong, no idea what had made Ren call everything off. He'd been so upset, so angry, that he stormed out of the apartment and left me there alone feeling like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my chest.
I didn't understand it. I didn't understand any of it.
I waited in Ren's apartment, wondering if he'd come back. I sent him a text, but got no response. I called him, but he didn't pick up.
What had I done wrong?
After half an hour I couldn't wait any longer. The silence of his apartment was killing me. I'd slowly gathered my things, put on my jacket and took my cello out of his closet.
The tickets I'd bought him lay crumpled on the floor, exactly where they landed when they'd fallen out of his hand.
Despite the ache in my chest, I was too shocked for tears. I was almost having a hard time believing it.
Had that really just happened?
Had Ren broken up with me?
I left his key on the kitchen table and dragged my cello on the two buses and subway ride it took me to get home. No chauffeur for me anymore.
When I opened the front door, Nat and Jen immediately paused the movie they were watching.
"What's wrong?" Nat asked as she got up and rushed over to me. "What happened? Why are you crying?"
Was I crying? I rubbed at my eyes with a fist, surprised to find it wet. I hadn't even noticed.
"What did Ren do?" Jen asked insistently. "That asshole, we never should have trusted him."
"He didn't do anything…" I trailed off, my voice thick and hoarse. "He just—" I cut myself off, unable to say the words.
"What did he do?" Nat asked, placing a hand on my head and stroking my hair. She ducked her head to look into my eyes.
"He broke up with me."
The girls both made sympathetic sounds as Jen drew me into a hug. I buried my face in her shoulder. I could feel the wetness on my cheeks flowing incessantly, burning my eyes with salty tears.
"I'm so sorry, Ivy," Nat said. Jen echoed the words. I let them console me in silence for a few moments before pulling away.
"I just don't understand!" I cried in frustration. "Everything was going great. He gave me a key to his apartment!"
Nat and Jen both looked confused.
"Let's get you a drink." Jen ushered me to the sofa and went to the shelf where we kept the liquor, pouring me a shot of cheap rum. I wasn't much of a drinker, but damned if I didn't toss the entire thing back without hesitation.
"Do you want to tell us what happened?"
"I don't even know what happened! We went back to his apartment. We… you know…" I looked down and blushed. "He gave me a key to his apartment for our three month anniversary. Then I gave him his birthday present. The next thing I knew, he was upset and angry and he stormed out. He told me to forget it all. That the two of us were a bad idea."
"That doesn't make a lot of sense." Jen frowned. "What was the gift?"
"Tickets to a concert that I knew he'd like."
The girls both looked stumped. They sat beside me on the sofa, cuddling me between them.
"I don't know what made him so upset."
"Was everything else going fine in your relationship?" Nat asked.
"Everything was great."
"He only got upset when he opened your gift?"
I nodded.
Nat looked thoughtful. "Do you think it had something to do with that? Something about the tickets that upset him?"
"How could concert tickets upset him?"
"I don't know. Maybe he didn't want you spending money on them?"
"I got them for free from the school."
"Maybe he just really hates concerts," Jen said with a small smile, trying to make a joke and lift my spirits.
I blew out a frustrated breath and leaned back into the sofa cushions. "This sucks."
Nat and Jen both gave me sad smiles.
"It's going to continue to suck for a while," Nat said. "Getting dumped is one of the worst feelings in the world."
"I feel like someone took my heart out of my chest and crushed it underneath their foot."
Nat nodded. "That's pretty much it."
I rubbed my hands over my face, glad to see that I wasn't leaking tears anymore. "I'm going to take a nap. Maybe I'll feel better in the afternoon."
"Maybe he'll come to his senses," Jen suggested. "Maybe you'll wake up to a dozen text messages apologizing for running out on you."
A small glimmer of hope lit up in my chest. Maybe Jen was right. Maybe Ren would regret breaking up with me. Maybe he would take it all back.
But there were no messages waiting on my phone that afternoon. Or that evening, or the next morning.
Ren really had left me.