Chapter 14
Paige
I t is Chris and me at the condo on a Saturday night, and I am reading a new romance novel while Chris is lost in his games. He had text me on his way home from work.
Chris: Paige, are you home?
Me: Yup, what’s up? Chris: I just got off work, and your place is closer. Can I crash? I know Bre is out of town, but we could hang out and make Bre breakfast in the morning.
I just smile because I love the idea.
Me: Sure. I will leave the door unlocked.
When Chris arrived, he had a few pizzas, and we both had invited Seth over to join us.
Seth hasn’t responded to either one of our messages, and we have been falling down the rabbit hole of The Hungry Games, and the night proving to be pretty uneventful. Taking a break before the start of the third movie, I turn my attention towards my phone. Wrap myself in one of the oversized blankets Bre has on the couch.
Two loud knocks sound at the door, and Chris looks at me, confused. I shrug, and he jumps up to answer. Seth comes barreling through our front door, pushing past Chris aggressively, and refuses to meet my stare.
“What the fuck, dude,” Chris says, slightly insulted, as Seth shoves past him again and straight towards me on the couch. I sit up, putting my phone on the coffee table as he barks at me.
“What the fuck happened last night, Paige?”
I freeze because Seth’s heightened emotions make me physically uncomfortable. I don’t understand why he’s reacting like this, so I step toward Chris.
“Do not talk to her like that,” Chris says firmly, eyes fixed on Seth, putting himself between us.
“Oh, of course, you are on her side,” Seth says mockingly to Chris, whose jaw tenses in frustration.
I can feel the confused look on my brow at Seth’s behavior.
“What exactly are you accusing me here of, Seth? We aren’t dating,” I bark from over Chris’s shoulder.
Pain flickers in Seth’s features at my words, and he sighs like he has been holding his breath. He begins to relax visibly before he speaks again, but his tone is almost too calm.
“Did you go out with Graham last night?”
“No, I went to the dinner everyone else bailed on,” I say, not hiding my annoyance.
I didn’t do anything wrong, and frankly, it is none of his damn business if he is going to act like this.
“Oh, so it’s my fault?” Seth asks dramatically.
I can’t help rolling my eyes at his immaturity. This is a side of Seth that I am quickly beginning to dislike.
“What are you talking about? I had dinner and coffee with a mutual friend of ours.”
I don’t need to defend my actions to him.
“Katherine seems to think something more happened. Graham didn’t get home until almost one thirty last night.”
I honestly don’t want to respond. We stayed out late, but nothing happened except some seriously heavy flirting. I know I’m playing with fire, but part of me can’t turn away.
“He had drinks here with us after coffee,” Chris says.
I am thankful for the lie. I close my eyes and try to gather my thoughts as I take a slow breath. Seth studies us both briefly before running his hands through his messy hair.
“When did you and Katherine start talking again?” Chris asks, adjusting his posture.
The question feels loaded. Seth’s face hardens, and his jaw tenses before he pulls his phone out and throws it down on the couch between us.
I looked and could tell it was a picture of me in the black dress I wore last night. I am standing at the counter waiting for our coffees and smiling at something I’m reading on my phone.
Did Graham take that picture of me? How did Seth have it now? I thought Katherine was out of town.
“You’re fucking dressed like it’s a date,” he says with venom in his words.
I can see the hurt in his eyes, and for the first time, I do feel a little bit of guilt. I let out a slow breath.
“Once again, you were supposed to be there,” I say sternly. “Where were you, by the way?”
Profound silence fills the room. Seth’s face builds with this weird mix of what looks like guilt and rage as Chris takes a step closer to me. Then I smell the alcohol, and a few things make more sense.
“How many drinks Seth? How many liquid shots of courage did you need before coming here today?”
I cross my arms and settle into my hip. His eyes soften for just a moment.
“I’m not drunk,” he says with an insulted laugh.
“No one said you were,” Chris chimes in.
“Seth.” I say his name softly, catching his full attention, and he turns his head toward me. “What are you trying to accomplish here?”
Silence. A long moment of silence. Finally, it seems like a fog lifting from the room, and Seth finds himself again. He doesn’t say a word as he walks over to my bedroom, flings open my door and throws himself down on my unmade bed.
I turn to look at Chris, who is equally shocked by Seth’s sudden change in demeanor, as if this is something he hasn’t experienced before. We stand silently as I attempt to process what has just happened.
“Do you want me to kick him out?” Chris finally manages.
“Nope. I got him,” I say with more of a sigh before grabbing the book I have been reading and my phone, following Seth toward my room.
A few hours later, I lay beside Seth, and I have been mindlessly surfing the internet for way longer than I care to admit. I grew bored with the apps on my phone when he finally stirs.
“Hey,” he says hoarsely.
I point to the water and aspirin by the bed. He sits up and immediately has to lie back down.
I put down my phone and ask, “Is the room spinning?”
He just glares before forcing himself to sit up. Without a word, he takes the aspirin and gulps down half the water bottle. He sits on the side of my bed for about a minute before pushing himself to stand and slowly walks into the bathroom. The door barely closes before the sounds of him violently vomiting fill my bedroom.
It is nearly ten minutes until I finally hear him flush and open the door. He is slightly pale, and I walk toward him slowly. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and lets me help him to the bed before sitting beside him.
“Paige, did I fuck this up?”
His words of remorse ease the uncomfortable feeling in my gut. I rest my head on his shoulder and lace our fingers together. Maybe I am being too harsh on Seth.
“No, Seth. You didn’t,” I say softly, and I mean it.
I learned that immaturity can often lead to more emotional reactions than rational ones. I don’t know much about Seth’s dating history, but I have gathered that his relationships are relatively new. That’s something I can learn to forgive since they are new to me, too.
“Good.”
It is all he says with a soft smile before kissing my forehead softly and drifting back to sleep.