4. Chapter 4
Chapter 4
C HAPTER FOUR
RORY
A knock at the door to my apartment jolted me from sleep. I groaned, pushing myself off the bed and stumbling toward the door. My head hurt and I felt hungover, which was ridiculous because I hadn't had a drop of alcohol since the day before. For someone who owned a club and was constantly surrounded by bottles of the stuff, I didn't enjoy alcohol as much as I should.
"Who is it?" I called out.
"It's me!" a loud, chirpy voice called.
"Go away," I yelled, pressing my ear to the door.
"Rory," the voice said again.
I sighed and glanced at the clock. It was just 7 A.M. No normal human being should have been awake this early, especially on a Saturday. But then, my little sister wasn't a normal human being.
I unlocked the door. The second I pulled it open, I was attacked by a bundle of energy that was my younger sister, Calliope. She wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me tight.
"Hey Callie," I groaned, patting her back.
"Hi," she said, finally releasing me. "It feels like I haven't seen you in three years."
"You saw me last week," I muttered.
"That doesn't count," she said. "Come on, we're going out."
I sighed and let her push me into the apartment. "Where?"
"It's a surprise," she said cheerily. "But you have to put on something pretty and cute."
"What about breakfast?" I asked, yawning.
"There’ll be food," she said. "Now go take a shower and then put on a cute dress."
I headed to the bathroom. Callie and I were only a year apart but we were different in the way summer and spring were different. I was aware that I could be a bit hotheaded and independent at time, while she was bubbly and cheerful. Yet, there was no denying that we were sisters. We shared the same raven-black hair and dark eyes.
Once I was out of the shower, I quickly changed into a simple black dress and paired it with white heels. Then I wore a pair of shades. It was hot out and I had a headache.
Callie clasped her hands together when I walked out. "Yay! Let's go," she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me outside.
"Where are we going?" I asked as we walked down the hallway of my apartment building.
"Still a surprise," she said, tapping away on her phone.
I smiled. No matter how I was feeling, seeing Callie always made me happy. She was the bright spot in my life. "So how have you been?" I asked her. "How's school?"
"Good," she said, grinning.
"That's great," I said.
She smiled as we walked down the stairs. Then we headed out of the building. The sun was even brighter outside, making me wince. The streets of New York were already crowded and noisy, full of people walking to and fro.
"It's not even 8 A.M yet for fuck's sake," I muttered under my breath.
Callie giggled as she pulled out her own pair of shades, putting them on.
We walked over to my car which was parked under a tree. There was a cat sitting on the roof. She picked it up, smiling. "Aaaw cutie," she said, stroking its head.
I frowned. "Calliope, put down the stray."
She pouted but set it down and climbed into the passenger seat.
I sighed and got into the driver's seat. I started the car and began to drive. Callie kept on tapping away on her phone, a small smile playing on her lips. Suspicion grew in my stomach. "Callie..."
"I'll put in the address on your GPS," she said. "Drive!"
I rolled my eyes, pulling out onto the street and heading downtown. The GPS led us through a few streets and I glanced at her. "Are we going to Central Park?"
Callie didn't respond. Her gaze was on her phone.
I frowned and shook my head.
Half an hour later, I passed by Central Park. It was the largest park in Manhattan. Trees dotted the landscape, providing a lot of shade and the smell of nature. A small river snaked through it and I could see a lot of couples and families hanging out.
I drove until I reached a parking spot and then got out. Callie did too, and once more, grabbed my hand, leading me somewhere...else.
I followed silently, enjoying the beautiful scenery. We didn't stop until we were in front of a white gazebo. A table was set up, filled with flowers and food. By the side, a woman was playing the piano, singing softly.
"What's all this?" I asked.
"For you," Callie said, smiling.
"What do you mean-"
That's when I saw him.
Rylan.
He was walking over to us, seemingly nervous, with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a small gift box in the other.
"Hello, Rory," he greeted, offering a timid smile.
I glanced between him and Callie. They had set this up.
"Calliope," I said. "What's going on?"
"I ran into Rylan," she said with a small smile. "I helped him set this up for you."
It dawned on me then. Callie didn't know I had broken up with Rylan. She didn't know Rylan had cheated on me. All this was her idea, no doubt. She had always been the hopeless romantic type.
This was the only problem with our relationship. I didn't know how to tell her certain things. Ever since our parents died, I always felt like I had to be the responsible one, the big sister.
"You look really pretty," Rylan said.
I glared at him. I didn't want to cause a scene, not when my sister was watching.
Rylan extended his arm. "Walk with me?"
I clenched my jaw. It was all I could do to stop myself from cursing him out. I took his hand and let him lead me away. We walked through the park, silence hanging between us.
"What is this?" I asked without looking at him.
"I just wanted to see you," he said.
"You used my sister."
"We ran into each other at a cafe. She didn't seem to know about our argument. I thought-"
"It wasn't an argument, Rylan," I hissed. "We broke up."
He paused in his tracks. "Why didn't you tell her?"
"Because she doesn't need to know."
"No," he shook his head. "Because you still love me."
I grimaced. Was that what he thought when he realized Callie knew nothing about the breakup? That I hadn't opened up about it because somewhere deep down, I still loved him?
I turned around and marched off, anger simmering beneath my skin. Rylan went after me, grabbing my arm and turning me around. "Rory," he said.
"Stop," I growled. "You're making a fool out of yourself."
"Just hear me out," he said, his gaze pleading.
"I don't want to hear you out!" I yelled, earning one too many curious looks. "Why would I ever want to listen to you? You cheated on me! Three years, Rylan. We were together for three fucking years."
His eyes widened and he glanced around. He probably hadn't expected me to blow up on him. I had been calm and collected the day I told him to get the fuck out of my life, but not today. Today, I was tired. Today, I had had it.
"Rory, please," he pleaded.
"Stay away from me," I snapped.
"No, please, you have to listen to me. I'm sorry. I was an idiot," he said. "It was a mistake, okay? It was a stupid mistake and I regret it."
"It was a mistake every single time it happened?"
He pressed his lips together, unable to answer.
"Stay away from my sister or I swear to God, I'll make sure I report you to the police."
Rylan fell silent, his eyes filled with pain. A part of me wanted to hurt him some more, bring up the fact that a week ago, I had slept with his brother. But I didn't. That was a low move, even for me.
With that, I turned around and marched away. I walked through the park and then headed back to my car, slamming the door shut and resting my head on the steering wheel.
I didn't know how long I sat there, but I couldn't stop the tears. They streamed down my cheeks and I wiped them away. I couldn't do this here, not in the middle of a fucking park. The door to the passenger seat opened and Callie got in.
"Rory?" she asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. "What happened? Why did you leave?"
I sniffled. "We broke up," I said.
Her eyes widened. "You...you and Rylan broke up?"
I nodded.
"What? why?"
"It happened a month ago," I said, wiping my face with the back of my hand. "I didn't want to tell you because...I don't know. I thought it would be easy to just move on from it but-"
"You were hurting," she finished.
I looked away. "He cheated on me, and now he won't even let me hate him in peace," I said. "He just has to get to me through you and set up cute gazebos with fucking live music to ask for forgiveness."
Callie sighed. "I'm sorry, Rory," she said. "I shouldn't have forced you two together. He said he just wanted to do something nice. I had no idea he-"
"It's fine," I said, taking my keys out of my purse. I shoved the key into the ignition and turned it. "Let's just go somewhere else."
"Not home?" she asked as she pulled her seatbelt on.
"No, there's no way I'm wasting this outfit."
That made her laugh and some of the heaviness in my heart lifted as I laughed too. I could always count on my sister to be the one person who could get me to laugh even when I felt like the world was falling apart.
I smiled and began to drive, deciding not to let anybody ruin my day.
Especially not cheating exes.