3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Henry
“Tell me what the bloody hell you thought you were thinking,” I demanded of Andrew.
I honestly couldn’t remember a single thing I’d said during that press conference, but luckily, I had been doing it long enough by now to do it on autopilot.
I’d waited until we got back to my room so no one could hear this.
Enough had been said in the open earlier. Not that I blamed Kat. At all.
“Mate, she leaves. She runs away the second anything gets difficult, and I’m sick of her running, me having to pick up the pieces, then you letting her back,” he said bitterly, sticking to his guns.
He made it sound like she decided this wasn’t worth it.
Which wasn’t it at all. But it was OUR relationship, Kat and I’s.
And I’d THOUGHT my best friend was just here for me, like friends are supposed to do. I guessed not.
“Well, don’t worry. I won’t ask you to pick up the pieces again. Not your problem anymore,” I spat back at him. That had hurt. I didn’t understand how he could be so callous. And I CERTAINLY couldn’t understand how he could say those things about Kat, to her, on her phone.
“That’s not…” he started, trailing off, sounding exasperated. Neither of us sat on the couch, clearly too keyed up to relax.
“Not to mention, in what world is it okay to talk to ANYONE the way you bloody talked to her? Let alone someone who is your FRIEND?! ESPECIALLY the only woman your best friend has ever loved? Will ever love? Where the fuck does that leave us?” I asked, furious, begging.
There had to be an answer. Somewhere. I’d run my hands through my hair so many times I could see in the mirror that it was standing on end. I looked ridiculous.
“Mate, you don’t remember most of the hospital, but it was bad, man, okay?
You were screaming for her, even worse after being restrained, and she just ABANDONED you.
I stand by the fact that whatever happened to her since that night to land in that cast and sling is deserved.
She can feel even a little bit of the pain you did,” he shouted at me.
I could see the damage that night had done to him, in there.
I knew it had been bad. But I KNEW Kat hadn’t just run off.
“First off, those injuries she has? They happened that same night. I just didn’t know because she never once mentioned them in the HOURS she was keeping me alive.
I was in so much pain, so tired, that I had WANTED to die, Andrew.
” He flinched at that, and I could see tears in his eyes that matched mine.
But it had been true. I had only stayed alive because Kat asked me to. Plain and simple.
“And she wouldn’t let me die, let me give in.
For hours, she kept me alive, by sheer force of will.
Now, I KNOW she didn’t just walk away after that.
Something happened. I just don’t know what.
Not to mention, SHE made sure I didn’t get pain meds, even when I couldn’t continue fighting with the paramedics, or tell the doctors at all.
She saved my life. She saved my career. And she was injured during all of it.
So how about we stop calling her names because something we don’t know about happened.
Yeah?” I finished, knowing my sarcasm was clear.
His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, looking like a fish. He clearly didn’t know what to say. But finally, he got that stubborn fucking look on his face.
“I checked to see if she was admitted to the hospital, mate. I know you want to believe that she did all of this and then something happened, but she wasn’t in the hospital.
So, where was she? And you don’t remember most of the night.
How do you know that’s how things went down?
You don’t. I think I’ll keep my decisions until I’m shown differently.
I can’t pretend to give her the benefit of the doubt she doesn’t deserve,” he stated smugly.
I wanted to fucking punch him. My best friend. Right in the face. What in the fuck was going on with me lately? But I did know that he would deserve it, here.
“Say whatever you want, Andrew. I know her. I know her better than you, I know her better than you think you do. And I believe the hurting, scared, slightly broken, injured woman who keeps showing up. And keeps showing up. So, I guess for now, there’s nothing left for us to say,” I said simply, quietly after all the yelling.
I opened the door for him, my meaning clear.
“You’re letting a girl come between us. Nice,” he said bitterly, walking out the door.
“She’s the love of my life, and you’re wrong. That’s different and you know it,” I responded, feeling very, very sad all of a sudden.
“Fuck I wish you hadn’t said that,” he started, softly.
“Why not?” I asked sharply, wondering which part.
“She doesn’t love you, mate. If she did, she wouldn’t have left that night. It’s that simple.”