Page 73 of Unspoken Rules

“It’s nice to see you too, Cole.” She smiles back, showing off straight white teeth.

First name basis? Nice.

She turns to me with a half-smile. “Is this your son? This is Christopher?”

We both respond with a no quickly. Though I too was fast in denying being his son, the way he did it is offensive. Like I’m so bad to have as a son? What the fuck? And he doesn’t apologize or look slightly sorry. He’s just staring at her. Smiling. I want to throw up.

“My son is working.”

“Ah,” she says with a head tilt. “Well, it was nice seeing you. I’ll see you Tuesday afternoon. For our date, right?”

My stomach sours. Date? He’s going on a date with this woman?

When did this happen? When the actual hell did this man make a date with her? Was it when he was jerking me off? When he had me sucking his cock? Maybe when he was feeding me my own cum and then making out with me? Totally seems like the right time to make a date with a woman.

I grit my teeth and stab a potato so hard the fork clanks against the porcelain plate.

“Of course,” he says in a tone smoother than the butter on his toast.

I’ve never felt anything like what I feel now. I have no right feeling half the things that just swarmed me. Like jealousy. Betrayal. Rage.

Hell, I feel like I was slapped in the face.

My stomach turns again, and I’m going to be sick. I look down at my half eaten plate of food and hold back a gag. My throat tightens and there’s no way I can eat another bite of this. I put down my fork, the potato still attached.

I don’t know what to say. What to think? He’s dating a woman? A beautiful woman. And he’s screwing me on the side? Who else? How many other people does this man have on the side? Is this the reason he’s ending things with me? For her?

All the nice things I said about him being humble and knowing he’s hot but not caring? I take them back. Every single one of them. Cole Harper is a pig.

And I swear, if it wouldn’t absolutely break him, I’d get up and walk out. But unfortunately, this breakfast means too much to him, and I’m not a cruel person. So I sit through the rest of breakfast, pretend to eat until he’s done, and when he asks why I don’t finish my food, I say I’m stressed and not hungry.

He lets it go.

He lets it go and doesn’t ask a single question. Shouldn’t he feel the need to clear up whatever that was with that woman? Maybe tell me she has a condition where the words she uses aren’t really what they mean. So for her, date is actually cat or something?

Christ, I’m so pathetic.

But can’t he tell I’m upset by this? I mean, though he and I are nothing, I at least have the freedom to be upset over him fucking someone else while having me suck his dick. That is legit something I can get mad about. No, we never said we were exclusive, but don’t people care about STDs anymore? They didn’t just disappear!

This is a nightmare. And for the first time since I’ve been here, I seriously consider going back to Providence. Actually getting on a plane and flying back. Taking time to figure out how I can make the move work. Before now, it was just a fleeting thought. An option. Now, I’m actually considering it.

There’s always Daniel. He has a place to live. I could do it. I could call him right now, fly back there, and stay with him.

Then the strangest thing happens. I get a text. And I wish it was him so I could tell him my new plan. But the number is one I don’t recognize.

Tori leaves the bill and clears our plates. I open the text while Cole finishes his coffee.

Unknown: Hey, it’s Tomas. I got your number from Mark. Hope you don’t mind?

I grin so wide it hurts.

But then I frown because I haven’t decided how I feel about Tomas yet. I said I wouldn’t judge him over any of the stuff I heard about Cole and his father because I don’t know his side of the story. That wouldn’t be fair of me.

Me: Couldn’t have texted at a better time. What’s up?

Tomas: I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later?

Me: I’d love to.

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