Page 66 of A Second Chance At Forever

14

Lennox

I wokeup Saturday with the worst hangover I’d ever had. I thought about the night before and groaned. I knew I shouldn’t have gone to the bar. I didn’t want to, but Alissa wouldn’t have it. She said I needed to force myself to get over Mason, so that’s what I was trying to do.

I found a cute guy when I went to get a drink. We talked for a while and he asked me to dance. I knew it wasn’t going to go any further than that. I wouldn’t have taken him home. That was something I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to do. After Chris and what he had done to me, I wasn’t exactly trusting. More than anything, I never wanted to put myself in that position again.

When I opened the door to the bathroom to see Mason standing across from me, my heart pounded against my chest. I knew the look in his eye. I should have moved away, but he was quick and I think that maybe a part of me wanted to feel him against me one more time, even though I knew it was wrong.

I could taste the whiskey on his breath. I knew he was drunk and hurting. I knew he loved me and was torn between Nicole and I. It was hard for him to put me in the past, especially when I was always around.

It took every ounce of strength I had, but I pushed him away. I turned him down, because he couldn’t turn me down.

I looked to him and didn’t even recognize the eyes staring back at me. I had turned him into someone that wasn’t him. That broke my heart.

After the fight, I made Alissa take me home where I cried myself to sleep.

Thinking about the night before, made my chest hurt. I forced myself from bed and stumbled into the living room to find Alissa watching TV.

I sat down beside her and rubbed my head. “What the fuck happened last night? Why did I drink so much?”

“Better question is, what happened today?”

That took me by surprise. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about this, Lennox.” She tossed me her phone, on the screen was the pictures of Mason and me from our weekend together.

I let out a breath. “Where did you find these?”

“They are all over the internet, Lennox. If Chris has seen these…” her sentence broke off.

A tear escaped my eye as I dropped the phone onto the couch. “What am I going to do?”

She shrugged. “We might as well pack up and move again.”

I ignored her comment and went straight to the bathroom to cry in the bottom of the shower.

How could I have fucked up this badly?

I knew with the pictures being out there that Chris wasn’t behind them. He never would have released them. I also knew that Chris would find me because of those pictures and I knew he wouldn’t be happy about it. Not only did everyone know I broke the engagement, but those pictures made it look like I left him for Mason. I knew that wouldn’t sit well with Chris and the image he was trying so hard to protect.

Once the water ran cold, I stood in front of the mirror and looked at my bruised stomach.

This will be nothing compared to what will happen if he finds me.

I wrapped myself in a towel and went to my room to find clothes. Before I could even reach my closet, my phone began ringing. Thinking it was Mason calling to tell me about the pictures, I rushed to answer it.

“Mason?”

“Try again,” Chris said into the phone.

Trying to remain calm, I sat down on my bed. “What do you want, Chris?”

“In my search for you, I found something very interesting. Can you guess what that is?”

“I’m guessing it was pictures of Mason fucking me over his kitchen counter, is that right?” I was angry, but I shouldn’t have been fueling the fire.

“Don’t get smart with me, Lennox. Thanks to these pictures, I know where you are. I’m packing my bag now. See you soon, sweetheart.” He hung up the phone.

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