Page 37 of Faking it with my Off Limits Neighbor

“Nope,” I say. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Well, he remembers you. In fact, it was only after we were dating for about a year that he admitted how proud he was to have snagged ‘Heaton’s girl.’” She gestures air quotes. “That should have been the first red flag.”

I don’t say anything to that and wait for her to continue.

“Of course, I was the same naïve idiot I’ve always been and ignored it. He was just so charming; even Dad liked him, and you know how fussy he is.”

“Hmm,” I say noncommittally.

“I suppose I thought things might get better. But narcissists don’t get better, do they? They just hurt you more.”

Guilt rises in me. It begins in my stomach and moves up my body, tightening across my chest and threatening to crush me. It seems to be a regular state of being lately.

“Like a fool, I hoped things would change,” she continues. “That is, until I discovered that he was seeing someone else behind my back.”

“What a scumbag.”

“Oh”—she laughs mirthlessly—“it gets better. You see, Eddy thinks a lot of himself. He thinks I should have been grateful that he allowed me to be with him.”

“Are you serious?” I blurt.

“Dead serious. And given that he is, of course, God’s gift to women, one sleazy encounter was not enough for him. He has to outshine every other sleazeball out there. In the end, I discovered there were at least four other women.”

“What?” My eyes are as wide as saucers because I can’t believe any man would be stupid enough to cheat and risk losing someone as wonderful as Charlie.

“I kid you not,” she says.

Even through the shock, I sense the guilt running all the way through me now. It comes back to that same old tune. If only I’d stayed. If I’d stayed, Charlie would never have been with Eddy. If I’d stayed, she would have been saved from the hurt and pain he caused her. I’m hardly any different, am I? I hurt her just as badly.

Sure, but you would never have broken her trust like he did.

I’m not sure if that’s true. It might not have been broken in the same way, but when I left, it was broken all the same. I’ve lost count, since I’ve been back here, how many times I have wanted to turn back the clock and do it all again.

But I don’t have a DeLorean, and my name isn’t Marty McFly. All I can do is be here for her now. That, and maybe find out where this Eddy guy hangs out. I’m sure if I take a few of the boys with me, we could have a friendly chat that will result in Eddy never darkening Charlie’s door again.

Reaching out and taking her hand, I say, “I’m sorry, Charlie. This is all my fault.”

She spins her head to look at me, a heavy frown creasing her brow. “How do you figure?”

Shrugging, I answer, “If I’d never left, none of this horrible stuff would have happened to you.”

She gives me an intense look and shakes her head. “You can’t know that, Troy. You can’t know that we would have stayed together, even if you hadn’t left. No one can say one way or another.”

“Yes, but it’s possible.”

“Maybe,” she returns, “but I’m a woman with my own mind. I’m the one who takes responsibility for my actions. No one forced me to be with Eddy. Perhaps it’s one of those life lessons I just had to learn. At the end of the day, I’m stronger for it.”

Her ethic is pretty impressive, and I can’t help but admire it. But I still feel like I’m to blame. Not wanting to get into some kind of contest, I don’t argue the point any further. In my mind, it will always be my fault.

“I suppose you’re a man-hater now, then,” I say, wanting to know exactly where she stands where relationships are concerned.

She smiles up at me. “Are you testing the field? You want to know if there’s a chance for us?”

I’m a little taken aback by her forthrightness, but I can’t deny my intentions. “I do. You’ve been through a lot. I know that. It makes me wonder if you can ever trust again.”

“You mean, trust you?” she says.

“Yes.” I pause a beat. “Can you, Charlie? Will you give me a chance to prove to you that I’m not the guy who left?”

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