Page 3 of My Ex's Best Friend

As I reach the second floor, I ask a guy which door is Chris’s. The guy is wasted, sitting in the floor but he points me to the third door on the right.

The door is closed. I walk over and I smile as I reach for it.

Just then, my phone pings with a message from Tammy.

Have you guys linked up yet? Where’s my Snap?

That gives me an idea. I’ve watched so many videos of girls surprising their long-distance boyfriends at their college that, at one point, it all started to look scripted to me.

But I decide to have fun, just this once. It’s not every day you surprise your boyfriend, so I switch my phone to video mode, trying to capture the genuine surprise on his face. The anticipation builds, and with a deep breath, I swing the door open with a dramatic flourish.

But the scene that greets me is beyond anything I could have imagined. Time seems to freeze as my brain struggles to process what my eyes see.

Moaning sounds are coming from the bed. Chris’s bed. But that can’t be him, right?

Except his voice says, “Fuck yeah, suck my dick while I eat this pussy.” Who is he talking to?

With the sheets covering his waist, I notice the silhouette of a woman's head moving up and down, while another sits on his face. I want to throw up, to yell, to run, to scream, to cry, to hit him.

But I just stand there, paralyzed. The room is filled with the echo of my pounding heart, and the moans and whimpers that come from the threesome pierce through my heart.

They don't notice me.

My phone hangs limply in my hand. I can't tear my eyes away, and betrayal floods through me.

Without a word, without a sound, I pivot on my heel and sprint away from that room, from Chris, from the crushing reality that now stains my perception of everything.

The hallway becomes a blur as I run down the stairs.

Once I’m downstairs, the throbbing of the party music takes up most of my consciousness, drowning everything else.

Good. I don’t want to think right now. But the music is not enough as flashes of what I just witnessed keep wanting to invade my mind.

My gaze falls to the bar counter, and I walk over, take whatever I can, and keep chugging.

A few guys around me whistle slightly as they watch me.

The beer is bitter and almost burns my throat, but I don’t stop. I find vodka and drink a few shots too.

That’s when an arm comes over my shoulder. I know who it is without even turning around.

“Kiera.” His warm breath touches my ear. It smells of rich whiskey.

The way he says my name makes my stomach ripple. He’s always had this way of saying it that made it different from anybody else. Like I was special.

Maybe it’s just the alcohol heightening everything.

Before I can react, he pulls me in for a hug against his hard chest. His steady heartbeat resting above my chin, his familiar woody musk making me inhale deeply.

It’s like I’ve just come home.

When he finally lets me go, I find my stomach in knots. This time, he’s frowning at me. “Are you drunk?”

“Yes,” I say, taking a sip of my drink.

He takes it from my hand, and I can barely protest. Jake is like double my size. “It’s not safe to drink alone in a place like this.”

“Thanks for your concern.” I hiccup slightly. “Now give me my drink back.”

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