Page 54 of Sweet Little Thing

My eyes flew to the door to make sure I’d locked it. Did he know I was here? Would Stone tell him? I walked closer to strain my ears to hear what he was saying.

The thick ornate door muffled their voices, but Jasper was loud and angry. I could tell that much from the little I could make out. Although, I couldn’t understand exactly what he was saying, I heard my name. I strained to hear Stone but if he was talking, he wasn’t raising his voice.

Footsteps started down the hall.

“Don’t!” Stone’s stern command went ignored though because my door knob jiggled followed by a hard knock.

“Beulah! Talk to me. Please, I can’t…” he paused. “I can’t lose you completely. What Stone found out about my parents…I’m sorry. It’s so fucking twisted. Don’t hate me because of them. Talk to me. There’s got to be more to this. We need each other.”

I backed away. No. We couldn’t have each other. We should have never had each other. My throat burned and I closed my eyes tightly trying to block it all out. Why hadn’t he accepted the truth by now? He’d had all day to think about it. Let it sink in.

“She needs time,” Stone told him.

“Beulah. Listen, I don’t even know what to believe. The one thing I’m sure of is I love you. Don’t shut me out. We need each other.”

I sank down on the edge of the bed and held onto my towel tightly. Hearing the pain in his voice was crushing. I didn’t want to hurt him. But the truth…what we had done. It was sickening. Loving someone shouldn’t be sordid and shameful. For us, it was.

“For once, stop being so goddamn selfish.” Stone’s voice was furious. I didn’t want him to fight with Jasper because of me. This wasn’t his problem. I shouldn’t have come here.

“Beulah—”

“LEAVE!” Stone shouted, stopping Jasper from saying more.

There was silence for a few beats. I held my breath.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you keeping her from me? You saw me happy, and you hated it!”

Another pause. I didn’t think Stone was going to respond. I prepared myself for Jasper to say more to me. Glancing toward the bathroom from my perch on the bed, I decided to walk back inside and close that door.

“Beulah’s from a different life. One that would have never fit into yours even if the truth hadn’t been so finale. I tried to warn you, but you wouldn’t listen to reason. Stop acting like a fool and accept the facts. She was never the one for you.”

I froze, listening to Stone’s words. I wasn’t sure if he meant them to be cutting or not but they stung regardless. Only because he once again was making it clear I’d never have been good enough for Jasper.

“She’s not like us. Isn’t that what you mean? Because you’re from the same world I am. Look around you.” Jasper wasn’t yelling anymore, but his anger was still evident.

“No. My world has always been different from yours. But I’m not standing here claiming to love her either. Now, leave. I’ve had enough bullshit for one night. I need a fucking break.”

I waited to see if Jasper would walk away. I wondered if he’d do as Stone asked of him or if they’d continue to fight. Coming between their friendship was the last thing I wanted to do.

“When you’re ready to talk, call me. I’ll always be here,” Jasper called out and I knew those words were meant for me.

I bit my bottom lip as tears began to fill my eyes. Didn’t he see that was never going to be simple. At least not for a very long time.

Tomorrow, I had to leave. Stone was right. This wasn’t my world. I needed to stop living in it. So far it had only brought me sorrow.

The apartment was quiet. I’d hoped to hear someone moving about this morning, but it was after eight, and no doors had opened or closed although I had been awake listening for over an hour. Just complete silence.

I opened the bedroom door slowly and glanced down the hallway. The lights were off, but the sunlight from the large windows throughout the apartment provided enough light to see where I was going.

I had wanted to tell Stone I was leaving. It was the right thing to do. For everyone. Deep down he didn’t want me here either. He had chosen to help me yesterday for Jasper’s sake but I wasn’t his to worry about.

At the end of the hallway, the smell of coffee wafted past me. Someone was awake. If it was Presley, maybe she’d be in better spirits when she saw me carrying my duffle bag. My leaving should put her in a good mood.

The closer I got to the scent I began to hear the voices that sounded like they were coming from a television. I continued in that direction until I came to the kitchen. Stepping inside the brightly lit space, I found Stone. His back was to me as he stood watching the news on a large flat-screen television on the wall opposite the doorway. He was wearing a long-sleeved white oxford shirt tucked into a pair of jeans.

His shoulders were broad, but his size seemed even more pronounced in the fitted shirt. The guy at the pool who laughed and drank with friends wasn’t the same man in front of me. This man appeared older. One with responsibilities.

“There’s coffee and some pastries from the bakery down the street. You’re welcome to both, or you can continue to stand there and check me out while my back is turned.”

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