Page 59 of On the Rocks

16

AIDEN

“Who does he think he is?” I said, stalking down the path to the football field.

Cora muttered under her breath. “God’s gift to creation.”

I snorted, walking through the gate that led to the stands. I’d made this walk a thousand times before as a teenager, both for games and practice, sometimes even with Cora by my side. But this time was different, and not just because we were older. White hot something coursed through me: some horrible mixture of anger and disbelief and jealousy.

I’d never begrudge Cora the fact that she’d moved on after me. It’s all I could have wanted for her. I would have been glad to know she was happy. But now, seeing this Levi guy treat her like this, like she was supposed to be waiting for him to come crawling home to her once he’d stopped fucking around…It made my blood boil.

We climbed into the stands, and Cora sat down, cradling her forehead in her hand.

I paced, protective heat spiraling through me, fueling my annoyance. “He had no damn right to speak to you like that. If I even see him glance your way when we go back inside?—”

“Aiden, it’s okay.”

“It’s actually not. What kind of creep chases you into the hall? ‘I can’t accept that answer.’ What the hell was that?”

“I know.” She caught my hand, forcing me to stop pacing. I looked down at her, those brown eyes bright in the fading twilight. Shiny. Like she was on the verge of tears. “Thank you,” she said. “It’s very sweet, the fact that you’re so upset on my behalf.”

“I didn’t realize someone could say so many wrong things in one conversation.”

Cora tugged gently, and I sat down next to her, pushing my anger aside to focus on her. How I felt—really damn pissed off—mattered way less than how she felt. I resolved to focus on whatever she needed. If that was someone to commiserate and join her in trash talking her ex, then hell yes, sign me up. But if she wanted someone to make her laugh, or to change the subject, or even just to sit with her for a minute and let her be sad about the guy who broke her heart, then that was what I’d be.

“I’m just glad you were here tonight,” Cora admitted. “No way Levi would have backed down otherwise, and the last thing I want to be remembered for at this reunion is getting into some screaming match with him.”

“Well, I’m glad I could help. If you don’t mind my asking…what’s his deal?”

She shrugged, releasing my hand. I missed the warmth of her immediately. “Levi has a hard time accepting the word ‘no’ or considering other people’s feelings.”

“Is that what happened between you? Or why it ended, I should say.”

Cora cleared her throat, wringing her hands together in her lap. I could tell that however it ended, it still bothered her. I was about to tell her she didn’t need to explain if she didn’t want to, when she said, “I started dating Levi in junior year.”

“Wait,” I said suddenly. “You told me you broke it off last year?”

She nodded. “We were together for almost fifteen years, total.”

“Jesus,” I said, leaning back in my seat. I hadn’t realized they’d been together that long. That was…Shit, that was like half her life! No wonder seeing him again threw her for a loop.

“Last year, Levi went away on a business trip to California.”

I nodded, waiting for her to go on, watching the tiny muscles in her face twitch as she clenched her jaw. Shadows spread across the field, slowly covering us in darkness, but there was just enough light to see the tears gather in her eyes.

“While he was in LA, he fell head over heels for a wannabe actress named Sally.”

My jaw dropped. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Trust me, I wish I was. But, uh…Levi was convinced she was his soulmate. He decided instantly that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. So, he flew back to New York, broke the news to me as soon as he walked in the door, and went to our bedroom to pack up all his crap. I was surprised, confused, hurt. I hadso many questions, but he had no interest in answering them or checking in to see howIfelt about all of it. He was in love with someone else, so my feelings didn’t matter anymore. Just like that, it was over.”

“He didn’t deserve you,” I said.

Cora let out a sigh. “Yeah, I know. Jennifer helped me see that. And my mom. It was just hard at first, because it was so sudden. There weren’t any warning signs. Everything seemed fine right up until it was over. Once he was gone, I had a lot to work through. I mean, he was the guy I’d spent over a decade trusting to love me and be there for me, and then he chose to treat me like that. It had me wondering if he’d ever really loved me at all.”

“Did you love him?” I asked, bracing myself for her answer.

“I did…but I’m not sure I was ever trulyin lovewith him.”

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