Page 118 of Fear of Intimacy

I nodded along to whatever someone was saying beside me, but I kept my eyes on Trevor. I wasn’t going to drop him headfirst into the wolves. Although, I found it a bit comical watching him shift on his feet in discomfort. Payback for being late.

After the fifth pleading look he sent my way, I finally relented. Poor guy had been on his own long enough. Opening my mouth to excuse myself, I noticed a figure heading toward my boyfriend.

I stilled, noticing exactly who it was. I watched as Alexa Blackwood walked up to Trevor, smiling. The grip on my glass tightened.

I trusted Trevor. I just didn’t trust Alexa. Knowing her, she’d do something that gave the rumor mill something to talk about. Have everyone believe I was just using Trevor for his money, or that I cheated on him, or that he cheated on me with her. Whatever it was, it’d be so far from the truth.

Every part of me screamed to go over there, but I stayed where I was. Trevor could handle himself. But the moment she tried something, you could bet your ass I would be right there.

People were talking all around, but I didn’t hear a single word. My eyes were glued to the girl who was now introducing herself to my boyfriend. I watched as she smiled up at him with her ‘fake good girl’ smile and touched his arm.

I could see Trevor’s polite smile as he greeted her back, but I could tell he was only saying hello to be nice. Alexa kept talking, keeping that annoying ass smile on her face as she did. I wanted nothing more than to walk over there and slap it off her face.

When Trevor said something, Alexa threw her head back, laughing loudly and making a few heads turn to look at thepair. I clenched my wine glass tighter as my eyes narrowed. I doubted whatever he said was that funny.

Red was clouding my vision the longer the two spoke. I didn’t want to cause a scene, but if the bitch put another hand on my man, I was going to lose my shit. When I saw Alexa step closer to Trevor, gripping his bicep, the control I had on myself snapped.

On the outside, I was calm as I excused myself from the group around me. I quickly drank the rest of my wine and handed it to a waiter as I slowly walked toward Trevor and Alexa.

My heels clicked on the marble as jealousy flared in my chest. Trevor wasmine.Mine to touch, to kiss, to have. Apparently, someone didn’t get the message earlier but they would now.

I'd never felt this kind of jealousy before, especially not with a guy. Yes, seeing someone flirt with a past boyfriend didn’t sit well. Or seeing them after we broke up with someone else. But it was never like this. Like molten rage under my skin.

As I neared the pair, Trevor’s eyes landed on me over Alexa’s head. I didn’t miss the look of relief on his face. It did little to calm the hurricane brewing inside of me. I wanted to walk up to Alexa and shove her, but I suppressed the urge.

“There you are,” I spoke as I walked around Alexa, going straight to Trevor’s side and lacing my arm through his. I looked up at his face, but from the corner of my eye, I caught Alexa’s smile vanish, her eyes narrowed at me.

“Oh, I see you two have met.” I looked at Alexa with the fakest smile I could muster. I hoped she could see the snarl resting underneath.

“Alexa was just telling me how you two are friends,” Trevor supplied.

“Oh really?”

“Tasha and I go way back.” Alexa grinned at Trevor. “We were thick as thieves back in the day.”

I didn’t like the way she was looking at Trevor. Like she was picturing what he looked like underneath his suit. Unfortunately for her, she’d never know. What I was about to say was a bitch move, but I couldn’t stand being next to Alexa any longer.

“We were. Right before you snuck into my phone and shared half naked pictures of myself to the entire school.” I said it so casually, like I was talking about the weather. “Oh, and before you slept with my boyfriend.” The first boy I ever truly liked.

Alexa slept over at my house that night. When I went to go shower, she grabbed my phone and went through my private pictures. Pictures I took in the safety of my bedroom. Some for my boyfriend at the time, and some just because I felt sexy in them. Somehow, she managed to send them to herself and cover up that she did so.

It wasn’t until a week later when I walked into school, every single person whispering while staring at me, that I learned Alexa paid someone to send my pictures to everyone, and I meaneveryone, along with photos of her with my boyfriend, the two sneaking around behind my back for months.

I had to walk the halls of school with everyone laughing, whispering, and judging me while Alexa stood there grinning with her arm around my boyfriend. Acting like she won some huge prize.

There was almost nothing worse than having someone who you thought was your best friend ruin your life. Someone you trusted who went behind your back and did something so disgusting.

All I wanted to do was run home and cry as everything in my life had been turned upside down. I lost my boyfriend,who I really thought loved me, and lost someone who I thought was my best friend.

Instead of giving Alexa what she wanted all those years ago, seeing me cry right there in the middle of the hallway, I did the exact opposite. I did exactly what my mother had taught me for years. I straightened my back, ignored everyone around me, and walked to class like nothing was wrong. Like I wasn’t breaking on the inside. In the end, my indifference to it pissed Alexa off even more. I gained new friends out of which, though, which was probably the only blessing in the entire situation.

“Such close friends.” My voice dripped with honey. I could feel Trevor’s eyes on me as I narrowed mine at Alexa. I took a tiny step toward her as she stumbled back one. “Don’t even think about touching what’s mine. I have no problem ruining your life like you did mine all those years ago. Just a simple click of a button would have everyone in here knowing about your affairs.”

Once more, Alexa’s face paled at my words. There really was something wrong with me as I soaked up the expression on her face. It would be so easy to let everyone here know that she was sleeping with half of these women’s husbands. And it probably would feel just as great.

Giving her one last warning look, I tugged on Trevor's arm, leading us away from Alexa Blackwood. If she was smart she’d leave Trevor and me the hell alone.

“Well, that was…” Trevor trailed off as we walked across the marble floor, going over to stand near a wall away from everyone.

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