Page 63 of Your Secret to Keep

I don’t know what to do.

Standing near my bed, I put my hands on the comforter, only to feel the amount of water my mattress is holding. I can tell the mattress, and all my bedding, are completely soaked through. When I put my weight on it, I can hear the water squishing out and sputtering out to the floor.

Fuck.

This is bad.

The ceiling squeaks, and as I look up, it completely collapses in front of me.

Chapter 38

Brooks

“Whatareyoudoinghere?” I hiss at the person I absolutely didn’t expect to see. My jaw is clenched and my teeth grind together.

“What do you mean? I’ve been texting you.” She steps closer to me and my reaction is to lean back, needing more space between us. I step back when the lean isn’t enough.

“Surprise!” Rebecca cheers, her hands posing above her head.

I shake my head and snap, “This is a fucking horrible surprise.”

I look down the hallway to see Lia leaving. I want to run after her, but I will not cause a scene. Rebecca is not fucking worth it. I don’t want anyone leaking this interaction, causing tonight to be all about this bullshit drama. No fucking way. Not for Lia and not for me.

“I haven’t texted you back. How did you even get back here?” I look for the security guards who typically man this area and only find one. I bet staffing is thin at this position tonight and Rebecca found a way to use it for her advantage. Typical.

“What? You’re not happy to see me?” She puts a finger to my chest and looks up at me, almost like she’s about to lean in and kiss me.

I walk away from the nearby friends and family, not wanting anyone to overhear any of this. “Rebecca. No. Not particularly. The last time I talked to you was when you packed your shit to go back to the man you were having an affair with. Do you remember that?” I whisper sharply.

She rolls her eyes, agitation rolling off her skin. “Why can’t you forgive and forget? It was a mistake. I said I was sorry.”

Despite everything we went through, she still sounds like she couldn’t give a fuck. Part of me thought we might connect later in life, not as friends but as people passing, and I’d be able to look at her and know she’s changed. Today is not that day. I don’t know if that will ever happen.

“You said it. You never meant it. Not then and not now.”

“We just need to sit down. Hash it out. I think—”

“No. I really don’t care what you think. I’m uninterested in the next part of that sentence.” I scrub my face with my hands, willing myself to be in a different interaction. “You showed up here and snuck back to the players’ area like it was nothing. Like it was owed to you. Doesn’t that seem off?”

An issue with Rebecca is she knows exactly what to do to get what she wants. She did it when we were together and she’s doing it now. I want so badly to scream that there’s someone else. Someone who left so fast. Someone I wanted to chase after. Someone who didn’t deserve this. I’m sure Lia has too many questions about a woman I haven’t willingly seen in years.

Rebecca sighs out a huff, her eyes on mine, and there are no old feelings creeping to the front of line. The only thing she makes me feel is anger and disappointment.

I try to make her hear me. “Listen, you showing up here like this? I don’t want you to do it again. This isn’t how this works. You don’t get to decide this. Just because you’re ready and assume I want to see you, even if I’ve never texted you back.”

“I just want five minutes.” She sounds borderline sad but it’s not enough.

I put my hand up, literally wanting her to stop. “You don’t get five minutes. I have nothing else for you. Please don’t text. Don’t call. There’s nothing left for you to chase.”

“Brooks.” She steps closer and I immediately move backward, as if her hands could burn me.

“No. You’ve had your chances. I was never enough. The only difference now is I knowyouwere never enough forme.” I laugh because it’s so clear. How didn’t I see this before? “I wish you nothing but good things.”

I turn and walk to the exit. When Rebecca doesn’t call after me, the relief starts to creep through my bones, permeating to the blood coursing through my veins. I pull out my phone and call Lia, but she doesn’t answer. I try one more time with the same result.

Fuck. There’s no way I can let this go tonight.

Within minutes, I’m in my car and driving straight to Lia’s apartment.

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