Page 1 of The Tape Job

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Chapter 1

Vicky

8 months ago: Christmas

I’ve drunk too much. I don’t know why I let myself get this wasted. I feel worse when I step onto the balcony and the cold air hits me. Why did I open that extra bottle of wine?

It’s fucking freezing out here, and my teeth chatter. I’m regretting not bringing the blanket from the back of the couch, but it’ll be awkward if I go back in now. I’ve already attracted too much attention this evening, thanks to my inability to tone down my voice.

The door creaks open, and I glance back, locking eyes with Liam. He looks surprisingly fresh for someone who’s just arrived from Toronto.

Pulling his hoodie over his head, he hands it to me without saying a word. I allow myself a second to inhale his delicious scent. It’s familiar and comforting.

He nods at the chairs against the wall, and we sit down. Moving in close, he wraps his arm around my shoulder, and I lean my head into him.

I don’t know why we’re doing this. We should be so angry with each other now, not snuggling up on the balcony of his twin brothers’ apartment, but here we are—freezing cold and cuddled together.

“You good?” he asks.

I’ve missed his voice. I’ve missed him. It’s been weird between us for a few months, and all the built-up emotions flooded out as soon as he walked in today. He wasn’t due to arrive until tomorrow, by all accounts, and I didn’t even know he was coming. I wanted to shout, kick, scream, but I just hugged him when he walked into Ryan’s apartment. It was a hug that probably lasted too long, a hug I didn’t even realise I needed until we were in the moment.

I take a deep breath before replying. “Sure.”

It’s me that should be asking how he is. If he’s good. I know it’s all my fault. The past few months have been tough. Just like the first time we split up, he went on a tangent again after I called off our wedding. His Instagram blew up with new photos of him, and his hookups. He’d utterly detached from me. Nothing less than I deserved, though. Did I actually expect us to be on friendly terms?

I turn to face him. “I can’t believe you’re here. I thought you were done speaking to me.”

He says nothing, becoming very interested in his calloused hands.

“I’m sorry,” I say.

Still, he says nothing, he just nibbles at his thumbnail.

I can tell he’s thinking now, and as soon as he drops his hand, he spits out a question which hits me hard in the chest.

“Was there someone else?” he asks, pausing momentarily before following up. “Is there someone else? Did you meetsomeone else, Vic?” He spins his head to gaze at me, his beautiful hazel eyes full of sorrow.

My heart sinks, but anger bubbles in my veins. How dare he put me in the same category as my dad. He was a serial cheat. I’d never do such a thing.

“No. There’s never been anyone else,” I answer.

It’s the truth, and I doubt there will ever be anyone else. Yeah, I’d come close to sleeping with a few other guys when we’d split up the first time, after college, but I could never go through with it. It wasn’t even their fault—it was mine. I’d freeze up and shrug them off because no one came close to Liam. Instead, I ended up falling back on my private videos of him from his first year of college when I was back in Abbotsford for my last year of school.

“What was it then? I want to hear it,” he says.

I get to my feet, slightly unsteady. “I got scared.”

“Scared? Scared of what?” His voice raises, but he stays seated.

I gulp, ready to expose myself. “Scared of you realising I’m not worth sticking around for and having you leave me just like everyone else does.”

As soon as the words are out, I feel embarrassed at my admission. When my dad decided he wanted to fuck around instead of work on his marriage to my mom, my brother Johnny and I became accessories in whatever game they were playing. Johnny would be at hockey practice with Liam and his twin, Ryan, and I would be forced to sit in the rink’s diner, waiting for the handover from Dad to Mom. It was one massive inconvenience to my dad, who was keen to get rid of me, or so it felt.

Liam is quiet, probably processing what I just said. Tears stream down my cheeks–God knows what fucking state I’m in. Am I wearing waterproof? I can’t remember.

“Vic,” he swallows, starts to talk but cuts himself off a couple of times. I keep quiet, giving him time to get his wordsout. “The only time I ever left you was for college, but that was temporary. It was in the plan. You left me, remember? You broke my heart.”

I know for a fact that I’ve broken his heart twice. The first time, when he got signed to Toronto, I told him to forget about me. I told him I didn’t want him anymore. This was also around the same time we knew his mom was close to passing away, and I still haven’t got over that either. I felt closer to his mom than I ever did to mine. I’d watched his dad crash and burn when his mom was ill, and I didn’t want the same for us.