Page 53 of Obsession on Repeat
I sat on the edge of the bed, duffel packed at my feet. Sullivan found me in the bedroom doorway, his suitcase in his hand. He looked exhausted. For a second, neither of us spoke.
Finally, he set down his bag at his feet. "You’re here."
"I didn’t want to not be when you got back. It felt weird."
"This feels weird."
After the conversation with Gina, I had decided to call him one more time, and surprisingly, he had answered. His movie was moving into the final stages of pre-production, his presence no longer needed until they finally started filming in a few weeks.
I nodded, unsure of exactly what to say. I went with honesty. "I haven’t slept well the last couple of nights."
"Neither have I." He leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed. "I had the pleasure of seeing the photos again on the flight."
I didn’t respond.
"They hurt, but what hurt more was realizing I wasn’t surprised."
"I didn’t do anything wrong. Regardless, I never meant to hurt you."
"I know." His voice was calm. "That’s what makes it worse, Rory. You didn’t mean to. It happened anyway."
I looked down at my hands. "I was so angry at you for being gone all the time. You didn’t check in or text me."
"I didn’t think you needed me to. I thought you were strong enough to hold it all together."
"How can you say that with everything that was going on? With everything they were saying about me?"
He studied me, a frown on his face. "We had discussed all of that. You said you were okay, and then suddenly you’re not?" He snorted. "I guess it’s a good thing Asher was there, so you didn’t truly do something scandalous."
"This isn’t about him. I didn’t fall into someone else. I started realizing how alone I felt when you were supposed to be the one I depended on. You make it sound like I betrayed you in some way. I got drunk and crashed at a friend’s house. I would never have judged you in the same way had you done that."
"I have a job to do, I can’t be here every second of the day to make sure you’re…" He exhaled. "We’re supposed to be in a trusting relationship. You said you loved me, but the minute I’m not here, you turned to someone else for support."
"I’m sorry you feel that way. I tried very hard to be that person, the one you thought you saw in Australia. It took forever to say I love you because deep down, I wasn’t sure. I care about you, but I don’t think we’re right for each other anymore."
He looked up at the ceiling for a long second. When he looked at me again, his voice was low and steady. "You’re probably right."
"I hate that it’s ending this way."
"Me too."
The VIP party was in full swing.
Lights pulsed across the floor in gold and amber, glasses clinked, and laughter floated through the air. I stood near the edge of the crowd, drink in hand, heels already making me regret listening to Vanessa. She had ordered me to mingle. I was off the clock, not allowed to lurk in the booth all night.
So now I was here, smiling when spoken to, nodding through conversations I barely registered, pretending I wasn’t scanning the room every five seconds. I had never been so aware of someone in the room without looking at them. Asher was across the room, talking to a group of investors near the bar. He was dressed in sharp black, sleeves rolled up enough to feel unfair. He hadn’t looked at me once.
"Need another?" Gina held up an empty glass beside me, her eyebrows raised.
"I doubt another episode of drunk me is a good idea."
She followed my gaze, lips twitching. "Oh. Got it."
"I didn’t say anything."
"Why do you look like someone died?"
I let out a hollow laugh. "Because something did."
