Page 64 of Connected By Stars
Sophia
If I talk to her, I’ll let her know you’re trying to get ahold of her.
I give her a thumbs up, not able to do anything more. I drop my phone on the bed and lay back. Bell’s scent invades my senses as I close my eyes and breathe deeply. Pain slices through me at the hurt I have caused her. I’ve got to make this right. I’ll make her listen to me when she gets back. She’s got to believe me when I tell her that I lied to Sophia. It was a stupid drunk lie, and the last thing I want is to be with someone else. Not when I’ve had her. I don’t think I’ll ever feel what I felt Saturday night with anyone but her.
I get up slowly because my head still hurts like a motherfucker and go back to my apartment to shower. I think about getting someone to cover for me at work, but I need to keep busy. If I don’t, I’ll go insane thinking about her. I need to figure my shit out fast because she deserves more than what I’ve given her so far. I send her another text explaining that I wasn’t with anyone and to please come home so we can talk. My message goes unread, and the pain in my heart deepens.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Bella
My hands gripthe steering wheel as I drive along the coast. Not even the sight and smell of the ocean makes me feel better. I blink my dry, puffy eyes, trying to get some moisture back in them. I don’t have a single tear left to shed. I told Sophia I was hungover and sick all day yesterday to avoid having her see the pain I was in. I knew there was no way to hide it, so I hid myself, pretending to sleep the day away while I silently cried under my covers.
He ignored my texts and calls all day and never came home. My hurt quickly became fear that something could have happened to him. It wasn’t until Sophia told me she had finally gotten ahold of him and he was with someone that I truly knew what pain felt like. I don’t know how I kept it together until she left my room, but I somehow managed to play it off. I don’t even remember what I said to her before she told me goodnight. My mind and body shut off to reality, living in a void where I felt nothing anymore.
I knew there was a possibility that I would be a one-night stand, but I thought it was different between us.That I would be the one he would want more with. All those late-night talks and wanting to see where it goes led me to believe that he wanted to make this work.
I know I should have told him I was a virgin, but I didn’t think it would matter. I could tell he was freaked and scared that he messed up, but I thought after he had time to think, I could make him see how perfect the night was and how much it meant to me. The last thing I expected was him to go off and fuck someone else like I meant nothing to him.
I blink back the tears as the pain hits me all over again. Evidently, your body is able to produce a magnitude of tears. My phone dings next to me, and I see Maverick’s name pop up again with a text. Reaching over, I silence my phone. Nothing he could say to me would make up for what he did. I don’t know how to move forward without him in my life, but it’s something I have to do for myself. I won’t let myself feel like this ever again. This is the last time I’ll cry over Maverick Alexander Lane. I wipe the last of my tears away and dig deep to find what’s left of my strength before turningonthe music and turningoffthoughts of him.
I drive up the coast,not having a destination in mind until I come across a little inn right on the beach. The sign out front saysvacancy, so I turn into the parking lot and shut off my engine. I told Sophia I had work and wouldn’t be back for a couple of days. Technically, it’s true. I have a ton of work I brought with me to keep me busy. The thought of laying in my bed with Maverick so close had me packing my bags the next morning. I just need some time to pull myself together before I face him again. He’s my brother’s best friend and Sophia’s brother, so I know I can’t avoid him forever.
Grabbing my overnight bag from the back seat, I make my way inside to get a room. If I’m going to hole up here for a couple of days, I might as well splurge and get a view. I get my key and walk up the flight of stairs to where my room is. It’s a cute inn with wooden floors and various seashell decorations. It’s small, with only ten rooms on each level, and I love the cozy feel. It’s exactly what I need.
Sliding the room key, I go inside and set my bag on the cute white comforter of the poster bed. It’s adorable in here with the old wood floors and throw rugs. I walk out onto the small patio and take in the view of the Atlantic Ocean, hoping it will calm me some and lessen the hurt I feel in my chest. I take out my phone and send a quick text to Sophia, letting her know I made it to my job site so she won’t worry. I send another one to my mom so she’ll know I’ll be gone working the next couple of days before putting it back in my pocket, not bothering to check the several texts and missed calls from Maverick.
It’s tempting to listen to the voicemails just so I can hear his voice, but I know it won’t help me in the long run. If I’m going to move forward, I need to distance myself from him until it doesn’t hurt so much. I just pray that it’s possible.
“Do you want another one?”I finish the last of my margarita and eye the cute bartender across from me.
“Sure, why not.” I push my glass toward him and smile even though my heart isn’t in it. I ended up walking down the beach when the sun was setting and found this restaurant on the water. I forced myself to eat some dinner, barely tasting a thing, but the margaritas are having no problem doing down.
He slides my margarita to me and hesitates before asking, “Rough night?”
“Rough twenty-four hours.” I give a sad laugh and take another long drink of my margarita.
“I’ve had those before,” he says with a laugh. “Just remember, it does get better even though it feels impossible right now.”
“Yeah, I don’t know about that. It all went to hell really fast. Not at all what I pictured when I wished for this growing up.”
“Everything has a way of working out. You’ll see.” He gives me a smile before walking over to the next customer to take their order.
I can’t see this working out, no matter how hard I try. Even though we weren’t technically a couple, he betrayed my trust, and I don’t see myself being able to move forward from this. For the sake of our families, we will have to try and find a way to be civil toward each other.
I down the rest of my margarita, letting the tequila do its job of making my head fuzzy so I can’t focus on him. Signing my check, I leave a generous tip before I go appreciating the fact that he was so nice to me. If it were any other lifetime, I would probably be staying longer and flirting with the bartender like any normal girl my age would do. Instead, I’m going back to an empty bed, not wanting anyone else but the one person I shouldn’t want anymore.
I curl up in my bed once I get back and feel the tears slide down my cheeks once more, dampening the pillow. Not being able to help myself, I pull up the latest pictures on my phone and scroll through the wedding reception photos that I took wanting to go back to the night where everything in my life felt perfect. I stop on the selfie I took of Maverick and me and blink back the tears. Our faces are close together, and we look so damn happy. His dimpled grin is on full display, and there’s no denying the joy in our eyes. I press the phone to my chest and curl up tighter as the pain becomes too unbearable. Eventually, exhaustion hits me, and I fall into a restless sleep.
I throwmyself into my work when I wake up. I’m way behind on edits from all the wedding planning and events we had planned. I refuse to let my business suffer because of my personal life. I’ve worked too hard to let it slip through my fingers.
Mav keeps texting and calling, so I end up putting my phone onDo Not Disturb. I’ve been checking in with Sophia and my mom, but other than that, I don’t bother looking at my phone anymore. By the time dinner rolls around, I’m feeling back in control of my business. I still have edits to do for Maverick, but I put those off for another day.
I open my phone to order some food to be delivered. I worked through lunch and can hear my stomach grumbling at this point. A text message pops up from Sophia, and I open it to read it.
Sophia
For the love of God, answer Maverick. He’s driving me insane, asking me every two seconds if I’ve heard from you. Did you guys have a fallout or something again?
