Page 75 of The Close-Up
“Well, baby,” Landon croons. “How about I text you my address and you come on over? I’d love to see your sexy ass tonight.”
I bite my tongue at how he completely ignored my last question.
“I don’t have the energy to deal with this right now. Why don’t you just stay out and call me some other day? It’s been a rough day for me, and I don’t feel like doing anything.”
“Damn.” Landon lets out a low whistle. “Someone’s moody.”
I grit my teeth.
He burps, then lets out a sigh. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Tell me what happened.”
“I found out today that my ex got another girl pregnant while he was still with me.”
There’s silence at first, but then I hear a hiccup, then a giggle.
“Are you fucking serious?” Landon asks before snorting a laugh. “Holy crap, that’s some Jerry Springer-level drama right there.”
He falls into another string of giggles and my jaw drops. “Fuck you.”
“Oh come on, Naomi,” Landon groans. “I’m just kidding. I’ve been a good boy so far, right? I’ve taken you to dinners and drinks. I’ve made out with you and not once pushed you. I deserve a little something more, don’t you think? You must be aching for it by now,” he slurs.
I clamp my mouth shut, gritting my teeth in anger. The pressure builds so much, I start to feel the beginnings of a tension headache in my temples.
“Never, ever call me again.”
I hang up on him, shove my phone in my purse, and dart up from the table. Tears blur my vision as I struggle to untangle the strap of my purse from the back of my chair.
“Whoa.” Simon holds up a hand, but I ignore him, instead punching my fist inside my purse to dig out cash to pay for my drink. I come up empty-handed and realize I don’t have any cash. I’ll have to wait and pay with a credit card.
I sniffle, tears dripping down my cheeks. “I can’t... I need to get out of here.”
Simon stands up and rests his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay. I’ve got it.”
Even though I’m not looking at anything other than the ground, I know all eyes are on me, the weepy tipsy girl who tried to have a quiet phone conversation in the middle of this hotel lounge, but it devolved into pathetic shouting and crying for everyone to witness.
When I look up, Simon’s eyes center me. He’s not looking at me with pity or annoyance like everyone else is. All I can see in his stare is kindness, and it grounds me in this god-awful moment where I’ve been humiliated twice in one day.
He fishes two twenties from his wallet and leads me out of the hotel lounge to the lobby. I stumble forward through the revolving glass door, then walk to the right. I have no idea where I’m going. I just know I need to get away from people so I can break down properly without the fear of embarrassing myself in public even more.
Several feet away there’s a recessed arch in the brick exterior of the hotel. I trudge there and fall back-first against it. My heart races as I struggle to breathe.
Simon stands in front of me, propping me up with both his hands on my shoulders.
“It’s okay. Just breathe.”
My mouth twists as I fight and fail to hold back an especially pathetic crying noise. More tears fall, but Simon uses the sleeve of his jacket to wipe them up. A salty breeze cuts against the building, cooling over my wet cheeks.
“I’m... I’m sorry, Simon. For just leaving like that...and that you had to cover my drink. I... I promise I’ll pay you back when I get cash.”
“You absolutely will not, don’t even worry about it. What happened on the phone to make you so upset?” he asks gently.
I stop to catch my breath, my shoulders shuddering as another chilly gust kicks up around us. When my hair flips in the wind, Simon smooths it behind my ear. I let out a low hum at how gentle and caring his touch is—and how much I need it in this moment.
I relay my conversation with Landon to him. When I finish, Simon’s jaw is clenched so tight, I’m scared he’ll break right through the bone.
“Piece of shit,” he mutters.
“You were right about him,” I say. “He was a textbook douchebag. And deep down, I think I knew it too. I just wanted something easy, you know? Someone I didn’t have to commit to, someone I could just meet and have fun with a couple times a week. But then I forgot that the kind of guys who are up for that sort of thing sometimes treat people like garbage. It’s my own fault.”
