“There’s no easy way to say this.” She wrung her hands and paced the kitchen, her teeth gnawing on that poor lip.
I pulled out a stool for her. “How about if you sit? You’re making me nervous.”
She perched on the edge of her seat and I sat across from her, taking her hands in mine. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. You can tell me anything, Remy.” I squeezed her hands, encouraging her to say whatever was on her mind.
She snatched her hands away and crossed her arms over her chest again. Not gonna lie, that hurt. She was pushing me away. Her body language screamed that she didn’t want to be touched.
“I slept with someone while you were away.”
At first, the words didn’t register. I stared at her, unblinking, my breathing shallow as the words hit me and the meaning started to sink in.
“The fuck did you just say? Because it sounded like you said you slept with someone who wasn’t me.”
She nodded and swallowed, her throat bobbing. “I did say that. It just happened.” She shrugged like it had been out of her control.
“How does something like that just happen? Who is he?”
Remy shook her head and gripped the arms of the chair. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me. Who the fuck is it?”
“Shane, that’s not the point. He was just some guy.”
Some guy. None of this made sense. My brain refused to accept it. “Were you drunk? Did he force himself on you?” There had to be a good reason. She would never do this to me.Never. I held on to my anger, my hands curled into fists, ready to rip the guy limb from limb for hurting her.
“No. It was my choice. I wasn’t drunk. He didn’t force me.”
I searched her face for clues that she was lying. Her face was neutral. Nothing gave her away.
“I’m sorry, Shane.”
Sorry did not fucking cut it. I speared my hands through my hair and held the back of my head, taking deep breaths so I didn’t lose my shit and punch the wall behind her head.
“Why?” I asked, my voice deadly quiet. “Why would you do that?”
“Let’s be real, Shane. This… us… it was never going to work. What was I supposed to do… tag along with you wherever you went? How long before you got tired of me? You have surfing, you have your career, and what would I have? I need to get a life of my own.”
I laughed bitterly. Unbelievable. “So, your answer to getting a life of your own was to fuck someone else?”
She flinched at my word choice and tone of voice. Right now, I didn’t fucking care. “I loved you. I loved you, Remy. I would have moved heaven and earth to make you happy. I would have doneanythingfor you.”
While I’d been planning our future, she’d been fucking some other guy. I couldn’t even look at her face.
“Why would you do this, Remy? Were you trying to prove that you’re just like your mother?”
“Iamjust like her. And it wouldn’t have taken you long to figure that out. I ruin everything that’s good. You should have known better than to fall in love with a girl like me.”
“Go. Leave.” My jaw clenched.
“Goodbye, Shane.” Those were her final words before the door closed behind her.
Remy said goodbye.
After two years of fighting my feelings for her, of finally admitting I couldn’t, and letting myself fall in love with her, it had only taken her two seconds to break my heart.
I slept with someone while you were away.
19