Page 126 of Drive
“You really are terrible,” I said as she hung her head. “Paige, he’s here for you. Go talk to him. He’ll be leaving soon.”
“I did. But I know he’s still mad at me.”
Curiosity got the best of me.
“Has he been calling you?”
“Yeah, ever since he left Austin. He called from rehab.”
I let go of her hands. She read my anger. She came quickly to her defense.
“He didn’t let on that he wanted anything more with you. Was I supposed to tell you as much? Twist the knife in for good measure, Stella? He only called once every few months.”
“And asked about me?”
“Yes, andus. He was our friend, you know.”
Standing in the middle of the dance floor, I couldn’t help but to finally clear the air.
“Why can’t you just accept the fact that I love him?”
She crossed her arms. “Love him?”
“Loved him,” I said, playing it off. “And we were together, and it wasn’t some crush on my part or some fling on his. We loved each other, Paige.”
She moved to walk away.
“Oh no, you don’t get to open that can of worms and walk away!” I jerked her to the side of the dance floor and she fought me with guilt written all over her face.
“That’s it, Paige. Do you hear me? God, I’m done paying for it! I loved him! I loved him enough to gamble with our relationship, and I’ve already paid the price. When are you going to let it go?”
“Paige,” Neil said gently, approaching us both.
I ignored him, gutted inside with Reid’s confession of what could have been and the longing I still felt and resented because it made me feel like a liar. It twisted all logic and put me in the position to defend my relationship. My life with Nate. “I wish you knew how it felt to have your chest ripped out like that. You got lucky with Neil!”
“Paige,” Neil interrupted again.
“What?” We both turned to him, our argument permeating the air. Half of the party was staring at us. I looked over to Reid, who was oblivious, talking to a table full of my cousins, a sincere laugh coming out of him. My heart squeezed at the sound. He’d stayed against his better judgment, for Paige, and managed to blend in pretty nicely.
“It’s our song,” Neil said softly to Paige, pulling her ring finger to his lips before he kissed it. Neil’s disappointment trumped my anger. Paige’s tearful eyes ended our argument.
“I’m sorry, Neil. Take your bride.”
Paige turned to me, exhausted. Her emotions had run rampant for once and mirrored mine. I couldn’t fault her for it. “I’m sorry, Stella.”
I nodded. “Just stop trying to protect me from him. I don’t need your protection. I can handle myself.”
I loved her, as much of a drunken idiot as she’d been. And so did her fiancé, who was trying his best to salvage their night.
“I trust you enough to give you away to the man you chose, and I expect you to do the same for me. Trust my judgment. Trustme, Paige.”
With her hand still tied to Neil’s, she leaned in and threw an arm around me. “I will. I promise. Please just don’t let him hurt you again.”
“I won’t,” I said as I hugged her and then drew back to double tap her forehead. She rolled her tear-filled eyes.
“Enough, sister dearest, go dance with your groom.”
“Okay,” she said as he gave me a worried look over her shoulder. “You’re going to show up tomorrow, right?”
