Page 86 of Chasing Lyric
There’s no invitation in her tone. No warmth. No forgiveness. She is Lyric’s shield right now, and I am the threat.
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I’ve never had Rory direct her fire at me like this before, but I understand exactly why she’s this angry. She’s fighting for her friend, and no matter how much it stings, I’ll take it.
Every. Last. Bit of it.
Because I deserve it.
“Rory, I—”
“Don’t you‘Rory’me. My girl’s a mess in there. You threw a wrecking ball of epic proportions right through her fragile heart tonight. She doesn’t deserve whatever sick game you were trying to pull her into—”
“It wasn’t a game, Rory,” I interrupt, trying to defend myself.
Her eyes widen. “Oh, it wasn’t, was it? Then what’s yourrealname, Chase? You think you can just tell your girlfriend of four months your name is something entirely different than what it actually is…Chase Covington Jr.?”She says my name with pure and utter contempt. “You think she’s just going to accept it and be like…oh, yeah, that’s fine, just lie to me. And okay, sure! I’ll put my beliefs and needs aside so I can sign with yourmotherfucking record label, you son of a bitch!” Her tone goes from angry to mocking back to furious.
Rory is raging mad.
And I don’t blame her.
She finally stops her verbal assault, and I take a breath, steadying my thoughts. I could try to defend myself, but there’s only one woman I want to talk to right now.
Rory isnother.
“I need to see Lyric.”
Rory gawks as if I’ve just spoken another language. “Have you heard nothing I’ve just said?”
Starting to become impatient, I use a little more force. “This isn’t a request. Rory. I.Need. To see her. Ihaveto make this right.”
She folds her arms over her chest. “No! You’renotcoming in.”
“I don’t want anything to do with you,” Lyric yells from the other side of the door.
Oh, fuck!
My stomach tightens as I duck my head around Rory and push open the door, making her swat at my head. But I don’t care as she continues to slap at me. “I’m sorry, Lyri. You were never meant to find out that way.”
Her eyes catch mine as she sits up on the sofa, glaring at me. “I should never have found outat all! You should have been honest with me from the start.” She turns her head away, breaking our eye contact while Rory continues to try to push me out the door, but I don’t budge. “I don’t trust you, Chase. Our relationship was built onnothingbut lies. Built on the foundations of a fabrication you continued to seed. You need to leave before I call the cops.”
My body freezes. With my felony charge, anything to do with the cops is a bad idea. I don’t need her finding that shit out as well at this moment, on top of everything else. So as much as this kills me, I need to admit defeat and leave. “I’m not givingup on us, Lyri. But Iamgoing to give you time… I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I’m going to change my number,” she yells back through a heavy sniffle.
My heart sinks, my stomach churning with anxiety.God, I hope she doesn’t.“I’ll still call you tomorrow.”
“Fuck off, Chase Jr.!” Rory pushes me with all her strength, and seeing as I have now lost all of mine, I stagger out of the doorway, almost losing my footing before I stumble down the stairs. My heart rips apart hearing Lyric’s sobs again as Rory slams the door behind me.
I spin around and stare at the woodgrain, my body shuddering with pent-up frustration.
How did it get to this?
Hearing her sobbing cries through the door reminds me of the asshole I truly am.
I did that to her.
She’s falling to pieces all because ofme.
We’re apart because ofme.
