Page 61 of New Girl in Town
I’d caught Dylan in a similar position with a woman from work. Then, his pretty assistant had been draped across his lap like the blonde in Grant’s. She had leaned close to Dylan, and had kissed him instead of just whispering. How could I have been focused on his feelings? Understanding his side of things with this scene unfolding in front of me?
“Baby? You gonna answer me?” the man asked me, jerking me out of my daze. I shook my head, clearing away some of the fog, because this was different.
This was Grant and not Dylan. He wasn’t Dylan.
I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to slow down my breathing, but it was no use. The sound of laughter and another bottle of champagne popping made me feel sick. I had to get away and off this call.
The man shot Grant a look over his shoulder. “She’s hot, but not much of a talker, huh? I can get into it.”
“Hey, come on,” Grant protested from somewhere in the room. My hands shook as I moved to end the call, but Grant was there, pushing his way back into the frame. The woman was still in Grant’s lap. If I had thought seeing him on national television was an alternate universe, this was a nightmare.
“We’re over. I’m not doing this anymore,” I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop them. My voice was soft, hoarse from the aching feeling that felt like fingers squeezing on my throat, and I hated that I couldn’t utter the words any louder. They were lost in the din of the party, which felt bizarre and out of place in Grant’s apartment—but what did I know?
Nothing.Not when it came to Grant St. John.
Grant leaned closer, the movement giving me an even better view of the woman’s hand where it now rested on his thigh in a familiar gesture.
“What?”
“I said, we are done. Over,” I managed to choke out past the lump in my throat. Grant must have had an excellent microphone, because this time my voice carried over the noise of laughter and talking. It cut right through the chatter coming through my computer speakers.
“Wow. She’s fucking pissed,” someone said off camera.
“Aurora...” Grant pushed the woman in his lap away. “Listen to me—”
My eyes tracked the woman exiting the frame, and I shook my head. “No, you listen to me, Grant St. John,” I winced at the verbal misstep, “Bradford, or whatever you are.” His eyes hardened but I didn’t stop. “We are so done. I’m not doing this.”
“Holy shit! Are you fucking this girl?”
“I hope not,” a female voice tittered.
I took in a quick breath and looked away from Grant. I couldn’t even look at him. I was vibrating, shaking with anger at the entire situation that had spiraled out of control in the last handful of minutes. I blinked away the tears that pricked my eyes when I saw a champagne glass thrust into Grant’s hands.
“I’m ending this call,” I told him. Grant’s eyes were full of disbelief, and when I moved to reach for the end call button he broke his silence.
“Are you serious? What the hell! I thought we had just gotten over this shit, Aurora.”
“That was before you had a nightclub teleport into your living room!”
“Uh, excuse me, we’re his friends. Who the hell are you?” The man who had leered at me earlier now shot a glare my way, but the gesture prompted Grant to shove him away from the computer.
“Not fucking now, John,” Grant snapped, thrusting the glass of champagne into the man’s hands. He sidestepped out of the frame, toward what I assumed was where the other gathered “friends” were, all of whom were quiet as church mice.
“Aurora, listen to me. This is not who I am. You know that.”
“I don’t know what I know anymore. What I know is that I can’t believe I almost fell for your bullshit.”
“It wasn’t bullshit,” Grant insisted, hands going to the table in front of him. “I need you to listen to me, Aurora. Forget about these people. Remember what we had.”
“Yes, it was. And what do you want me to remember? That you’re just another man who thought he could lie to me? Another man who didn’t even think I was worth the truth?” I let out a bitter laugh and blinked back the tears I refused to let fall. “That’s all you are, Grant.”
“Aurora, that isn’t true. Look, just calm down—and—”
“No.”
“What?” His blue eyes widened in surprise. “I don’t—”
“You heard me. We’re through.”
“You don’t mean that.”
I gave him a rueful smile and put my finger on the button to end the call. “I wish I didn’t. But I do. Goodbye.”
“Aurora!” His eyes widened at the finality in my voice. We both heard it, and there was nothing left for me to do but end the call, so that was what I did.
I pushed the button and the screen went black, leaving me in silence. Only then did I let the tears fall.
