Page 119 of Now and Forever

“That’s an extreme take on how you see things. If you’d take a chance to open your mind instead of hanging on to pre-existing beliefs, maybe you’d see a different perspective, Jackson.” There was a silent plea in Drew’s tone, as though they hadn’t agreed on something important; hence, the fractured friendship.

The resonating sound of tense silence filled the air. It was palpable, and I felt caught in the crossfire.

Jackson shook his head before giving a dry laugh, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Right. Well, thanks for dinner. I’ll take my narrow-minded self out to party with the same people you deem garbage.”

“Wait! You’re leaving?” I watched in horror as I flickered my eyes to and fro, wondering where their years of tight friendship had gone.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Chloe. Have a goodnight.” Jackson gave me an unapologetic look before getting up and pushing his chair into the table.

It didn’t take long for the sound of the door being slammed shut echoed around the apartment. Something was very wrong, and I had no idea what that was.

“What is going on between you guys? This doesn’t look like the petty fights you two always had back home.”

“People change … and some don’t.”

What did that mean? How long had they been like this to each other? Not only had they barely hung out since I had arrived, but it seemed as though they couldn’t bear to be in the same room together for long.

“Are you really considering going to Miami?”

I glared at him. It couldn’t be helped. How could he just brush off what had happened and continue discussing Miami?

“I already said I would think on it. Nothing’s been decided yet.”

“Spencer likes challenges. The more he sees that you might play hard to get, the eager he becomes. He lives for the thrill of the chase,” he stated succinctly.

Funny he should say that ’cause …“If I didn’t know any better, you could be describing yourself.”

I was completely unprepared when he reached out to hold my hand, looking at me with pure sincerity. “I only want what’s best for you, Chloe, and that sure as hell isn’t Spencer … Nor is it me.”

The weight of his words knocked the air out of me. How often had he stated such words to me? Of course, it hurt to hear him say it. I hadn’t given up my V-card to some random man. He meant a lot to me.

“Great, I guess I should say thank you and good looking out.” It would have been a good retort had it been a joke, but the sarcasm was too apparent to be ignored.

Silence stretched between us while his hand casually held mine. It felt like forever, waiting for that moment that he would eventually pull away.

Just before I had the strength to look away, he cleared his throat then gazed at my face appreciatively. “I like your hair down like that. It makes you look very exotic.”

With my tan and amber eyes, I supposed I could pass for exotic. Hearing it from him, from his lips, pleased me more than I cared to admit. But as much as I wanted to dwell on my thoughts, I still had a lot of unanswered questions that needed to be addressed.

“Where did you go after you left that night?” I referred to the night he had walked out on me after interrupting that tête-à-tête with Spencer.

He seemed tentative for a few seconds before finally rasping out, “To someone’s place.”

Gauging by his reaction, I didn’t have to wonder. “It’s a woman, of course.” I snorted, as if mocking him.

Why couldn’t he just hang out with guys like Jackson? He used to do that, too, but it seemed as though, every waking moment he wasn’t in school, he was bed hopping like a fucking gigolo. What the hell had gotten into him?

“Sex isn’t everything, Drew. I know that sounds ridiculous to men like you, but there’s more to life than that.” I was treading on such a dangerous subject, but I had to say it.

He had been off his rocker when his mom had died, followed by his grandmother. He’d had no family left as far as I knew. This wouldn’t do him any good if it were his way of coping with their loss. After all, it had been less than two years since it had happened. For some folks, that was still considered fresh wounds.

Something feral flickered in his magnetic blue depths before they locked onto my amber ones. “I fucked her hard. I fucked her good … so good that she fucking looked shattered. And I didn’t fucking stop until every thought of you with that little skirt on had been wiped out of my mind.”

My mouth hung ajar as hurt bombarded me from all fronts. “You …” I growled as my body shook. I wanted to slap him so hard I could feel my hand tingling. Instead, I opted to abruptly stand up from my chair and leave the table, too blinded by my tremendous pain to see that my foot was about to crash against the settee.

“Fuck! My big toe!”I screeched and sobbed at the same time. It was so painful I was seeing white stars and hadn’t realized Drew was right there with me before he carried me to the sofa.

While seated, my gaze dropped to the swollen toe, wondering how I was going to survive going to school injured.

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