Page 152 of Broken Like This by Bethany

She squeezes my hand tightly. “I’ve always seen you two fight for each other. Don’t give up because it’s rocky. You’ll find your way through.”

I nod again, and she motions to the tea in front of me. We finish our tea, chatting occasionally about other things. She walks me to the door, and once I’m outside, I find myself staring across the street at Rae’s house.

Should I go over there now? What would I tell her?

I have no idea, but I need to do something, even if it’s just letting her know I’m still in.Something.

Without thinking, I make my way across the street, trying to figure out the right words to say when I get there.

Rae

The blaring of my alarm cuts through the haze of sleep. I shut it off quickly, but before I can open my eyes, memories from last night come screaming back to me. I squeeze my eyes shut tighter before reluctantly opening them and looking at the other side of my bed and the naked body tangled in the sheets. A naked body that I desperately wish was Aaron, but isn’t.

Fuck.

Nausea rising in my throat, I force myself to sit up, then reach out and give Jesse a shake.

He groans, then his head snaps up. He’s facing away from me, but his head moves around like he’s trying to figure out where he is, then he quickly rolls over, staring at me.

I meet his gaze, but the heat from last night is gone. It’s replaced with a hearty dose ofoh fuck.

“Shit,” he mutters.

“Well, at least we’re on the same page.”

Then I look down and realize I’m still fully naked.Jesus. No more drinking.Even though I can’t fully blame the alcohol. The alcohol didn’t make me sleep with Jesse, it just helped convince me it would be a good idea. But it was not. Tightly gripping the sheet, I pull it up under my armpits, then drop my arms, holding it in place.

He clears his throat. “Um, I should go.”

“Yeah, I think that’s probably best.”

He goes to stand up, then winces. “Can you, um, toss me my boxers?”

Right.

I lean over, keeping the sheet in place, and grab them, tossing them at him.

After putting them on, he climbs out of bed. “Rae, I—”

“Don’t apologize. It was both of us.”

He nods, and I want to vomit.

He dresses quickly, then looks at me hesitantly. “Are… we okay?”

Swallowing the lump in the back of my throat, I give a slight nod. “Yeah. We’re okay. But maybe… we should take a little—”

“Time?”

“Yeah.”

His lips pull into a flat line. “Okay.”

Great. Not only did I sleep with someone else when I’m in love with Aaron, I slept with a friend and fucked up that relationship, too. Nice job, Rae.

“All right, well… I’ll… see ya, I guess.”

“Yeah. See you.”

---