Page 108 of Inevitable
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
AUBREY
THE SOUND of the door slamming behind Jax ricocheted through Rome’s apartment.
I almost screamed. He infuriated me so much that I wanted to text Rome to come home and screw me in his bed where Jax wouldn’t. I trudged back to my apartment so tired of following rules and fitting myself into the stupid box I imagined my father must have somehow psychologically built for me.
When I opened the door to our apartment and saw Katie sitting to the left on the living room couch with wine in both her hands, I sighed.
“I figured we could start with the wine and move to something stronger if needed.”
I closed the door behind me and leaned into it. “How’d you know I’d be home?”
“After I stiletto stomped his ass and insinuated that you were sleeping with Rome, I figured he would be heading next door. When I didn’t hear a fight break out, I was pretty disappointed.”
I scoffed.
“What? Like Rome and Jax fighting wouldn’t be epic?” She waved off her question. “Anyway, Rome texted me that you might be back and you might not. I figured Jax is a dick and you’d be back.”
I grabbed a glass from her and joined her on the couch. “I just want him to tell me why he continues to go. What is it they could possibly be discussing after all these years when they never had anything to discuss before?”
“Nothing, Brey,” she replied casually as she took the remote and started surfing through channels. “We’ve gone over this again and again. People are just fucked in the head when they lead a cushy life and get thrown into a fucked-up situation. Maybe he has guilt, maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he’s just psychotic. Who cares? It doesn’t matter.”
I slumped into the couch, knowing I needed one of her reality checks. “Tell me why it doesn’t matter again?”
“Because he should have bucked the hell up and chose you. He should have told you why he was going or stopped fucking going. He did neither. Instead, he left you high and dry. So, fuck him.”
I gulped my wine. “Ugh. You are right. I know you are so right.”
She stopped channel surfing and turned to smile at me. “I know I am, but you are too damn nice, and you love too damn hard to listen to me. So, I’ll say this only once, and I’ll never repeat it again.”
I squinted a little at her, wondering what my best friend could possibly say that she hadn’t said in all these years.
“Shit.” She looked disgusted with herself as she launched off the couch. “I need something stronger than wine if I am going to say this.”
“Should I have something stronger too?” My question sounded meek.
She jumped up on the counter to dig in the cabinets and grabbed the long lost Macallan that I hadn’t touched in weeks. After hopping down and pouring four shots, she looked up at me. Her dark eyes held no humor and were all business when she said, “Come drink up. You’re going to need it.”
I hesitated, not sure I needed to hear what she was going to say.
Katie was my best friend, the one who’d always stuck by my side. Her compass needle pointed directly to making me happy and the other end of the needle was the total bitch who protected that happiness.
If she was going to say something I couldn’t handle, I needed more than two shots of liquor.
I downed the first one with her without saying another word.
She nodded at the next two shots and we downed those also.
I breathed out the burn of it and let it travel down into my stomach. I sighed. “Maybe another?”
She nodded and poured, “God, I hate this whiskey, you know that?”
Her admission surprised me. “You always used to drink it with me.”
“I drank it with you because every time you brought it out, I knew something was wrong. It’s like the punishment drink.”
I rolled my lips between my teeth. “Maybe.”
