Page 13 of Finding Their Place

Never mind that Alec’s sister was the most stubborn girl I’d ever met, a selfish bitch of the worst sort who’d been spoiled since the day she’d been born. Silver spoon and the whole nine yards, Sindy got what she wanted when she wanted it.

But so did Alec, which was why I found myself unable to land a job in the entertainment industry and I struggled to find my way in life.

It had been poor judgement on my end to not call him about his sister’s tantrum and insist he help me since I hadn’t been able to get her to listen. I’d left her to her own demise after countless battles between her and I in the past.

And I’d paid the consequences along with her.

Anger roused inside me, pissiness at Alec for refusing to see there might be another side to the whole story. Even though I was to blame for what happened to his sister, I felt like a victim too.

Or was I being a selfish bitch?

Dragging my ass toward Haley’s and my apartment, I decided that regardless of my thoughts toward the entire situation, I was done chasing a dream that wouldn’t ever come to fruition. Maybe I did need to move back east to where no one knew my name and I could find my way onto boring stages in local drama clubs and such.

My grandparents wouldn’t ever accept my sexuality though, so I wouldn’t have any freedom to be completely me. The thought of having to suppress part of who I was tingled fatigue through my limbs. I’d done that the first eighteen years of my life and had no wish to backpedal.

A tear finally trickled down my cheek as I shoved the key into our apartment door.

Haley stood in the kitchen when I walked in, her sleep T-shirt hanging mid-thigh—same as always when she got off work in the middle of the afternoon.

She frowned at the look on my face but didn’t say a word, simply hurrying toward me.

I dropped my bag and caught her up in my arms, burying my nose in her neck and squeezing her tight.

The scent of lavender lotion filled my nose, and I shuddered from anger, heartbreak, and arousal in equal doses.

There would be no joining Pennsylvania drama troupes since it would mean leaving her behind.

“What happened?” she murmured, rubbing my back while I sniffled and cried against her soft skin, hating everything about my life outside her.

“I’ll never work in Hollywood ever again,” I said, setting her back on her feet, thankful as fuck my misery had kept my dick from going stiff as an oak.

She grasped at my scruffy jaw with her small hands. “Why do you say that?”

“Alec.”

A frown furrowed between her eyebrows as she swiped tears from my cheeks with her thumbs. “Are you shitting me?”

“No. I texted him asking if he’d gotten me blacklisted somehow. He replied that payback is a bitch.”

Haley let go of my face and set her hands on her hips. She didn’t wear a bra, but I couldn’t be bothered to think about her breasts in my headspace that Alec had shit over. “What really happened with him, Garrett?”

I hadn’t told her the entire truth or revealed my worst mistake. She would find out what a selfish asshole I really was at my core. “It’s a long story and not worth repeating,” I went with while kicking off my shoes, hoping she would allow me my secret.

“I have a couple bottles of wine and all night,” Haley said, stalking on my heels as I made for my bedroom to change into sweats.

I yanked off my button-down shirt while stepping over the threshold, my stomach tight. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well maybe getting it off your chest will help.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Haley who stood in my bedroom doorway, arms crossed beneath her breasts.

A messy bun held most of her hair atop her head, and a few purple-red strands escaped around her face. She’d put on makeup for work earlier that morning, creating a beauty I had a hard time not staring at.

Given the chance, I would worship every inch of her delectable body with my mouth and hands. But even without her face made up, Haley would have held my eyes captive. I had to tear them off her to pay attention to what I did—unzipping my skinny jeans and glowering at the chub growing between my thighs.

Haley cleared her throat.

“You’re the one who followed me in here,” I reminded her, hands in my waistband ready to drop my jeans to the floor.

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