Page 35 of Only a Kiss

“Why didn’t it work out?Did he not feel the same way?”She asked the second question like it was an impossibility, and it wassohard not to tell her everything.But I couldn’t.I couldn’t do that to Travis.Jenna was his whole world.

“No, he didn’t.”The words scraped on their way out.Fresh tears filled my eyes, and my nose burned from the effort of holding them back.

“Oh Sadie, I’m so sorry.”She pulled me tight against her.“For what it’s worth, he’s obviously an idiot if he can’t see how incredible you are.”

I cried harder because if she knew who it was, she’d hate me instead of sitting here consoling me while I tried to figure out how to live with a broken heart.

“You need something to take your mind off this,” she said.

“I’m not having sex with someone else.”

She rolled her eyes.“That’s not what I was going to suggest.There’s a little get-together going on tonight.Low-key, but would be a good excuse to get out of your apartment.What do you think?”

It was probably a good idea to get out and try to function in public instead of just at work.Low-key sounded like low-pressure which meant if I wanted to leave, I could.Jenna had never led me wrong before, and I knew if I decided it was too much, she wouldn’t be bothered if I left.

“I’ll drive,” she said before I had a chance to say anything.“You go get changed, I’ll do your hair, and I’ll get some ice to bring down the puffiness of your eyes and then we’ll head out, okay?”

“Okay,” I said, swallowing down the emotion lodged in my throat and reminding myself that I would get through this.

Somehow.

I should’ve asked for more details.

When we pulled up outside Travis’s house, I glanced at her.“Did you need to pick something up?”

She looked at me funny.“No.The party is here.Uncle Wyatt convinced my dad to throw a barbecue thing.I figured this would be a safe bet since it’s all people who love you and no pressure.You’ve practically grown up in this house.”

She got out of the car so fast she couldn’t see my face blanch.I turned to look out the window at the house where I had my heart broken.

The house that no longer held warmth and happy feelings, but pain and heartache.

She came around to my side and looked in the window at me, arching a brow.I took a deep breath, hoping it would give me strength—already knowing it wouldn’t—and then got out of the car.

“We don’t have to stay long.Maybe just eat a burger, listen to Uncle Wyatt’s corny jokes even though we all know he’s got all the exits mapped out and is probably the most dangerous guy in there, and then we can go back to your place, eat some ice cream, drink something alcoholic, and watch movies until we pass out.”

“Maybe we should just skip to that last part at my place,” I mumbled as we headed toward the gate that led to the backyard.I could already hear voices, lots of voices.It had been a while since I’d been to one of Travis’s backyard parties, and I really wished I wasn’t walking into this one.I wasn’t prepared to see him.

We walked into the backyard to find small groups of people mingling, Wyatt at the grill, and a few people already in the pool.Laughter filled the air.Obviously, Travis hadn’t been struggling like I had.He was throwing a fucking party only a week after obliterating my heart.If I needed any confirmation that my feelings were one-sided, this was it.

A knot formed in my stomach which only grew when I spotted Travis with his friend Troy, who also worked with him.Troy’s wife, who I’d met at past barbecues, stood next to a petite brunette who was looking at Travis like he was a juicy steak.

“Hey Dad,” Jenna said, grabbing Travis’s attention, which shifted to me at the same time Jenna asked, “Who’s this?”

Travis opened his mouth to speak, but Troy was the one who answered.

“This is your dad’s hot date for the night,” he said with laughter in his voice, and that knot in my stomach was suddenly nothing compared to the way all the air whooshed out of my body at his declaration.

My gaze finally broke away from Travis to look at Troy, who seemed proud of himself.Then I glanced at the brunette, and whatever semblance of my heart that was left splintered and crumbled in my chest.She looked closer to Travis’s age and was petite and beautiful in every way.

She was the exact opposite of me.

I didn’t think it was possible to feel any lower than I had in the past week, but realization dawned as I felt like every piece of me broke inch by inch.This was the kind of woman he wanted—older, more sophisticated, and the kind of woman he would be able to show off to his friends and introduce to his daughter.

He never wanted me—he was never going to be mine, no matter how badly I wanted it.

If I stood there for another second, I was going to break in front of everyone and there would be no way to hide that reaction.And right now, Travis was the last person who I wanted to see me break.

“Excuse me.I need to use the bathroom.”

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