Page 32 of Crossing the Line
Were they sitting that far apart? My head throbs, unable to keep up with my swarming thoughts.
“Plus, you left the bar with some guy anyway. What do you care?”
His accusation feels like a punch to the gut. “I didn’t leave the bar with anyone.” It’s not a lie. I left the bar on my own, and Aiden followed.
I hadn’t really thought about Aiden since we split ways, but I can’t help wondering what he would think of me sitting here, talking to Garret on the phone.
He’d probably keep his mouth shut.
But those damn eyes would tell all.
Garret’s soft voice brings me back to our conversation. “That’s not what I heard.”
“Why are you talking so quietly?” I ask again.
Intuition is a funny thing. You can want to believe everything a person says, cling to their every word and want to see the best in them, but there are some things that your gut just knows—even when your head pulls out all the stops to convince you otherwise.
And even though I can’t see Garret, I somehow know that he’s at his apartment with Shelly sleeping in the next room. I know he’s talking to me in the furthest corner from her and looking over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure he doesn’t wake her. I can see it like a movie in my head, playing out in real-time as he continues to whisper all the things I want to hear.
Garret sighs into the other end of the phone. “What do you want me to do? Yell?”
“Yeah.”
“What?” He practically laughs out the word.
“I want you to yell,” I say flatly.
He scoffs. “I’m not going to yell at you over the phone. I’m not that kind of guy.”
That statement gets to me because there have been multiple times throughout our relationship when he was exactly that kind of guy. “Garret, yell.”
His voice changes into a harsh whisper, but he keeps his volume low. “I don’t have to prove anything to you, okay? Get over yourself, Claire.”
A tear escapes the corner of my eye, and I quickly wipe it away like I can erase that it ever happened. I don’t want to cry over him. I don’t want to cry over anyone who acts like this, but he just confirmed what I was suspecting, and it’s more painful than I want to admit.
“I have to go, Garret.”
His fast talking starts on the other end of the phone, but I hang up before he gets the chance to spin more lies. Glancing around the small Airbnb, I’m reminded of how alone I am again. Only this time, my solitude doesn’t feel like something to celebrate.
29
Aiden
“Hey, man, what the hell did you say to Daniella?”
Well, there goes my solitude. Chad pokes his head out from the sliding glass door, his sandy blonde hair falling to one side. He looks like he spends most of his time at the beach. I wouldn’t say Florida suits most people, but for whatever reason, it seems to suit Chad just fine.
Leaning my head against the outside wall, I mutter, “What did she say?”
He steps out onto the balcony with me and shakes his head. “She didn’t tell me. She just said, ‘What’s wrong with your friend?’ on her way out.” Chad laughs to himself before looking over at me. “So, what the hell is wrong with you, man?”
I can’t fight my smile. Chad’s charm even gets to me sometimes. I shrug. “I wasn’t feeling it.”
His eyes widen. “Have you seen her? She’s well above the Natty Shack standard.” He leans against the wall next to me and crosses his arms. “You messed up.”
Staring out over the balcony, I take in the view before answering. You can’t see the beach from here, but when the town is quiet, you can hear it in the distance. There’s a strip of shops, bars, and restaurants within walking distance, and once you get past that, you’ll find the ocean. “Maybe.”
I don’t look at him, but I can feel him scrutinizing me. “Who is she?”