Tyler's grin evaporated and he looked at me with surprising anger. "I never cheated on you," he growled. "I swear on my life."
“You may not have, because I happened to catch you, but you were about to!”
"What you saw was one moment," Tyler said calmly. "You have no idea what happened before that."
Why am I even listening to this? I wondered.
"Will you calm down and let me explain without freaking out?" Tyler pleaded, a gentle tone in his voice that made me feel like mush inside. "I promise you’ll understand better once I'm done. And if you still don't want to talk to me when it's over, I'll leave and you'll never have to hear from me again."
For some reason, the thought of never hearing from him again really bothered me, even though I'd spent the last several months avoiding him at all costs.
Maybe I should just listen, I thought, if only to see how ridiculous his lie is going to be.
I bit my lower lip, deep in thought while Tyler gazed at me with an earnestness that I found surprising.
Screw it. Just give him a chance to explain himself and be done with it.
"Go ahead then," I said finally, crossing my arms across my chest and sticking my nose up at the ceiling in a snobby manner. "For all the good it will do you."
Tyler let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Vicky."
It was the first time he'd called me Vicky. I had to admit, it sounded good to my ears.
Then he began telling me about what happened after I left him. How his ex-girlfriend suddenly showed up and demanded re-entry to his life and how she'd forced herself on him after he demanded that she leave.
"And you walked into the room right as she grabbed me," Tyler said as he finished his tale. "I was about to forcefully remove her, but then I thought better of it. I didn't want her to accuse me of something, she’s the biggest gold digger I’ve ever known, after all. I was in thought about how to handle the situation, and she took advantage of it. That’s the God’s honest truth.”
I stood there for a long while, mulling Tyler's story over in my head. For all my suspicion about his being a player, his story sure sounded genuine. His tone sounded genuine. Not one word he said sounded like a lie. But then again, that’s what he was known for, a honey tongue.
"And she's the one who caused me to lose my faith in relationships to begin with,” Tyler continued. “Trust me when I say that I’d never allow her in my life again. I tell you now, I've never been hurt by much of anything, even when my parents divorced. But what she did . . .” He shook his head, his eyes haunted. "It fucking destroyed me, probably because I’d allowed myself to grow such a huge ego that I never thought something like that would happen to me. I gave her everything . . . all of me . . . and still it wasn't enough. I know what it feels like to be cheated on, and I would never do that to you.”
It was hardly fathomable to me. What kind of girl would cheat on Tyler Locklin? He had everything. I mean, he was young, good looking, rich.
And he’s good in bed, said the voice in my head.
"So when you hear about me being a player, it was all because I was acting out my pain. I’m quite certain none of those girls ever had any inclination that I was interested in them beyond that first night. In a way, I was protecting myself. I’d put a barrier up, and I refused to let anyone get through it. That is, until you came along.”
I could tell it was difficult for him to get the words out. I'd never seen him so conflicted by his emotions before . . . and I liked it. It was nice knowing that he was capable of it.
"What about that crap about my lips when I was getting your measurements? I started out no different than any of the other girls you’ve discarded,” I demanded.
Tyler cleared his throat, feigning embarrassment. "That was just me being me. Besides, it was before I knew you." He chuckled at me, winking. "But I gotta’ say, I was absolutely right.”
"Asshole!"
“Relax, I’m just kidding. Kind of.”
I scowled. "Not funny. Not funny at all."
"Yeah it is, you just don’t want to admit." He turned serious. "Do you believe me?"
For once that voice in my mind was silent, a good sign.
"Maybe," I said coyly. "But what happened to your ex? Am I just supposed to believe she left and never came back?"
"She did come back," Tyler admitted.
I tensed up, feeling anger rise up in my throat.
"But she left when she got what she wanted," Tyler added quickly, seeing my dark scowl.
"Which was?"
"Money."
"Are you serious?" I demanded.