“A shuttlecock in badminton moves back and forth through the air—kind of like how a surfboard moves across a wave. Plus it has the word ‘cock’ in it. You have to admit that’s pretty genius marketing.”
Apparently I wasn’t the target audience. “You’re the worst.”
She laughed. “Aw, I’m sorry Kris. I’m listening.” She led me by the hand and we took a seat on the couch.
Riley whipped out her phone and began pecking at it. “Looks like there really is a surfboard named that. It’s got rave reviews already. People are saying they love the handling but the best part is the name. So I don’t think he was lying to you. It was just an innocent misunderstanding.”
“He lied about the security team though. And he acted like a psycho. He told me it was because his younger sister Giselle had an abusive boyfriend and he beat that guy up.”
“Sounds like he’s a knight with shining abs.”
Her tone was starting to piss me off. I needed my best friend to take me seriously. “Or a guy with a temper problem. I never knew Vincent had that side to him.”
That wiped the smile off her face. “Stop it. Vincent’s totally different from Marty. He had a good reason for doing what he did. Marty hurt you before and I can see why Vincent reacted the way he did. Hell, if I was here when Marty showed up, I’d probably mace first, ask questions later.”
She put her phone back in her pocket and rested her hand on my knee. “Give Vincent a chance. He’s not perfect. You showed him your baggage, now he’s shown you his. Take some time to think about it.”
That was a good point about baggage. “I get where Vincent’s coming from, but I don’t know if we’re going to work out. There’s so much drama in my life—Vincent, Marty, work stuff. I really wish things were simpler. I don’t know if I can handle all the chaos right now. I’m pretty close to a total breakdown.”
Riley looked at me searchingly. “Are you thinking of breaking up with Vincent?”
I sighed. “Maybe. Or at least taking a break from our relationship.”
She took my hand gently in hers. “To me it sounds like Vincent really cares about you. And I mean really. He got you a freaking security team. And from what you’ve told me over the past few weeks, you really care about him too. Am I right?”
“Of course I care about him.”
“This is only your first fight as a couple, right?”
“Well, it’s our second. The first one happened after I met Ariel. This one is much bigger.”
“So it’s your first major fight. That’s pretty normal considering how long you’ve been seeing each other. I usually have major fights in the first few weeks.”
“The circumstances aren’t normal at all. Lying about security teams and mauling exes isn’t normal.”
“Lies are pretty common, Kris. People have been forgiven for far worse lies than covering up an attempt to be overprotective against a psycho ex-boyfriend.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s a strong case.”
Her blue eyes became serious. “Kristen, you’ve always been afraid of consequences since I’ve known you. You’re afraid of getting hurt and that makes perfect sense given what you’ve been through. Your relationship with Vincent is a risk for sure. He could hurt you emotionally but you could also hurt him. But what relationship isn’t a risk? Sometimes you have to take a risk because the reward is worth it.”
I groaned. “You sound like Vincent talking about risk-taking.”
She smiled. “Do I? Have you considered that maybe Vincent sounds like me?”
A grin spread on my lips. I didn’t know how she did it, but Riley always knew how to make me smile in the worst circumstances. “He definitely does not sound like you. You’ve got a dirtier mind.”
Her smile turned wicked. “And proud of it. So are you going to be okay? Or do we need to go to Savage Hunks to cheer you up? They’re still open at this hour you know.”
The last thing I needed right now was to see more muscled men causing a commotion. I needed peace tonight. “As tempting as that sounds, I think I’m okay now. At least a lot better than before.”
She squeezed my hand. “I’ll be here for you, whatever you need.”
I squeezed her hand back. “Thanks Riley.”
***
I didn’t have work the next day since it was Saturday. Thank goodness because I didn’t think I’d be able to get any work done with everything spinning in my mind. Although I had been exhausted the previous night, I still had difficulty falling asleep.