Little Black Book(74)

Vick’s face crumbled and she fell back a step. “But I thought…”

Even through my drunken haze, I didn’t miss the total devastation on her face. I’d suspected Vick’s feelings for me a couple of weeks ago, but tonight confirmed it. It was like a punch in the gut. She was in love with me.

How could I have not seen it all these years? She was like a sister to me, so it never occurred to me her feelings ran deeper than mine. She watched me screw anyone and everyone, and never batted an eyelash. But with Rosslyn things were different, and now all of Vick’s issues over the past few weeks made sense.

“Vick…” I raised my hands in the air feeling helpless. How was I supposed to tell her I didn’t feel the same for her?

Tears fell down her cheeks and she swiped at them angrily and then wrapped her arms around her middle. I hadn’t seen this side of her in a very long time, and I was reminded of the girl she used to be. She was vulnerable and I was watching it in slow motion as I was breaking her heart.

As much as things had changed between me and Vick in the past weeks, a part of me clung to the old her. I couldn’t just turn away from her pain. Holding my arms out toward her, I waited, hoping she’d accept my comfort. Within a second, she was across the room and throwing her arms around my waist.

Her tears soaked the front of my suit, but I didn’t care. She needed comfort. Guilt thickened in my gut as I realized things were going to be different from that point on. The moment felt like it was marking the end of our friendship.

“I love you, Sebastian. I’ve been with you since the beginning. No one else.”

“Shhh,” I whispered, smoothing the side of her head.

“She’ll never be good enough for you. She’ll never know you like I do. I accept you for who you are and what you’ve done. Would she say the same if she found out about your, our, past?”

“Vick…” I started to explain to her, but she cut me off.

“Tell me you don’t love me, Sebastian. Tell me you’ve never loved me.” She begged, looking up at me with tear-filled eyes.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t feel the same way. You’ve always been like a sister to me.”

“That’s not true.” She shook her head furiously. “Kiss me.”

Before I could stop her, her fingers were gripping my jacket and she was pulling me forward. She caught me by surprise and was able to press her lips against mine.

Desperation was a bitter taste. I felt her tongue move along my lips and I wrapped my fingers around her elbows roughly, and tried to pull her from me.

“I love it when you’re rough,” she growled. “I know how you like to fuck. Fuck me, Sebastian. Fuck me hard.” She bit my lip, freeing her arms and started attacking the buttons on her shirt.

“Stop it, Vick.” I pushed her away and she fell back a few steps.

She blinked at me and then glared. “She’s going to break your heart. She’s not like us. She’ll never be like us. You and I are the same. We don’t get happily ever after.”

“Maybe I won’t get a happy ending, but even after all the shit I’ve done, you and I are nothing alike.”

She smirked, fixed her shirt, and turned around. Without another word, she left the room, slamming my door behind her. If I had been smart, I would have followed her to make sure she left the club, but I wasn’t smart.



“What is this, Sebastian? Tell me what it is.” Roz screamed at me.

Tears ran down her cheeks, taking pieces of my heart with them.

The inevitable had happened and now I was going to lose everything I loved.

“Rosslyn, sweetheart. I can explain. Just let me ex—”

“Don’t you dare call me sweetheart. Tell me what it is. I just want to hear you say the words. I need to know this is real.”

“Rosslyn, please…”

“Stop! Just say the words.”

She was breaking in front of me—crackling from the inside out, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Taking a deep cleansing breath, I closed my eyes and prepared for the end of everything.

“It’s your mother’s locket.”

The words cut into my throat like large shards of glass. I could practically taste the blood in the back of my mouth.

“And how did you get it?”

Her shoulders were stiff and the hand holding out the locket was shaking so bad I thought she might drop it.

“Please, baby. Let me explain.”

I just needed her to listen for just a few minutes. I wanted her to know the truth. She needed to know that while I was there, I didn’t pull the trigger. I didn’t technically kill her parents.