Walking up and down every aisle, I let time pass and hoped Delaney had calmed down by the time I arrived at our dorm. A pile of clothes was on top of her bed and she was nowhere in sight. I checked my phone one last time before turning it off completely. “Screw you, Nate,” I muttered as my phone powered off. I showered, put on my favorite PJs, and turned on the TV to watch Sixteen Candles.
Somewhere through the 80’s classic, the chocolate, and some much needed tequila to cure my sadness, I fell asleep. The following morning, I awoke to the door opening. Delaney tiptoed into the room, her high heels dangling from one hand as she dropped her key in the fishbowl. Her hair looked freshly fucked, and most of her makeup had smeared to one side of her face.
“Are you just getting in?” I asked, confused and a bit hungover.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I didn't mean to wake you.”
“Where did you go?”
I wiped the sleep off my face and looked over at the clock on my night stand. It was seven in the morning and Delaney was doing the walk of shame. She sighed and smiled. It was a genuine, happy smile.
It would also be known as the smile that destroyed my heart.
Delaney discarded her short shorts and blouse and held her shirt over her chest. Her smile grew wide on her face as though she was remembering the previous night. “Promise you won't judge?” I nodded. “I spent the night with Nate.”
I shook my head, not believing her. That was impossible. He and I were . . .
Nothing.
“You what?” I asked, my voice laced with disgust.
“I know. It's crazy, right?” She put an oversized T-shirt on and crawled under the covers.
“You and Nate? Last night?”
“Yeah. It was just sex.” She giggled. “Good sex.”
My heart shredded into a million pieces. “B-But I thought you were mad at him?” My head spun, and a part of me hoped that it was a nightmare caused by the tequila.
“I am! But that boy knows his way around my body.” She winked.
I nodded at her response. My throat was closing up, and my tears were on the brink of falling. I lay my head back on the pillow and turned to the wall. I couldn't speak, or move. The only thing I could do was cry.
Chapter 16
Brielle
Love made you do stupid things. I never really understood overpowering love. I believed that in the past twenty years I had experienced love, but clearly I was wrong. What I experienced in the past was lust. I wasn't in love with Nathaniel, I was obsessed with him, and obsession made you do crazy things.
It hurt less if I thought that.
Hours after Delaney dropped her bomb on me, it was as if a switch had flipped off in my brain. I wanted revenge on Nate.
Surprisingly, when I powered up my cell phone, Nate finally greeted me with messages. Lots of messages. And voicemails that blew up my inbox.
I ignored every single one.
I was a fool for letting a man like him in my heart. I wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
I showered, dressed, and went for a drive to clear my mind. I left Delaney sleeping in her bed. Clearly he had tired her out. My blood boiled with rage at the thought of them together, and I pushed harder on the accelerator as I travelled the highways.
I drove out of North Carolina, crossed into South Carolina, and was almost at the border of Georgia before I turned around. I didn't arrive back to the dorm until much later that night. Again my phone was filled with messages from Nathaniel but I refused to read them.
Four days passed and I continued to ignore him. It was Thursday night and I had made plans to watch a movie with Julian. I figured a distraction was better than sulking around my dorm, so I showed up at his door with a pizza and a six-pack of beer. We were halfway through the first Terminator movie when his phone began to buzz.
“Hey, bro,” he answered. Julian's gaze met mine and his eyebrows furrowed. Nathaniel?
“Yeah, I'm looking at her right now.”
That asshole had the nerve to ask his brother about me.
“All right, I'll let her know. I'll catch you later.” Julian tossed his phone on the bed.
He asked me to tell you he needs your help with biology. For you to call him when you're done here.”
I bit the inside of my cheek as rage climbed up my spine. Who did he think he was? He didn't need help. I was just a pawn in his bag of tricks. I gave him what he wanted and now, because I was ignoring him, I became the shiny toy he wanted to play with again. My grandmother used to say, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
Revenge.
Karma.
A dose of his own medicine.
I was three beers in and slightly buzzed when I looked over at Julian and asked for something stronger. “I think Edwin has a bottle of cheap vodka somewhere.”