Dear Heart, You Screwed Me(91)

“Thank you, Elijah,” I whispered to the sky, and suddenly the clouds parted, and a beam of sunshine beat down on me. He was always with me.





CHAPTER 40





REESE





The first thing I done when I walked through my apartment door was put my food away, then I stripped down, dropping my clothes behind me as I did then slipped into the shower. It felt good to wash my hair, the water cascading down over my skin. Wrapping my towel around me, I padded to the bedroom when I heard a knock on the door, rubbing the towel that was in my hands at the root of my hair, I looked through the peep hole.

Connie.

Stepping back, I clung onto the towel around my torso and holding onto the small hand towel. Inhaling deeply, I slipped the security lock across the door and opened it slowly. She smiled, holding a bag of Chinese food and a non-alcoholic champagne.

“May I come in?” she asked a little hesitant as she stood in the doorway.

I nodded, stepping aside to let her through. I could feel the awkwardness and the tension crackle in the air. Closing the door behind her, I turned as she put the food on the countertop.

“I’m just going to… ya know…” I pointed to my lack of clothes.

“Yeah cool.” She smiled, her hand in her back pocket as she rocked on the balls of her feet.

I gave her a thumbs up before walking into my bedroom and shutting the door behind me.

A thumbs up!?

I face palmed myself. Dropping my towel to the floor I grabbed some leggings and an oversized tee before pulling my damp hair into a messy bun. I hung my towels up on the towel rail in the bathroom before walking back out towards Connie. She had put the cartons out and opened them with both pairs of chopsticks sitting in the noodles. We always ate the noodles first. We didn’t need plates, we just dug straight in.

I walked slowly over to her, giving her a weak smile as I did.

“Hey, look…” she said as she broke eye contact suddenly, looking at the floor then bringing her deep brown eyes back to me.

I inhaled deeply; my heart was thumping against my chest. I felt so nervous. I never wanted to fall out with Connie. That was the last thing I wanted to happen.

“I didn’t want to fall out with you. It was just a huge shock to the system as you can imagine. To find out that not only you were sleeping with my dad, but you were also married and pregnant with his child…”

“No, I get it…” I breathed, my hands on my hips as I looked at the ground.

“I don’t want to lose you Reese,” she whispered.

I sighed, licking my lips before rubbing them into a thin line. Of course, I was going to forgive her, I just wanted to make her sweat a little.

“How much do I owe you for dinner?” my tone was clipped, nibbling the inside of my lip as I tried to suppress my smile.

“You don’t owe me anything,” she glared at me.

“Nah, I want to give you my money, you know, pay my way, out of my own money.” I walked towards my purse that was still laying on the countertop. “Don’t want you thinking I am giving you any of my gold digger money.”

“Reese…” I heard the exasperation in her voice.

“Nah, it’s fine…” I twisted my lips as turned my back on her, but I couldn’t hold it anymore before I burst into a giggle.

“You fucker,” she laughed as she lunged herself at me, her arms wrapping around my neck and kissing me on the cheek. “My bad.”

I continued laughing as I turned to face her, “It’s fine, just don’t call me a gold-digging whore again,” I warned.

“You know I didn’t mean it, I was just angry.”

I nodded. “I know, it just hurt me a little.” I saw Connie’s smile fade, “but not as much as it hurt me watching you storm out the door and out of my life.”

“You would never lose me,” she smiled, “you’re stuck with me for life now.”

“Good.”

We sat in light chatter whilst we ate. I had to stop myself so many times from asking how Killian was. I don’t know why I wanted to know; I was just torturing myself.

I took a mouthful of the champagne that Connie brought and turned my nose up at the taste as I pulled the glass away from my lips. “This tastes like cat piss,” I snorted.

“What do you expect? It’s some cheap, non-alcoholic shit I had to pick up cos you got knocked up,” she winked.

“It just happened… okay,” I rolled my eyes.

“I don’t need to picture it any more than I have thank you,” Connie stood, taking my glass and putting it on the countertop. She spun round to face me, her face aglow, her eyes glistening with something.

“What is it?” I asked as I leant over the arm of my sofa.

“I told my dad about Tryst,” she squealed.

“You did?” my eyes widened, my mouth agape.

She nodded.

“How did he take it?”

“Pretty well, but then again,” she shrugged her shoulders up, “he didn’t have a choice did he? He couldn’t be mad at me after what I had found out.”

I felt my stomach flip.

“I suppose not.” Plastering a fake smile back upon my face, “That’s great Connie, I am so glad that it’s all out in the open now.”