Love, Lies, and Deception(58)
Kristian’s arms tightened around my waist, and he pulled me closer. I buried my face in his chest and breathed in his familiar scent while I sobbed.
“Shh … it’s okay. Everything will be okay,” he murmured in my ear.
“Has anyone tried to call you?” I asked, still keeping my face hidden while he held me.
He scoffed, and his chest vibrated with a sardonic laugh. “Are you kidding? If it’s not Emily, your sister, or Justin calling it’s Alec. I haven’t answered a single one. I wanted to wait and see what you wanted me to do.”
Sniffling and wiping my eyes, I backed away and straightened the bag on my shoulders. I was too embarrassed to look Kristian in the eyes, so I turned my head away.
“Please don’t answer them just yet, and if you do, don’t tell them I’m with you. I just feel like a fool, not to mention there’s still someone trying to find me. So it’s probably best I try to stay hidden.”
Kristian lightly grasped my chin and tilted it up so I’d meet his eyes. “You have nothing to worry about; we can stay hidden for as long as you want. I rented a beach house for the weekend, but I’m sure the owners would let me extend it for however long we need it.”
Weakly, I half-smiled and nodded. “That sounds good. I probably need to call my sister before she has the whole world out looking for me.”
Taking the bag off my shoulders, Kristian threw it over his and agreed, “Yeah that might be a good idea. I don’t want to get arrested for kidnapping you. Let’s get out to the car so you can have some privacy when you call her.”
Taking my hand, he led me out of the airport and into the breezy, humid air of Wilmington, North Carolina. My sundress immediately stuck to my skin as the heat surrounded me like a thick blanket. I could see Kristian’s Land Rover in the parking lot and was thankful we didn’t have far to walk before we got back into some air conditioning.
“It’s hot, isn’t it?” Kristian remarked, hitting the key fob to unlock his car doors.
I nodded. “It’s going to take some getting used to when we move out here. Does this place you’re taking me to have a pool?” I asked.
Smiling wickedly, Kristian opened my car door and I slid in. He leaned into the door and added, “Yes, it does, and we have it all to ourselves. We’re also right on the beach, so if you want to go for a walk tonight we can, or if you want some time to yourself that’d be fine as well.”
Leaning my head against the seat, I sighed and turned to face him. “A walk on the beach sounds great, Kristian, except I might need a few drinks in me first. It’s been a very long day.”
He gazed at me sadly. “You know that’s not the way to deal with this, right?”
“I seem to recall that being your therapy when you and Natalie were having your ups and downs,” I pointed out, pursing my lips. “Speaking of which, isn’t she supposed to be here with you this weekend? What’s she going to say about me being here?”
“Hold on and let me get in. I’ll tell you all about it.”
Shutting my car door, he walked around to his side, placing my bag in the back before getting up in the front. Starting up the engine, he backed out of the parking space and we were off on our way.
“Yes, she was supposed to be here …” Kristian began, “… but now she’s not coming.”
Exasperated, I asked, “Did you two have another fight? I swear you two have more fights than any other couple I know.”
Kristian shook his head. “No, Mare, we didn’t have a fight. We’re not together anymore.”
His attention was on the road, but my eyes went wide and I stared at him. “Since when?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He glanced at me for a brief second and shrugged his shoulder. “I didn’t want to burden you with my problems while you had ones of your own. After what happened at the airport with me kissing you I told her.”
I stiffened in my seat. “What did she say?”
“Nothing much really, other than the fact that I’m a dirtbag even though she admitted to cheating on me, too. It wasn’t going to work anyway.”
He didn’t sound upset about it at all which surprised me, but I had a feeling I knew why. I definitely was not in the mood to find out for sure just yet. Taking his hand, I clasped it with my own and held it in my lap.
“I’m sorry, Kristian. Right now, I don’t think I’m in a position to give you relationship advice.”
Reluctantly, he asked, “Are you going to tell me what happened? I understand if you don’t, but I think it’d be good to talk about it.”
Dropping my gaze to our clasped hands, I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Talking about it was going to be difficult, but I needed to get it off my chest. The tears started burning behind my eyelids and I let them fall willingly, hot and salty down my cheeks.
“He cheated on me, Kristian,” I said softly.
His hand tightened in mine. “Are you serious? How could he cheat on you? You two were in hiding.”
I scoffed, “Well, when you’re famous I guess you can get any piece of ass you want. Apparently, waiting for me to get off my period was an inconvenience for him.” I cringed with what I said and sent him an apologetic stare. “I’m sorry, that was too much information. I don’t know why he did it, but he did. All I know was that it hurt.”