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“Gabrielle.” The minute the name leaves Wes’s mouth my confusion is gone. “I thought I heard your voice inside earlier.”
Gabrielle. The Gabrielle.
She lays a hand on his arm then leans up to kiss his cheek. I stare at these two points in my boyfriend’s life that are connecting. On one side, I have his past as represented by Gabrielle. You can smell the confidence on her, along with the amazing, sweet fragrance of her perfume. That’s what he left behind? Where does that leave me? I can feel it now more than ever, out in the cold.
“You’re Gabrielle,” I manage to eke out between the ringing in my ears and the knots in my throat and belly.
“Hi. Yes, I am. You’re Hayley, right? It’s nice to meet you after so many years of hearing about you. Wes has told me about you and Eli never stops talking about his amazing sister.”
As I’m shaking her hand, I look down at where our palms meet. I'm on the other side. My hand seems to fit into hers like that of a child. Is that what I look like to them? To him? I’ll be damned if that happens. “It’s nice to meet you too. I’ve heard some kind things about you as well. I didn’t know that you’d be here.”
“Wes didn’t tell you? That’s not like him. I texted him last night. I saw you wandering the museums yesterday. I never quite got close enough to say hello.” She pats him comfortably on his back. “One of the drivers for Omni Racing is one of my new clients. I flew back from the Spanish GP just for this event to support it and to catch some face time. Wes I think you’d have a real shot at getting Matteo Duran. You should come with me to one of the American GP’s as an Omni guest but float around like you do. He’d be a great addition and would get you to stop telling me about him every time we speak.”
I look over at Wes, who’s looking about as white as his dress shirt. He’s fidgeting back and forth from one foot to the other. His hands sit in his pockets as he finally answers her after a too long awkward silence. “Yeah, Gabs. I will make time for that in my schedule. Absolutely, I uh… I just have a few things to work out in New York first.”
Gabrielle takes a step back. I think she’s finally reading the room and she likely stumbled into something she may want to take herself out of. “Of course. Well, I need to return to my date for the night and get my donation in. Hey, Wes, Garrett wants a phone call. Nothing major, he just said tell that asshole I want a conversation.”
“I’ll call him as soon as I get back to the East Coast. And I’m not the asshole, he is.”
Gabrielle’s attention turns back to me. “It was really nice meeting you. I love your dress too, by the way. If I don’t see you later, I’ll see you in a couple weeks.” She gently squeezes his arm before walking away. I’m so angry my whole body begins to tingle.
My pounding head matches my pounding heart. I cover my eyes with my hand so he can’t see the rage I have building inside of me. I know this isn’t the time or the place. However, I don’t think I can keep a lid on this. “Hayles, I don’t….”
“Shut up. Just. Shut. Up. I don’t know if I can stand to hear anything that comes out of your mouth right now.”
“Hayley…” The way he says my name makes my skin crawl.
“Don’t you dare come at me with a dad voice right now. You can’t be so stupid to think I wouldn’t be pissed about this. You fucking promised me that this trip would be better. You fucking promised! Now here we are, not only with Hannah’s constant texts and distractions, but I get to look in the face of a dark haired goddess who used to fuck you as well.”
“Jesus Christ, Hayley. Calm down. I didn’t tell you she was going to be here because I didn’t want you to be upset. We’ve been having a good time, a good day. I’m doing the best that I can. I’m juggling so much I don’t know if I’m coming or going. What I need is more support from you.”
I laugh so hard I start to see spots in front of my eyes. They’re so thick I nearly think I could swat them away. “More support? What a joke! I’ve given you more support and understanding than I can even articulate. You choose not to see it. You choose to sweep everything under the rug.”
“You’re right. That was a bad choice of words. I’m sorry I said them. Tell me what to do, Hayley. Tell me what you want. It was an honest mistake.”
“Oh, give me a break. Those lame-ass excuses may work on other people but not on me. You promise long enough to say, oh we’ll have time together. Oh we’ll be reconnecting the whole time. The focus will be you and only you. How long did that last, Wes? Huh? Like the plane ride maybe? Although I don’t know that for sure because I was asleep for most of it. I looked at your phone when you were in the shower because I had a feeling. I was right. You’ve responded to fifteen texts, one phone call, and maybe even emails too. I don’t know and that was just today. Then we have your supermodel fairy-tale princess, who just glided in and out of here on a cloud.”
“You looked at my phone? Seriously?”
“Don’t. Don’t even try to make me feel bad about it. You broke the promises. I didn’t.”
“Hayley, you’re working yourself up over nothing. Yes, I had to answer a few messages. Sue me. What do you want me to say? I fucked up. I can shout it in the middle of the party if that would make you feel better.”
“Right. Be a child. You’re good at it. Let me know when you feel like being a goddamn adult.”
I try to brush past him, but those spots have only grown thicker and thicker. My head is pounding so hard I can hardly keep my eyes open. When I can see part of the path in front of me, it tilts on an angle. I can hear my heels scrape on the concrete underneath me. It sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard and makes me sick to my stomach.
I reach out for something, anything to hold me up. I first find Wes’s hand, then his wrist. The bangles around my wrist clang against his skin as I feel myself tilt toward him.
“Hayley? Hey. What’s going on?”
“I don’t… I don’t feel so good.”
Wes
At first the grip around my wrist is angry, then it feels like a floundering for something… a lifeline perhaps. I hear the words I don’t feel so good and before the d is even complete from her mouth, she sways into me. Her ankles and knees fold toward the ground. I open my arms to this petite human I’d die for, and she collapses into them.
“Hayley? Hey. Hayley?” Her eyes are rolled close with the faintest streaks of mascara beneath them and a tear still rolling down her cheek. The long sleeves of her dress begin to bunch toward her elbows. I can hear the layers of her skirt start to crinkle between us as we sink to the ground.
