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Yet here I was, once again, on the receiving end of her rage, because of a stupid misunderstanding. Yeah, I was angry. Mostly because she was so off the mark it wasn’t even funny. Did she really think I was making an excuse not to see her just so I could get with some other woman? Did she think I was still sleeping around? I told her I wasn’t. That she was the only person I was sleeping with.
It’s not like it was a hardship. I had no desire to be with anyone but her. Marlena Ducate was all I thought about. She was all I wanted.
Shit, she was everything.
When had that happened? When had she gone from being a great lay to the most important person in my life?
That posed a pretty significant problem. And it had everything to do with the guy who we both respected and cared about—though I’d never tell him that to his face.
I got back to my apartment and let myself inside. It was too quiet. I could never handle boredom well. I went back to the spare bedroom that I had turned into a home gym and started pumping iron.
Once my muscles started to burn and I was sweating like crazy, I stopped. I showered. I changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Then I stood in my living room realizing I hated the quiet. I didn’t want to be here, and Lena somewhere else.
Her accusation this morning bothered me. A lot. I didn’t want her doubting me. I didn’t want her questioning us.
There is no us, you idiot.
I grabbed my phone and dialed Todd’s number. I hadn’t spoken to him except for a bounced text here and there since the night I dragged him out to the club. We were friends from high school and he and Derek were the only two connections I kept from my teenage years. It wasn’t exactly a time in my life I wanted to remember, but Todd and Derek were good guys and they had kept me sane when things at home had been particularly rough.
Todd had married his high school sweetheart, Liz, right after graduation. They had three children, including a two-month-old. I had been the dutiful friend and sent Todd and Liz a basket of baby stuff, but I hadn’t seen the tiny human yet. Babies weren’t really my thing. It was all the drooling and shitting and spitting up. Honestly, babies were pretty gross.
“Hey, man, how’s it going?” Todd asked when he answered the phone. He sounded tired, but Todd always sounded tired. He worked as a laborer for his dad’s construction company, which didn’t allow much time for rest and relaxation.
“You free tonight? I could really blow off some steam,” I said, feeling antsy.
I heard a muffled sound on the other end that sounded like he had covered the receiver. A few seconds later he was back. “I don’t think so. Liz needs my help with Dominic.”
“Dominic?” I asked.
“Uh, yeah. My son. Remember? The one that was only born two and a half months ago?” Todd sounded annoyed. I didn’t blame him. That was pretty dickish of me.
“Right. Of course, I know it’s your son. I was joking.” I forced a laugh. “But come on. Beg Liz. I’ll come over and beg Liz,” I pleaded. “I really need to get my mind off some stuff.”
Todd snorted in my ear. “Figures,” he muttered.
“Whoa, what was that for?” I demanded. What the hell was up his ass?
“Getting your mind off stuff is Wyatt code for I’ve screwed over some woman and need to run far, far away,” Todd shot back.
“Okay, I get that I may have called at a bad time, but there’s no need to be an ass,” I retorted, feeling myself get defensive.
Probably because my oldest friend was right.
“Look, if you’ve got something going on, I’m here to talk about it, but I won’t watch you go get wasted and take home some random chick to make yourself feel better. Don’t you think it’s time to grow up? Maybe take responsibility for your actions?”
Even though hooking up with another woman was the last thing on my mind, Todd wasn’t wrong. I tended to avoid my problems by reverting to old habits. I just had no idea that my friends saw right through me.
Todd sighed. “I’m not trying to be a jerk, Jeremy. I’m tired. I haven’t slept well in weeks. Dominic has colic and Liz has made getting angry at me for every tiny thing an Olympic sport. The fuel tank is empty, my friend.”
I felt like a terrible friend. Probably because I was. “How about I come over next week? I’ll pick up a six-pack of beer and we can watch the basketball game. We’ll watch little Dom and Liz can nap or take a bath or whatever.”
