When I saw the look in Cara’s eyes, I wanted to take a step closer to Blair, but I knew it would make the situation worse.
“Cara, I’m really sorry. We didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” I was desperately trying to diffuse the situation, but all I could think about was getting Blair to look at me. Even just a glance would calm the fire spreading through my veins.
Cara shook her head and scoffed. “I can’t fucking believe this! I really hope the sex was worth it, because it may have just cost you your publishing deal and our friendship. Fuck you both!”
“Cara, you can’t be serious? This is what you wanted. You wanted us to get along?—”
“You think I wanted this?! You think I wanted my best friend to lie to me? You think I wanted to find out that my best friend was sleeping her way for a check? You think I wanted everyone in my fucking life to be sneaking around behind my back and lying to me? Get real!”
“Cara!”
Cara stormed off before Blair could get a reply, and she turned to me, eyes turning dark. “Real fucking nice, Drea.”
We all got into Kaia’s car without another word.
The car ride was dead silent until we arrived at the bookstore. “I’ll be just a second, Kaia,” Blair said as she got out of the car, not even glancing my way.
I got out of the car, following behind her. I was going to find a way to fix this somehow.
When I opened the front door, I spoke. “Blair, I’m?—”
She walked right past me into the store, ignoring me completely.
“Blair!” I called after her, but she didn’t turn around. “Blair, just stop and talk to me, please.”
This time, she stopped in the center of the store and turned around slowly. “Talk to you? You want me to talk to you? I barely want to look at you, let alone speak to you, Drea, so why don’t you start? Where did you get the fucking nerve to speak about me like I am just some whore you can play around with? Is that really all I am to you? Just someone to screw whenyou’re bored?”
I frowned. “Blair, of course not. I wasn’t thinking. We had a lot to drink, and things got way out of hand.” I took a few steps closer to her. When I got closer, I saw tears starting to form behind her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
She scoffed. “You’re sorry? So am I, Drea. I hope you’re happy, because my career is probably over now! What were you thinking?”
“It just came out! She was trying to get me to go out with her friends. I kept telling her no, but she wouldn’t stop pressing, and finally I couldn’t take it anymore! I just blurted it out in the heat of the moment.”
“Well, maybe you should go out with them.”
“I don’t want to go out with any of them, Blair. Just… let me fix this, please.”
“There is nothing to fix. I knew you had commitment issues, but damn, that was taking it to another level. If you aren’t happy with someone, just end it, Drea. You don’t need to get drunk and make a fool out of yourself in order to do so.”
She started to walk away, but I grabbed her wrist, stopping her abruptly. She yanked her arm away and looked at me, tears streaming down her face.
“Blair—”
“Don’t you dare touch me! I am not yours to touch. Apparently I never was.”
“I’m sorry, please,” I begged. I couldn’t hide it as my voice mirrored the cracking in my chest.
“I… I can’t.” Her voice broke, and I hated myself a little bit more with every passing second. How had I fucked up this badly?
I watched her walk away without another word. I waited until I saw Kaia’s car drive off before I slumped against the counter, and let the darkness take over until I felt something wet and warm slide down my face and onto the floor.
I was sitting in my office when the door opened. It had been over an hour since Blair left, and I was embarrassed that a small part of me hoped she had come back.
“Blair’s home safely. Do you want to talk about it?” Kaia’s sweet voice used to cheer me up, but now, mixed with the whiskey and the wine, all it did was fuel my internal fire.
“So you can go run and tell everyone everything? I don’t think so.”
“Drea, no, of course not. I?—”
