Page 100 of The Other Room

“Get away from me,” she whispered, her voice cracking as she struggled with the words.

“I didn’t do anything with Nikki. I swear to God, Jo. It looks so bad, and I know that, but I need you to believe me.”

She shook her head. “You’re a liar, Matt. I never should have let you back in my life.”

“I’m not a liar.” I stepped toward her, careful not to move too fast. “Nikki was—”

“Don’t say her name,” she spat.

“I’m sorry. The devil was wasted and what you really saw was her falling in my arms while I tried to get away. And what Aaron said to you was wrong, and he’ll tell you that. He’d seen me saving a stool... a stool for you. But I didn’t want to tell him about us until you were ready, so I just said I had a secret girlfriend. And then he saw Nikki and put two and two together... which was a completely incorrect attempt at solving the puzzle.”

“Go away,” she whispered again. A soft breeze lifted her hair, and I caught the light scent of her shampoo.

Torture. It was pure torture being this close to her and not touching her.

Torture seeing her body quake with the tears I’d caused.

Torture knowing I had hurt the woman I loved more than anything in this world.

“Not until you listen to me.”

She spun around. Red, swollen eyes met mine, and she stiffened her quivering lip. “Fine. If listening to you means I can finally get you out of my life forever, then talk. Quick. Because once you’re done, so are we.”

I moved toward her but stopped when she recoiled. The few feet left between us may as well have been the Grand Canyon.

“It all looks so bad. But nothing happened. I can’t stand Nikki. And I would never hurt you. I love you, Jo. I fucking love you.”

“So, you loved me so much you took the girl you hate to bed?” She arched a brow and impaled me with a glare.

“Nikki and her friends were wasted. I tried to run after you, but Nikki almost fell down again. As much as I wanted to come after you, I’m not the kind of guy who can leave a drunk girl, even one I hate, lying in a heap in the parking lot. That’s not me, Jo. And if it was, you wouldn’t ever have been friends with me in the first place.”

Her face softened for a beat but stiffened back up just as quick.

“So yeah, I ended up with Nikki in my arms. And when I tried to dump her off on her friends, they didn’t even know where they were staying. I got Aaron and Tony to help me carry them all home. Because again, I’m not the kind of guy who can leave wasted girls wandering around town where they could get hurt. Though I’m so sorry that because of my morals it hurt you and looked so much worse than it was.”

“It looks really bad, Matt. And the bed? I suppose Nikki needed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or something?”

“No. My lips never touched hers. But she couldn’t walk, so I carried her up to her room and threw her in her bed. Then she refused to let go of my neck, so there were a few moments where it looked like things were happening that weren’t happening. Apparently, her crappy friends snapped a photo and posted it because she’s pissed Jake is engaged and I’m sure this is her ‘fuck you’ to him. Because she’s Nikki. She’s selfish and cruel. But that’s all it was. A photo of me struggling to get out of her death grip. Call Aaron. He’ll tell you.”

“I don’t need to call Aaron. I’m sure you two already worked out your stories.”

“Yes, you do. Or Jake or Cassie. They’ll all explain that this was just a huge misunderstanding.”

Her gaze darted out to the lake, and I saw the struggle happening in her mind.

“You weren’t wrong to trust me again. And I know deep down you know I’m telling the truth. Misunderstanding the situation just gave you a valid reason to run. You know I would never do this to you.”

“Do I?” She spun back around. “Do I know? Because I also know you were so ensnared by Nikki last year that you kissed her while she was engaged to your best friend. What’s to say you’re still not trapped in her claws?”

“Because I’m in love with you, Jo. Totally, completely, madly, and irrevocably in love with you. And now that I know that, the thought of touching Nikki again makes my skin crawl. You’re the only one for me. I swear it. Please, don’t throw us away. Please, Jo.”

My heart hammered against my chest while I stared into her eyes. Watching for some shift in her convictions. Looking for some flicker of the love I’d seen in her eyes just yesterday.

“I can’t, Matt. Even if you’re telling the truth, I just can’t.” Her chin quivered, and I reached out to touch her, but she pulled away.

“Yes, you can.”

“No, I can’t!” she shouted, but I felt her resolve sliding. “I can’t do this. You’ll just end up breaking my heart, and I just can’t, Matt. This whole thing was just a huge wake-up call that this, we, are a terrible idea.”