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“Okay…” Seriously, I always thought grown-up Celeste would go for the intellectual type. Another writer like herself, perhaps. She had a hard time after Mom died, and she spent a lot of time partying and making bad decisions. I thought falling for the bad-boy type was in her past. Hopefully, her days of partying still are.
“But then I found out about his past, and I don’t think I can trust him anymore. Plus, one of his ex-girlfriends keeps popping up …”
“Well, that doesn’t sound good.” I reach for a cookie and take a bite. It’s not hot enough to burn my mouth, but the chocolate melts on contact, and it’s delicious.
Celeste turns her head to look at me. “No! It’s not good at all! He keeps telling me he’s changed and doesn’t want to be the player he used to be anymore, and that he has feelings for me and wants me to be his girlfriend, but I don’t know what to do!”
I look at my sister and don’t know exactly what to say. Based on what she’s told me about this guy, he sounds like an ass! Doesn’t she have better sense than to get mixed up with a guy like that?
And then it hits me.
Her situation mirrors my current situation with Olivia. Olivia believes the lies about me being a liar and cheat. What if this guy is telling Celeste the truth? The irony isn’t lost on me.
Celeste is still looking at me, waiting for me to say something to help her with her dilemma. The problem is, I now have no idea what to say to her. Maybe this guy isn’t as bad as others have made him out to be?
“How do you know for sure that he lies and cheats on girls?” I ask.
“Well, he’s actually admitted to it,” she says, and the alarms in my head go off again. Maybe we’re not alike. “But he swears he’s changed and not like that anymore.”
“When was the last time he lied or cheated on someone?” I ask, wanting more clarification.
She shrugs. “I don’t know… but he said it was a long time ago. I don’t actually have any reason to believe he lied or cheated on me. It’s just that I know he’s done it in the past, so I’m not sure I can trust him.”
I nod my head and consider everything she’s said. As much as I want to tell her that she needs to dump this guy and move on, part of me is sympathetic toward him. What if he’s a nice guy who happens to have a bad past? What if other people are trying to tarnish his reputation?
If what happened tonight between Olivia and me never took place, I wouldn’t be thinking this way.
“Here’s my two cents,” I say, hoping I’m not about to give my sister terrible advice due to my own current situation. “Has this guy ever done or said anything to you, personally, that were red flags? What does your intuition say about how honest he is withyou?”
Celeste’s mouth cracks a smile. “That’s the thing. No red flags, and my gut tells me he’s always been honest.”
“What about this ex-girlfriend who keeps showing up?” I ask. “Do you think something’s going on with her on the side?”
She shakes her head. “No. Not at all. She’s just a nuisance. She’s jealous of us and wants him back.”
“Is she stalking him? Or you?” Fuck, thoughts of some psycho going after my sister just because she’s dating her ex fly through my mind like a bad made-for-TV movie. Celeste better not be in danger. Maybe I need to get her some pepper spray to carry with her at all times.
“No, she’s not stalking him––or me––she just wants to make his life miserable whenever she can.”
I relax a little, knowing her life isn’t in danger.
And then I realize that a psycho woman going after her ex could make a great storyline… maybe I need to explore this idea for a future book.
“Ow!” My story-plotting mind is pulled back to reality as Celeste holds her hand up to her mouth. “I bit my tongue,” she manages to say with her mouth full of cookie.
Celeste and I spend the rest of the evening hanging out together. Her being here helps me to not go insane waiting to hear from Olivia. When Olivia does text to let me know she made it home, Celeste and I have just settled on the couches in the living room to watch a movie. I type out a reply:
I’m sorry for what happened tonight. I want to have the chance to explain everything to you, but please believe me when I say I never cheated on Taylor. Carson was told wrong information. I’ve never cheated on a girlfriend in my life, and I never will. I miss you, and I hope you’ll talk to me soon. Contact me when you’re ready. I’ll be waiting for you. XOXO
Olivia
Iwant to scream. I can’t believe what happened just now. What are the chances that my best friend’s fiancé’s sister once dated Stone? Having Carson and Stone meet us for dinner must’ve been kismet or something… otherwise, I never would’ve learned of Stone’s past.
As I drive south on I-5, I keep the tears at bay. Honestly, I’m more angry than sad. Just when I think I’ve found a good man, it turns out he could be a lying, cheating asshole. I guess the silver lining is that I found out now rather than later.
I just wish everything Carson said about Stone wasn’t true.
Maybe it’s not…
