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She cupped her ear dramatically. “Sorry, didn’t hear that. You’ll have to speak a little louder.”
The shaggy blond-haired guy snickered. His stare never left me. He was far too intense and enjoyed my squirming far too much.
Stepping a little closer so everyone at the party wouldn’t hear my sins, I repeated, “It was Aslan. He kissed me and—”
“Hold up.” Zara stood, her manicured hand strangling the strawberry vodka bottle she was drinking. “You mean to tell me...you made my brother, me, and my whole bloody family believe you were in love with us—that you were going to be part of our future as my sister-in-law and Joel’s wife—all while you were fucking the guy living in your garden shed?”
“No...that’s not it at all. Aslan never touched me. Not until that night—”
“The night you dumped my brother. The night you had the audacity to drag him into a public place to shit on his heart instead of doing it privately at home?”
“I know I should’ve chosen somewhere else, but—”
“You were spineless.” Her eyes narrowed with hate. “Don’t tell me you were afraid of him, Nee. That you dumped him in public so he wouldn’t hit you. Because if you even whisper a slander like that, I will bitch slap you so fucking hard you’ll wake up in the neighbour’s fire pit.”
Tears stung my eyes. “Never. I would never say such things. Joel was kind and sweet and—”
“And far too good for you.”
“He was. I agree. I know I didn’t deserve him just like I know I didn’t deserve you. I’ll never stop feeling awful for what I did, but the pain I feel for hurting Joel is nothing compared to the pain I feel from losing you.”
Zara stiffened.
The dark-skinned handsome guy beside her snaked his arm around her waist. “You making a play for my girl now? You changing teams, slut?”
I winced.
I looked at Zara, begging her to defend me.
But Zara merely smiled coldly. “So that’s what this is about? You came here thinking I’d take you back?”
“I miss you.”
“And you can continue missing me for the rest of your life for all I care.”
I glanced around at the gathering crowd. The drinking games had stopped, the music had quietened; all eyes were on my public shaming as Zara smiled cruelly.
“Tell you what, Nee. If you miss having a friend so much, how about you go screw someone else’s brother and see if they’ll like you.”
“I’m sorry!” I exploded, splaying my hands in surrender. “I’m truly, endlessly sorry. I know I broke your trust and I hurt Joel, but I need you, Zara. This thing with Aslan...I need your advice. I want things to be good between us again. I want to be able to call you at dawn and text you in the dead of night. I want—”
“You can’t have everything you want.” Zara marched right into me, stabbing her vodka bottle into my chest. “You hurt my brother. You lied to my face. Every time we laughed in the dark about how we’d grow old together and have our babies together and they’d all grow up with cousins in a happy, perfect life was a lie.” Tears glittered in her gaze, hiding her hurt beneath her rage. “A lie you let me keep believing, all while you were fucking your family’s hired help.”
Her face twisted with a mixture of betrayal and fury. “I will never forgive you. You weren’t there to pick up the pieces. You weren’t the one who had to console your brother all while wishing you could pick up the phone to talk to your best friend. You weren’t the one who had to listen to your brother saying how in love he was and how excited he was for our future, all while the girl he was in love with was cheating—”
“I never cheated. Not once.”
“Didn’t you, though?” Her eyes narrowed. “The camping trip in Daintree. The first night when Aslan chased you down the beach after Rita kissed him and you kissed Joel...what happened, huh? You said he didn’t touch you, but I don’t believe you. Tell me the truth. Right here. Right now. Tell me what happened on that beach and who knows...you might earn my forgiveness.”
I searched her face, my heart breaking at the hate glowing in her eyes.
If I gave her the truth, I’d lose her forever.
But I couldn’t lie.
I’d never been good at lying.
Clasping my hands to stop them trembling, I said, “I kissed Aslan.”
“Ah see! I fucking knew it—”
“I kissed him, but he didn’t kiss me back. He said he’d never be with me in that way and—”
“And you used my brother as second best. I knew it. I knew you had reservations after that trip because Joel said you didn’t kiss him again. So when you chased him a year later, I worried you were using him. But then he seemed so happy, and you seemed so happy, and we were all so fucking happy that I figured I was wrong. But it was all a lie. All of it.”
