Slow Grind (Men of Mornington)

“And what I saw up there?” I ask, nodding my head upwards. “I suppose I totally misread that too, right?”

“Would you really still be standing here in my arms if you thought I could do that to you?”

I don’t answer, because honestly, I don’t know anymore. I want to believe that he’s telling me the truth, but I’ve been hurt and lied to so many times before…

“Darla is my neighbor. A very annoying and demanding neighbor who refuses to leave me alone,” Drew begins. He takes my hands, his eyes focused on mine. “What you saw was me telling her how old this was getting, and if she didn’t leave me alone, I’d be applying for a restraining order.” He shakes his head, his expression solemn. “I’m sorry you had to see that, but I promise you’re the only girl in my life right now.”

“Okay,” I nod. I believe him. But I’m exhausted, and I need time to process.

“Just okay?” he repeats, looking a little hurt.

“I believe you, Drew. I really just want to go home now, if that’s all right. I need time to think. Because you’re you and I’m me and you’re all I’ve wanted since I was young, and now I’ve had you and I have no idea what that means,” I ramble, unable to stop the words from falling out of my mouth. “I just don’t know what’s going on and I need to process. Can you let me do that? Please?”

“Sure, Aubs.” He leans over and kisses me softly on the cheek. “Go home, and I’ll come by later?”

“Okay.”

I leave the stairwell and walk through the foyer and out the front door. While I wait for a cab, I think about things. How quickly life can change. How one second things can seem one way and in the blink of an eye, everything changes.

I thought I’d handled what happened to me in college, but Drew is right. I obviously haven’t. I thought I was over Drew, but I’m not. I need to figure out what I want out of life and what I’m willing to risk and sacrifice to get it.

As I slide into the backseat of the cab I’ve hailed, my phone rings. I dig it out of my handbag and see that it’s Jacey. Smiling, I press answer. She’s just what I need right now.

“Hey, you,” I grin.

“Where are you?” she screeches.

I laugh. “What do you mean where am I?”

“Well, I’m standing out in front of your brother’s apartment, where I’ve been ringing the doorbell for the last fifteen minutes, trying to figure out where you are.”

“What?” I laugh. “You’re here? In Australia?”

“Yes! I guilted my parents into rewarding me for doing so well on my finals,” she giggles. “Never mind I haven’t even gotten my results yet! Oh. Wait, I need to tell you something and you’re probably going to be angry with me, but it wasn’t my fault.”

“Jacey,” I giggle. “Stop rambling and just tell me.”

“Nate is with me. Well, he was until I lost him at the airport. I haven’t seen him since we got off the plane.”

“What do you mean Nate is with you? You invited Nate? Jacey!” Nate is the last person I want to see right now. What in God’s name possessed her to bring him along?

“It was an accident! I kind of told him I was coming to visit you and he insisted on coming, too. I couldn’t tell him you were shacking up with some hot Aussie, so I said sure, come with. You know how I get when I’m put under pressure,” she says. “Do you hate me? Please don’t hate me, Aubs.”

“I don’t hate you,” I sigh. Why wasn’t I just more direct with Nate in the first place? I should have told him we were over. “I’m on my way back to my place now. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Chapter Fourteen

Drew

“Drew—”

“Jesus, Darla, take the fucking hint. I’m not interested,” I growl. I push past her, ignoring her desperate pleas for attention, and storm into my apartment, all but slamming the door in her face. I’m so angry that she all but ruined things with Aubs.

I pace my living room, at a loss on what to do. I need to give her space, but at the same time, I don’t want to risk her getting some stupid idea in her head about what kind of guy I am. What she saw was nothing more than me shutting Darla down—something I should’ve done a long time ago.

That’s not even the worst bit.

When she told me about what happened to her in college, I wanted to kill the guy responsible for making her feel that way. Any dude who thinks it’s okay to hit a chick and do God-knows-what-else deserves to rot in hell. Whatever happened to her, she’s obviously not over it. Maybe I should speak to Max. I laugh. And say what? I’m worried about your sister, because after fucking her, she thought she caught me getting head off another chick and then she mistakenly thought I was going to hit her because of some PTSD she’s suffering from because of some psycho who roughed her up in college? That will go down well. Why don’t I tell him his mother hit on me while I’m at it?