If there is a next time.
No. There will be. I’m going to fight for Thomas.
I splash water on my face, but I don’t bother putting makeup on. He’s already seen me, so it is what it is, and it’s not like I wear a lot of makeup anyway.
I open the door slowly, thankful to find that Thomas isn’t around. I can hear him moving around in the kitchen. I do my best not to make any noise. When I face him, I would prefer to have my clothes on. I find them lying on the bed, folded. I guess he wanted me dressed, too. That makes a wave of sadness hit me that I try to push away but don’t fully succeed. I get dressed quickly and, after a deep breath, brace myself to face him again.
I start to call out to him as I walk through the small hallway but stop when I hear voices—one being a woman. I approach the edge of the living room, mostly hiding, eavesdropping. Maybe it’s wrong, but with everything that has happened this morning, I figure it’s warranted.
Thomas is standing at the door. There’s a woman in front of him. His body is blocking her, but I can hear her voice. I swallow nervously.
“How d-d-did you find me?” Thomas growls.
“I followed you from the club last night,” the girl says. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” she asks, and it feels as if my heart freezes in my chest, the pressure painful as my breath lodges in my throat.
“No,” he replies. That might make me feel better if it wasn’t for the fact that he probably doesn’t want her to because I’m here.
“We need to talk, Thomas.”
“N-n-no, we don’t.”
“We do.”
“What do w-we have to s-say to one a-a-another, Gabby?”
“I’ve missed you,” the woman whines. Oh, I imagine she’s trying to sound sexy, and Thomas probably thinks she is, but to me, her voice is dripping with a fake sweetness. I want to scratch her eyes out.
“What the fuck d-did you say?” he growls, and his tone is almost enough to make me smile.
“Don’t you miss me, Thomas? I made m-mistakes, but—”
“Cut the shit.”
“What?” the woman gasps.
“Dom warned me you’d t-try this. Pedal this garbage s-s-somewhere else. W-W-We both know it’s my br-br-brother you’re wanting between those legs of yours. I’m not g-g-going to be a substitute any longer.”
There’s silence, and I think maybe they’re done. The problem is, I’m not sure where I stand with Thomas after what I just heard…
“Fine. You’re right.”
“Fuck, let’s write this d-down. Gabby finally t-tells the truth.”
“Don’t be like that, Thomas. I never made promises to you. We had fun together. You don’t have a reason to be angry with me.”
“This conversation is done,” Thomas says, and he doesn’t stutter. His voice, however, sounds extremely cold. I don’t even recognize it.
“Damn it, you’re ruining any chance I have of salvaging my relationship with Dom.”
I frown. I know that Thomas has a brother named Dominic that he calls Dom, so I make that connection at once.
“You playing us did that. I d-d-d-didn’t d-d-d-do shit, Gab-b-by.”
Yikes… the anger in Thomas’s voice is unlike any I’ve heard, and his stutter is more prevalent, and that always happens when he’s really upset.
“I didn’t play you! What happened between us shouldn’t have. We kissed, that’s it.”
“M-more than kiss, and you kn-kn-know it.”
“Fine, but we didn’t fuck, and you have Dom thinking we have!” she cries.
“May have not had my di-dick inside you, but—”
“I don’t need a replay. I was there! We were curious, and I was mad at Dom, but that’s it. I never promised more than that. I had hoped that Dom would calm down, but it’s clear that it’s not going to happen unless we take matters into our own hands. If you won’t help me—”
“There is n-n-no we, Gabby.”
“I know your feelings have been hurt…”
“Fuck hurt. You used me. You’re st-st-still trying to use me.”
“I wanted to make Dom jealous! He has to see that he might lose me if he doesn’t stop dragging his feet. You need to help me.”
“You’re de-de-ranged.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was curious, and you were there. It happened, and it was fun for what it was…”
“Leave!” he barks, making me jump.
“Thomas, you want your brother to be happy, and he loves me. You need to tell Dom that nothing truly happened. You need to tell him that you don’t care if he and I get together.”
“Don’t give a f-fuck what either of you do. T-t-old him that. Wouldn’t have t-touched you if I’d known a-a-bout the two of you. Now, I d-d-don’t want you here. Y-you n-n-need to leave.”
“Thomas, you have to help me. I can’t lose Dom.”
“G-get out!” he screams, and the sound is scary as fuck. He turns and grabs something, throwing it against the wall when, apparently, she’s not smart enough to leave. As he does, I see her, and the bottom drops in my stomach. I see her, and what I see makes me do a double take.