Chapter TWENTY-THREE ~ Betrayal
The next day, all Ican think about is Dante. He’s on my mind as soon as my eyes open to the morning sunlight. And he’s on my mind now as I open the shop with Lexi. Constantly thinking about everything that happened between us, our stolen moments away, how he handled my mother and the way he looked at me. His deep brown milk chocolate eyes glowing with happiness, but also something hidden within them. Something I can’t read and leaves me curious. I remember his kisses and they make my skin tingle with desire. I daydream about his roughness and how much my body responds to it. Everything about him has me lost in him and he consumes my every thought.
“Shit...” I mumbled as the papers I held fell to the floor and I bent down to retrieve them.
“You’re clumsy this morning.” Lexi grinned curiously as she cleaned off the countertop and prepared it for the busy workday. “Is someone on your mind?”
I let out a deep sigh and glanced at the door. “If you must know, yes, Dante’s on my mind and he’s late.”
He’s never been late since he offered to help with the business, but I’m thankful for Lexi showing up early. She’s late, doesn’t come into work or right on time. So, it pleasantly surprised me this morning. But now it’s turned into worry.
Why is Dante not here yet?
What’s going on?
“And why would he be on your mind?” Lexi asked curiously and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
I stood up and exhaled. “Because we slept together and everything about it was amazing.”
I got back to preparing the shop for opening its doors and could hear Lexi gasp. Turning my back towards her so I couldn’t see her initial reaction and trying to appear busy. Trying to keep up the appearance that it wasn’t a big deal, but inside my heart is screaming it was.
“Wow, I wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon.” Lexi admitted, and I could hear the hint of happiness.
I spun around and pointed at her. “Wait a minute? You wanted this to happen?”
“Well, sure, you were so distraught from losing Matthew, you almost lost your business. But then Dante comes back and you guys have this chemistry. You always have and I knew it was only a matter of time.” Lexi shrugged with a huge smile of certainty on her face.
I stared at her with disbelief, and a frown crept over my face. “Well, I feel like there’s something he’s hiding from me. I just can’t place my finger on it.”
“Well, why don’t you just ask him about it?” Lexi shrugged as she counted the money inside the cash register and glanced up at me.
“He was trying to tell me something, but we were having a moment and I didn’t want to ruin it.” I admitted as I leaned against the counter and buried my face in my hands. “It was stupid, I know and I should’ve let him tell me, but I was caught up in the moment.”
Lexi raised an eyebrow and looked me straight in the eyes. “It’s not stupid, you are in love.”
In love?
I can’t be in love with Dante.
All I can do is stare off into the distance as I let her words sink in and realize the thought never even occurred to me. But the more I thought about it, the more it made perfect sense. I had held my feelings for him inside for so many years and never let them out. I was so used to hiding him and keeping him a secret that I never realized I could be in love with him. The chemistry I felt with him was more than that. I loved him and I have for a long time now. I just never realized it until this very moment.
Suddenly, the telephone rings and breaks me from my thoughts. Lexi swiped it up quickly and frowned at me. The person on the other end left me curious, and I wanted to know what she knew. I stepped closer and hoped I could overhear something. But the call ended abruptly, and Lexi hung up the phone.
“That was Dante and he’s not coming in today.” Lexi announced as she stared at me and waited for my reaction. “He says he has something that he needs to do.”
I blinked repeatedly and I’m shocked by his absence. I don’t speak and simply try to keep myself distracted, but it’s no use. So many questions swirled around in my mind and I’m left with no answers.
This has never happened, but happened after we finally gave into temptation. I don’t understand what he’s doing. It seems like there’s more hidden things he’s not telling me once again and I’m left feeling uncertain. Uncertain about the near future and what’s going to happen.
He’s on my mind once again. I can’t shake him as we open the shop and get to work. Placing orders, planning and keeping the business running. All without Dante and I couldn’t bear to lose him after realizing I love him. But deep down inside, I feel like I’m losing him all over again.
***
THE END OF THE WORKDAYcame around slowly and I’m glad it’s over. All I could do was obsess over Dante and his absence. The constant reminder that he’s not here staring me in the face with everything I did. I realize I’ve grown used to having him here and today without him has been terrible.
I missed him so much and wanted nothing more than to see his beautiful face. For him to magically appear and take away all the uncertainty inside of me. To take me in his arms and reassure me that this feeling inside was nothing more than my own insecurities. I just needed him to tell me everything was going to be alright.
I closed up the shop quickly with Lexi. Cleaning up our mess from a busy workday, counting the cash and turning out the lights. Lexi hugged me goodbye and was on her way. Promising to be early tomorrow, just in case Dante couldn’t come in again. She knew something distracted me about his absence and I could read it on her face. But she didn’t talk about it and left it alone. I was more than thankful for her silent understanding. I had enough thoughts swirling around and I didn’t need more.
“Another day complete.” I breathed as I locked up the front door and headed towards the back.
I made my way and ran my tired hands through my hair. Ready to get comfortable for the evening and rest. Relieved to get into something comfy and put my feet up. I turned the corner and opened the door. Heading straight for the kitchen and pondering what to drink.
But my mind went blank as my eyes landed on Dante sitting at the kitchen table with a small pocket size picture in his hand. All I could do was stare at him with shock and I’m confused about why he’s here. He didn’t show up for work, didn’t call me to explain anything and now he’s sitting in my kitchen.
What the hell is going on?
“I never meant for it to be like this.” Dante breathed as he stared down at the picture in his hand and never even looked at me.
I narrowed my eyes at him with confusion and I’m unable to understand what’s going on. But my feet drew me closer towards him and my curiosity spiked. I took a seat across from him and took his hand in mine.
I nuzzled it, and my voice came out in a nervous whisper. “What are you talking about, Dante?”
He briefly glanced at our hands intertwined, but gathered his attention back to the single photograph in his hand. “I’m talking about Matthew.”
My eyebrows knitted together with confusion. “Matthew? I don’t understand how my dead fiancé has anything to do with this?”
I watched as his body twitched at my words, just like I had stung him, and he became nervous. He licked his lips and his whisper quivered. “He has everything to do with this, Cassie. He was my best friend.”
My entire being went numb and I couldn’t feel a thing. I stared at him with wide eyes. And everything about this was unthinkable. A reality I never saw coming, and I didn’t know what to do next.
His words settled in slowly, and my brain processed them. I looked down at his hand in mine and quickly withdrew it. My body trembled with shock and I stood up. Hearing the chair tumble to the floor behind me, I can’t look away. I couldn’t look away from the man I had kissed, fell in love with and fallen for every word. My mind reeled with questions I couldn’t answer and couldn’t understand.
Only he could.
“Dante...” I breathed as his name left my lips and my world shook. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Dante blinked several times and reached out for me, but I moved back. “I didn’t want it to be like this. I simply came here to tell you the truth, but I saw you so heartbroken after losing Matthew, and I knew I needed to help you. I had to make it right for him.”
Angry tears blurred my vision, and the betrayal cut deep like a knife’s blade. “The truth that my one-night stand was actually my fiancé’s best friend?”
He exhaled with regret and looked down at his feet. “Yes, but you need to let me explain because I owe you at least that.”
I shook my head repeatedly as my anger consumed me and backed up more. Dante stepped closer until he stood directly in front of me and I couldn’t turn away. I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to know the truth, but I knew it was coming.
I could feel the heat from his body radiate off of mine because he stood so near. The warmth that I loved so much and wanted so badly to reach out to touch him. But the sting of betrayal hurt and it coursed through my being.
Everything in me hurts and I’m lost in the pain again. Pain that the man I loved had created and kept from me. The man who stood before me with eyes becoming cold and distant. His body is unreadable and dark. Dante went back in time to a place that haunts him and he can’t ever escape.