“Are you fucking crazy?” he roars in greeting. “Where have you been?”
“I didn’t think we’d talk until tonight, so my phone was on silent.”
“Did you know about the video streaming across the internet?”
“I do now, and it looks worse than it is. Really.”
“Tell me how it could be worse. That guy is practically up your ass! And don’t get me started on Quinn.”
“Bryce, listen to me. It isn’t what it seems.”
His breathing gets louder, and he growls. Quickly, I explain the night and wait for him to calm down. But my plan backfires, and instead, he gets more aggravated.
“Can you pull this shit down?”
I un-tag myself and remove from my timeline. “Done.”
“That shit’s not cool, Devon. I don’t want it to happen again.”
“Are you scolding me? I told you about the party. It was innocent.”
Quinn wipes a few tears from her cheeks, clearly upset. This pisses me off. “And, for your information, I already have one dad.”
“Dad?” he roars, heat practically coming through the phone line. “You think I’m acting like your dad? No, I’m acting like a man who doesn’t appreciate seeing his fiancée in a foreign country dirty dancing – ONLINE!”
“We weren’t dirty dancing!” I defend myself.
“Call it what you want, Devon, but I am fifteen-hundred miles away. My physical, emotional, and mental endurance is being tested every minute. Recently, I spent seventy-two hours in a form of hell. Then I’m graced with you shaking your ass on camera for everyone to see!”
His words sink in fast, and my gusto to argue deflates. He’s right. If the roles were reversed, I’d be livid. This is a battle I cannot win. He’s got a valid point.
“I’m sorry.” My voice cracks, and I try to swallow the lump in my throat. “Please believe me. I can see how it looks to you, but I’d never disrespect you like that. The last thing I want, especially with you so far away, is to have you mad at me.”
Finally, his anger subsides a little. “Promise not to put yourself in this position again?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not trying to dictate your life, Devon. You’re in social situations all the time. I’ll deal with the jealousy, but the next time you go dancing in a club, I’d prefer to be with you.”
“Okay.”
The sound of Quinn’s soft crying fills the room, and she face plants into my bed.
“Bryce, it doesn’t seem like things went well with Quinn and Dean. I need to go. Are we okay?”
“Yeah, babe. Call you tomorrow.”
We say our goodbyes, and I crawl in next to Quinn. Her body quivers when my arms snake around her.
“We broke up.”
“Because of the video?”
“Mostly.”
She doesn’t elaborate, so I stay quiet, waiting for her to calm down. After a few minutes, she starts to hiccup lightly.
“I love him,” she whispers.