Falling for the Groomsman

She’d fallen hard for Tyler back in Mexico, and a small part of her had always fantasized about him crawling back and confessing he was in love with her. Begging her for another chance with tears streaming down his cheeks or something else equally ludicrous. She would laugh and tell him no, and he would crawl away brokenhearted.

But now he was here, and he’d told her he wanted to be with her…and she had no clue what to say because she wanted to be with him, too.

“Red,” he said, his voice low. He caught her arms in his hands, squeezing gently. “Say something. You’re kind of freaking me out here.”

She’d been silent too long. He watched her as if he’d handed her his heart and she’d stomped on it with a stiletto. “Tyler, I’m moving.”

His fingers twitched on her. “I know. You have to leave your old apartment. But we can make sure it isn’t too far from my new place. We can coordinate this ahead of time.”

“No, you don’t get it. I’m moving moving.” She took a deep breath and added, “Back home, to Maine. I leave next week.”

“Maine,” he said, his voice hollow. “You didn’t think this was pertinent information to share with me before?”

“No, I didn’t.” She crumpled her dress in her fists and started babbling. “When I came here, I made a list of things to do before I left this part of my life behind me. I was supposed to find random men and do crazy sex things with them, but I saw you and I couldn’t think of any other guys. Then my whole list became yours, in a way.” She laughed uneasily. “We had sex outside. Kissed in an elevator. Heck, I even got a little payback when I—”

“Payback,” he echoed. He let go of her, his face going pale. “Jesus.”

“Yeah. Stupid, huh? I even wrote it on my list. Get payback on Tyler. But it turned into so much more.” She laughed nervously, knowing she was making a mess of trying to explain herself. But her head was still reeling from his desire to see her again. Never in a million years had she expected him to want more. “You weren’t supposed to want more than a fling. Neither was I, but now—”

“Shit.” He stood and backed away from her, watching her with a look in his eyes that said he half expected her to strike if he got too close. Like a poisonous viper. “I never stood a chance with you, did I? It all makes sense now.”

Wait. What was he talking about? What made sense? He wasn’t making any sense at all, even if he thought he was. “W-What do you mean?”

Tyler laughed and looked up at the ceiling. “This was never anything more than a game to you. The list you kept mentioning, it’s why you immediately backed off of me once you had sex with me again. I’m an idiot for not seeing it sooner. You set me up. You seduced me so you could break my heart. Just like I did to you.”

She bit down hard on her lip, not sure what to say. It was true, kind of. “That’s not what I meant. It wasn’t all for that.”

“Bullshit.” He laughed again, throwing his hands out to the side. “Did you add get payback on Tyler to your fucking list, or not?”

She swallowed hard, her whole body hurting as if he’d physically harmed her, and stood up. “I did. But—”

“No matter what, you knew this week ended with you on the other side of the country. You didn’t care if I fell for you, or wanted more. If I did, it was like a bonus, huh?” He pointed a finger at her. “Hell, if anything, it would only make leaving sweeter.”

She shook her head and blinked back tears. “No. Getting payback on you was only one little item on my list, and I got it the night I left your room. I wanted—”

“You mean after you left me high and dry?” He placed his hands behind his head and tugged on his hair. “You’ve been planning it this whole time. It all started in that lobby when you left me and texted me, goading me on, and it finished here. All that was left was the big reveal so you could laugh in my face.”

“No. That’s not true!” She stood and took a step toward him, but he shot her a look that froze her right in her tracks. Swallowing past her aching throat, she held her hands out in plea. “I told you, I wanted that for a fraction of a day, but changed my mind and crossed it off my list after that night. You have to believe me. Somewhere along the way—”

“Do you honestly expect me to believe a word you say to me now?” He covered his face with his hands, a harsh laugh escaping him. “Fuck me.”

“Tyler, please. I—” She clenched her jaw. This was a mess, and she was only making it worse by trying to explain herself. “I didn’t plan all this. You’re wrong about me.”

“Yeah. I really was.” He clasped his hands behind his neck and let out a harsh laugh. “Congratulations. You won. You fooled me real good—now get the hell away from me.”

His voice rose with each word until he was almost shouting at her. She backed up a step, her ankle throbbing at the swift gesture. All around them, people stopped dancing and started watching. “Tyler, stop it. People are looking at us.”

“I don’t give a damn,” he snapped. “You had to make me fall for you, didn’t you? You wanted to see me hurt. Admit it.”

She glanced over her shoulder and saw everyone watching and whispering. He was making a scene. So much so that she couldn’t get a word in edgewise. “Let’s go to my room and talk in private.”

“No.”

“No?” She let out a loud breath and glared at him. “I refuse to do this in front of everyone. I didn’t confront you in public, and you don’t get to do it to me.”

“The hell I don’t. Answer me, and I’ll leave you alone.”

“Fine,” she shouted back. “For a short time? I wanted to see you freaking hurt.”

He rubbed his forehead. “Son of a bitch.”

“What’s wrong?” She poked his shoulder with her finger. “You wanted the truth, right? Well, yes, a small part of me, at one time, wanted to hurt you. Key word? Wanted. I wanted to hurt you a little bit, just like you hurt me. I didn’t want to want you so badly it hurt to breathe without you. But that’s what I got.”

He made a broken sound and gave her his back. His whole body trembled with emotion. She’d never seen this side of him, and she wished she could take it all back. Everything. But it was too late for that, wasn’t it? “I can’t believe I fell for this.”

“Like I said, it’s what I wanted. But that changed when—”

Kady came running to their sides, out of breath. “Why are you shouting at each other?” Her gaze flitted between the both of them. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing is going on between us,” Tyler said, his eyes on Christine the whole time. “Nothing at all. This is nothing to me. You are nothing to me.”

Kady looked at Christine, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Christine?”

&nb

sp; “He’s right.” She wrapped her arms around herself, getting the message loud and clear. He was done with her. “It’s n-nothing. I’m going up anyway. I don’t f-feel well.”

Christine limped toward where her crutches stood, her heart shattering at the way he stood there, looking broken and angry all at the same time. This wasn’t what she wanted. She needed to get away. Needed to think.

“Stop walking on your damn ankle,” Tyler snapped. He grabbed her crutches and shoved them in her hands, stalking past her and leaving without another word.

Christine watched him go, her heart shattering with each step he took away from her. It was over. They were over. She’d won that fight. Then why did she feel as if she’d lost? Maybe because she had. She’d lost him.

Kady shook Christine’s arm, her eyes narrow. “What happened here? What did you say to him?”

“I-I can’t,” Christine said, shaking her head. “I can’t do this. I have to go.”

Christine turned and swung toward the door, her breathing coming fast and hard. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she was about to cry. But she didn’t do that anymore. Not since Tyler had left her in alone Mexico.

“Christine!” Kady called. “Get back here!”

Nope. Not happening.

She’d rather break her other ankle into a million freaking pieces than talk to anyone right now. From the back of her mind, behind the pain and fear, she heard someone stop Kady from following her. Colt, maybe? It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she escaped before she broke down and cried in front of everyone.

She hobbled toward the doorway, the overwhelming grief squeezing her chest tighter and tighter with each step. She needed to get out of here. Needed to get away from all the prying eyes and curious stares. She focused on the door, refusing to look anyone in the eye. Focus, Christine, focus. Once you get to your room, you can break.

But not a second before.

“What the hell is wrong with everyone?” Kady shrieked.