“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Okay, are you sure though? You didn’t come home last night. I was really worried about you. If something happened, you know you can tell me, right?”
Something inside my chest tightens. Lots of things happened last night, lots of things, and none of them are something I want to talk about right now.
“Nothing happened, and I’m sorry for worrying you. I’ll be right out.” I hate lying to her, but I don’t want to explain the Cole thing, or how Remington rescued me, not right now at least.
“Okay, just making sure.” The tone of her voice tells me she doesn’t believe me, but I’m just thankful she doesn’t push for answers, because I have nothing to give her.
Standing from my seated position, I gather my stuff, and open the bathroom door, scurrying across the hall and into my bedroom. I toss my dirty clothes into the hamper and put my bathroom bag on my desk. Then I sink down onto my mattress and grab my cell phone.
There are tons of texts from Cally, and then a couple from Cole, which I delete right away. But it’s the one from Sebastian that leaves me with a sick feeling in my stomach.
“Fuck,” I mutter to no one but myself, burying my face in my pillow. I forgot about family dinner. After everything that happened yesterday, I now have to face Remington all over again. This is a nightmare, a complete nightmare, and one that I continue to star in.
My stomach churns thinking of what his reaction will be when I show up at his house tomorrow. Will he tell me to leave? Will he end up fighting with his brothers all over again? What will his father say? All of these questions are hurting my head more. I can’t focus on them, not right now. Plugging my cell phone into the charger, I lie down, curl into a ball and wish like hell that I was back in Remington’s arms, with his warm body pressed against mine.
“I love you…” I told him, and the words were still true…I did still love him, and probably would die still loving him. But Remington was like Pandora’s box, and every time I opened him up, I wasn’t sure what I would get. Closing my eyes, I wish for sleep to come…but it never does.
???
“How was your weekend?” Sebastian asks from the driver’s seat of his SUV. Music from the radio filters quietly through the speakers, but all I can do is focus on the tightening knot of fear in my belly. Am I about to ruin everything by going to their house for dinner? Remington hasn’t messed with me in days, didn’t even attempt to talk to me until yesterday and now… now I was going to be giving that up for a visit with his family.
He would retaliate, lash out and hurt me.
“Fine.” I shrug, refusing to talk to him about the party, or any topic remotely close to it.
“Fine? That’s it?” He gives me a look that all but calls me a liar. “You never were a very good liar, Jules.”
My cheeks heat, knowing he can see right through me. Each of the Miller boys are good at that, seeing right through your bullshit.
“It was fine,” I say, trying to make it sound a little more believable.
Sebastian rolls his eyes. “No offense, Jules, because you’re beautiful no matter what, but you look like you went through a blender. There are bags under your eyes, and you just seem so heartbroken. Is Remington still messing with you?”
How did he know Remington was messing with me?
“He’s going to be so angry…angry that I showed up, angry that I’m ruining your dinner.” I break, letting a sliver of my fear and worry out.
“So this is about him?”
“What…no…it’s not. I mean kind of, but not really. He’s just…he’s Remington and we don’t exactly have a good history.”
Sebastian rolls his eyes. “Your history is fine. Rem is just an idiot who is too dumb to admit what he wants. He’s hurt and like a typical male, the first thing he does is run, and ask questions later.”
“He literally hates me, Seb.”
“No, he doesn’t. He wants you to think he hates you. There is a difference, sis.” It’s my turn to roll my eyes, and I do, because as much as I love Sebastian, he has no idea the shit storm I have had to endure when it comes to his brother. Sebastian has loved only one girl in his life, and she’s dead now, so his advice, though sweet isn’t helpful.
If Remington ever loved me, even a little bit, I wouldn’t ever be able to tell, at least not since last night. Everything he does is to hurt me, in one way or another.