“Anna!” Nathan yelled out desperately as he watched her rush away through the crowd.
“You’re drunk as shit, Nate.” Sabian said, moving him along quickly. “Have a seat and relax before you get thrown out or arrested.”
The only reason Nathan kept moving was because they were still going in the direction Anna was. But he had to get to her now. Had to find out what the fuck she was doing there, mocking him in that dress, straddling and sucking that guy’s face, knowing full well he’d spotted her.
“I gotta get to her, man,” Nathan urged. “I’m not going back there anymore.” He motioned to where they’d left the guy he punched. “I just need to talk to her.”
They both kept on toward Anna, who’d slowed with the crowd being so heavy. Nathan pulled away from Sabian as Anna cut away through one of the hallways that led to a side exit. He knew the place well enough to know the other exit closer to him opened up to the same side of the parking lot she was headed to now.
As soon as he was able, he began to sprint. The adrenaline he’d begun to feel the moment he’d first laid eyes on her and then after taking a swing at that guy had sobered him up a little. He pushed through the exit and turned towards where he knew she’d be coming out. He was still a few yards from it when she rushed out and turned and rushed the other way, her back to him. “So is this it, Anna?” He yelled out as he hurried to catch up to her. “Is this who you really are? How many other guys are you fucking besides Scott?”
She stopped in her tracks but didn’t turn around. “You’re one to talk. I thought you and that girl were gonna start dry humping right there on the dance floor.”
The cool air in his face as opposed to the humid heat inside felt good, but his insides were still on fire. The visual of her straddling that guy still made him want to punch someone again. She’d started walking again, but he caught up to her, took a step in front of her, and stopped. The moment their eyes met his breath caught at his throat.
“Sam?”
“I came here to talk to you, but you had your hands full the whole time.”
She opened her purse and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter then lit up. Nathan didn’t even know she smoked.
“Talk to me about what?” he asked as his hammering heart began to calm; then he sized her up from top to bottom. “And why are you wearing that dress?”
Sam blew out a stream of smoke then smirked. “Anna and I borrow each other’s clothes all the time. But these shoes are really killing me now.” Pulling out a flask from her purse, she started around him and toward the parking lot again. “So if you don’t mind walking and talking, I need to get my slippers from my car.”
Nathan watched as she took a swig from the flask then held it out to him. “Want some? It’s Jameson. The good stuff.”
Knowing they’d be discussing Anna, he took the flask and downed a good-sized swig.
“Opa!” she said with a big smile then took the flask back.
As soon as they reached her car, he was regretting it. He’d never actually had Jameson before. While it was smooth, it was also strong as shit, and he was already feeling woozier than he had earlier.
Sam opened the passenger door of her car and took off her shoes one by one, throwing them on the floor in the car. She pulled a plastic bag out and took the slippers from it.
Nathan closed his eyes, remembering how the last time he’d come here, both she and Anna had worn slippers home. “What is it you wanna talk to me about?”
Sam leaned against the car next to him and took another drag of her cigarette. “Anna’s my best friend, and at first, I felt bad about that night. I kept blaming myself because I was the one that brought the bottle of tequila. But as the memories of that night started coming back to me, I started feeling a little better, at least about my part in what they did.”
“What they did?” Nathan asked, feeling his heart speed up again.
All this time he’d held out hope there had to be some mistake. That there was no way Anna would do that to him—even drunk.
Sam pulled out the flask again and handed it to him. “You should have another drink. You’re gonna need it.”
His heart dropped, and he stared at the flask then at Sam, who pouted, and he grabbed the flask, taking a drink. A big one this time. If she was about to tell him what he dreaded to hear, he definitely needed this. It warmed his chest instantly, and he shook his head, feeling even woozier.
“It started off as a spiteful thing, to piss Josh off, the three of us kissing and acting like we were having some kind of a threesome.”
Nathan listened, his heart shattering with every word. She told him about Scott saying Josh had always been jealous of Anna. “Personally, I’ve always thought Scott had a thing for her, no matter how gay he says he is. So when things started getting heavy and they really started going at it, I wasn’t too surprised. I just never expected him to be so conniving about it.”
Even as he tried to concentrate on everything she was saying, Nathan shook his head because the entire parking lot was moving. Like they were on a rocking boat or something.
Sam stopped talking, and she scrutinized him with concern. “You okay?”
Nathan started to say he was but then nearly slid down the car door. “Oh my gosh!” she said, holding him up. The front door of her car was still open. “Here,” she said, holding him by his arms. “Sit down in here.”
He stumbled into her car and sat down, trying to get a hold of his bearings, but everything was still rocking. “That’s . . .” he tried to say as she leaned into the car to examine his eyes closely. “That’s some strong shit, Jameson.”
Sam smiled, still searching his eyes. “Yes, it is. Are you gonna be okay?”
Nathan nodded, even though he wasn’t so sure about it. He was fading fast, but he needed to know what she came here to tell him. Needed to just pull the fucking bandage off once and for all and kill the tiniest of hope that he still had. “What else did they do?”
“He did you wrong, Nathan, and then he turned on me. It’s why I’m here tonight. Technically, my name is not on the lease, so Scott threatened to throw me out when I told him I remembered everything, remembered watching him fuck Anna—”
“Ugh!” Nathan pushed her away with a grunt. Hearing the agonizing truth cut so much deeper than he’d imagined; he couldn’t take it anymore. His head spun, and his heart was ripped apart all over again. It felt like his entire world was collapsing. He finally let out what he’d been holding in all these weeks and cried. Sam hugged him, and he brought his arms around her, continuing to just let it all out against her shoulder.
~*~
Aiyanna
Sam stepped into Aiyanna’s room just as she’d sat up at the edge of her bed, afraid to move and willing the nausea to go away. “How you feeling?”
Aiyanna shook her head. “Like crap.”
Her friend walked into the room, closing the door behind her. She took slow, cautious steps as if even being too quick or too loud might upset Aiyanna.
“What’s up?” Aiyanna asked as Sam sat down next to her.
“There’s something I have to tell you.”
Aiyanna stared at her, alarmed by the tone and expression Sam wore. The last thing she needed was more negativity cluttering up her worn mind. Already, she had a huge decision to make. “What is it?”
“I overheard you talking to Scott the other day. About his gut telling him nothing happened between you and him that night.”
Aiyanna nodded. “It makes sense. He said he’d never been aroused by a woman and if he was that wasted, even Ryan Gosling couldn’t get a rise out of him.”
Aiyanna attempted to smile, but her stomach turned and she winced instead. Sam stood up and brought the wastebasket over to Aiyanna. “Just in case you don’t make it to the bathroom again.” She sat down next to Aiyanna again and sighed deeply. “I know you’re dealing with a lot right now. And it’s why I hadn’t said anything, only I heard you tell him you were sti
ll deliberating about having an abortion.”
Nodding, Aiyanna felt the ache in her heart. At first, she’d been adamant about it. She didn’t want to impose and turn anyone’s life upside down because of her stupid mistake. Having Nathan’s baby, as much as that would’ve been a beautiful thing before all this happened, seemed almost malicious now. He’d have to deal with the woman who shattered his heart. Someone she was sure he’d hate now for the rest of his life.
Only after the conversation with Scott, she was having second thoughts. The likelihood of this being Nathan’s baby made the thought of aborting it so much harder. Despite how he felt for her now, the baby had been conceived in love. If nothing else, that she was certain of.
“I’ve had more flashbacks of that night,” Sam said, making Aiyanna’s eyes widen. “It’s not all clear, but I know you’re trying to make this decision, so I have to tell you. While most of the flashbacks are blurry, I’ve had some that are clear enough. You two did have sex.”
Bringing her hand to her mouth, Aiyanna felt both sick to her stomach and utterly ashamed all over again. How could she have done that to Nathan?
Sam rubbed her back. “I didn’t wanna say anything because I knew it’d upset you. I thought your mind was made up about the abortion, so I figured it didn’t matter. But if you decide to keep it because you’re certain it’s Nathan’s, I knew I had to tell you. I know Scott keeps saying his gut says you two didn’t, and please don’t tell him I told you because I know he’ll be mad, but I really think he’s actually hoping the baby is his.” Aiyanna stared at Sam, unwilling to believe it, and then Sam shook her head. “All I’m saying is it’s very possible that it is Scott’s.”
Aiyanna fell apart, torn between whether or not she believed Sam and hating herself for being so stupid as she cried on her best friend’s shoulder. But the embrace was short-lived because Scott came through the door without even knocking the way he normally would. “What’s going on?”
Pulling away from Sam, Aiyanna wiped her tears, mindful of Sam’s request that she not tell Scott what she’d just shared with her. Scott peered at both of them suspiciously until Aiyanna grabbed the wastebasket and puked her guts out. Within seconds, both her best friends were all over it. Sam scrambled to hold her hair out of the way and soothe her back, and Scott rushed out and back in with warm wet towels. They both helped her into bed, insisting she stay there while they prepared her tea and brought her a bland breakfast.
Chapter 28: Mixed Suspicions
Nathan
The combination of the phone ringing, someone calling out his name, and then loud footsteps pounding through his house as they got closer woke Nathan.
Isaiah burst through his bedroom door just as Nathan sat up feeling dazed as shit. The sun coming through his windows made him squint and shield his eyes immediately. “What the . . .?” he began to say when Isaiah picked up Nathan’s ringing phone from his dresser.
“Em, I’m here with him . . . Yeah, he’s fine . . . I will. Let AJ know.”
Nathan checked the digital clock on the nightstand. He hadn’t even slept in that late, but Isaiah’s tone sounded like they may’ve been trying to get a hold of him all morning. It was only a little after ten. That’s when he noticed that, except for his shoes, he was still fully dressed.
“Sabian called AJ last night from Clouds.” Isaiah frowned, putting Nathan’s phone down on the nightstand. “He said you were drunk out of your mind, starting fights, and chasing after some girl like an idiot. AJ asked him to keep an eye on you until he got a hold of me since he’s in New York right now, but I was in Rosarito last night. AJ didn’t want to get anyone else involved in your shit unless he had to; then Sabian called him and said he’d found you in the parking lot, making out with Sam.”
Ignoring his pounding headache, Nathan sat up as the memory of last night suddenly assaulted him. “What?”
“Yeah, that’s what both AJ and I said when we first heard it. Anna’s friend Sam? Sabian said you were pissed about seeing her with some other dude then chased her out into the parking lot. Is she why you and Anna broke up?”
“No, I thought she was Anna when I first saw her,” Nathan explained as he wracked his brain to remember. “Yeah, I was drunk and it was dark in there. She looks a lot like Anna, so I thought it was her at first, but I don’t remember making out with her.”
Nathan stopped for a moment to recount last night’s events: seeing her with that guy, being furious and feeling ready to kill, punching the guy then Sabian stopping him from doing more, and then catching up to her outside and realizing it was Sam. Taking a swig from her flask then—
He squeezed his eyes shut as his heart took a brutal beating once again. Scott threatened to throw me out when I told him I remembered watching him fuck Anna. Nathan punched his mattress, swallowing back the emotion he’d let out so unabashedly last night, then brought both hands over his face. He didn’t remember anything after breaking down.
“Sabian said he saw us making out?” he asked with his hands still over his face.
“You two were in her car, and she was on your lap, kissing you, when he first approached you. Sam said you were fine, just a little upset. But he said you looked like shit, so he managed to get you out of there and into his car. You better call him and thank him,” Isaiah said as he tapped away at his phone screen. “He brought your drunk ass home and said he had to practically carry you in. You’re lucky he was there.”
No shit he was. As hurt as he’d felt hearing what Sam had told him, he also remembered feeling pissed. He was beginning to feel pissed again, not just at Anna for her betrayal, but at Scott. That motherfucker was still trying to cover up his shit. Unless Sam risked getting herself thrown out by telling Anna the truth, Anna was likely still completely in the dark about him.
“Toss me my phone,” he said, bringing his feet off to the side of the bed.
Isaiah handed him his phone, letting him know Sabian might already be on a plane. “I’ll call him later,” Nathan said, scrolling through all the missed calls he had from AJ and the rest of his siblings. Then he scrolled through the texts, stopping at one from a number he didn’t recognize.
I’m going to have to tell her about last night. But I’ll make sure she knows how drunk and upset you were. I suppose at this point it doesn’t really matter. I just thought I should at least give you a heads-up. I’m sorry, but she’s my best friend. I can’t NOT tell her. =/
Sam
“Fuck,” he muttered, scrolling down to see if Sam had sent anything else.
“What?” Isaiah asked, sitting down next to him on the bed.
“Sam’s telling Anna about last night.”
Isaiah shook his head. “You need to change how you deal with your anger. This isn’t the first time you’ve done this.”
“I’ve never been with Sam—”
“Not that, you idiot. I mean get wasted to help you deal with a problem—an issue you’re dealing with. Alcohol is the first thing you turn to. It was bound to bite you in the ass eventually.”
Nathan reread the text from Sam, feeling all hope completely dissipate, then typed his one letter response, K, and sent it. “It’s not like it matters anymore.”
“What really happened between you and Anna?” Isaiah asked as Nathan turned to meet his brother’s curious eyes. “I know the girls admitted they’d been a little concerned about you two moving too fast when you told us about things not working out. But I’d be the last one to argue the validity of knowing you’ve met the one, no matter how soon after you met her. Hell, in hindsight, I’m pretty sure I knew it the night I met Kelli. So I had no issue with things moving so fast between you two. Especially seeing how genuinely happy the two of you seemed together.”
Nathan scoffed bitterly even as his heart ached more than he ever thought was possible. “She fucked her roommate.”
Saying it out loud for the first time and knowing there’d be no way he was taking it back now pissed him off even more. But h
e welcomed the rage. It was easier to deal with than the pain.
Isaiah didn’t respond in a harsh way as Nathan was sure AJ would. “I thought he was gay.”
Standing up slowly because his head was still pounding, Nathan touched his temple. “Yeah, so did I. So did she, until they got drunk and woke up naked together.”
“But did they actually have sex?”
Nathan gave his brother a look then winced at the throbbing pain in his head. “You want coffee? I’m getting an aspirin.” He slipped his phone in his pocket then started toward his bedroom door.
Isaiah said he was good but followed him out into the kitchen where Nathan pulled out the bottle of aspirin then took two with a bottle of water. Nathan downed the entire bottle of water then crumpled it and tossed it in the trashcan. “Up until last night, I held out hope there might be the slightest of chances that she hadn’t. Neither Anna nor Scott remembered if they actually did.”
He explained everything Sam had let him in on last night.
“And you believe her?”
As simple and stupid as it sounded, Nathan hadn’t even stopped to consider the possibility that Sam would be lying. “Why would she lie?”
“Because it doesn’t add up,” Isaiah shot right back. “Why would Scott care if Anna knew he remembered screwing her? And why would Sam rat out her best friend? I mean I don’t know either of them very well, but I’d sooner take Scott’s word over Sam’s.”
“Why is that?”
“Because from what little I do know about Sam, her character is questionable. You know what she did at Moreno’s, right? With AJ?”
Nathan nodded, understanding where Isaiah’s head was. “She was drunk, Sai. Very drunk, and Anna said she’s not usually like that.”
“Was she drunk last night?”
Thinking about that for a moment, Nathan stared at his brother silently until he finally spoke. “I don’t think so. I mean I was out of it, so maybe compared to me she didn’t seem to be, but—”