Chapter 26
Dressed in an old sweatshirt and pants with a bowl of Gina's finest ice-cream clutched in my hands, I stayed curled into a ball in my bed with the blankets on top of me and stared into space.
Gina ripped the sheets off the top of my head and looked at me in pity. I'd finally told her about Dennis, not that there was much point; she suspected it already. I guessed it was pretty obvious.
"Oh, Ali," she murmured, gently pulling the ice-cream tub from my fingers and wrapping her arms around me. "I'm so sorry, love."
I sniffed. "It's not your fault."
I cried into her shoulder, soaking her T-shirt, but she didn't complain. She just rocked me back and forth, whispering soothing words that didn't really register in my mind but calmed me down alot.
Rubbing my back, she said, "This isn't fair."
"I know," I mumbled.
"I'm going to cheer you up," she informed me with an edge of determination.
I smiled shakily. "Don't bother, Gee, it's no use."
"You've survived worse," she reminded me, patting my hair like a mother would to her child.
Gina was right. I'd survived Ian, and that was a lot worse for so many reasons. So why, if it's possible, did I feel even worse about Dennis?
"That's true," I agreed reluctantly.
"So we're going out," she told me simply. "We're going to have fun, get drunk and hit on sexy guys."
"We know what happened last time I did that," I said, sighing.
Gina looked at me pointedly. "That's not going to happen again."
I leaned my head against the wall and groaned. "No, Gee, okay? Can you... just leave me alone? For a while?"
"But-"
"Please."
Hesitantly, she nodded. "Okay. I have to go visit my parents anyway."
She left the room. I stood up and walked sluggishly towards the mirror. When I saw my reflection, I pulled a face. Usually I looked okay without make-up, but the plain face mixed with messy, tangled hair, the dreary clothes and the glum expression made me want to hide from myself.
After brushing through most of the tangles in my hair and changing into something more nice, I grabbed my purse and slipped out of the apartment.
I headed straight for the nearest pub, sat at the bar and just drank.
For a while, I just sat on my own, drinking away my sadness. The alcohol just numbed the pain and I was content to do it until I passed out. But my thoughts would occasionally drift back to Dennis... and his smirks... God, he was amazing.
Why did only bad things happen to me? I was good person. I deserved to be happy... right?
Right?
YOU ARE READING
Behind My Sister's Back
RomanceWhen Summer's marriage ends in disaster, her sister, Ali, is there to pick up the pieces. What Summer didn't expect was for Ali to meet Dennis, Summer's ex-husband, and fall under his charm...
