The Book Boyfriend

Eighteen.

Jess stumbled after me as I went into Nana’s office, grabbing my phone I had to call Beau. Only it wasn’t going to be so easily done as Julia came in behind me and shut the door to keep Nana and Jess out.

“What are you doing?” I demanded, glancing between her and the door.

“You can’t just say that and walk away!”

“Of course I can, it’s all just fiction isn’t it?”

She narrowed her eyes at me and crossed her arms defensively. As someone who had always avoided confrontation, my first instinct was to run away, but I didn’t want to give her that satisfaction.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, what we went through! Just because I ended the story where I did doesn’t mean it is over. Bea-Brock and I will never be over, you have no right to judge me so unfairly!”

I wanted to tell her I did, that I had more of an insight than what the book offered. I wanted to tell her that they really were over, yet a part of me wasn’t sure if that was so true. I had seen her still get under Beau’s skin and how could she do that if there was nothing there?  I wanted to tell her I knew the truth and that he had moved on, but the words never came to me. Everything I came up with sounded nothing more than a jealous girlfriend trying to one up the ex and I was better than that.

They had a past, but Beau and I had the future.

“Of course, so how is your fiancé?”

The diamond sat like a trophy on her left hand and she tucked it further against her chest to hide it from view.

“None of your business.”

“So is there a point to this?”

I focused on breathing, trying to keep calm before I started to scream at her for everything she had done.

“You know something don’t you? Think you’re all righteous for sticking up for him! What were you one of his backstage fucks or maybe you were in rehab too? Did he tell you the sob story of how he got famous and left everyone behind, still expecting them to wait for him to live out the rock star dream? I didn’t want him to be famous, I wanted him. I wanted the house and the kids and to stay as we always had. I didn’t matter, he just did what he wanted!”

She stalked towards me, her voice rising with each word to the point she was practically screaming in my face. Struggling to keep my own voice even, I clenched my fists and focused on the feeling of my nails digging into my palms.

 “Music is who he is, how could you want to hold him back like that?”

 What I wasn’t expecting was for her to slap me, the frustrated growl like sound coming from her as Jess and Nana came back in. My hands instantly went to my cheek and my skin was stinging from the impact as my mouth dropped open in shock. No wonder Rosa made so much noise when I punched her, being hit the face hurt!

“Your opinion doesn’t even matter. It’s fiction, your crazy to think it’s even anything more than a story!”