Chapter Sixteen
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I was still with Tommy as the sun began to set and we were laughing at basically nothing and everything. Tommy felt like my best friend, someone who I could be myself with but didn't need to worry about anything happening because he loved someone else.
"No fair." I smirked. As took one of the last strawberries without even playing me for it. "We didn't even finish the game."
"Too bad." He smirked as he swallowed his food. I groaned in annoyance but took the last two quickly in my hand and popped them in my mouth. His face turned to one of disbelief and I was the one smirking now. "You didn't.."
I only nodded and jumped to my feet as I started running towards the hotel forget the towel, he was going to kill me. Probably not but still.
He easily caught up to me and pushed me into the sand covered ground. "Ugh, get off. You're killing me." I laughed as I struggled underneath him.
"You ate the last of the strawberries, you deserve it."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I giggled shoving him again.
"Ahem." A cough made us look up, "What's going on here?" He smirked.
"Uh, we're just hanging out." Tommy told Jeff off hand but helped me to my feet.
"You should call my sister, she's worried since you won't return her calls." He looked me over before he glared slightly.
Tommy had his phone in his hands in an instant, "I didn't get anything." He muttered in confusion before he had the phone to his ear, turning away from the both of us.
"So you and Tommy are like, a thing?"
"No." I told him quickly, I didn't want him to tell his sister about us. It'd ruin Tommy. "I have someone I love very much already." I told him. I could have said boyfriend but that didn't seem to be enough.
"Good." Jeff nodded and then sighed as he looked to his friend who was smiling like an idiot as he spoke to Casey. "I wanted him to go out with other girls so he wouldn't hurt her, but I think that she'd be hurt worse if he got with someone else."
"Tommy really loves her, he won't hurt her." I spoke softly.
He looked at me in shock and then nodded, "I know." he muttered, turning around he left. I walked back to the towels and folded them neatly before I made my way back to Tommy. I handed him his towel and he mouth thank you as he listened to Casey. I gave him a wave and walked back to the room.
Opening the door I heard a moaning sound and I instantly regretted my decision to come back to the room. I dropped the towel on the floor and quickly looked away from the scene in front of me. Sydney was straddling a guy on the bed as they were in a heated makeout.
I went quickly into the adjoining room and closed the door. I didn't need to stay and watch, I didn't need to be scarred for life. I heard the door to the other room, the room with Sydney and friend, and I gasped.
"Alex!" She shouted. Was her 'friend' Alex? My heart ached. I walked out of the door into the hallway which is where I entered the room again, like it was the first time.
Alex was standing in the room, looking angry but also a little relieved. Sydney wasn't on the bed anymore and her friend was zipping up his pants. They all noticed me walk in and I saw Alex visibly relax. I mean he still looked angry but he was a lot less tense.
"I'll call you later." Mystery guy spoke to Syd as he threw his shirt over his head, brushing past me, he smirked. "You look fun." And then he winked and left.
I stood there absolutely appalled. Where does Sydney find these guys?
"Hey, I haven't seen you all day." Sydney smiled as if she just wasn't walked in on.
"Yeah, I've been..busy." I laughed. Alex snorted and brushed past me, his warm arm seemed to linger near mine before he was gone and out the door.
"Well he's in a decent mood." Sydney mutter, rolling her eyes, "And to think he doesn't like me."
"What?" I chuckled going to sit with her on the unused bed.
"He was clearly angry when he walked in on us, I mean what else could it be." She shrugged. "He likes me."
Alex liking Sydney was something I could see but it also hurt. Besides Alex already said he didn't like her and I believe him.
"Okay." I laughed, "If that's what you want."
"It is what I want." She laughed, "I'm going to make him so jealous that he'd rip me away from the guy I'm with and kiss me to death."
"Death? That's a little extreme." I tried to be supportive.
"It's a figure of speech."
I stood up from the bed, "Well I'm beat." I laughed. Walking into the bathroom a thought hit me, what if the reason he was so angry was because he thought it was me?
No. No, that's not it.
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"Hey, it's Lucy." I sighed.
"Oh, hey babe." His voice was distant as it always was when I talk to him lately. I didn't talk to him at all yesterday, nor did I talk to Alex but I only missed talking to one of them and it wasn't the guy on the phone. My boyfriend.
I could hear and see the waves crashing on the sandy beach from the balcony I was currently standing on, the morning sun glittering over the blue water. It was beautiful.
"Whatcha doing?" I questioned as I postponed the inevitably. I was going to tell him. I had too.
"Just - Uh- hanging out with...the guys." He sounded slightly out of breath. "Can I call you back?"
"No. Wait we need-."
"Thanks Lucy, you're the best." He breathed and then he was gone.
"What the fuck." I hissed, guess we'd have to wait till later.
Sighing I put my phone back into my pocket, I had to meet Tommy for our first surf lesson. Everyone was still asleep as I grabbed my key and a towel. I could already tell that this was going to be a long day.
"There you are. I thought you were going to bail on me." Tommy greeted me once I got the lobby.
Rolling my eyes I walked right past him and he chuckled quickly catching up to me.
As I set my stuff down I finally noticed him carrying a board and gave him a shocked look. "Where did that come from?"
"Oh, I borrowed it for a while." He laughed and then gestured closer to the water, "Let's begin, shall we?"
"Sure." I smiled took off my over clothes so I was just in my swim suit. Tommy stared at me I shoved his chest playfully. "You coming or not?" I laughed.
He nodded, "Right let's surf."
An hour later people were already showing up to the beach but I tried not to pay attention to them. "Here." Tommy came up behind me grabbing my hips gently he twisted them so they faced the way he wanted. "Now more pressure on your feet. There."
I blushed from being touched, not necessarily because of him. "Let's go into the water now." I whined.
"You think you're ready for that?" He laughed leaving my side so he was standing in front of me, crossing his arms.
"Of course, I'm the best new student surfer ever. I'm like a prodigy." I laughed.
He smirked, "Sure you are." Then he looked to the water before turning back to me, "Fine but only because the waves aren't that big this morning."
I paddled my way out and groaned, my arms were tired already. "Turn around!" I heard Tommy shout from shore. I tried to turn but it was difficult. Waves splashing my face and I shrieked, I hated salt water.
"Lucy!" Tommy called as I seemed to drift further away from shore. How do you stop this thing? The waves seemed to stop at the point I was at now so I knew that I was out too far. I paddled so I could turn around and I swear I felt a nudge on my foot.
"No." I told myself, trying to keep myself calm, convincing myself that whatever it was could sense fear. But I couldn't find it in me to paddle back to shore, I was paranoid.
Looking up in panic I found the one person I wanted to save me. He made me feel like I wasn't alone out on the board, that he was helping me.
I took a deep breath and carefully paddled in, once I hit the waves, they seemed to carry me in. "Lucy! Are you okay?" Tommy asked quickly as I stood up.
I nodded and looked at Alex who was standing near the water's edge. He gave me a relieved look and I smiled. All I wanted to do was hug him, to feel his reassuring touch but I held myself back.
"I think surfing is not on your to do list." Tommy laughed. I grinned and gave him his board back.
"Thanks for trying to teach me anyway."
"No problem Luc, wanna just read instead?"
I laughed and nodded, "Sure, I'll meet you at the towels in a second."
He seemed to understand as he walked away but before he did I saw him smile at Alex to which Alex glared. Once Tommy was far enough away he turned back to me, "You good?"
I blushed and nodded as I shifted my footing. Since I was now being honest with myself, I felt was more nervous talking to Alex than I ever had. "Good. My brother would kill me if you died." His jaw and fist clenched.
I snorted and crossed my arms, "Andy hasn't even had a full conversation with me since we left."
Alex looked confused and pulled out his phone, so he was going to ignore me too, great. I began walking around him when he grabbed my arm, "Wait." His voice was soft, "He told me he's been in constant contact with you, that you thought I was being creepy? And overbearing."
"He told you that?" Anger rising inside me but it seemed to disappear as Alex's puppy dog eyes meet mine. "Alex I think that you are honestly-."
"Alex?" A girls voice cut off what I was going to say. Alex eyes seemed to plead with me before anger replaced the unknown emotion. "Hey, we still going to get dinner?"
The girl was short, about my height, which was about 5'3 and had Thick brown hair with green eyes. Her eyes flickered to me and she seemed to light up, completely the opposite of what I wanted to do.
"Is this your girlfriend?" She smiled and reached out to shake my head.
"No. This is Lucy." Alex growled, annoyed at the girl. She looked familiar and that's when I remembered the girl from yesterday. The one where Alex was genuinely laughing with, yeah that one.
"I'm Tessa, Alex's favorite cousin." She laughed as Alex made a face.
"Not anymore." He muttered.
"You're cousins?" I asked as relief flooded through me. "I'm Andy's girlfriend." I laughed.
Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion, looking between me and Alex before her eyes settled on me. She shifted her footing uneasily and both Alex and I gave her a questioning look.
"What's wrong Tess?" Alex asked, or more like growled.
Her eyes were sad when they meet mine. "I... I was just with Andy before I came out here. Two days ago and for that matter we've hung out for the past year now with him... and what I thought was his girlfriend."
I felt all the air leave my lungs as I processed what she was saying. "I thought Dana was his girlfriend, that's what he said. We've all been double dating for a while. I'm so sorry."
He.. cheated, is cheating on me? I felt my cheeks growing increasingly wet as I stared at the sand, I was going to be sick. Our whole relationship was a lie. How could he do this to me? Sure I didn't exactly like him and I was going to break up with him this morning but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt.
Wait. Poker nights? When he didn't want to be interrupted, his breathlessness on the phone. He was with her when we talked! I was really going to be sick now.
Pushing my way past Alex and Tess I made my way to Tommy who was waiting patiently for me to return. I grabbed my thing quickly before he could look up from his page.
"Lucy." Alex called after me but that only pushed me to go faster. "Lucy wait!"
I hit the elevator button a hundred times, like it would come faster if I did. I hated crying in front of people and right now there were a shit ton of them around. Finally the doors opened and I slid in, closing them just in time to see Alex running towards me.
Once they opened on my floor I took off running, I didn't want Alex to catch me, I wanted to be alone. To process what Tessa said.
I grabbed my phone and ran into the bathroom and locked it. I dialed his number, hearing it ring I felt the anger rising in me. How dare he hurt me like this!
"Hey baby-."
"Shut up." I cut him off.
"Lucy?" His voice was one of complete shock.
"I said shut it." I hissed, "You two timing dirt bag. I hate you!"
"Luc." He tried.
"No!" I yelled, "You don't get to talk, you don't get to say anything. I trusted you, Andrew, I trusted you and you fucking hurt me." I felt tears roll down my cheeks as I talked to him. "You're a disgusting pig and I'm so glad that I never let you have me like you wanted." I shivered in disgust at the thought, can you imagine how horrible that would be? To have sex with Andy?
"In case you were wondering, I was going to break up with you before this but this just confirms it." I chuckled humorlessly, "Dick." I muttered and hung up. Dana, the other women, was my neighbour believe it or not. We rode our horse together every summer, even last summer when they were supposedly together.
My phone rang over and over again but I ignored it, I didn't need to hear his lies or apology. If he was even going to apologize in the first place.
And to think I felt guilty for even thinking about Alex. I shook my head, I was such a gullible person, I can't believe I believed all his lame excuses.
"Lucy?" His voice was calm on the other side of the door as he lightly tapped on the wood.
I reached out for the knob and threw open the door. Alex's eyes held anger and concern as they met mine. My anger for Andy disappeared but Alex's only seem to increase as he took in my tear stained cheeks. Without another thought I wrapped my arms around his waist and cried into his chest.
It was like someone took my love and stomped on it. Like I wasn't worth loving.
"It's going to be okay." He whispered in my ear softly as he led us over to the bed. He lifted me into the bed like a child and I was afraid that he was going to leave me but he didn't. He climbed into the bed next to me, wrapping me in his arms again. The warmth from Alex comforted me but the tears still ran down my cheeks.
After an hour of being held by Alex, I looked up to see his face. His jaw was clenched in anger but his touch was gentle as he ran his fingers through my hair. "I was going to break up with him this morning." I whispered softly.
Alex froze and looked down at me, intrigued. "Why?"
I looked away from his intense gaze and blushed snuggling between him and the pillow to hide my face. "Because I don't love him anymore." I spoke but it was muffled into the pillow.
"What changed your mind?" He spoke with so much emotion that it surprised me, Alex didn't usually show emotions besides anger. I mean occasionally he did but still.
"I'm in love with someone else." I spoke carefully to judge his reaction. I wanted to tell him how I felt but he might just think he's the rebound when really he was always my first choice.