I stroke his hair and wrap my legs around him. “I know.”
Chad’s footsteps walking through the apartment let us know he’s in the living room with Nicole.
“Maybe we should get out of here. If Wes has company, he might want to be alone.” Nicole’s voice echoes.
I have to remember to buy that girl a drink the next time I see her.
“No. He’ll just walk her out when they’re done. It’s crazy though because he never brings girls back here. I’m curious to see who it is.” I hear him moving things around on the table. “Are these Stacey’s books? I wonder where she went.”
Wes groans, and I curse myself for leaving my things out like that.
“Stace?” Chad calls out, and I can hear him in my room.
“Maybe she’s doing laundry,” Nicole suggests.
“It’s not Tuesday.” Chad sounds agitated. “Her phone is here. So are her keys.”
“She must have gone for a walk. Or to the store. I’m sure it’s nothing.” Nicole is now grasping at straws.
“Without her bag?” Chad is not agitated anymore. He’s furious. As are his footsteps.
“Fuck,” Wes says as he rolls off of me.
“Stacey! Are you in there?” Chad yells through the door.
I roll off the bed and start to dress rapidly. Wes has his jeans on, and I’m searching for my shirt. He tosses it to me.
“Wes! Stacey! What the hell is going on in there? Wes, I swear to fucking God, if you’re fucking my sister, I’ll kill you!”
We halt getting dressed and stare at each other. I’ve never heard Chad this mad. Ever. In my entire life. From the expression on Wes’s face, neither has he.
His pounding turns violent, and the handle rattles as he tries to open the door.
“Babe, calm down. I’m sure it’s not what you think.” Nicole tries to control him, but he doesn’t stop.
“Wesley Knight, open this goddamn door!”
“All right!” Wes calls out. “We’re coming out, but you need to calm the fuck down. I’m not letting you yell at Stacey. Not when you’re like this. Go chill for five minutes then meet us in the living room.”
“Meet you in the—”
“Chad!” Nicole calls out. “Get over here now and relax!”
His steps fade away from the door, so he must have listened to his girlfriend.
I walk over to Wes and place my hand on his arm. “Let’s just leave. We don’t need to hear his nasty words. Not right now. He’s angry.”
“You shouldn’t stay, but I need to. This isn’t how I wanted him to find out. I can’t just walk out of the apartment and not talk to him about it. I broke a major code.”
“I know. I just don’t want him to make us feel like we were doing something wrong.”
“Weren’t we?” he asks as he opens the door. He walks first, keeping me behind him.
We turn the corner to where Chad is standing in the middle of the living room with his hands fisted at his sides and a pissed off expression on his face.
“Chad, I—” Wes doesn’t get to finish his sentence because Chad cold-cocks him right in the face.
“No!” I yell.
Wes steps back from the blow, gripping his jaw, while Chad shakes out his fingers. I run to Wes and place my hand on his back, searching to see if he’s okay. He gently pushes me away.
“How long have you been sleeping with my sister?” Chad seethes.
“A month.”
“You fucker. I knew it. I knew something was going on, but I trusted you.” He paces around the room. “You piece of shit. This is so like you. You never care what anyone thinks. You go for what you want, when you want it. And the worst part is, I bet you’ve already justified how this is right.”
“Cut it out,” I cry. “You have no idea what this is.”
“You think you have something with him? Let me guess. He didn’t chase you. He made you chase him. Intimate connection is his kryptonite. He’s close to you today, and then tomorrow, he’ll be distant. I’ve seen him do it a million times before.” Chad’s words are vile, and yet Wes doesn’t argue them. He’s just standing there, taking it.
“Let me choose if I want to be one of those girls,” I demand.
“It’s more than you, Stacey. I told him to stay away, and he didn’t. At the end of the day, he lacks empathy and doesn’t care.”
“You’re being really harsh. Maybe they have something?” Nicole suggests, and Chad looks at her with narrowed eyes.
“Did you know about this?” he asks her.
I give her a look that lets her know she should say no. I don’t want her to get in trouble.
She stutters, “I had an inkling. I thought maybe—”
“There’s no maybe with him. With Wes, it’s love me or don’t. The second the relationship takes a turn, he’s out. He doesn’t want you, Stacey. He’s only using you. A game. A new toy. A plaything. He’s incapable of real love.”
“That’s enough, Chad. You’re a real prick, you know that?” I spit.
“He’s right,” Wes says in a defeated tone. “It was just fun for me.”
“What?” I ask him, utterly confused and heartbroken.
“You came on to me, and I couldn’t help but play the game. Sneaking around was the best part, but now that Chad knows, everything he said will probably happen.”
“You’re not serious, Wes. Don’t let what Chad said change the way you feel.”
“He’s right though. Every time before, that’s exactly what happened,” Wes says again and backs toward the wall.
“Get out,” Chad demands as he points toward the door. “Get your shit and move out. I don’t care where you have to go, but it’s not here. Don’t look at me. Don’t call. Don’t even say my or my sister’s fucking name to anyone.”
Wes clenches his jaw as he walks to his room. I go to follow him, but Chad pulls me back.
“You’re such an asshole.” I push him away and storm into Wes’s room, slamming the door behind me. “Tell me you were lying. Say you said that I was just a game because Chad was there. Look at me and tell me what we have is more than just some sneaking around.”
He’s grabbing T-shirts and boxers and throwing them into a bag, not saying a word.
Tears stream from my cheeks as I get up close to him. “Say you’re a liar. A stupid liar and that you care about me!”
Jeans and his phone charger are next. Then his laptop.
He walks past me, but I grab his arm and halt him.
His head turns back slightly. His eyes aren’t on mine as he simply mutters, “I’m so sorry.”
I ugly-cry as he walks away.
I fall to the bed and hold my head in my hands as the front door slams.
“Why the fuck are you crying?” Chad yells as he walks into the room. “I just saved you from probably the worst heartache you’ll ever have.”
I stand up and get in his face. “How can you say that? He’s your best friend. He’s not the guy you say he is.”
“Oh, really?” He holds up his hand like he’s ready to count items off. “Kaitlyn, Sarah, Monica, Ashley, Autumn, Amy—”