Byron managed to keep the impending meltdown, to growls and a few bangs against his steering wheel all the way home. He felt like a fucking idiot for having interpreted everything he thought this girl had begun to feel for him in such a short time. What was he, thirteen? A few kisses, an amazing make out session and weeklong of nonstop texts, video chats that neither ever wanted to end despite how late into the night they’d drawn out. He’d practically heard harp music and wedding bells after their very first kiss. All for what? For someone that turned out to be exactly how Nine described hot freaky college girls and what Byron should’ve anticipated especially after his experience with Barbara. What’s worse, Vannah had never denied it’s what she did.
So why was he so incensed?
Byron wasn’t even sure who he was madder at. Her, for swooping into his life so unannounced and unexpectedly and having this kind of effect on him? Or himself for being such a chump and allowing anyone to have this kind of hold on him so quickly.
Once back at the shop, Byron did his best to try and snap out of his horrendous mood. He threw his phone in a drawer refusing to obsess over every ding it made. Trying to concentrate on his work, he failed miserably at not being obvious as fuck that one wrong word could lead to blows, he was so tensed up.
“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Gus half smirked; half frowned after Byron snapped at him for like the third time. “I was just messing with you. Something up your ass today? Everything okay with Beast and his girls?”
Stopping for a moment as he cleaned his grimy hands off with a rag, Byron took a deep breath, feeling like an ass but shook his head. “They’re fine.” Then he had a thought. He needed a shot—or two. “When’s the last time you saw Christine?”
Gus’s brows furrowed in question and he shook his head. “Christine? It’s been weeks at least. Why?”
Byron glanced down at his watch. “I need a drink. Irma text me earlier. She and Christine are down at the Chuperia right about now.” He threw the rag at Gus who quickly caught it. “Go home and shower up. I’ll do the same then meet me back here. Uber’s on me.”
Gus smiled big with a nod. “Haven’t had me some Christine in a while. Will do, sir. See you back here in a bit.”
Even that last comment grated Byron to no end. Gus always said Christine wasn’t the boyfriend type of girl and always up for a good time, as long as no demands were made. Byron did not need a reminder of the kind of girl he’d now confirmed Vannah was.
Thirteen
Calm Before the Mayhem
Vannah
It was a shame, and Vannah felt so guilty that her parents had spent all that money on tickets to the Frozen musical in Hollywood for the whole family and she hadn’t been able to enjoy any of it. Byron’s response to her text had been such a blow to her heart the entire night it’d been all she could think of. She’d read it several times thinking she must’ve read it wrong. Maybe he meant something else by his time with her always turning into an overnight thing. But after rehashing it with Xochitl for as much as even her cynical friend tried to make something different of it, they’d both come to the same disappointing conclusion. Despite the amazing night they had last week, and all the time they’d spent video chatting this past week, Byron was making it clear now that she’d been right about her first thought on why he asked her out to begin with. He was in no way looking for anything serious. This was probably his way of pulling back in case she was getting too ahead of herself.
It was almost embarrassing. Had her excitement and willingness to talk to him all week, day and night and into the wee hours of the morning been too over-the-top? Vannah could only conclude that her eagerness had spooked him. She’d tried so hard to not sound as incredibly disappointed when he cancelled the lunch date she’d so been looking forward to. Even her text about trying to squeeze in some time with him the next evening had been reworded a million times as to not come across as needy in case it’s why he’d cancelled their lunch to begin with.
But his response to her text had sealed it. He’d made no bones about it. This was his way of making it clear, this was what she was in for with him. She couldn’t even blame him. Here she’d been all about not being into the boyfriend thing and it was exactly why he’d been into her to begin with. Her gut feeling that he was all for this because she wouldn’t be expecting more from her had been spot on. Then she had to ruin it with her weak admission that she missed him.
Once they’d agreed that there was no doubt about what he was making clear in his text, Xochitl was livid. They’d been sitting at the kitchen table in their dorm scrutinizing the stupid text Vannah had kept to herself the entire night before.
“I’m good?” Xochitl frowned after sipping her coffee. “That’s rude as fuck and I don’t like him—at all—anymore. He may as well have said—” Xochitl held her hand up in the air all animated “—Pass!”
If it didn’t hurt so much Vannah might’ve laughed at that. Instead, she pouted and to her surprise was incapable of stopping her lips from trembling as the warm tears filled her eyes. Xochitl immediately leaned over and patted her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make light of it, honey. Guys are assholes.”
Vannah shook her head brushing away the tears with her fingers. “I just feel so stupid, is all.”
“Don’t,” Xochitl insisted. “You said the beach last week was incredibly romantic and then you were so caught up with him all week, you and I hardly spoke! Of course, you’d think there was more to all of this.”
“But he even made a point that night to bring up that I wasn’t expecting anything serious about this. I forced him to be this blunt.”
“No.” her adamant roomie insisted. “He didn’t have to be an asshole about it. He could’ve just said he’d already made plans. Why be so explicit about it?
“Because after avoiding me all week and then cancelling on me, my weak ass couldn’t keep the fact that I missed him to myself.”
“And what was his response?” Xochitl arched a brow.
Vannah lifted and dropped a shoulder. “It was an obligatory response. What else was he supposed to say?”
“No, he said he missed you too and he wasn’t going the whole weekend without seeing you.” Xochitl squeezed Vannah’s arm. “I’m sure he meant it too. He’s just a typical man whore and while he certainly wouldn’t mind having some more good time with you, he’s even making it clear he needs to see you again soon, he just wants to make sure it’s clear and you’re okay with not being the only one he’s spending time with.”
“Well, I’m not.” Vannah said standing up and walked her cup to the sink. “As much as I’d like to say, I’m the kind of modern girl who can do the fun-and-run thing without getting all hurt, clearly, I’m not. Technically I’ve officially known this guy for all of what? Just over a week and here I’m tearing up over him already. No way.” She started to rinse out her cup and clear up the other dishes in the sink. “No way can I do this. I’m done. I’m just glad he put it out there before I was in too deep.” She turned back to Xochitl who was still sitting at the table drinking her coffee and pouted. “My heart hurts this much already. Can you imagine if I’d slept with him? Thank God I didn’t.”