Annabella's Oblivion (Hard World Tour #1) (35 page)

“
I’ll be right back,” I said, with a peck on her lips. She gave me a reassuring smile.

“
Take your time.” With a final nod to the girls, Jeremy and I left the room. The minute we did that, he took a deep breath.

“
Fuck. I need a drink.” He pushed his hand through his hair. “Wanna join me?”

I had no intentions of drinking. I had other responsibilities here. But I knew he wanted someone to talk to and it left me no other choice but to nod.

After all, I didn’t refuse a friend.

“
Sure.” Bella would be fine there inside, and maybe she needed time with her gang as well.

“
I would have suggested Drake could join us, but I think he has more pleasant things to do right now.” Jer laughed, but there was no humor in it. For a second, I thought I was wrong and he did have feelings for Jane. “Their fucked-up situation will bite me in the ass and that pisses me off. Why didn’t she tell me she was married? I would have understood. God, she’s like a sister to me.” Well, okay, he didn’t.

Jeremy had no fucking clue.

Drake had a lot of work on his hands if he wanted that girl, and judging by his actions, he did want her.

I knew better than anyone what it was like to have feelings for someone who didn’t feel the same.

After all, I loved my girl the minute I laid eyes on her, all those years ago on the school bus. She was my first, and I intended to make her my last.

She didn’t remember me, but that was okay.

I was here with her now, and we made new memories.

She didn’t have to know there was history between us. Somehow, that would destroy our relationship, and there was nothing in this world that would have made up for it in my mind.

So, yeah.

Good luck to Drake—and Jeremy, for that matter.

They had no idea what they were up against.

Annabella

“
Well, he’s hot. Not your usual type of hot, but still hot. I would have even said yummy.” Ariel finally decided to break the silence that stretched in the room when the guys left. She was looking around the room and admiring the design. She had a fetish for good furniture and big houses. I still didn’t understand why Ariel and Jane acted as if nothing had happened with me. I knew they were easier to deal with than Sam, but still, I thought they would be a little angrier at my choices.

Where was their anger?

“
He is handsome,” I agreed, and tried to find some other topic to talk about, because Nate and I weren’t exactly the best one right now.

“
So, you and him are a thing now?” Sam asked with a raised brow. It was hard not to detect sarcasm in her voice. “Isn’t it against the rules to, you know, fuck the one in charge of your rehabilitation?” Ariel winced and showed a slightly panicked expression.

Well, that certainly didn’t take long.

“
We aren’t fucking, as you put it.” I kept my voice calm. She wanted to make something dirty out of what we had, and I wouldn’t let her.

I had no idea what we freaking had with each other, but I knew for sure I wouldn’t let anyone demean it.

“
Really? Certainly didn’t look like it from where I was sitting. All the touching and kissing.”

“
I don’t really have to explain myself to you, Sam.”

“
Oh, I think you do, since it’s you who everyone here has to watch, not me.”

Well, bringing up the whole drug mess didn’t take long either. Oddly enough, I had no desire to fight about it either, or defend myself. There were just some things you need to experience yourself before you understood it. She was simply itching for a fight. I wasn’t willing to give it to her.

“
I think you watching me has nothing to do with you deciding who I can or can’t be with.” Before she could open her mouth to say anything else, Jane stormed inside the room and stopped dead when she saw us all sitting and studying her, since she was in the middle and we all had a good view of her. Her hair was all over the place, her lips were red and swollen, probably from all the kissing, and her top was inside out. She looked like a hot mess, and like a woman who was well-loved just minutes ago. There was regret and fear in her eyes, but there was also satisfaction. The pure feminine satisfaction, and . . . well, Drake probably knew his way around the kitchen.

On another thought, ewwww.

I didn’t need to imagine my psychologist doing the naughty business.

“
Well hi, girl,” I said softly.

“
I want to be alone right now.” She didn’t look anyone in the eyes and was holding tightly to the jacket she had in her hand. She was on the verge of breaking down, the girls and I shared a look. We knew if we pushed her, she would break. We also knew, if we didn’t push her, she would calm down and stay silent about it, and we would never know what the hell happened.

She left us no choice.

“
Honey, why didn’t you tell us you were married?” As usual, the questions were left to me. Some things never changed.

“
Because it doesn’t matter.” She still didn’t look at us and was shifting nervously, fighting for control of her emotions that were all over the place; that was clear to see, at least to us. “It was a mistake.”

“
Why didn’t you get the divorce then?” Ariel looked confused and slightly hurt, maybe because she had a special bond with Jane, the one I used to have with Sam.

“
He wouldn’t give me one.”

“
Why?” Sam didn’t like any bullshit from guys and now was ready to explode on Drake, I just knew it.

“
He wanted to see me before he signed.”

“
Why didn’t you let him? I mean, I know Drake. He is kind and wouldn’t hurt anyone.” Well, at least that was what I knew about him personally, not that we talked much about him during my sessions or anything.

I certainly was freaking surprised with his caveman act today.

“
I couldn’t.”

“
Why?” My pressure and the simple one word was enough for her to explode. She threw the jacket on the floor, sat on the couch, and started crying.

Well, shit.

She never, ever cried, not even when that stupid article called her plain.

All of us attempted to go over to her, but she raised her head and hands.

“
Don’t come near me, please. It’s hard enough as it is.” The tears were streaming down her cheeks and she tried to wipe them off with her hand. Her mascara was smudged down her face. “Every time I see him, it’s always the same. I want to touch him, kiss him, and we end up screwing each other. It’s great and I love it.” She shook her head as though she wanted to remove the images from her head. “No, that’s wrong. My body loves it, and I can’t help but surrender to him. Everything else just fades away.” She kept on mumbling, and we once again shared a look. What she described sounded like a good thing, something many people dreamed about. Why was she upset? I mean, what she said pretty much covered my relationship with Nate. “But I can’t have that and I don’t want it. It was all a mistake.”

“
Why can’t you? I mean, the guy is good-looking, looks like he’s nuts about you, and you said the sex was great—”

Sam had no chance of finishing because Jane whispered, “I’m in love with someone else.” We all froze and didn’t really know what to say. We knew there was someone. It was hard not to after that whole karaoke incident, but she never spoke about it.

I had no idea how to handle it. I still couldn’t believe all the drama I was witnessing, since it wasn’t even an hour since we’d all met again.

Life was certainly more entertaining when they were around.

“
Who?” Again it was me who asked the question, but I had my reasons. Ariel looked slightly hurt and angry, and, well, Sam had this guilty expression in her eyes, and a cold shiver run down my spine.

No, not him.

Jane shook her head, covered her face with her hands, and took a few breaths to calm herself down.

“
It doesn’t matter who. I just . . . I don’t know, this whole situation confuses me and I don’t want to talk about it.”

“
What the hell, Jane?” Ariel rose and her eyes were stormy. “We are fucking best friends, yet here you are, refusing to talk about anything, and then there’s the husband part, too?”

“
Ariel, I don’t have to exactly broadcast my feelings and what I do to the whole world.” Crap, now she was angry too.

“
Seriously? We are not the whole world. We are family, and as far as I know, family doesn’t keep secrets from each other.”

“
Oh yeah?”

“
Look, girls, maybe we need to calm down and—” Sam tried to defuse the situation, but it was already too late.

“
Yeah, Sam, like you’re the one to talk,” Ariel angrily replied. I felt tension in the air.

“
What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“
What? You think I don’t know who you’ve been screwing for the past year?” Sam became red and furious, and stood up. Jane paled, and that made me curse inwardly. Shit, she didn’t need to know that.

“
Shut up, Ariel.”

“
No, I fucking won’t. I’m sick and tired of the secrets all you guys seem to have. It fucking ruins everything.”

“
Oh yeah? What about you? You think I don’t know about your secrets?” Sam asked, her eyes narrowed.

“
You know nothing. You’re too busy fucking Jeremy on a daily basis to see anything!” Ariel screamed.

“
At least I sleep with someone who is good. You, on the other hand, went out with Diego of all people, the guy who cheated on you and left you to marry someone else. You have no fucking self-respect!” She was shouting at the top of her lungs. I was sure the whole damned ranch heard us.

Well, after that, no one was shouting.

The silence was heavy. I couldn’t recognize us, and what had just happened.

We never yelled at each other.

We never had so many secrets.

We never tried to feed on each other’s weaknesses to prove a point.

What the hell happened to us? I used to think I ruined everything by using drugs, but this situation proved we were far from fine to begin with.

“
Jeremy and you are together? Knowing about my feelings, I thought you would tell me first. You promised me.” Jane’s whispering was really low, but since there was no other sound, it was loud enough for all of us to hear.

Shit, it was Jeremy after all.

“
Jane—” Sam made a move to go toward her, but Jane raised her hand and shook her head. She stood up, picked up her jacket, and went in the direction of the hallway. There were several rooms downstairs, and Nate told me he’d decided to host them there. Before she disappeared behind one of the doors, she turned around and looked at all of us.

“
I always loved you guys. You were my first real friends and I considered us family. But this… this chaos is nothing like family.” She then moved her gaze to Ariel. “I was the one who held you in the hospital when you lost the baby from that bastard who didn’t spare you a glance. How could you forgive him, let alone surrender to him?” Then she moved to Sam. “You want him, then have him. But stop hurting Jeremy. And, Bella, I hope you’ve recovered well. I’m done here. I need a break. See you at the practice tonight.” With those parting words, she closed the door behind her, leaving us alone.

The slammed door felt like it was the final nail in the coffin.

World tour?

My ass.

Ryan

“
Dude, you do realize that in the past three years you’ve been avoiding me?” Nick sounded pissed and annoyed.

“
Yeah, sorry about that, man. But you know how busy I am and shit. Otherwise, I would meet you anytime.” I hoped my words sounded sincere, but I just couldn’t face my best friend after the shit that happened with Bella. Every time we met, I felt guilty as fuck, although I had no reason to.