In Love with My Brother's Best Friend: Complete Box Set (21 page)

Tina

I
looked up to see that it was three o'clock and completely dark. When
I moved the cover to get up, there was an arm over me. Oh shit! It
wasn't a dream, I thought. How could I have been with him again? I
knew I had to get out of there before I gave him the chance to get
into my head. It wasn't happening. I scooted out from beneath his
hold and moved fast out of the room. I had never been so thankful to
have lost all of my clothes before even getting to the bedroom. The
lights were still on around the suite. It put the suite I rented to
shame. The place had to have cost him a fortune. I pulled on my
shorts, bra, and shirt. My panties were destroyed, so I left them
there. I slipped my flip-flops on and was out the door.

I
was so glad it was the middle of the night. Doing the walk of shame
with no panties wasn't something I looked forward to doing. I got
into the elevator and pushed the button for my floor. As soon as the
doors opened, I ran for my room with no key. I definitely hadn't
thought ahead earlier that night.

Please
be up, I thought, as I knocked on the door over and over. It seemed
like it took forever before the door opened to a very sleepy Chris on
the other side. His mouth looked awful, and my hand went right to it.

“
Cut
it out,” he snapped.

“
We
have to go,” I said frantically. “Get your stuff packed.”

“
Wait
a minute,” he said, as he grabbed my hands and squeezed his
eyes closed. “Slow down, Tina. What did you do?”

“
I
didn't do anything,” I said feeling offended.

“
You
didn't kill him, did you?” he joked.

I
pulled my hands back from his.

“
No,”
I snapped. “I slept with him.”

His
eyes widened. That sure woke him up.

“
So
why are we running?” he asked.

“
It
was a mistake. I need to get out of here. You can stay and fly out
later tonight if you want, but I'm going now.”

“
It's
not that bad, Tina,” he said.

“
It
is,” I said. “I need to get as far away from here as
possible. You don't understand. I shouldn't have come here.”

“
Was
he that bad?” he joked.

“
This
is not the time, Chris,” I said. “It was the best sex
I've had in my life. I can't be around him. He fucks with my mind.
The fucker had me thinking he cared about me. He had me feeling like
I was special to him. No way. That is not happening. I fell for that
shit before. There is no way I'm giving him the chance to hurt me
again. If I leave, he won't be able to.”

I
went to my room and starting throwing my stuff into my bag.

“
You're
supposed to see your parents and brother for lunch tomorrow,”
Chris said.

“
That's
not happening either. My asshole of a brother is going on the trip
Jackson paid for even though he says Jackson isn't his friend and he
hates him. I can't face them. I just can't do it. Are you going now
or later?” I asked.

“
I'm
going with you,” he said.

We
went separate ways in the suite and met at the door thirty minutes
later, dressed with our bags in our hands. I checked out without even
looking at the receipt. We returned the rental car and got to the
airport. It cost a small fortune to get our flights moved to the
first flight of the day, but I knew I would deal with that later. We
made it to the gate, sat down, and waited for an hour. I was so
relieved that we were able to get such an early flight. There was no
way I wanted to sit in the airport the whole day, but I would have
done it to avoid Jackson and my family.

We
got on the plane, buckled our belts, and were ready to go. I still
refused to discuss any of it with Chris. He didn't push, and I loved
him even more for that. I was already so exhausted. I knew if I said
one word, I would lose it and be a blubbering mess in seconds. With
my head back and my eyes closed, I had never been happier to feel the
wheels lift off of the ground. In a few short hours, I knew I would
be back where I belonged.

Jackson

I
opened my eyes and looked over at the clock as I rubbed my eyes. It
was seven o'clock. I never slept that late, I thought. Then I
remembered that I hadn't set the alarm on my phone. When I looked on
the bed next to me, she was gone. I never felt her get up. It was the
best, most relaxed sleep I'd had in so long. The light from the
hallway was shining through the open door of the bedroom. She must
have gone to use the bathroom, but why hadn't she just used the one
attached to my room? I stood up, pulled my boxers on, and walked out
into the hallway. Maybe she was making breakfast. That was probably
it. I had the biggest smile on my face as I walked toward the
kitchen. There were so many things I wanted to say to her. She needed
to know that the night before wasn't a one-time thing for me. I
wanted her in my life.

When
I came around the corner, she wasn't there. The entire place was
quiet. I turned around and walked back toward the living room. When I
looked down at the floor by the entrance to my suite, I noticed her
clothes were gone. The only thing that remained of her was her ripped
panties. Where the fuck was she, I wondered? I took off back to my
room, pulled on my pants and a t-shirt, grabbed my room key, and
headed for the elevator. How could she leave my room without telling
me? Maybe she told me when I was asleep and I hadn't remembered. That
was possible.

The
elevator door opened on her floor, and I walked toward her room. She
wasn't meeting her parents until lunch. She'd told me that the night
before. When I got to her room, the door was wide open. I walked in
and looked around. A woman surprised me when she came out of the
bathroom. She looked at me with a questioning look.

“
Yes,”
she said.

“
Where
is the woman that was in this room?” I asked.

“
She
checked out,” the woman said. “I'm cleaning for the next
guest.”

“
When
did she check out?” I asked.

“
Early
this morning,” she said.

“
Fuck,”
I whispered. “Sorry, thank you.”

I
went down to the front desk. The annoying girl from school wasn't
there. When I asked about Tina, they said they couldn't tell me
anything. I was beyond pissed. How could she just leave, I wondered?
Had her mom called to meet her early? There was no way I could call
and ask. Her parents probably hated me. I knew her brother already
did.

I
went back to my room, got dressed in clean clothes, and packed my
stuff. I was supposed to see my parents before heading home. Her
parents lived on the same street. I'd drive by and make sure her car
was there, but I had to find a way to see her before she left.

I
checked out of my room and made sure they still had my card on file
to pay for Tina's room before leaving the hotel. I even thought about
calling Tim and trying to talk to him again. I didn't do it. He was
getting ready to go on his honeymoon, and I wasn't sure I wanted to
piss him off even more before his trip. It would have to wait until
he got back. That would give him time to cool off.

I
drove by Tina's mom and dad's house, but her car wasn't there. What
the fuck, I thought? Where the hell was she? I stopped my car in
front of my parent's house and pulled out my phone. Tina didn't know
I'd gotten her number, but I didn't care. I needed to figure out
where she was. We needed to talk. I needed to see her.

Me:
Where are you?

Of
course she would wonder who it was and text back. I was sure of it.
When she never answered, I started to get nervous. I decided to see
my mom and dad and head home early. There were definitely things I
needed to do before work the following day.

The
visit with my parents wasn't all that. We sat in the living room
while my dad watched television. None of us really had anything to
say. They asked the usual questions about how I was. I asked about
their lives. It was just as awkward as always. By ten o'clock I
couldn't take it anymore and told them I needed to get home. My dad
made his usual comments about how I never came around and never
appreciated the things he did for me. He was good and making me feel
worthless, even though I'd accomplished so much in my life. I never
took the path he wanted, and that was all that mattered to him.

I'd
just closed my car door when my phone beeped.

Tina:
Who is this?

I
was pissed.

Me:
It took that long to answer. You checked out before seven, and you're
not at your parents. Where are you?

Tina:
Stalking me much. Who the fuck is this?

Me:
Jackson

At
least five minutes went by before she said anything else. I wanted so
badly to talk to her mom, but I drove by and kept going. It was going
to take some time before I could face what I was sure she was going
to say to me. I'd been with her daughter when she only eighteen. I
knew it wasn't going to be easy.

Tina:
How did you get this number?

Me:
Where are you?

Tina:
I went home.

Me:
You're not there. I just drove by.

Tina:
That's not my home, Jackie. Did my mom give you my number?

Me:
No. Do you really think I've been able to face your mom after
yesterday? I got it when you sent your brother the text before the
wedding. You're at the airport? I need to talk to you before you
leave. I wanted to talk last night but figured we could talk when we
got up this morning. When I got up, you weren't there.

Tina:
I'm not at the airport. I'm in New York.

Me:
That's bullshit. You weren't supposed to fly out until tonight.

Tina:
I can throw money around too. We flew out on the first flight of the
day.

Me:
Why?

Tina:
I needed out of there. I couldn't be there in the morning. I couldn't
face them.

Me:
What about me?

Tina:
You're part of them. I need you to do whatever it takes to fix your
relationship with Tim and my parents. They're your family, and they
need you. You had me for a second. You're good. I felt special for a
minute. You almost had me thinking I mattered to you. You've fucked
with my head for ten years, Jackie. I can't do it anymore.

Me:
You fucking left.

Then
she crushed me.

Tina:
I learned from the best.

Tina

When
that first text came through, it scared the shit out of me. I had no
idea who it could be, but Jackson wasn't even one of the options. I
was so pissed off that he'd gotten my number from my brother's phone.
If I wasn't as equally angry at Tim, I would have let him know what
his friend had done. There was no way I wanted another loving
conversation with my brother. I knew that would only push them apart
more.

He
couldn't keep sending me messages. I needed to stop him. There was no
way I could move on if he was talking to me. When he said something
about me leaving, it only left one choice. I knew he was going to get
upset when I sent what I did. As soon as I hit send, I shut my phone
off. There was no way I was dealing with him, and I wasn't changing
my number. Both of my jobs had it along with my bill companies and
all of my friends. He wasn't going to interfere with my life. I
wasn't going to let him.