Either way, intertwined between my melancholy and heartbreak, is a relief that, at least now, he knows. If he decides to walk away, I’ll force myself to watch him with a peace I didn’t have before I voiced my regrets to him. That is, if he hasn’t already fled himself.
Even knowing my rejection may be inevitable, like Easton, I have to swing anyway. There are high stakes to truly loving another human being, and you have to hand your heart to them with all the trust you have without knowing the outcome. These are the things that loving Easton has taught me.
But in order for it to be a fair fight, I have to put myself wholly on the line the way he did for me, time and again.
Intent on seeing it through, I power up my cellphone and press send as the raw ache in my chest reignites. He answers on the second ring.
“Hey,” he speaks up in alarm, hearing my sniffle. “Are you okay?”
“N-no,” I croak as my voice breaks. “No, I’m not,” I confess. “And I haven’t been okay for a long time.”
“You can tell me anything,” he urges in a tone that has my tears spilling over. I falter, briefly holding the phone away as I choke on another wave of pain before gathering the strength and breath I need.
“I’m glad, Daddy, because I want to tell you about the man I fell in love with in Seattle.”
One More Try
George Michael
Easton
Once Misty is loaded into her waiting car, I watch it pull away. As I do, a sudden but familiar anger surges through me. The feeling only intensifies as I turn and stalk back into the lobby.
Guilt-ridden, pissed about my current circumstances, fed the fuck up with fate and the havoc it’s wreaked on me, along with my ex-wife—who’s determined to make me dismantle my freshly constructed system for self-preservation—I prowl back into the resort lobby on a mission. Walking up to the reception desk, I grit out my request. “Can you please dial Natalie Butler’s room?”
The man behind the counter clicks his mouse to look her up and dials. “Sorry, Mr. Crowne, she’s not answering.”
“Of course she isn’t, because that would make this much less difficult,” I grit out.
“Pardon?”
“Nothing, sorry,” I say, raking my hands through my hair. Heart pumping with fear that she left before I got a chance to thank her for her belated birthday present—I wonder if she’s already headed toward a plane bound for Texas.
Wouldn’t surprise me. After all, it’s her MO—intoxicate, devastate, and dash.
Fuming, I decide to have the front desk call her again, taking note of the room number when he dials. “Sorry, Mr. Crowne, she’s still—”
“It’s fine,” I wave him off. “Thank you.”
Sweat gathering on my brow, I bang on her hotel door minutes later as my heart begins thrashing wildly in my chest. “Open the fucking door, Natalie!”
My knock goes unanswered as the door adjacent clicks open, and Holly and Damon’s heads pop out, one atop the other. Both their heads slowly turn my way, eyes widening as they take in my state.
“Where is she?” I bark in demand.
Holly speaks up first. “Um, with all due respect, Easton, I’m not telling you shit with that intent to murder look in your eyes.”
“I would never hurt her,” I hear myself say. “And you both fucking know it.”
“But haven’t you?” Holly asks as I fist my hands at my sides before stalking toward them.
Both of them jerk back behind the door, leaving only a fraction open as Damon tosses a progress report from the other side of it. “She’s not in good shape.”
“No shit,” I snap sarcastically, trying to get a handle on my anger. “I just want to talk to her.”
“Is Misty okay?” Holly asks as muffled commotion breaks out behind the door.
“My newest ex?” I belt to them both. “Well, right now, she’s on her way to a different hotel to wipe her memory free of any remnants of me,” I practically shout as Damon’s head reappears. “Probably with someone who looks a lot like you.”
Damon winces. “Shit, man, I’m sorry. That’s on me. That tequila tour was my bad.”
“Yeah, well, what did I ever do to you?” I ask him.
“Believe it or not, you’re getting me back pretty good right now.” He widens his eyes.
I furrow my brows. “What?”
“Nothing,” he sighs. “Look, man. I’ve never seen her that distraught, and I’ve known her since we were babies.”