“Just one in my rooms, but really, Rebel. Some stuff went down tonight, and I’m not very good company…”
“What happened? Can’t be so bad that a drink won’t shake it off.”
The horrible words sat on the tip of my tongue, scalding and hot. I’d said nothing about what I’d seen because when I thought about it, I had no one to tell. My father was out of the question. Nichelle was nice but uninterested. My friends, Sandra in particular, might have listened, but there would have been judgments behind it. Perhaps discussion on what I could do to keep him more interested, at least until we signed our marriage certificate.
This was just what men of Caleb’s status did. I’d heard it over and over again from Sandra when she talked about her husband and his friends, who seemed like serial manwhores. I thought I was prepared for it. But watching Caleb screw that woman, him knowing full well I stood there watching and hurting, had been too much.
“I caught my fiancé having sex with his business partner earlier tonight.”
Rebel flopped down on the couch. “Well, he’s a fucking dickwad, isn’t he? I bet she’s a shrimp, right? Bangin’ body. But got hit in the face with an ugly stick?”
For some reason, that was exactly what I needed to hear. No questions about what I’d been doing to keep him happy. No sympathetic pats on the arm or condescending, “That’s just what men do, sweetie.”
“Something like that. But does it matter what she looks like? He still cheated. My friends will all tell me to turn a blind eye. Not sure how I’m supposed to do that when he saw me and just kept going.”
“He what? Oh hell no. Why would you look the other way? I’d chop his dick off and shove his balls so far up his ass he couldn’t shit for a month.”
I burst into laughter, and a moment later, Rebel joined me.
“Seriously, girl. Come out tonight. We’ll get drunk and we’ll show you what Psychos is really all about. If you still want to sell the place or forgive your asshole fiancé at the end of the night, then fine. But give us a shot. Nash wants you there…and I don’t know if you noticed, but that man is fine as fuck. If he wanted me there, I would be there in nothing but my goddamn birthday suit and a bow. Best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.”
Embarrassment flushed through me, remembering the way I’d checked out Nash’s ass and how I’d noticed the way his shoulders filled out his T-shirt perfectly. “Nash is like my brother. Or my father. He’s almost old enough to be.”
Rebel shoved her hands on her hips and stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “Nash has eyes that pierce my soul, abs I could do my washing on, and a ten-inch cock.”
I choked. “He does?”
There was no way Caleb’s was ten inches. It probably wasn’t even half that.
“Hearsay, of course. I haven’t seen it. But Axel always gave him shit about it.”
The mention of Axel’s name had my heart clenching.
Rebel seemed to notice and put her hand on my leg. “Sorry, Dis. I shouldn’t have brought his name up. It hurts, I know.”
I fought down the emotion. “It’s ridiculous. I hadn’t seen him in years. I’ve been missing him that entire time. But now it’s got a chokehold on me that won’t let up.”
“It’ll get easier. I promise.”
“Part of it is the way he died,” I murmured. “The police aren’t investigating. They’ve written it off as gang-related violence. But Axel wasn’t like that. We grew up with all of that around us, and he and Nash always swore they were never gonna get involved.”
Rebel turned away, busying herself with the clothes. “Come on, choose something to wear. I brought a whole heap of different dresses.” She threw them at me, one after the other, until I was half buried beneath the pile.
I hadn’t missed the abrupt conversation one-eighty.
But I let it go and held up the first dress I pulled off the top of the pile. It was a slinky red number. And about large enough for my pinky toe. “None of these are going to fit me. My left boob alone is as big as your head. You’re a toothpick next to me.”
Rebel glanced over at me. “You have a point. I’d give anything for your curves.”
“I’d give anything to be a size two.”
Rebel shook her head. “Women, man. We really are our own worst enemies. How about we both just say we’re smoking hot?”
I smiled. “Deal. But I still can’t wear your clothes. No amount of body positivity is going to fit me into your dress.”