Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 160782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 804(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 804(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
“No, he wouldn’t come. We asked him.”
“God, I’m off you two. You’re unbelievable,” I whisper angrily. Cameron rejoins the table. “Tash.” He nods.
I smile slightly at him. He’s furious with me for hurting his brother. I can feel the animosity from here. This is a disaster. I glare at my two friends who are openly uncomfortable. The waitress brings over the coffee and cake.
“Thank you,” I whisper as she passes me the cake. I take a massive slurp of my coffee, anything so I don’t have to talk. I gasp in pain. Shit, I burnt my tongue. What in the hell temperature is this, 200 fucking degrees? Everybody watches me silently as they drink their coffee. Awkward.
“So, when are you going back to LA, Cam?” Abbie asks. “Sunday, I go back to work on Monday,” he answers flatly.
Everybody nods and takes another drink of their coffee in silence. God, I’m furious.
“How are you Natasha?” Cameron asks.
I swallow the lump in my throat. “I’ve been better,” I reply flatly.
He nods but stays silent, his eyes locked on mine. I’m not taking your shit either. Bring it on, I feel like fighting with you asshole.
“Where is Adrian?” I ask
“Back in the hotel with Joshua.”
I nod and take another sip of my gazillion-degree coffee.
Why did I ask that?
“Did Nicholas Anastas ever call him? He hassled me for his number and I never heard anything,” I splutter through my burnt tongue.
Cameron shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head. “Yeah, he came over for dinner at Joshua’s last week.”
My eyes widen and I smile. “Oh my God, really. How did it go?”
“Great, they totally hit it off. The LUST was ridiculous. Josh and I were worried we were going to be forced to watch gay porn when they finally got it on, but it didn’t happen.”
My face falls. “What? Not even a kiss?”
He shakes his head. “Nope.”
“Why not?” Bridget asks.
Cameron shakes his head. “No idea, they had a great night laughing and talking and then Murph walked him out at the end of the night and came back ten minutes later to announce to us that he isn’t interested, something about living too far away from each other.” He shrugs as he takes a sip of his coffee. “I don’t know what’s going on in anyone’s head at the moment, everyone’s fucked up.” His gaze comes back to me in insinuation.
I narrow my eyes. “Cameron, why don’t you just come out with it?” I reply sarcastically.
“Out with what?” he snaps.
“Oh I don’t know, maybe Joshua for one.”
“I just don’t see why you can’t talk to him. Listen to what he has to say.”
I roll my eyes. “You know what Cameron? The time for talking was in the hospital before he slept with me. Before he lied to me.”
“Tash,” he stammers.
I cut him off. “Don’t you dare Tash me! I sat in that hospital room with a woman who he was sleeping with five meters away and you all knew it. You were all keeping his sordid little secret for him. You all make me sick.”
“I make you sick?” he snaps.
I raise my eyebrows as I take another sip of my coffee. “Yes, you do actually.”
He sits forward in anger and Bridget pipes up. “Let’s calm down, shall we?”
“Well, you make me sick,” he snaps. “You are the one that broke up with him and broke his fucking heart and then he fucks up once and you dump him again. What the hell is that?”
Abbie puts her hands on her head in a panic.
Steam starts to pour from my ears. “Fucking up, Cameron, is forgetting to pick up the dry cleaning, forgetting an anniversary or maybe forgetting to pick the kids up from soccer practice. Putting your dick inside another woman is a bit more than fucking up, asshole!” I sneer as my anger hits crescendo.
“Sssshhh,” Bridget snaps as she looks around the room to see if anyone can hear us.
“You, shush Bridget. How did you think this conversation was going to go? You all are taking his side and blaming me for this. I did nothing wrong. I demand honesty because that’s what I give and I damn well deserve better,” I stammer.
They all sit silent, their eyes planted firmly on me. “Tash, we are not taking his side. This is not a cut-and-dry case,” Bridget whispers.
“I know that.” I lean back on the chair and put my hands over my face in frustration.
“Tash, he hadn’t heard from you in over two months,” Bridget whispers.
“Because I was devastated. I had just killed my father. Cameron, you were there with me, you saw how I was when you would visit. Was I really in my sound mind?” I demand.
He drops his head. “No,” he whispers. “You didn’t kill
him, Natasha.”
“I know you all love Joshua and you are trying to help. I love Joshua, I will always love Joshua, but he doesn’t love me the way I need to be loved.”