Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 113934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
“Of course. Never mind the fact that you hadn’t spoken to your girlfriend in days.”
Closing his eyes, he dropped his head before looking back up at me. “Can we go somewhere and talk in case your roommate comes back?”
It felt as if all the air had been pulled from my lungs. “I can’t. I have a lot to catch up on from missing my classes on Friday.”
The way he was staring at me had my entire body shaking. I couldn’t even remember the last time he had taken me in his arms and held me. Told me he loved me. Told me I looked beautiful.
“Please, Michelle. We really need to talk.”
The only thing I could do was nod. Grabbing my keys and phone, I stepped out of my dorm room and locked it. As we made our way to the elevator, I sent Skylar a text, letting her know I was back at my place.
We stepped off the elevator and walked through one of the large rooms that had once been used as a ballroom. The dorm I was staying in was not your normal dorm. When you walked in, it almost felt as if you’d stepped back into the 1940s.
Making our way outside, we walked through the courtyard and over to a bench located under a huge oak. No one was around, thank goodness. I really didn’t want anyone hearing about my personal life. It was bad enough that the girls who lived in my dorm knew everything about my sex life—or, lately, the lack thereof.
Mitch motioned for me to sit. I did, and he followed.
He took my hand and squeezed it. “I’m glad y’all are okay. I really was worried about you…both of you.”
A sick feeling came over me.
When I couldn’t take the silence any longer, I talked, “What happened between us, Mitch?”
He looked at the ground. “I’m not sure.”
“Bullshit. Why don’t you just tell me the truth and stop treating me like a stranger?”
His head snapped up, and our eyes met. I knew the answer before he even said a word.
Sucking in a breath, I whispered my thoughts, “You slept with someone.”
His eyes glassed over, and my chest felt like someone had ripped my heart straight from it.
“She’s in a class of mine. Her name is Lexi, and she’s completely different from you. I tried to ignore the way she flirted with me. It was like she was always there…everywhere I was. Practice, after the games, parties. She constantly tried to get me to dance with her or take her to dinner.”
One hand covered my mouth while the other went to my stomach.
“When Skip came into town and we went out, I realized I hadn’t actually had any fun in the last few years.”
My eyes widened in horror at his words. How could he say that? The last two years with him had been the best years of my life.
“Fuck, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like all the attention I’d been getting. I let my guard down and enjoyed myself for once, Michelle.”
Tears rolled down my face as I sucked in a breath. Mitch looked up at me, and I could see the guilt all over his face.
“Lexi was at a frat party I took Skip to. I never meant to hurt you, Michelle. It’s just…I drank a lot that night, and Skip kept egging me on to go talk to Lexi. Before I knew it…we were—”
Standing, I cried out, “Stop. I don’t want to hear all the dirty details of what you did with her and how much fun you had. If you wanted this girl, why didn’t you break up with me? Hell, if I made you so unhappy the last few years, why in the fuck did you beg me to come to UT with you? I could be at Harvard right now, Mitch. You told me you loved me. You told me you needed me.”
A thought hit me right in the chest.
I stumbled back, and Mitch jumped up and reached for me.
“Oh. My. God. Those times we were together…when you acted so differently…you were thinking of her, weren’t you?”
“What?” Mitch asked with a stunned expression.
I tried to keep from crying harder, but a loud sob escaped from my mouth.
Mitch took a step closer to me.
Holding out my hand, I yelled, “Stop! Don’t! Don’t you dare take a step closer. You slept with me while you were fantasizing about another woman. That’s why it was different.”
He shook his head as tears dropped from his own eyes. “Don’t say that, Michelle.”
“Does hearing it out loud make it real?”
Sadness swept over his face, but I was positive it wasn’t anything compared to how I was feeling.
“How could you do this to me? If you ever cared at all about me, how could you do this to me?”