“When you stopped screwing my roommate long enough to look,” she corrected.
Wow. Okay. “You’re right. Shit. I don’t know what to say, but I didn’t know you back then. I wish I had.” The truth of that statement surprised even me. “But I didn’t, and it’s probably a good thing. Obviously, I was a man-whore back then.”
“You’re not now?”
She was baiting me. I knew that, and, boy did it take everything for me not to fall for it. I felt like shit knowing that she had walked in on something like that. “I know this is no excuse, but we didn’t know each other. Not really. I’m sorry if I hurt you—”
“Just forget about it,” she snapped quickly, lifting a hand and thrusting her fingers through her hair. Curls shot in every direction. “It doesn’t matter now.”
“Obviously it fucking matters, because you’re still holding it against me,” I shot back. Striving to stay cool, I took a deep breath. “I am sorry, Andrea. Really. You walking in on something like that isn’t cool. The fact I don’t remember you isn’t either. Especially when you liked me. Did you really have a crush on me?” I said, hoping to lighten the conversation.
Frowning, she still didn’t look at me. “I did.”
My stomach dipped a little. “You still do.”
Her shoulders rose with a sigh, and it seemed like she was about to say something, but the door behind her opened and Kyler stuck his head out. He looked like he’d literally just woken up as he gave us a sleepy look.
“We’re hitting the road soon,” he announced. “But I’m going to make omelets.”
I started to tell Kyler he could shove the omelets in a place that would probably upset Syd, but what he said sank in. “Hitting the road?”
“Yeah.” He stepped out, shutting the door behind him. “Syd and I talked it over, and we think it’s best if we go ahead and cut this short and head home.”
“What?” Andrea said. “Why? We have two more days left.”
Kyler scrubbed his fingers through his messy hair. “We know, but both of us are ready to just get back to our place.”
I was calling bullshit on this.
So was Andrea. “It’s because of last night, isn’t it?’ Her voice cracked, and I took a step toward her, wanting to somehow comfort her. “That’s why you all want to leave?”
Kyler dropped his arm and opened his mouth, but Andrea rushed on, clasping her hands across her waist. “I’m not going to drink anymore and I won’t fight with Tanner. Please.”
Damn, it was like having a hot poker shoved in my chest and feeling it twist as she continued. “I promise. I don’t want to be the reason you guys have to leave. I know how much you two were looking forward to this.”
“That’s not the reason,” Kyler said softly, too quietly. “We’re just ready to head home.”
“But what about fishing? I remember Syd mentioning something about fishing.” Andrea’s gaze swung to mine, her eyes wide and pleading for me to somehow change this. “There’s still stuff to do.”
“She’s right,” I jumped in. “Man, you guys don’t have to do this.”
Kyler drew in a deep breath and he smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We’re leaving in about two hours.” His tone said the decision had been made. He reached for the door, sliding it open. “But I’m going to make some omelets. With green peppers and mushrooms. Yum.”
Andrea didn’t move as she stared at the closed glass door, but then she turned to me, her lower lip trembling. “I’ve ruined everything.”
Chapter 20
Andrea
Although the omelets smelled amazing, after one bite the fluffy eggs and veggies turned to sawdust in my mouth. I couldn’t eat or force myself to pretend that I could. Between blurting out how I’d first met Tanner and then Kyler’s announcement, I was ready to go cry somewhere. I dumped my food and quickly washed the plate, leaving the kitchen to find Syd. I didn’t look at Tanner as I left the kitchen.
Syd was in their room, packing. I hesitated at the door, feeling like absolute crap. Guilt churned restlessly as she glanced over her shoulder at me. “Thank you for last night,” I said, watching her fold a shirt. “For helping me. I appreciate it.”
“It’s no big deal. It’s a practice run for me, right?” she teased. “You’re feeling better?”
I nodded. My headache was partly due to the anxiety attack and mostly because I’d gotten plastered. “Syd, we don’t have to leave.”
Syd dropped a ball of socks into the suitcase and turned toward me. Her expression was pinched, somber. “Yeah, we do.”
“But—”
“Both of us are ready to go home, and it’s actually calling for rain again, later tonight and all day tomorrow. So if we stayed, we’d be stuck inside,” she continued. “And honestly, none of us need cabin fever.”
I shifted my weight from one foot to the next. “It’s because of last night, isn’t it? I promise—”
“Andrea, you know I love you. You’re my best friend. Seriously.” She sighed as she walked over to me, and I tensed. “I just don’t think this is good for you right now. Honestly, I probably shouldn’t have pushed you toward Tanner. That wasn’t a smart move.”
My mouth dried as my stomach tightened.
She looked up at me with all seriousness. “I know you haven’t told me that anything happened between you two, but I’m not stupid. Something did, and maybe it shouldn’t have, not right now.”
“Not right now?” I heard myself repeat.
Sydney drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She squared her shoulders, and I prepared for a blow. “Like I said, I love you. I do. And it…it kills me to see the way you were last night. You never would’ve gotten to that point if you hadn’t drunk so much. And you know, deep down, that is true.”
I did. I so did.
“What you need right now isn’t a guy,” she said quietly. “What you need is help.”
You need help.
Those words recycled over and over in my head. She hadn’t stopped there. She’d talked about meetings and therapy and getting to the root of my problem. I was like a chunk of ice by the time I left her room and started gathering up my stuff.
You need help.