Betrayed (19 page)

Trevor nodded. “That Dana girl, right? You dated her and never told Kayla about it?” His words were slow and deliberate.

Ethan thought back on everything that had happened. He thought back on how Dana had twisted the truth, and driven he and Kayla apart. To his surprise, though, he didn’t feel any animosity toward her. She had driven them apart, but they had found each other once again. His relationship with Kayla felt stronger because of it. He had a hunch that everything was going to be just fine.

“Dana was upset because she didn’t get what she wanted. She was pissed that things were going well between Kayla and I, and she wanted to put an end to it.”

“Did you break her heart?” Trevor asked.

Ethan chuckled. “I hope not. We went on three dates - that was it. She didn’t go really crazy until I called things off. She’s just a rich girl who’s used to being in control.”

Trevor nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I could see that,” he said. Ethan frowned at him. “I mean, it makes sense,” he said, quickly.

A long silence passed between the brothers while the echo of the hospital crept through the privacy blinds. Ethan allowed himself a moment of reflection on his brother’s situation and it pained him to imagine having to go through the same thing. His brother was stronger than he had imagined; he had endured more than Ethan had ever realized. And now he was struggling to make sense of it; struggling to see where everything was taking him. The only thing Trevor had to look forward to, was the day he would wake up and the pain would be less than it had been the day before. Then, maybe one day, he would wake up and the pain would be gone altogether.
 

“So, what should I do now?” Trevor asked. “This girl - do I just let it fizzle away?”

Ethan shook his head. “You have to be true to yourself. If you think that it’s something more than a rebound, then pursue it; seize it. For better or worse.” He smiled down at his brother, and the perfect idea came to him. “New Year’s is coming up, and the country club throws a nice ball. I could make a few calls, and get you on the list.”

Trevor considered it, then nodded. “That would be nice,” he said.

“Good,” Ethan said. “At least I won’t have to worry about you getting into another fight at one of those dive bars you’ve been frequenting.”

Trevor looked up at him, his mouth quirked to the side. He nodded once. “Thanks,” he said. “For everything. I know we haven’t been the closest over the years, but it’s nice knowing that I have someone like you I can lean on when I need it.”

Ethan smiled at his brother. “That’s what family is for. To be there for us when we don’t even realize we need a helping hand.”

Trevor smiled, and nodded again.

The two sat in silence for a while until the nurse came around and discharged him.

Later that night I got to work on my application and promised myself that I wouldn’t stop until it was finished. Hours later, I felt like I had finally gotten to the point where I could turn it over to the powers that be, and not be totally ashamed when they read it. It was as good as it was going to get - there was no point in sweating it any longer. Either I would be accepted to the business college, or I wouldn’t, and it was now out of my control.

Once the application was submitted I crawled into bed and curled myself up in my huge comforter. I fell asleep quickly, and had sweet dreams about the life that I might be able to live with Ethan by my side.

The next morning was the same as many before. I made my way to campus and met with Ethan in his office. My body reacted as soon as I was near him; it longed to have him inside of me again, but I knew we couldn’t give in to our every desire or there would be no hope of finishing his research proposal in time.

“How’s Trevor doing?” I asked.

“He’s a little banged up, but the doctor gave him the all clear.” Ethan paused for a moment and I noticed a longing distance in his features. “He’s been going through some personal issues, but I think that he’s finally starting to come to terms with them.”

“Is everything alright?” I asked, alarmed.

“It’s nothing to worry about, I don’t think. He had his heart ripped out and stomped on, but he’s strong and he’ll come out better than ever.”

I cringed. I had an idea of what it felt like to have your emotions destroyed in the blink of an eye. It wasn’t something I would wish on anybody.

We worked on in silence for the rest of the day. Occasionally, we found ourselves leering at one another, but we were able to keep things professional. Perhaps spending the day in bed had been just what we needed to get the tension out of our systems. It was the most productive day we’d had in a while, and we were well on pace to finish ahead of schedule.

Eventually night rolled around, and it was time for us to go our separate ways.

“We’re almost there,” Ethan said as we walked out to the parking garage. “I think we should be able to finish everything up before lunch time tomorrow.”

“I hope so,” I said. “Tomorrow is the thirty-first already.”

“We’ll have plenty of time,” he said, assuredly. “Maybe we’ll even be able to enjoy our New Year’s.” He turned to face me as his voice trailed off. Our eyes met for a long moment and I wondered what he was thinking. “Do you have any plans tomorrow night?” he asked.

I shook my head, smiling. “My night’s open.”

“Maybe you’d be interested in joining me at the country club to bring in the new year?”

“Sounds pretty public,” I said. “What if someone sees us?”

“Let them see us,” Ethan said, defiantly. “I’m tired of running around, keeping my love for you hidden. We’re not doing anything wrong, and I’d challenge anyone who says otherwise.”

A smile spread huge across my face. He was very endearing when he wanted to be.

I bit my lip. “Sounds wonderful,” I said.

He leaned down and kissed me on the lips. For a moment I let myself get sucked into him, our tongues drawn into one another. They slid around each other in a familiar greeting before he pulled back.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

I grinned and nodded.

* * * * *

The sharp piercing pain in Trevor’s ribs reduced to a dull ache by the end of the day. He was thankful for that, and didn’t know how much more of the pain he could take without tossing back half the bottle of Percocet in an attempt to sleep it off. It wasn’t that the pain was unbearable, or that he had never learned to cope - it was just that he was sick and tired of
feeling
. Part of him wanted to be numb - to shut out the rest of the world, and sleep everything off. Then, when he woke up, maybe Amanda would be a thing of the past, and he could move on, once and for all.

Trevor considered again what his brother had told him. Should he try and make something work with Dana? She appealed to him in a way that left him feeling nervous. She reminded him of a ticking time bomb that was ready to go off at any moment. She was as much exhilarating as she was beautiful - and he was a sucker for a girl that could keep him on edge.

His brother was right. He needed to see if he could make something of it. He made a point of always living his life with no regrets, and he wasn’t about to start having them now.

Trevor opened his cell phone and dialed her number. The phone rang three times before she answered.

“Hey, stranger,” Dana said, her voice light and cheery. He was taken aback for a moment, as she sounded very different than she had when he last saw her.

“How’s California?” Trevor asked as he fell back into the couch. He clutched at his side and almost stifled a sharp sigh.

“It’s good… everything alright?” she asked.

“Yeah. Just stubbed my toe is all. So how’s the family doing?”

“They’re good, but it’s getting boring out here. None of my high school friends came back for break, so I’ve been cooped up in the house for a few days.”

“Well, I’m kind of glad to hear that,” Trevor said. “I was actually calling to see if you wanted to join me for New Year’s Even tomorrow night?”

There was a pause on the other end of the line. “You mean in Tucson?” she asked.

“Yeah. Ethan hooked me up with an invitation to the Foothills Country Club party, and you were the only one I wanted to take.”

“What about Ethan? I don’t want to cause a scene.”

Her voice was mischievous, just like he’d expected. He knew Dana was the kind of girl that thrived on conflict.

“You have nothing to fear. He’s been cooped up at the office the entire break. Something about having a deadline to meet.”

There was another moment of silence while Dana considered it. After a time, Trevor began to think that she wasn’t going to accept. It was ludicrous after all, wasn’t it? It was already the thirtieth, and she would have to book a last minute flight just to make it back in time. He wasn’t sure she could afford the trip, even if she wanted to.

“It sounds nice,” she said, finally. “It would be better than spending the night alone around here - I’m pretty sure my parents will be asleep before nine o’clock rolls around.”

Trevor couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. “Great. Are you sure you’ll be able to get a flight in time?”

Dana chuckled softly. “Don’t sweat it, I’ll work it out.”

“Great. Just text me the flight information and I’ll make sure I’m at the airport when you get here.”

“Sounds good,” she said.

Trevor clicked the phone off. There was the tiniest hint of a forgotten feeling growing in his chest. It was a feeling that Ethan had dredged up from somewhere dark. It was a feeling of hope. Maybe this time, things would be different.

* * * * *

“I can’t believe it’s finally done,” Ethan said. I bit my lip excitedly as we walked out to the parking garage. The Sun was still high in the sky ,and the weather was beautiful.

“It’s been an exciting couple of weeks,” I agreed.

We walked on in silence and my thoughts trailed off to his invitation from the night before. He hadn’t mentioned the New Year’s Eve party since then, and I wasn’t sure if he still wanted to go.

“It’s going to be weird having the whole day off,” I said. “It’s been a while since we’ve had any real free time.”

“Well, you don’t have too much free time,” he said. “I know how you girls like to spend an entire day getting ready for a big party.”

I grinned. “So, we’re still on for tonight?”

He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me in tight to him. It felt warm, inviting - one of the most intimate public displays we’d ever shown.

“I’ve been looking forward to it since the moment I woke up,” he said.

I grinned and gave him a peck on the cheek. We agreed on a time to meet, and went our separate ways. My head was filled with thoughts and visions of the night that lay before me. I tried to stay away from thoughts about what it might mean for the two of us to be going out in public, I knew that line of thinking would only result in me getting more and more nervous about the whole thing. Instead, I focused on the positive - on the fact that our relationship was taking another step forward. I might not know exactly what that meant, but I was ecstatic about it all the same.

I drove home and immediately began rummaging through the closet. I knew that my options for dresses were limited, because I hadn’t packed all of my nice clothes when I moved over to Dana’s apartment.
 

I had one dress that might do the trick. I pulled it from the closet and held it in front of me for inspection. Memories began resurfacing as I considered the last time I had worn that very dress. It had been the first time I had met Ethan outside of the University. It was the night that began our love affair, and was the night that had forever changed my life. The dress wasn’t the best choice for a New Year’s Eve party, but given the limited amount of time - and finances - available, it would have to suffice. Besides, the night was surely the beginning of a new life with Ethan; a better life. A life that didn’t include all of the sneaking and hiding. It was only fitting that, while our relationship had surely grown and blossomed, I was still the same girl I had been all those weeks ago.

I considered, again, calling Dana to see how she was doing. I hadn’t heard from her since she left, which was unusual. I couldn’t remember the last time we had gone this long without talking to one another. Part of me was worried about the obvious distance growing between us, but another part was relieved that I didn’t yet have to face my fears and confront her about Ethan. There was going to be only one way to handle that - I had to be straight forward and honest. I had to stand my ground, stick to my guns. It was going to be difficult, but there was no way around it. Dana was my friend and she deserved a straight forward response from me. But she didn’t need that
just
yet. I would wait for her to come back home after the holidays and we could sit and talk. Maybe we would go to our favorite restaurant, and she would tell me all about her family and California, and I would tell her exactly what had happened in Tucson while she was gone.

I spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready. I had to do my hair, my makeup, shower, everything. It took a while to really begin to wash off the dirt and grime of the long hours spent cooped up in Ethan’s office, but before long I was beginning to feel like a lady once again. When I had finally put on the dress, and was satisfied that everything was in its place, I hopped in my car and drove to Ethan’s. I was right on time when I arrived there just after seven. Ethan was ready and waiting to greet me at the door.

“Wow, you’re stunning,” he said.

He wore a dark gray pin-striped suit with a matching tie. His hair fell its usual brown ruffles. He had shaved since I saw him last, and he was wearing the cologne that he knew drove me wild.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” I grinned. I leaned into him and he dipped his face to meet mine. The kiss was passionate waves of heat coursed throughout me. “We have a few hours still. Why don’t we spend them in bed?” I suggested.

His strong hands pulled me closer, tight against his body. He tasted heavenly, and the smell of his cologne drove me even more wild.