Linden: Rocking Pleasure: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 3) (30 page)

“
I came here with my now ex-boyfriend, and I was supposed to be taken back in his damn private jet, but he just sent his manager to break up with me.” That pretty much sums it up.

“
This jerk didn’t even have the courage to look you in the eye and tell you in person?” my father thunders angrily.

I flinch. “Apparently not. Could you book a flight for me, please?”

“
Of course. I just don’t know how soon a flight I can get you on, love.”

“
Thank you, Daddy,” I sigh.

“
I’ll call you when I have the time and gate for you, okay?”

“
Okay. I might not make it to the airport before ten. I’m stuck in traffic. Oh, and it’s JFK. Airport.”

“
Got it. I’ll look for a flight at around eleven then.”

“
Thanks, Dad. I love you.”

“
I love you, too, Thalia. I’ll call you back.”

I hang up and put my head against the cold windowpane. It’s pouring again, so I try to concentrate on the clicking, rapping sound of it as it pummels the roof of the car, blocking out the honking of other drivers, and the swearing of mine. My heart feels as if it’s been smashed into countless shards, which are now stabbing my inner organs. My lung is being attacked the most viciously, so I have trouble breathing evenly.

I close my eyes and struggle to think of something beautiful. I need to push back the thought of the brief exchange with Pierce, and the wonderful time with Linden, which now seems like a shiny red apple that turns out to be rotten inside. How could I be so stupid and fall in love with him so quickly? I’m usually more cautious with giving away my heart, but he’s thrown me completely off balance. First with his eager interest in me, and now with his craptastic way of kicking me out of his life again.

Last night was too short, my sleep restless and filled with uneasy dreams. Now I know why. I probably sensed that something was wrong, the way he was acting before we went to sleep.

I really shouldn’t waste any more thoughts on him and his shitty behavior, but it is so hard to let go. He’s branded into every single razor-edged shard of my heart. When the tears overwhelm me again, my breath comes in hitches and sobs.

“
Aren’t you feeling well, miss?” the driver asks.

“
No, but I don’t want to talk about it,” I sniffle.

My phone rings again. Linden. Just to make it stop, I answer. “What do you want?” I hiss.

“
I want to talk to you. What happened?” He sounds worried. “Why did you run away?”

“
I think you know that,” I say as calmly as I can, just before hanging up.

It doesn’t take a whole minute for the ringtone to start blaring again.

“
WHAT
?” I all but scream when I take the call.

“
If you tell me what is wrong, I can do something about it,” Linden says.

“
Ask your manager and then go marry Trish!” I rant at him. “You never broke up with her, nor she with you, you fucking liar!” I hang up a second time.

I can’t switch off my phone now, because I need to wait for my dad’s call. I hope he can get a direct flight, because I couldn’t stand layovers or other complications right now. All I want is to go home, crawl into my bed, and never get up again.

***

Sitting in one of the clumps of chairs at the airport, I impatiently wait for my father’s call. It’s eleven now, and he still hasn’t called, nor can I reach him.

But as soon as I think of him, my phone rings.
Finally!
“Yes?” My voice is weak when I answer.

“
I’m sorry you had to wait. I booked a flight for you. Twelve thirty was the earliest I could get,” Dad says and then gives me the details.

When I hang up, I make my way to the counter to check in. I want to get away from this all-too-public place, where Linden could show up any time.
What am I thinking? He’s probably spending the day with Trish, having a good time in order to forget what
we
had.

I don’t know if I’ll feel strong enough to attend Wednesday’s classes, and I really shouldn’t think about that yet. I’ll see how it goes. I don’t want to run into my friends when my world has broken to pieces.

Chapter 13

“
Thally!” Cami calls out when I step out of the airport building. I can identify her voice among a dozen others, even in the noise and bustle of the pick-up area.

I look around for her. I’m glad I’m wearing my sunglasses, because I don’t want her to see that I’ve been crying. But of course she senses my sadness from a mile away.

She comes over and hugs me close. “Your dad called me, because he thought you’d need someone to talk to,” she says softly. “I’m so sorry about what happened.”

“
There are worse things, I guess,” I say hollowly.

“
Come on. I’m taking you home. Or rather, I want to take you home with me, because that way, you won’t be alone.”

“
I’m not alone at my place,” I murmur as I pull out of her embrace. “Draven and Nate are there, too.”

“
I would feel better if you stayed in our guest room for a few days,” she says.

“
I have no more clean clothes,” I protest weakly.

“
I already went to your house and packed a bag. I thought … ” She breaks off with a shrug.

I nod slowly. “Yeah, I’ll come and stay with you guys, but first I need to get my car. It’s still at Linden’s damn mansion.”

“
Avery and Delsin have already gone there to get your Mercedes. They’re going to bring it to our house.”

“
They can’t just go and hotwire my car!” I snap hoarsely, shocked at the criminal energy of my friends.

Cami throws me an irritated glance. “You left your spare car keys with us, don’t you remember?”

“
Oh,” I say helplessly, as we walk to her Mustang convertible. “Okay then.”

When we reach the car, I get in without bothering to open the door, because the top is down. The sun burns down on me, but its heat makes me glad I’m back in Miami. My friends are here, and maybe they can help me get through this, even though I previously thought I would want to avoid them for a while. Now I think that a few days at their house might be good for me. And if it doesn’t work out, I can always go to my apartment and lock my door behind me.

Cami has taken my suitcase and puts it in the backseat now. She gets in and starts the car. Thankfully, she doesn’t say anything. She’s probably waiting for me to start talking first, but I’m not ready for that. I’ll need a few days to process what happened, and that Linden has been lying to me the entire time.

I lean back against the headrest and close my eyes.

“
How are you holding up?” she asks cautiously.

“
Awful, but I guess now at least it can’t get any worse,” I answer with a calm that frightens me, because it’s devoid of feeling. But inside, the hurricane of the century is still tearing me apart.

“
I’m here for you if you want to talk, Thally.”

“
Thanks, honey,” I say in my small voice.

“
And while you’re staying at our place, you can call for me anytime. I mean, even at night, when we’re sleeping, okay? The main thing as that you pull through this.”

For the first time, I feel my lips curve into a tiny half smile. “Thank you.”

“
Don’t thank me for that. You’re my best friend, and of course I’m there for you, whatever you might need.”

“
How’s Hailey?” I ask, because she and her loud mouth suddenly pop into my head.

“
She’s been rather subdued since that revelation on Friday.”

“
Could you call her for me? I’d like to talk to her, but I’m afraid she’ll ignore my calls.”

“
I don’t think she would do that, but I’ll call her right away and ask her to drop by soon.”

“
Thanks.” The anger and disappointment about Hailey’s behavior has evaporated, because now all of that is projected on Linden. I didn’t expect to be no more than an affair for him, but his pretending not to know why I was upset when I left earlier really showed me that I never meant anything to him. Now it also makes sense that he left the framed photograph of him and Trish on display in the living room.

Cami drives into their garage and parks the car. “I guess you want to be alone for a while now, huh?”

I nod slowly and get out. I walk into the house ahead of her. Dale is standing in their living room. “Hey … I heard the car coming and wanted to greet you.” She gives me a compassionate look, wringing her hands nervously.

“
Hi,” I say hollowly and walk past her.

“
I prepared the bed in the guest room upstairs, right across from the large bathroom,” she says.

“
Thanks.” I climb the stairs, enter the guest room, and close the door behind me. Then I lie down on the bed, pull the pillow over my head, and close my eyes. I roll over on one side and curl into the fetal position.

As soon as I’m alone, all my feelings hit me, crashing like a tsunami wave. I can hardly breathe because I’m sobbing and shaking so badly.

“
Thally? Are you okay?” It’s Cami’s soft voice.

I can’t respond, because I’m gasping for air between sobs.

She approaches the bed, lies down behind me, and holds me like a baby. “I am so sorry,” she whispers.

“
I … I shouldn’t … have … gotten involved … with someone … like him.”

“
You trusted him,” she says softly.

“
I know. That was … a mistake.”

“
Try to think about the good times you had. Sure, what he did is shitty, but … Well, what did he do exactly? Your dad only said that he broke up with you.”

I try to breathe in deeply. “I was woken by his manager this morning, and he told me that Linden was breaking up with me. Then he offered me an envelope full of money so I wouldn’t talk about the whole thing to the press and so I could book a flight home … They wanted to get rid of me quickly, that was it.” And then the sobbing starts again, because it just hurts so much.

“
That is unbelievable,” Cami breathes.

I nod. “Yeah.”

Cami strokes my hand, which is lying underneath hers, and remains silent for a while. I’m glad she’s here, preventing me from melting into a puddle of desperate tears.

“
I’m always here for you,” she whispers and presses a kiss to the back of my head. “And so are the others.”

“
Thank you,” I force out hoarsely. “Y’all are the best.”

I can feel her soft chuckle at my back, can barely hear it, but she doesn’t say anything else. She just tries to help me calm down, stroking my hair and simply being there. I wouldn’t be able to stop crying if I were lying here alone.

I hear someone clear his throat. “Dale told me you were in here. What happened?”

“
Hey, Ave,” Cami greets him in a low voice. “Thally, I’ll be back in a minute, okay?”

I nod again. “Okay.”

She gets up and follows Ave out of the room, softly pulling the door closed. And I shiver with the sudden loss of warmth, feeling utterly lost and alone.

***

They left me a while ago, and I’m getting thirsty. I get up and leave the room to go downstairs. In the large living room, everything’s oddly silent, a state I’m not used to in my friends’ house. And then the doorbell rings.

“
Delsin?” I call out.

“
Coming,” he calls back from the kitchen and comes in, passing me to open the door.

“
Can I speak to Thalia?”

It’s Linden’s voice.

Delsin gives me a questioning look and then turns to the door again, shaking his head.

“
Look, I know she’s here. Please let me in, or get her to come to the door.”

He obviously tries to push the door open, but Delsin pushes back and gesticulates with his free arm. “You are not coming into my house, and if you don’t leave right now, I’ll give you what you deserve,” he growls.

“
Let me talk to Thalia, you asshole!” Linden yells, shoving him backwards.

“
Enough.” Delsin’s voice has suddenly become dangerously quiet. I know that’s not a good sign. Back when he and I slept together a few times, there was another guy who made a stupid pass at me, and Delsin tried to help me. The other guy was all aggressive, and Delsin reacted this same way—deceptively quiet voice, followed by real trouble for the attacker. Now he jumps back toward the door and takes a step outside so that I can’t see him. “I told you that you can’t speak to her, and you think you can shove me around in my own house?
Really?
”

“
I want to see her. I need to explain.”

“
And I want you to leave, or I might lose control.”

“
Well, go ahead, lose control. I’m not leaving without speaking to Thalia. She needs to hear the truth!”

“
The truth?” Delsin spits. “The truth is that your asshole manager broke up with her for you! Don’t act like you didn’t ask him to. He offered her money, like she was a cheap hooker! What is this,
Pretty Woman
for losers? Get lost, Linden, just get lost.”

I hear a muffled sound that makes me flinch.