London Bound: New Adult Romance (Chase Brothers) (30 page)

She sniffled. “Yeah, it’s about that time.”

He took her hand out of habit, like he always did when he wanted to tell her something serious. “Gemma, I love you, but it’s time for us to break up.”

Chapter 32

It had been exactly three days, nine hours, and fifty-seven minutes since Abbie’s London life imploded. And now she had to deal with this shit. She scowled at the brunette beauty in the foyer. When Jasper had told her someone had come to see her, she expected Ilani. Not Gemma.

“If you’re here to shiv me, I think Lex already beat you to the punch.”

Gemma glanced around. “I’ve never actually been back here before. Max has tons of parties, but I never managed to accompany Lex to one.”

Abbie stood and raised an eyebrow. “Are we going to talk home and garden, or are you going to tell me what you’re doing out here? I know South London is a bit out of the way from posh Mayfair, or wherever it is you live.”

Gemma blew out a breath. “I’m not here to bother you, I swear.”

“Then you’re failing, because I’m bothered. I don’t want to listen to any more apologies from him. I’m done with listening to his voicemails and reading his emails and his personally delivered messages. There’s nothing he can say to make me forget what he did to me, humiliating me like that.”

Gemma blew out a breath then rocked back on her heels. “I’m actually to blame for it all. This had nothing to do with Lex.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I don’t—I can’t…” She tried again and reined her emotions in. Her heart screamed that she needed to listen to Gemma, but her brain silenced the voice of dissent. “You and him and your screwed up relationship is none of my business. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go before more of your paparazzo friends see us talking and decide to splash me on some more magazines.”

“Look, I wasn’t followed. I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.”

Abbie crossed her arms. “You’re minute is ticking.”

“Wow, you’re tough. I can see why he likes you.”

She didn’t need Alexi’s fiancée patronizing her. “You’ve got forty-five seconds.”

“I’m a lesbian.”

Abbie shook her head to make sure she heard correctly. “Excuse me?”

“I’m a lesbian.”

Abbie still wasn’t sure she’d hear correctly. “Wow, I’m not an expert in coming out, but I get the impression this is a very awkward version of it.”

Gemma chuckled. “It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud since I first told Lex.”

What the hell was she supposed to say? There was no follow up to that, except,
uh okay
. “I’m not sure why I need to know this.”

“It’s important because, back in Uni, Lex agreed to be my sometimes boyfriend to keep my parents off my back. At first, it was just this thing we did when we were out. Next thing, it was like we were really going out, except for all the sex stuff. He has been protecting me for years. Keeping my secret.”

“This can’t be real.”

“It’s the truth, Abbie. My parents will disown me when I tell them, and I was terrified of being left without family or a support system, or I would have cut him loose years ago. Truth is, I used him. I knew I was being unfair and did it anyway. I needed him. I didn’t care that he only had these half relationships with women. That he never got close to anyone. I suspect there’s a reason he never wanted a relationship, but he’s never told me.”

Sucking in shaky breath, Abbie said, “I’m still not sure what I’m supposed to do with this information.”

“I don’t know, go be with him. However this is supposed to end in the romantic comedy. Girl gets the guy.”

“Look, Gemma, I appreciate you coming to talk to me, but that doesn’t change anything. He still lied to me.”

“Only to protect me. He didn’t want to betray my trust.”

“I know you see it that way, but he still lied. He never had to betray your trust. All he had to say was I have a fiancée. It was that simple. But he never said that. Not once. That’s why I’m still angry. Then he put me in the situation to get caught and have the paparazzo on my ass twenty-four-seven.”

“I concede that he might have lied, but he had a good reason. I’m really sorry you got caught in the crosshairs.” Gemma turned to leave, but halted and her smile was sad. “He’s my crutch. I secretly hoped one day I could love him the way I should. As if I could grow those feelings like a fungus. I wanted to love him. I just couldn’t.”

“Apparently controlling the heart isn’t an easy task,” Abbie muttered.

Chapter 33

By day seven of the media frenzy, Abbie was ready to climb the walls. She couldn’t stay hidden anymore and she had an assignment to complete. Besides, she also had a meeting with a graphics company who wanted to use some of her photos. So she couldn’t ignore potential income just because of a broken heart…or a hoard of paparazzi on the front steps.

As Abbie packed her camera bags, Sophie came in with her sad-and-concerned face plastered on. “Abbie, the press is still all over the flat and probably your school. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be running around on your own.”

Abbie rolled her eyes. “Look. I know. I’m fine. I’m going to wear a disguise while I’m out and about. But I’m in need of some serious alone time. You guys have been great and more gracious than I deserve, but honestly, it’s time.”

She held up the paper boy hat, sunglasses, and orange and red scarf. “Besides working will keep my mind off of things. And I want to do some more research on Xander’s past work. I want to get a better understanding of what he’s looking for from us when he gives us assignments. I don’t plan to ever fail again, so as much as I appreciate the concern, I don’t have time for another ‘Are you really okay’ conversation.”

Sophie raised her eyebrows. “Fine, but I wasn’t going to ask you if you were okay.”

Abbie cocked her head. “So then why did you come in here with the creased brow, worried eyes, and chewing on your bottom lip?”

Sophie laughed. “Okay, a little concerned.”

“And like I said, I’m fine. Well not exactly fine, but I’ll get there. Working will help.” She dragged on her olive green coat with the high collar. The paps might be up and about, but they’d have a hell of a time getting an easy shot of her.

Sophie frowned again. “Listen. I didn’t want to say anything in front of Tams, but about Lex, I think you should know—”

Abbie huffed out a breath. “Know what, that he’s an asshole? Check. That he’s a liar? Check. That I need to stay very far away from him? I promise you that’s the plan.”

Sophie chewed her lip again, then her features smoothed out. “You’re right. You’re a big girl.” She grabbed the kettle and started prepping tea. “Speaking of big girl, I heard Jasper come in late last night or early this morning rather. Where did he sleep?”

Abbie’s skin went hot and prickly. “Uh, he slept in his bed.
Just
slept.”

Sophie grinned. “Uh huh. You know that poor man has a serious crush on you.”

Oh, she knew. Especially after last night she knew. “You’re ridiculous. Nothing happened.”

“If you say so.”

Abbie laughed and slung her bag over her shoulder. The familiar weight of her equipment soothed her. Maybe, just maybe, the dark gray clouds of the whole week would start to lift.

She left Camberwell and hopped the bus to the west end. After several hours of pounding the pavement in Covent Garden and hitting up Oxford Street, somehow managing to refrain from buying anything, she hopped on the tube to school. No one seemed to recognize her. There was the occasional odd look in her direction, but given her complete stealth attire, they probably thought she was one of the East Enders actresses or something. Some school boy actually came up to her and asked if she’d been on the telly. Maybe she should opt for the undercover look more often. For all her covert movements, there wasn’t a single pap in sight. Maybe they’d gotten bored by now.

Once she got to campus, the tension rolled out of her shoulders. Here, nobody would give a shit who she was. Everyone was too busy working or studying to care. She rounded the building for the photography labs and froze.

“You know, you’re a very hard woman to get a hold of,” Alexi said as he pushed himself up from the stairs of the lab.

Abbie tamped down the joy that bubbled in her chest at the sight of him. Instead, she nurtured cold fury. “I don’t have time to talk to you right now, Alexi.”

“Abbie, please. Look, I know I fucked up, but please hear me out.”

She whirled on him. “Just what exactly am I supposed to hear out? The part about how you completely lied about who you were? Or how about the part where you had a freaking fiancée? Or maybe the part about when you said you cared about me and kept lying to me?”

A few students milled about and darted glances in their direction, so she snapped her jaw shut. Picking up her pace, she nearly ran for the printing lab.

He followed on her heels. “Look, it wasn’t like that. I really fell for you.”

“Oh, really? Then when the hell were you going to tell me who you were?”

His lips flattened. “Abbie, I was going to tell you. I just liked the idea of you not knowing who I was. I liked being normal with you.”

“Okay, then, how about this question. Just when were you planning on actually breaking up with Gemma?”

Again silence.

“It’s complicated, Abbie.”

“I’m not sure what you’re here to discuss, Lex,” Abbie said as she unlocked the door to the photo lab and the familiar smell of chemicals assailed her. She froze when she dropped her bag on the light table. It was difficult not to remember their first time in here, clawing at each other. Unable to keep their hands off one another.

“I should have told you.” His voice was soft, pained, and a little hoarse. “I opened my mouth a dozen times to tell you. But when I met you, you didn’t seem to have any idea who I was, and I liked that. To you, I was just some bloke you met in the street. I really wanted you to like me for me.”

She whirled on him. “I did like you. But that’s because I thought I was dealing with a real person. You’re not real. You’re this shinier version of the guy I was starting to fall for.”

He winced, but that didn’t stop her. All the anger and frustration and sadness from the last week bubbled up to the surface. “I don’t know anything about you. Though I suppose if I want to learn, I could just look it up on the Internet.”

“Abbie, I’m so sorry. I never intended for anything like this to happen.” He shoved his hands into his pockets.

“I’m a private person, Lex. I don’t need people poking around in my life. Do you know that the paparazzi were camped on my doorstep, waiting to ambush me? If it hadn’t been for Tamsin and Sophie, I’d still be a prisoner in my house.”

“I didn’t know I had paparazzi on my tail until you pulled back from that kiss, then I saw him in the shadows and I saw the flash of his camera.”

Her whole body deflated, and her shoulders sagged. “That’s why you got us out of there?”

He shoved his hand through his hair. “Yes. I didn’t want all that shit following us around. From the moment I rescued you from that car, I felt completely connected to you. I couldn’t believe my luck when you walked into my party. Then you started to talk to me. You were smart, and funny, and you had no idea who I was. You just thought I was me. I didn’t want who I was to break us. I have never been happier than that weekend we spent at your place. And the week after.”

Abbie straightened her back, even though she could feel her heart melting. “That still doesn’t account for the fact that I know nothing about you. But you know everything about me. You know what I’m afraid of? You know why I ran away from home, and you know what my dreams are. You won’t, or can’t, tell me any of those things about yourself.”

“I want to, Abbie, I want to. It’s just complicated. I can’t tell you everything.”

Even as her heart warmed, the tiny fissures started to tear again. He still wasn’t going to come clean. “Then we don’t have anything to talk about.”

“Abbie, all I’m asking from you is to cut me a little slack.” He sighed and let his head hang. “Gemma is not my fiancée obviously. At least not in the traditional sense of the word. We’ve been tossed together so often, but we’re no more than friends really.”

Abbie sighed. “She came to see me yesterday. She told me she’s a lesbian. Is that the truth?”

He shifted from foot to foot and looked like he wasn’t going to tell her, but then he pinched the bridge of his nose and started talking. “Gemma
is
a lesbian. I’m not sure if you noticed the blonde that was at my party, then at the club that night? She’s Gemma’s girlfriend, Jacinda.”

Hope bloomed quickly, rooting in her heart and refusing to let go. “She’s seriously gay?”

He sighed. “Yes. We’ve been pretending to be together for years. Mostly for appearances and her parents. When they find out the truth, they’ll cut her off.”

“So you lied for her.”

He leveled a gaze at Abbie. “Yes.”

A million questions swirled in her mind, forming a tornado that threatened to short out her brain. “Wait, what happens when you want to date someone?”