Ellie laughs. “What the hell did I do?”
“You met Sophie first. Listen, you know how I feel. I’m head over heels for that woman but she’s afraid she’s going to lose you as her best friend. I get it, Ellie. I do. But dammit. It’s not fair. I want to be with her, but she won’t give me the time of day because of you.”
“Tanner.”
“No, don’t Tanner me. Tell me what I’m supposed to do? Huh? I do this favor for you, spend time with her so everything looks real between us, which means I fall harder for her, and now I’m on the outside again. Tell me, do you care if I date your best friend?”
The line is silent for a moment. “Tanner, I don’t care if you date Sophie. In fact, I think you’d be really good for her. Warren treated her like shit. He never took her out unless it was to some dental convention. The highlight of her life was reading the Sunday freaking paper on his balcony every other weekend. I know you, Tanner. I know how you feel about her, and I think you should be together.”
“So, what do I do?”
She huffs. “Nothing, I’ll take care of it.” Ellie hangs up, leaving me in limbo. I don’t know how much time passes until I pull back into traffic and head toward the beach. I need to escape, at least for the day.
9
Sophie
What have I done? It killed me to leave Tanner in the dead of night, but I didn’t know what else to do. I hate myself for it, especially after seeing the look on his face it gutted me.
All I wanted was to grab his arm before he could walk away, but I couldn’t. Something held me back and I knew exactly what it was . . . fear. I’m scared. Scared of getting my heart broken again. Scared to have the emotions I now feel in my heart.
Rubbing my eyes, it feels like there’s sandpaper in them. As I sit down on the couch, I can feel the ache in my muscles. I’ve never been made love to the way Tanner made love to me. I crave him even now. I try to stop myself from thinking about it, but memories of last night play on overdrive in my mind. Tanner’s hands caressing every square inch of my body, the way his lips feel on my skin. I miss it all.
My phone rings and my heart skips a beat. I want it to be Tanner, to tell him I’m sorry and that he’s not the only one hurting. My phone is on the table on the other side of the couch, so I crawl across the cushions to grab it. The second I see the name that pops up on my screen, I clench my teeth.
“What do you want?” I snap into the phone. There’s no time for niceties. Warren doesn’t deserve any of it.
Warren lets out a sigh. “Good morning to you too.”
Rolling my eyes, I jump to my feet, my steps hard as they pound against my wood floor. “Cut the crap, Warren. What do you want? I think I made it perfectly clear when you cheated on me that I never want to speak to you again. I dropped off your shit and it’s done. I don’t have anything else left of yours.”
“Jesus, Sophie, I just wanted to talk to you,” he replies, his voice sounding concerned. “Is something wrong?”
I laugh but there’s no humor in it. “Yeah, you calling me is what’s wrong. And since when did you start caring if I was okay or not? Shouldn’t you have cared about that when you cheated on me?”
“Listen, Soph. I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done. After seeing you last night, I realize I’ve made a huge mistake. By the way you’re speaking to me, I know you still hate me, but I want you to know that I still love you and I’m hoping one day you’ll forgive me. I’d do anything to have you back.” Mouth gaping, I stop mid-step and stare at the phone. Did Warren seriously just say that? The man has lost his mind. I open my mouth to speak, but then close it. “Soph, you there?” he calls out.
Taking a deep breath, I let it out slow. “I don’t know what universe you live in to think that I’d ever take you back,” I say, clenching my fists tight. “The only reason you want me back is because you know you can’t have me. And for that, I think it’s pathetic. You want forgiveness? Fine, I forgive you. Just do me a favor and don’t call me ever again. I’m sorry Warren, but I’m done. We’re over and that’s it.”
“Okay,” he murmurs. “I just think you’re making a mistake.”