"I broke up with him," I said. There were no tears in my eyes. I blinked and realized how my hurt was mixing with relief.
"So, what do you want to do now?" Darla asked.
"I'm heading back home for a few days," I said.
The four-hour drive was a blur. When I got home, my parents had not even remembered I had left. So, I grabbed some snacks and headed to the basement before the tears came.
Chapter Six
Quinn
I had to dive into the chocolate ice cream first. Every television show, movie, and girl's night had taught me that chocolate ice cream was the magical elixir for broken hearts. And it was a good distraction from the other emotions I was feeling.
I tried a few bites, but the cold, sweet slide of the ice cream did not lessen my hurt, the future embarrassment, or the strange mix of relief and excitement my sudden single state caused.
Next up was a glass of red wine. It had been easy to boost from my parents' kitchen. A few open bottles remained after the reception, so I took the fullest. I sipped down a double pour while I thought about Trent.
His constant need for attention was exhausting, so the idea of him wanting a girlfriend and a lover made sense. I just could not fit myself into that equation. And how had I not noticed his attraction to men? It just showed me that one major flaw in our relationship was the amount that I was involved. Trent was fun and the rest had not really mattered to me.
Still, it hurt. The red wine was helping, but I decided against watching sad movies and bawling my eyes out. What I really wanted to do was eviscerate something.
I turned on my gaming console and cued up Dark Flag. Before long, I was running alongside the Black Fields. One of the perks of my breakup, I decided, was that it did not matter if I hoped to see Owen in the game. Light Slayer was single and so was I.
My thoughts skittered off nervously and so did my avatar. Was Trent right? Had I been cheating on him emotionally with Owen? I depended on Owen for good advice, a shoulder to cry on, and ways to cheer me up. It seemed like my actual boyfriend had been more jealous of my crush on Owen than I was over his suddenly-discovered relationship with John.
No, I thought, I was just out for revenge. Trent had hurt me, and the very first thing I could think about was hurting him right back. That seemed to go along with a breakup just as naturally as ice cream. Just because Owen was the first person I thought about did not mean anything out of the ordinary. Neither did the excited pace of my heartbeat as I traversed the Black Fields where Light Slayer had last been seen.
Still, I was more su
rprised by the appearance of Owen's avatar than I was by the sudden attack. A Black Fields Boa, a nasty creature that was half-person, half-snake, appeared and coiled a paralyzing grip around my sword hand. I struggled to master the kickboxing sequence of commands. Luckily, the other player was also a newbie, so the Boa was still unable to undulate, and I sent a hard kick to his chest.
"Impressive," Light Slayer said.
I ignored the soaring feeling and typed, "Thanks. Guess this proves hand-to-hand combat heals a broken heart better than chocolate ice cream."
"Broken heart?" Light Slayer asked.
I heard a few of his clan members express their disappointment when our conversation moved to a private chat.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Owen asked over chat.
"You would never believe me," I wrote back. "I broke up with Trent today."
"What did he do?" Owen asked.
I smiled. Only Owen would immediately assume that Trent had done something wrong. The immediate proof that Owen was definitely on my side warmed my heart. "I caught him having sex with another man."
There was a long pause before Owen typed, "Screw hand-to-hand combat. You need a drink. Come over."
A hurricane of conflicting thoughts and emotions followed me up the stairs and into the car. No matter what my brain said, my body took me straight over to Owen's apartment.
He opened the door brandishing a bottle of tequila. "Was that a typo or did you actually catch your boyfriend having sex with a guy?"
It was hard not to fall right into Owen's open arms. I had been on the verge of tears for hours, but they just would not come. I knew if I felt the warm circle of his arms around me, I would not be able to hold them back. It was very tempting, but I managed to remind myself I was not out for revenge. Owen's friendship meant more to me than that.
I held up the bottle of red wine I had brought for myself, an unopened bottle from my father's collection that I realized might actually cost close to 100 dollars. "Not a typo. Where's your wine opener?"
He opened his apartment door wide and pointed towards the kitchen. It had been almost four months since I had dropped by his place before Sienna and I drove back to UCLA. The open layout and leather furniture were classic bachelor pad, but it felt comfortable. His roommate had not lived there very long and had barely made a personal mark on the place. Everywhere I looked were little reminders of good times with Owen.