A soft knock on the door startles me, and before I can say come in, it pushes open. Riff stands there in a wife beater t-shirt that fully displays his tattoos. His Mohawk reaches up at the ceiling in perfect alternating colors. My shoulders sag as I pat the spot beside me on the bed.
He gives me a sad smile and then obliges. “You okay?” I shake my head, but tell him yes. “That’s not very convincing.”
I sigh and feel the sting from crying in my throat. “I know, but what choice do I have?”
Riff tilts his head. “You have all the power here, Lanie. Noel screwed you over just like he did to me. That’s just who he is. But you have the power to do what’s best for you and get the hell away from him. I would if I could, but I’m kind of stuck here.”
I snort. “I know the feeling.”
“Ah, yes, the job—I almost forgot about that. Well, I guess you and I are both screwed by him.”
I turn toward him. “You mean you’d leave this band if you could?”
Riff nods while keeping his brown eyes sets on me, like he’s waiting for me to put the pieces of a puzzle together. “In a heart beat. I can hardly look at the guy without wanting to kick his ass. But, this band is my life. It’s all I’ve ever known. I can’t just walk away, no matter how much I want to.”
“I’ve noticed there’s some tension between you two.”
Riff laughs, but it has a bitter edge to it. “Yeah, well, when your best friend fucks your woman, you’ll have that.”
My eyes widen. “Noel…”
“Yes,” he answers my unspoken question. “His girlfriend is my ex, Sophie.”
That’s when I bolt to the bathroom before my guts spill all over the bedroom floor.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Noel’s flight lands at the Charlotte airport any minute. He’ll be here soon and I don’t have a fucking clue what I’m going to say to him. As much as I love the idea of using the silent treatment method, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself from lashing out at him at least once.
He needs to know I think he’s a selfish bastard and I hate his guts.
The mouse on my laptop keeps sticking as I continue research into charities like Black Falcon’s. I have to keep my mind busy some how. If I allow it, my brain will drive me insane replaying thoughts of Noel and all the other women he’s been with. I didn’t insist he use a condom when we were together because stupid me, trusted him. Now, the thought of all the diseases I might now have makes me want to literally murder him.
I readjust myself in the bed and open a new search page. Mystery girlfriend has my mind curious. I tossed and turned all night wondering who she is and what she looks like.
I open a new search box and carefully type in, “Noel Falcon’s girlfriend, Sophie,” into the box before hitting send. It only takes a couple seconds for the results to pop up, but out of all the links, I don’t see anything about Noel Falcon and a girlfriend.
I tap my finger on my chin and then it occurs to me I can still probably find this girl. I just need a different route. This time I type in, “Riff from Black Falcon’s girlfriend, Sophie”.
Bingo.
This time pages and pages of pictures flood my screen of Riff and a blonde named Sophie together. I click on a full length picture of her. As much as I hate to admit it, she’s beautiful. Long, blonde hair cascades down her back and her legs are incredibly long, not to mention her perfect smile. I stare down at my very modest chest and then back to Sophie’s.
We are exact opposites in every way.
Another thought occurs to me. I’m the other woman. Noel cheated on this gorgeous woman with me. That thought alone keeps me from hating her completely. It’s not her fault Noel is a terrible person, but that doesn’t erase the fact she came between two best friends.
She’s still a fucking slut.
“What are you doing?”
My heart bangs against my ribs. Shit! He isn’t supposed to be back yet.
I roll to my side and sit up after I slam the lid on my laptop shut. He stands there in his red t-shirt and distressed jeans looking like he hasn’t slept much. Crazy rocker hair stands in place with a pair of black sunglasses resting on his head with both hands planted on his hips.
How dare he question my actions. “That should be my line.”
Noel flinches. The look on his face gives him away.
He knows I know.
He steps inside the room and shuts the door behind him. “Lane, you can’t believe the shit you read on there.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Oh, really. Who should I believe then, Noel? You?”
He takes two quick steps and sits on the bed next to me. He tries to wrap his arm around my waist, but I shove it off me. “Baby? Please. Let me explain.”
I shake my head. “No. No more lies.”
“I never lied to you.”
“You’re lying to me right now!” I shout. My entire body shakes, so much for being cool and blowing him off. “Were you ever going to tell me about Sophie? Or are your plans to revenge fuck me not complete yet?”
Noel grabs my chin between his thumb and index finger and forces me to look at him. “You’re not just some piece of ass to me, Lane. How can you even think that?” My eyes water and I blink out a tear. It rolls down my cheek and Noel wipes it away with his thumb then cradles my face in his hands. “I love you.”
A sob I can no longer hold back escapes me. “How can you love me when you have a girlfriend?”