It Was You (16 page)

He started to say something and the phone started again. He jerked his head at it, picked it up like he was going to smash it against the wall.

“Just answer it,” I said.

He took a deep breath. “Sorry. Just gimme a minute.”

I nodded.

He stabbed at the screen again. “I'm busy. What do you want?”

I couldn't hear the other voice, so I sat there, folding and re-folding the beer-soaked dress I'd put on the coffee table.

“
What are you talking about?” West asked, his face screwed up with agitation. “Why the hell are you calling me?” He listened for a moment, then his eyes darted toward me, then away again. “Look, I don't care if...” He bit off his words, shaking his head, anger seeping out of every inch of him.

I kept fiddling with the dress, feeling distinctly out of place.

Then he held a finger up to me, stormed out of the room and slammed the door to his bedroom.

I sat there, unsure what to do. I had no idea who he was talking to, but the way he'd switched gears from flirting with me to ready to choke the hell out of someone was unnerving. His voice spilled out from his bedroom, the walls hiding the exact words but unable to mask the tone.

Royally pissed off.

I wondered if I needed to go.

A loud crash thundered against a back wall and I stood. Part of me wanted to go see if he was alright, but the other part was too afraid to wander back there.

The door to his room slammed again and his footsteps echoed as he came back to the living room. His face was flushed, his jaw set, his eyes on fire.

“Did you talk to Kayla today?” he snarled at me.

I shrank into the couch a little. “Well, yeah, but...”

“Why the hell didn't you tell me that?” he demanded.

“
I...I didn't think it mattered,” I said. “She ran into me at the mall. We didn't really talk.”

“
She is full of shit,” he said. “You know that, right?”

“
I don't know anything,” I said, choosing my words carefully. Insecurity and irritation blossomed inside of me. “I know I really don't like her. And I know I don't like you coming out here and yelling at me.”

He blinked several times, then took a deep breath. “I just didn't know you saw her.”

“I didn't know it mattered,” I said. I stared at the cell phone he was still clenching. His knuckles were white and I was surprised he hadn't crushed it in his vise-like grip. “I take it that was her on the phone.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. Just trying to start shit. It's what she does best.”

“Apparently,” I said. I picked up my dress from the table. “Look, I think I'm gonna go.”

“
No, Abby,” he said, his face falling. “No. Don't.”

Part of me wanted to stay. Ask questions or, better yet, ignore everything that had just happened and pick up where we'd left off minutes earlier. But his response to the phone call rattled me. I wasn't sure we could go back to where we were, at least not right then.

“Yeah, I think I should,” I said. “I'm not really sure what's going on here and the mood's sorta been ruined. You know?”

“
I'm sorry, Abby,” he said. “I just...”

“
Don't apologize,” I said, hugging the damp dress to my body. “Really. It's okay. You're obviously a little frazzled and need to deal with some stuff. I'm gonna go.”

God, I didn't want to. I was putting up a good front. I wanted to stay with him and let him undress me again and make me feel the way only he could. But I didn't like the phone call and I didn't like the way he'd just gone from West to Psycho in about five seconds. It was the second time I'd seen, I realized, remembering the fight at the beach, and I wasn't sure what to make of it.

And it irritated the hell out of me that Kayla was calling him.

“
So,” I said. “I'll call you later.”

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a loud sigh. “Fine.” He walked over to me, took my hand. “Sorry. I didn't mean to screw the night up.”

I stood on my tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. “I'll call you.”

I pulled my hand from his and left, not bothering to tell him he hadn't screwed up the night.

Because he had.

TWENTY THREE

“Is that him?” Tana asked. “Texting you?”

I looked down at the phone in my lap. She was driving and we were halfway up the coast, just north of L.A., headed toward San Luis Obispo. Her car was filled with seemingly everything she owned and we couldn't see out the back windows. But I could see West's name on my phone.

“Yeah,” I said. “It's him.”

“
Did you answer him?”

I shook my head. “No.”

I'd told her about the phone call at West's, his reaction and my leaving.

“
Just answer him,” she said. “Don't shut him down completely.”

“
Why was he so mad?” I asked, tilting my head against the window. “And why was she calling him?”

“
Well, you won't know unless you ask him.”

“
Why didn't he just tell me?”

“
Because he's a guy and he probably freaked,” Tana said, glancing in the rearview mirror. She realized she couldn't see anything and looked across me at the passenger mirror. She hit her blinker and we moved over a lane. “He was probably afraid
you'd
freak.”

“
I did freak,” I admitted. “After he went all destructo back in his room.”

“
Did you see what he did?”

“
No. Just sounded like he was doing demolition.”

“
He was pissed. His stupid ex-girlfriend was ruining your date. I don't think that's a bad thing.”

I'd tried to convince myself of that, too, when I'd gone home. Maybe he was just frustrated that we got interrupted. But I couldn't get myself to believe that. There was too much
something
in the way he went off. It wasn't just frustration.

The phone chimed in my lap again and I looked down.

Are you already on your way?

It was the fourth text I'd gotten from him. And he'd called once. I'd let it go to voicemail.

“OK, then just bail him,” Tana said.

“
What?”

“
Bail him. Dump him.” She shrugged. “You've been on, what? Three dates?” She shrugged again. “Cut him loose now so you don't have to deal.”

As confused as I was, that didn't seem like an option. “I don't want to.”

“Why not?”

I thought for a moment. “Because I like him. A lot.”

“Why?” she asked again.

“
Why do I like him?” I looked out the window. We were descending the big hill into Camarillo and we were surrounded by hills. “His smile. His hands. The way he looks at me. He's a smartass.”

“
His body,” Tana prompted, her voice taking on a dreamy tone.

I laughed. “That, too.” I looked down at the phone again. “Because he just makes me feel different.”

“So what do you want to do then?”

“
I don't want to dump him,” I said. “I know that. I'm confused. But I don't want to give up on him yet.”

She smiled at me. “I know. So answer the damn texts.”

I shook my head, but couldn't hold back a smile. She knew me too well. I tapped the screen.

Yes.

A few seconds later, the phone chimed again.

You didn't answer your phone.

I know. Was loading the car.

But you didn't answer.

I know.

There was  a lull for a minute and I wondered if he was done. My stomach sank.

But then the phone chimed again.

I'm sorry. For last night. Didn't mean to screw up the night with you.

I know.

Kayla is a bitch.

I smiled and typed a quick response.

At least we agree on that.

I'll explain. If you want me to.

I looked up from the phone. The traffic was letting up and we were making good time. We were almost to Oxnard and Tana was shaking her head to the music on the radio.

I wasn't sure if I wanted him to explain. I was afraid of an explanation I didn't want to hear. Like she wanted him back. Or that he still had feelings for her. Or some other ridiculous drama that I didn't want to be a part of, that I didn't want to exist.

Because it might break my heart.

I looked back at the phone and tapped the screen.

Do you still like her?

NO. NO. NO. Not like that.

So what's it like?

It's like she's a bitch and trying to piss me off. And she's jealous of you.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, but still managed to smile. If was looking for the right button to push, the one that made me feel better, he'd found it.

She's jealous of me?

Uh...YEAH.

Why?

Because she probably knows how crazy I am about you.

Again. He was finding the right button. I could picture him standing right in front of me, smiling down at me, his arm around my waist, making the rest of the world fall away.

And I shouldn't have gone off the way I did. Totally my fault. I was pissed. No excuse. I'm sorry.

I'm gonna need to hear the story. I'm not crazy about jealous ex-girlfriends.

LOL I promise. I'll tell you whatever you need to know, Abby Sellers.

I smiled again. I wanted that partially open book to open up a little further.

I told him I'd call him later.

His response was immediate.

I'll be watching the clock. Waiting.

I hoped he would be. I hoped he was as disappointed as I was that the night was cut short and had ended the way it did. I wanted him to be disappointed like I was. And I hoped he was awake for most of the night like I'd been. Thinking about him. Wondering.

“
You are grinning like a fool,” Tana said, snapping me out of my reverie.

“
Am I?”

“
And then some.”

I sighed. “Yeah, I am. I like him, Tana. I really, really like him.”

She glanced at me, still smiling. “Then let's hope he's the real deal.”

I was already past hoping.

TWENTY FOUR

The weekend went by quickly.

We managed to unpack and decorate Tana's entire dorm room, which was bigger than we'd anticipated. Her roommate wasn't going to be up until the following weekend, so we took advantage and set the room up the way she wanted. We wandered the campus, finding the buildings where her classes were and we went to the bookstore and bought a boat load of ridiculously large, over-priced textbooks.

We walked around town, finding lots of cute restaurants and places that looked fun to hang out. And it made me jealous. She was getting the true college experience.

I was still living at home, commuting to the local community college.

It made me second guess myself. I wondered if I'd given up too much just because of Annika. Maybe I'd overreacted. Seeing San Luis and the campus and the dorm, it felt like Tana was really going to college. For me, it felt like I was going to thirteenth grade.

By the time we got back to San Diego on Sunday night, I was beginning to rethink my decision. I couldn't go back on it now, but I was starting to think I'd screwed up and would be missing out.

Annika was lying on my bed when I went upstairs. I stopped short, frowning.

“Well, well,” she said, tapping away at her phone. “Did you get a taste of real college life this weekend?”

I dropped my bag next to the closet door. “What are you doing in here?”

“Waiting for you.”

“
Why?” I asked, annoyed. “And get off my bed.” The last thing I wanted was the smell of her lingering on my comforter again.

She didn't move. “So. Your new boyfriend.”

I rolled my eyes, dropped down on the floor and unzipped my duffle.

“
West Montgomery,” she said.

I froze, my hands already in the bag. “What?”

“West Montogomery,” she repeated and I could tell she was smiling. “Your new boyfriend's name is West Montgomery.”

I twisted around to look at her. “How do you know?”

She sat up and folded her legs up Indian style. “I don't hear you telling me I'm wrong.”

I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “Yeah. His name is West.”

“I have to admit,” Annika said, clucking her tongue. “You did well. That boy is smokin'.”