Adonis

I woke up and squinted as the sun shone into the room. I sat up as I took in my surroundings. I was still in Katie's room. I rubbed my hands over my face before I stretched and looked around the room.

Katie walked into the room and smiled sheepishly at me.

"I'm so sorry about last night," she began to apologize.

"It's okay. It happens to us all," I assured her I stood. There had been a few occasions where I'd been in her shoes and Link had done the babysitting.

She looked like death warmed up but if she hadn't thrown up most of the alcohol she would probably be feeling much worse.

"It'd be great it you didn't tell Trisha how drunk I got. She'll be pissed if she discovers how drunk I got last night," she asked nervously leaning against the door frame.

"I won't tell her," I told her. There was no reason to make a bigger deal out of it. "I need to go."

She nodded her head as I reached for my jacket. I found my phone on the coffee table and slid it into the back pocket of my jeans.

"Thanks again," she said before I nodded my head and left her room.

Thankfully I didn't run into anyone on my way up to my room because explaining why I was still dressed in the clothes I'd worn the night before wouldn't be easy without them getting the wrong idea.

The first thing I did when I made it back into my hotel room without being detected was go for a shower. Afterward, despite my tiredness, I felt better. Still with a towel around my neck I picked my phone up. I was looking forward to telling Lacey about last, including the part where I'd babysat Katie for most of the night.

It rang and rang until it finally went to voicemail.

"It's me. Give me a call when you get the message," I said before I hung up.

Not even giving it further thought that she'd missed my call I sat down on the sofa and towel dried my hair while I watched TV. It was only an hour later when I realized Lacey still hadn't called me back.

I frowned slightly as I tried to call her. Again it just rang and rang before going to voicemail.

There was something up. Had something happened to her? I couldn't stop my thoughts from going into overdrive. Past experience made me contemplate the worst first.

I tried to call her again but like before it just rang and then went to the familiar sound of her voice asking to leave a message. I still had Sam watching over her so he was the next person I tried but when he didn't pick up his phone I decided to call Alex.

"Gray," my best friend greeted me with disdain. It was so out of place I was taken aback for a moment.

"Alex. I can't get hold of your sister," I told him.

"Why would you want to speak to her?" he asked and my frown deepened.

Why would he ask me a question like that?

"Alex," I said, irritation filtering into my voice. "I need to speak to her."

"Well she doesn't want to talk to you," he said, angrily.

What the hell? My grip tightened on my phone. The thought that she was deliberately avoiding my calls didn't make any sense.

"What's going on?" I asked Alex, hoping he would shed some light on what was going on.

"Are you for real?" he spat back at me. "You're my best friend and you do this to my sister. After everything she has been through, she deserves better."

I didn't even get a chance to say another word before he disconnected the call.

I was so floored I sat down for a minute and looked down at my phone trying to figure out what I had done in the time I had last spoken to her that would explain her not taking my calls and my best friend so livid with me I was sure he would punch me if we'd been face to face.

I set my phone down on the coffee table as I contemplated the unbelievable conversation if just had with my friend. Going through the events of the previous night I tried to reason what had upset Lacey so much. My mind went back to my interview with the reporter when I'd brushed Lacey off as the little sister of my best friend and nothing more.

Surely that hadn't been the cause of this. She knew I'd only said that to keep her out of the public eye. I was protecting her.

It couldn't be it. I thought back to our last conversation, analyzing anything that stood out but there was nothing.

I put my head in my hands. There had to be something more. I dropped my hands as I stood up and began to pace the length of the room. My mind retraced my steps from the night before. The only eventful thing I had done was babysit Trisha's sister Katie. Had someone taken a photo of us coming back to the hotel? Could that be the reason Lacey was so pissed with me?

I got my laptop and waited anxiously for it to boot up. I typed my name and checked out the gossip columns but there were no photos other than the one's taken at the event. Feeling more frustrated I closed my laptop. I needed to find out what I'd done and I needed someone to tell me. Picking up my phone I thought about calling Reece but she would probably wouldn't take my call.

Aiden. I dialed his number.

"Hi," he answered. I could hear the undercurrent of anger in his voice. I just hoped he'd be able to tell me what I'd done wrong.

"I need your help," I began to say.

"I doubt anyone can help you out of the mess you've made," he retorted.

I let out a deep heavy sigh.

"Look I have no idea what I've done," I got out before he had the chance to cut me off or put the phone down.

There was a few moments of contemplative silence.

"After what I've been told it's difficult to believe you," he replied. The anger in his voice weakened.

"Honestly, I have no fucking idea why Lacey won't take my calls," I said, rubbing my brow as I waited for him say something.

"Why did a girl answer you phone this morning?" he asked.

It took a few seconds for what he said to set in.

"I've no idea what you're talking about," I replied.

"Lacey called you this morning and a girl answered you phone."

My forehead creased. I had been in Katie's hotel room sleeping on the sofa. I couldn't remember my phone ringing. Had Katie answered my phone?

"I need to go," I said, ending the call.

I grabbed a shirt and pulled to on as I strode out of my hotel room with only one thing on my mind. A few minutes later I was standing outside Katie's room knocking on her door. I scrolled through my recent call list and saw the phone call from Lacey a few hours earlier.

Feeling a tidal wave of despair I closed my eyes. I couldn't believe this was happening. Now I needed to know exactly what Katie had said. Had she given her the wrong idea or had Lacey jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"Hi," Katie answered, looking a lot better than when I had last seen her.

"Did you answer my phone this morning?" I asked her tersely.

She hesitated and then nodded her head.

"What did you say?" was my next question.

"A girl called and asked if she could speak to you," she said putting her hands behind her back. "I told her you were sleeping and asked if I could take a message."

"And then what happened?"

"She put the phone down."

If Katie was telling the truth she hadn't really done anything wrong. All she'd done was answer my phone. I should have sent a message to Lacey telling her I was babysitting Trisha's sister because she'd had too much to drink. Lacey had jumped to the wrong conclusion but could I blame her?

If some guy had answered her phone first thing in the morning and told me she was still asleep I would have been just as angry.

I had to get hold of Lacey to explain what had really happened. I just hoped she'd give me the chance to explain.

**********

Lacey

"Go away," I mumbled as I burrowed deeper into my pillow.

"Come on Lacey," my annoying brother said. "Let me in."

"No," I said, sitting up putting my arms around my knees as I brought them closer to my chest.

I didn't want to be around anyone. I was hurt and I didn't want an audience. My eyes were red and puffy from crying. My chest still hurt every time I thought about Adonis' betrayal.

The pain was overwhelming and I closed my eyes briefly trying to reign my emotions back in. I didn't want to feel the heartache but there was no shutting it out.

"He called," Alex told me through my closed bedroom door.

I had to swallow the emotion that clogged my throat. Every time I thought about the way he'd betrayed me it felt like a knife plunging into my heart.

I thought we were finally together and we had our future laid out before us. There was no tumor to take it away and no missing memories to make me second guess my future.

Then he'd gone and done this. He'd screwed it all up.

There was no point in trying to figure it out because it didn't matter what had led him to this, his actions were the only thing that counted. We were over and there was no going back.

I couldn't overlook infidelity. There were people who could but not me. Every time I looked at him I would remember her voice over the phone. I would obsess over it.

It was bad enough I didn't understand why Adonis loved me when he could have any girl he wanted. What made me so special? Apparently nothing.

I swallowed hard as I rested my chin on my knees.

"I don't care," I said, trying to keep my voice level and uncaring. Nothing he could say would fix this.

"Lacey."

"No, I don't care," I repeated shaking my head. It was a lie. I did care and that was why it hurt so much. Maybe if I said it enough times I could stop the pain.

"I know you are hurting," he began to say.

A couple of tears escaped down my face and I brushed them away fiercely.

"I need to be on my own," I told him.

"You want me to beat the shit out of him?" he asked.

It wouldn't solve anything. But it was the protective big brother coming out in Alex. He wanted to help but there was no way to fix it.

I never thought Adonis would be capable of this and if I hadn't heard the girl myself I would never have believed it. Everything that had happened last night had led to the phone call this morning. Instead of feeling reassured that he loved me I'd landed with the hard reality that despite his words, he didn't.

In my mind I tried to come up with a reason why he'd do that but I kept coming up empty. I knew Adonis well and his actions didn't fit in with the person I thought I knew. Had my illness and the worry over my lost memories push him into someone else's arms? I had put him through hell.

"Ugh," I said, feeling more frustrated.

I glanced to my door. At least it was silent on the other side. Alex had finally got my message that I wanted to be alone. I stood up, feeling like I needed a change of scenery.

My phone started to vibrate. I looked at it and saw the caller ID. It was Adonis. He'd called me twenty times already today and I hadn't answered one of his calls.

I opened my door leaving my phone behind. Sam stood on the one side and my brother stood on the other side of the door.

"I need to get out," I told my brother as I walked away the incessant ringing. I heard footsteps behind me and knew it was Sam.

"I can't let you go out alone," he said softly. He was still being paid to protect me.

"Then you'll have to come with me," I told him without missing a beat.

No one else tried to stop as I left the my house. Outside I waited as Sam opened the door to the rental car he was using and got in. He got into the driver's side before he turned to me.

"Where to?" he asked.

"There's a park down the road. I want to go there," I told him.

He drove me to the place quietly. I looked out into the park as he brought the car to a stop. I got out with a heavy heart. At the swings I stopped. Sitting down on the swing I moved myself back and forth with the steady push of my feet against the ground.

The thing about falling for someone you knew your whole life was the memories of them filled every aspect of your life. Every room in my house reminded me of him. Even sitting on the swing allowing my eyes to float over the view in front of me I couldn't stop myself from thinking of Adonis. Almost everything around me reminded me of him.

The only way to stop it would be to move to a new town. I laughed as I felt the sting of tears. The soft pressure of a hand on my shoulder reminded me I wasn't alone.

"Maybe you should give him a chance to explain," Sam said and I shook my head, pulling out of his grip.

"I don't want to talk to him," I said.

He didn't push it. Instead he sat down in the swing beside me.

"Have you spoken to him?" I asked. I stared in front of me, refusing to look to Sam.

I wasn't sure why I asked the question. It didn't matter what he said, there could be no explanation for what he'd done. Remembering the way he had dismissed me and the confession of love he'd made of stage sent another physical wave of pain through me.

I gritted my teeth and refused to give into the emotions. I refused to cry.

"Yes," he answered. I couldn't stop my eyes from darting to his.

"What did he say?"

It shouldn't matter but it did.

"He said it was a misunderstanding."

I was already shaking my head. How could it have been a misunderstanding?

"Why don't you hear him out and make a decision after that?" Sam suggested.

It was easier said then done. Just hearing his name mentioned cause me so much pain, I didn't want to have to face him.

"I can't." It hurt too much.

I let out a deep and emotional sigh before standing up. Sam stood up beside me.

"I want to go home," I told him and he dutifully drove me home.

At my front door I turned to face him.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me," I told him.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," he said. His eyes conveying his sympathy.

"I won't lie. It sucks but I can't change it." I shrugged dismissively. "I need to cut him out of my life. I need to build a life without him."

It sounded easy but I knew it was going to be hard.

Sam nodded.

"I don't need you either," I said before I realized how harsh it sounded. I put my hand out and touched his arm. "I didn't mean it like that. You've been great but I don't need you here to watch over me anymore. I don't need a bodyguard."

Sam pressed his lips together and frowned.

"He still wants me to keep you safe."

I had to stop myself from losing my temper but I managed to keep it in check.

"The thing is. What he wants doesn't matter anymore. Please don't make this hard for me Sam. I need you to leave."