Page 59 of Ruined Promises

Itry to drown myself in work, but everywhere I go, I’m reminded of her. In the office, I see her around, but even if my door is closed, I remember the times I took her on my desk or against the window. Here at home, I think of the times I held her in my arms in my bed or we laughed while cooking in the kitchen.

“The End” by Kings of Leon, my favorite band, plays in the background while I stare at a blank screen on my computer.

My brother strolls into the office, dressed clearly, ready to go out.

“Still moping around, I see. I don’t know how you listen to this depressing shit.” He takes a seat across from me and crosses his right ankle over his left knee.

“Fuck off, Asher.” I’m not in the mood for conversation.

“You two haven’t worked it out yet?”

“Do you see her around here anywhere?” I wave my hand around to the room, where clearly it was just me before he interrupted me.

“Wow, what the fuck happened?”

I lean back in my chair, scrubbing my hands over my face, exhaling loudly. “I wish I knew.” I replay the events of that day over in my mind and explain them and the days since to Asher.

His brows scrunch as if he is deep in thought.

“Look, I don’t know if this has anything to do with anything, but that day, I had a friend meet me here. I was running late and gave him the code to get in.” He what? “When I got home, he was walking down the hallway. He had said that he was just using the bathroom, but I don’t know.”

“Who the fuck is this friend? You didn’t think to mention this before?” I don’t mean to raise my voice, but shit like this could have been important.

“Dominic Jennings.”

Jennings? As in Paul Jennings?

What does he have to do with Lexi?

As if the devil himself beckoned her, my phone lights up with Lexi’s name.

“Lexi once tried to warn—” I hold up my hand, cutting him off while I find the strength to read the message.

Lexi:She needs you.

Who needs me? Is she drunk? “The fuck,” I mutter softly.

I stare at her text for a few moments before I muster the strength to hit Send on her contact instead of responding. Someone picks up right away; however, I have to pull the phone back for a second with the loud background noise.

“Hello,” a soft voice says over the phone. Even though I am looking anywhere but at him, I can feel Asher’s scrutinizing and concerned gaze on me.

“Lex? Are you okay? Where are you?” I place my forefinger in my other ear, trying to hear her talk.

“Ben.” Wait, this isn’t Lexi’s voice. I begin to panic. Did something happen to her? “Ben? It’s Hadley.”

Why is Hadley calling me on Lexi’s phone?

“Ben?” my brother tries to cut in. I hold up my hand to him so that I can hear Hadley.

“Hadley, where’s Lexi? What’s going on,” I demand. She’s starting to scare me.

“Hold on,” she shouts into the phone. “Let me go someplace quieter.” The background noise grows distant.

“Are… are you still there, Ben?”

I exhale and run my hand over my face. “Yeah, I’m still here. What’s going on? Is Lexi okay?”

“Lexi’s a mess. Ben, sheneedsyou.” Even with everything that happened between us, I hear the desperation in Hadley’s voice. For her own best friend to reach out to me, I have to take that as something. I get up from my desk and leave the office with my brother on my heels.

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