Page 80 of Crash
“Epic?” I asked, opening my eyes. “Everything has been pretty epic so far.”
“I’ll say.”
**
Lincoln left Pulse before me that night.
I stuck behind and cleaned up the office, finishing off a handful of invoices before calling it. On the way out, I threw a wave to the instructor who was going through the motions with a class of teenagers. Beginner MMA. I ducked into the change rooms at the last second, knowing if I didn’t pee now, I’d be regretting it when I was sitting in traffic all the way home.
Locking myself in a stall, I did my business in record time, not liking being in here any more than I had since day one. In and out like lightning.
Opening the door, I caught sight of a woman in front of the mirrors. Coming to a stand still, my heart lurched, stuttered, and then restarted again. Andrea stood at the basins, fluffing her hair and pouting at her reflection. She met my gaze, and her eyes narrowed like she was thinkinggame onto herself. Maybe it was a coincidence she was here, but considering the speed in which I peed, probably not. She obviously had something to say to me, but I wasn’t going to be the one to encourage it.
Stepping forward, I stood two basins down so I didn’t have to be near her toxicity, and turned on the tap. Soaping up my hands, I glanced at her and found her staring at me in the mirror.
Andrea smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Shit, it hardly even moved her plastic lips.
“Lincoln’s going back to Sydney, or so I hear,” she said.
I waited, knowing that this was going someplace catty. She hadn’t spoken to me since the first week I was here, and ironically, it was in exactly the same place. In the dunny, which was an indication of the quality of conversation with this woman.
“All I’m saying is good luck with that,” she said, combing her fingers through her hair and retying her ponytail.
I scowled at her reflection, not intimidated by her anymore. “What’s that meant to mean?”
“It’s meant to mean that long distance relationships are trouble,” she shot back with an annoyed pout. “Especially with a pro fighter. Have you seen those girls who parade around the cage?”
“What, fake titted girls like you?”
She laughed at my outburst and flicked her hair. “Men like them, sweetie. Better than those pimples you have.”
Seriously? My vision began to tint red.Seriously?
“Lincoln sure enjoyed them,” she added, throwing fuel onto the fire. “It doesn’t take much to lose the attention of a man like that. A new pair walks by—”
“It’s none of your business,” I spat. Turning on my heel, I strode across the change room. I trusted Lincoln. He’d never touch something as fake as her.
“It is,” Andrea called out after me. “I thought I had him before he dropped me for you. You think you’re any different?”
Pausing at the door, I spun on my heel. “Fuck you, Andrea. Fuck. You. You know shit.”
“Oh, I know a great deal about guys like him,” she said, not bothered by my outburst. “They drop you for the next shiny conquest with wet knickers the second you turn your back.”
Backing away, I ignored the voice of doubt her words had conjured up in my mind. She was just trying to screw with me. Lincoln would never drop me like that, and he’d never, ever cheat. I trusted him.
Hurrying through the gym and out back to where I parked my car, I locked myself inside so I could fume in private. Curling my hands around the steering wheel, a dangerous thought popped into my mind. He’d fucked around with Andrea despite the person she was.Fake and bitchy.Wasn’t that exactly what those cage girls were like? He’d still fucked her despite not wanting any of those things.
Sinking down into the seat, I dropped my head into my hands.Bitch.
**
Lying in bed, I stared at Lincoln’s bags. He’d left them stacked haphazardly by my bookshelves.A khaki duffel bag and a black suitcase with a bright green tag.
He was all packed and ready to go to the airport in a couple of hours. I should be curled up beside him, enjoying another morning in bed with my newfound confidence and his hot body, but I was on the far side of the bed, staring at his things.
“Vee.”
I closed my eyes at the sound of his husky voice, and a moment later, his hand found me underneath the covers.
