Page 28 of Before You
“You have a girlfriend?” she snaps at him, and Trent ignores her, tugging the pants up over his hips to walk toward me.
“Babe, please, I made a mistake. She doesn’t mean anything to me, I promise.It’s you, I love you.I was upset and stressed about not being able to see you this week, and I’m so afraid I’m going to lose you. I’ve been so nervous you’ll figure out I’m not good enough for you,” Trent murmurs, speaking quickly as he reaches to cup my face.
Oh my god.Is he serious right now?
I shake my head, moving away from him before he can touch me. “No, Trent. Don’t you dare try to twist this to make me feel bad for you. You don’t get to say you love me when you werejust having sex with another girl! I mean, did you even bother to change the sheets?”
“It’s you and me. Don’t do this to me. Think of what our parents will say? They are so excited about our relationship,” Trent pleads, panicking because I’m not giving in. If anything, he should be fucking afraid of what my parents will say.
He tries reaching for me again, but I shove him away this time. Apparently, dodging his hands before wasn’t clear enough of a message.
“Don’t touch me,” I say, my voice shaking from how angry I am. “You cheated on me.”
He takes a step back as the girl finishes pulling her clothes on awkwardly. She walks wide to avoid Trent, her cheeks flaming red. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea he had a girlfriend, or I never would have come here. I got his number at a party a couple weeks ago, and Trent called me today,” she says as I step aside to let her leave, and the weight of her words hit me square in the chest.
A. Couple. Weeks. Ago.
If Trent wasn’t panicking before, he is now. “She’s lying. She was all over me, Mar. I didn’t do anything wrong. You have to believe me,” he pleads.
“Il ment. Trent t’a trompé. Je suis désolé. Je revenais pour te le dire,”11 JJ’s soft voice says from behind me, and I flinch.
I can’t look at him, or I’m going to burst into tears. Seeing Trent with another girl is awful, but not as awful as JJ knowing about it and not telling me immediately.
“JJ, you told her it’s not true, right?” he asks, his voice full of distress, looking to the wrong person for help.
“How many?” I ask Trent, finally thinking logically. She got his number a few weeks ago, so I don’t think I’m wrong to ask if there’s more. He has the nerve to feign confusion, attemptingto reach for me again. “I don’t want you to touch me so stop,” I snap, and Trent freezes.
“What?”
I inhale a short breath, trying to reel my anger back in. “How many girls?” I clarify, and he falls silent, looking away. “Once? Twice?” I ask, and I think I’m going to be sick. “You’re unbelievable. Do you even know how many times you’ve cheated on me?” I ask, laughter escaping me as Trent finally looks at me. He probably thinks I’m crazy.
“What was I supposed to do when you wouldn’t say you love me back?” Trent asks, and I only laugh harder.That’s his excuse?
“You’re trying to defend yourself by bringing up how I didn’t say I love you? I’m not going to say it if I don’t mean it because it’s not fair, and definitely not an excuse to fuck other girls, Trent!”
He doesn’t even think he did anything wrong. What the actual fuck is wrong with him?
“Fuck you. Don’t call me ever again,” I say, whirling around, only to wind up face to face with JJ. He steps out of my way as Trent continues spouting lies behind me I don’t care to listen to.
I’m distinctly aware JJ’s following behind me, but I don’t want to talk to him right now. I want to go back to my apartment where I probably should have stayed in the first place, eat ice cream, and punch a pillow I can pretend is Trent’s face.
“Marley, I’m sorry,” JJ says before I get to my car.
“Go away. I don’t want to talk,” I say, grabbing the door handle of my car. JJ’s hand quickly falls on the frame, keeping it closed as I pull, effectively trapping me against the vehicle. “I want to leave,” I say, seeing his reflection in the window.
“I know, and you can leave, but please let me drive you. I need to explain—”
I turn to face him, and he’s standing so close to me, I can smell the salt from his sweat earlier.Fuck, it’s easy to forgethow much taller he is than me, and I’m not short to begin with.“Explain what? What can you possibly have to say to make me trust you again?” I whisper, half of me praying JJ has a magic trick up his sleeve.
His emerald gaze is filled with hopelessness, and I’m actually afraid of what he’s about to say. “Marley,” JJ falters on my name, and I don’t think I want to hear this, but I’m frozen in place. “I didn’t know what to do when I found out it was you. I was going to tell whoever Trent’s girlfriend was that he was cheating, but then it was you standing there. It felt like a goddamn miracle, and I didn’t know what to do. I’m sorry.”
All of the anger whooshes out of me, and now . . . all I feel is devastation. This hurts more than everything inside a minute ago. “Wait—you’ve known since you first saw me?”
JJ’s been lying to me this entire time.
“I swear, I was on my way to tell you. I didn’t know if you’d believe me, so I needed to ask Asher if he’d back me up.”
“You didn’t think I’d believe you? JJ, I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone.Trusted—I trusted you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone,” I correct myself, willing my voice not to crack.
