Page 80 of The Heartbreakers
I must have cried myself to sleep. When I opened my eyes, I could feel my hair sticking to my face where my tears had dried. Sitting up, I noticed that someone had tucked me into bed and pulled the covers up around my shoulders. That certain someone was sprawled out in an armchair, head tilted back and mouth wide open.
“Alec?” I whispered to see if he was awake.
He jumped with a snort. “Oh. Morning, Stella.” He pulled himself into a sitting position. “Sleep well?” he asked after rubbing away his weariness.
“Oh my gosh, Alec!” I gasped, ignoring his question. “Did I take your bed last night?”
He dismissed me with a wave. “Don’t worry about it. I’m fine.”
The purple circles under his eyes said otherwise, and I knew he hadn’t slept well at all. “But you guys have a concert tonight,” I said, feeling horrible. “You need to be rested up.”
As the words left my mouth, I realized their true meaning. The boys had a concert tonight, which meant I had to work. I would have to face Oliver.
Alec must have seen the horror on my face. “I’m sure if you talk to Paul, he’d understand if you didn’t want to go.”
“No,” I said suddenly, surprising both of us. I felt like an empty shell, like all my insides really had been ripped out, especially my heart, but I wasn’t going to let Oliver see that. More importantly, I wasn’t going to let our relationship, or as I should call it now our past relationship, interfere with my job.
Because of Cara, I had years of experience with hiding my pain. I knew how to fake strength when all I really felt was helpless, like a blade of grass in the wind. This would be no different. Besides, I’d taken the job because it was an amazing opportunity, not because of Oliver. I wanted to be good at what I did, and I couldn’t let Oliver ruin that.
“No?” Alec repeated, his eyebrows arched in confusion.
“I’m going to the concert,” I said with as much resolve as I could muster.
“What? Why?” He sounded aghast, like I’d just told him I was going to jump off the top of a really tall building.
“Because,” I responded slowly, making sure my voice didn’t crack, “I’m not going to be pathetic and run away.”
“Stella, that’s not what I meant—”
“I know that,” I said, standing up. “But I was a slobbery, snotting wreck last night, and I’m not going to let that happen again.” When I finished my speech, Alec looked upset, and I realized that I probably sounded angry with him. Crossing the room, I leaned down and gave him a hug. “Thank you so much for taking care of me last night. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend.”
“Of course,” he said when I pulled away. I could tell that he was still baffled by my sudden mood swing, but I wasn’t going to let my problems affect him any longer. According to the clock on the nightstand, it was still early, and there was plenty of time for Alec to get some sleep before the day began.
“Why don’t you sleep a little?” I suggested and pointed at the now-empty bed. “You can still get in a few good hours.”
Alec was watching me, his face completely blank. After a few seconds, he finally nodded his head. “Yeah, good idea.”
“All right then,” I said as Alec unwound his headphones from around his iPod. “I’ll see you later tonight.”
• • •
The rest of the day sucked majorly. To be more accurate, being around Oliver was nothing short of torture. But I had the boys for support—Alec, Xander, and JJ were giving him the cold shoulder. In turn, Oliver avoided us as best he could, which was why I panicked and froze when I heard him call my name after the boys’ concert later that night.
“Stella.”
The sound of his voice made me suck in a sharp breath. I held it in my chest as I tried to prepare for our upcoming conversation. What could he possibly have to say to me? Would I even be able to talk to him? After a few seconds, a tight, burning tension built up in my lungs, and I finally released my breath and turned around. When I saw him, my hands started to tremble and I quickly tucked them behind my back so he wouldn’t see.
I made sure to hold his gaze as he approached. I still didn’t know if I’d be able to say anything, to formulate some kind of speech so he’d know how much he’d hurt me, but if I couldn’t, I hoped the look in my eyes would do all the talking.
“Hi,” he said when he reached me.
The strain in his voice was so sad sounding, and suddenly I was hit with an urge to step into his arms. My heart screamed at me to move forward, to reach out and comfort him, but I knew better. Curling my toes in my shoes, I held my ground.
“Hi,” I said, careful to keep my tone flat.
“I’ve been looking for you.” He looked at me expectantly, like he was hoping I’d respond, but I decided to let him take the lead, so I pressed my lips together. Two very unpleasant seconds passed, and finally he said, “Can we talk for a moment?”
I rubbed my forehead before scraping back my bangs. “I’m tired, Oliver.”
