Page 19 of The Stallion
Asher and I had been living together since the start of college—going on nine years now. And she knew Connor just as well as I did, seeing as we met him during our junior year.
Like her, I believed that Connor and I would be together forever. Things were going great between us… until they weren’t. When he suddenly became emotionally distant and unavailable, no matter how hard I tried to attract his attention.
“This just isn’t like him…” Asher repeated as she paced at the foot of the bed, swinging her phone around a few times before dropping it onto the sheets. She had tried calling him ten times in the past hour, even more if you count the previous two days. But he still hadn’t answered. “What the hell happened, Bria?”
I wish I could tell her…I wish I could remember.
I was at his townhouse one minute, planning to surprise him since he had just returned from his most recent out-of-state training camp.
And the next… I was back here, crying on the shower floor, my shame washing away, down the drain.
It was as if I had disassociated from the moment I arrived until I returned home. I vaguely remember my heart shattering and thathe was gone—out of my life entirely. That he wasn’t coming back, and how I meant absolutely nothing to him.
Six years. Six fucking years of my dedicated life—wasted.
“Nothing… everything…” I mumbled, staring at the ceiling and begging myself not to cry all over again.I’ve shed more than enough tears for that deceptive asshole.
Pulling a pillow over my head, I pressed it firmly against my face and let out a violent scream until my throat burned, forcing me into silence as I caught my breath.
“And you say I’m dramatic…” Asher chuckled, and I felt the mattress dip with her weight as she sat beside me on the edge of the bed. “You know… I hate to tell you this, but in the end, Connor didn’t deserve you. Yeah, he made you happy, but he never truly deserved your love and loyalty.”
“I thought you said we were perfect for each other.A match made in heavenor whatever that bullshit saying is.”
“Because you were, whenever you were together—at least that’s what I always saw from the outside looking in. How was I supposed to know the truth when you never confided in me? Looking good together and a man understanding your worth are two very different things. One can be seen while the other can’t, and I’m guessing—by how easily he just blew you off—that all he cared about was your value on his arm, not in his heart.”
Oh, great, even my best friend could sense that I was doing nothing more than wasting my time on him.At least now I didn’t feel so bad for not telling her what a piece of shit he had become years ago.
“You could have toldme—”
“Told you what? The truth? Ripped your happiness away while breaking your heart into a million pieces?” Asher scoffed, palming her forehead. “Yeah, because that's exactly what best friends do to one another. You two had been together for a ridiculously long time. I just assumed that you would know when to walk away from a bad thing…” She blew out a distressed sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Asher’s heart was always in the right place—mine, however… Not so much.
There was silence for several minutes before she snapped her fingers, signaling an idea, and hopped off the bed, heading straight into the closet. Within seconds, she had dropped two large suitcases onto the floor, and I narrowed my eyes at them.
I could hear Asher rummaging around and sat up to see clothes being thrown in several directions.
“What are you doing?” I asked, curiously crawling across her bed to get a better look at the inside of the closet.
“Getting you the fuck out of here. You need some therapy—girl therapy.”Some what?Asher picked up her phone and started sending text messages like rapid-fire bullets. “We’re going to my parents’ cabin for the weekend. Get packing.” She didn’t look up from her phone once as she continued typing and sending.
“I don’t think—”
“No, you don’t. Let me think for you. Pack your shit, we’re leaving intwenty.”
“But I—”
“Just pack your bags, Bria, and stop arguing with me…” Asher groaned, dropping her phone to the floor before spearing her hands through her hair and tugging at the roots. “You’ve been in my room—my bed for two whole days, and I’m sorry, but snuggling up to my decomposing best friend is not a fetish I’m willing to get into.” Her nose scrunched as if I, in fact, smelled like a dead body, and while releasing a long sigh, she finished her speech with, “Please, girl… Just go.”
Giving in to her demands, I exhaled while shaking my head, picked up one of the empty suitcases, and dragged it across the hall to my bedroom.
AsIreluctantlymademy way down the hall, pulling a suitcase full of clothes that only reminded me of Connor and our now non-existent relationship, I could hear laughter coming from the entryway of our apartment.
Turning the corner, I saw Asher, Mikayla, a.k.a. Mick, and Natalie gossiping by the front door—all three grinning from ear to fucking ear.
“Um… What’s this?”
“There she is! Ready to get the hell out of here?” Asher beamed, holding her arms out wide, as if waiting for me to rush into her for a hug.
