Page 79 of The Fantasy League
“Janet, how many news sources posted an article similar to that?” I questioned, standing up from my seat and rubbing a hand down my cheeks.
“Oh sweetie, at least a dozen. But my glasses prescription is a little outdated so it might be less… might be more, not really sure.”
“Fuck!” I shouted.
Janet raised an eyebrow at me. “So, I take it you’re not dating two women at once?”
“Aera never told you?”
“Told me what?” She shook her head side to side. “She never mentioned anything. I always assumed y’all were secret lovers having an affair or something.”
“So does the entire world now, apparently.” I groaned. “Fuck!”
Likely not wanting to deal with the aftermath of my world blowing up, I heard Janet slip out the front door as I walked back and forth in the living room. My feet stopped, not even realizing when or how I’d started pacing.
Scarlett had rubbed off on me more than I thought.
Scarlett.
No. Fuck no.
She had to know about this by now, there’s no way she hadn’t heard about the article. Anger burned in my throat while I flopped down onto the couch. With my elbows rested on my knees, I hung my head in my hands and let out a groan of frustration.
How did I let this happen?
If Scarlett left me, I wouldn’t be able to fucking survive it. She’d ingrained every fiber of her being into my soul. And the thought of seeing her move on with someone else all because I wouldn’t let Aera come clean about us? It would fucking gut me.
My mind raced with thoughts, knowing that whatever steps I took next would be crucial. Not only for the sake of Scarlett's and my relationship but for the other people who were involved in the situation too. Aera. Our families.
Where the fuck was my phone?
I searched through the couch cushions and found it, hesitantly unlocking the screen to find the only notification I had was one missed call and a voice mail from Scarlett.
Fuck.
I almost pressed play but decided I wouldn’t be able to stomach listening to it right now. If I heard even anounceof heartbreak dripping in her tone it would fucking crush me.
Who was I supposed to call first? Aera? My mom? Scarlett? This was a nightmare. And the worst part about it was that it was entirely my fucking fault.
Goddammit.
I slumped down into the couch cushions again, taking a moment to steady my breaths long enough to formulate a rational thought. After a moment, I opened my contacts list and searched through to find the only person that could help me salvage this situation.
I let out a sigh, and defeat coursed through my veins, weighing me down further with each passing ring in my ear.
How could I have fucked this up so horribly?
Ring. Silence. Ring. Silence. Ring. Silence.
My heart pounded in my throat.
At the last second, when I expected an automatic voice mailbox system message, the dial tone ended and the other person on the end of the line picked up the call with a disgruntled “Hello.”
“Lea?” I started. “I need your help.”
TWENTY-TWO
SCARLETT
