Page 85 of Phishing for Love
I look up at him. There’s something in his face that lifts the tiny hairs on the back of my neck.
I push lightly at his chest. With a resigned sigh, he moves out of my way. He’s not looking at me. I follow his gaze and my frustration evaporates at the sight of Nathan in front of me.
My boyfriend is not where he usually is on a Wednesday night, gaming at a friend’s house.
Instead, he’s sitting at a picnic table with another woman.
And they’re holding hands.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
It takes me a second, maybe two, to recognize the woman Nathan is with. She’s a colleague of his. Melissa, if I remember right. I met her once at one of Nathan’s work functions. We even chatted briefly. Afterward, I remember Nathan joking about her “trout lips.”
“I’m sorry,” Aaron murmurs in a quiet, unhappy voice.
“I don’t understand,” I whisper.
But I do.I do, I do.
There’s a loud ringing in my ears as I feel the life I’d built with Nathan crumbling around me. I can’t get over how different he looks. His cheeks are flushed with excitement and a lovesick grin has taken over his face. He appears enraptured by Melissa.
I don’t know how long I stand there staring at the two of them while my heart rips in two. They’re too wrapped up in one another to even notice my presence.
Next to me, Aaron is still and silent, most likely allowing me time to process what I’m seeing. And I need the time because my mind is still struggling to comprehend the magnitude of Nathan’s betrayal.
At last, all I can whisper is, “This can’t be happening.”
The words seem to finally release me from my frozen state, and I feel a rush of rage roaring through me, eclipsing the pain of my heart breaking.
The low-lying, two-timing snake!
And Melissa. The conniving, unprincipled tramp!
Aaron must sense something of what I’m feeling, because he rests a cautionary hand on my shoulder.
I immediately shrug it off. I’m in no mood for caution. My whole relationship with Nathan I’ve played cautiously and look where it’s got me. Standing in the dark on the sidelines staring at my boyfriend while he holds hands with someone else. And from the desire on both their faces, they’ve done a lot more than simply hold hands.
“How dare he,” I choke out, my voice trembling with anger. Actually, my whole body is trembling, the blood pounding in my ears, my heart racing.
How could I not have seen what was right in front of me all this time? Sure, I know Nathan has an eye for attractive women. I would often catch him stealing a second glance when a beautiful woman walked by. I simply told myself he’s a man who appreciates beauty. After all, don’t I admire Aaron’s good looks? I can’t be a hypocrite in that regard.
The difference is, I haven’tdoneanything with Aaron. I certainly haven’t held his hand. Oddly, this feels more of a violation of trust than anything else. Holding hands is such acouplething, signaling a degree of intimacy and not just lust.
Fury digs its claws into me. I suck in a bitter breath, feeling the shackles of restraint falling away.
“Don’t do it,” urges Aaron next to me.
I am so doing it. Ignoring him, I storm my way over to my two-timing boyfriend—ex-boyfriend!—and his pouty, red-lipped floozy.
“You lying man-whore!” I yell.
Nathan’s head jerks up, shock slackening his features when he catches sight of me. He snatches his hand out of Melissa’s grasp, leaps to his feet, and then sits back down again, as if he can’t make up his mind. “Tess,” he says weakly.
“Yes, Tess, your girlfriend, you lying sack of—”
“I can explain,” he begins, cutting me off.
My hands fist at my sides. “Oh, this should be interesting.”
