His hand shot up, stopping me.
“I never told them you were allergic to bell peppers. The whole way back to your house I tried to figure out how they knew about your allergies. And then the mystery of how you had Gnomen in your backseat. You know what I think?” he asked.
My knees went weak and I landed hard on the edge of the tub. It was over. He knew. Kelly Ann was wrong.
“No, you don’t want to guess? I think my parents were the people you were going to have a threesome with.”
Bile surged up my throat, mixing with tears and clogging everything up, not letting me speak.
“Fuck, Rachel. How am I supposed to look at you, knowing my parents picked you, and you picked my parents to have a threesome with?” He ran his finger through his hair. “Fuck.” He refused to look at me.
“Easton, please.” I didn’t know what I was asking. Actually, that was a lie. I was asking him to forget. Asking him to still love me. Asking him not to leave me.
“I’ve got to go. Don’t call me, I’ll be out of the country and I need to think.” Still not looking my way, he set Gnomen on the bathroom counter and walked out the door.
I huddled on my bathroom floor, heaving sobs wracking my body. Gathering what was left of my strength, I put on my PJs and robe and walked across the street to Jules’ house.
I needed my best friend. I needed my soul mate, because maybe she would let me borrow some of her half of our soul since my half was shattered.
Cole answered the door. His smile fell when he took me in. “Jules,” he called out, panic edging his voice. He pulled me into her house, her rug sinking between my toes since I hadn’t bothered to put shoes on.
“Who is it?” Jules called out, rounding the wall leading out of her kitchen. She took one look at me and ran, wrapping her arms around me.
I sobbed into her shoulder.
“Oh, sweetie, tell me who I have to kill.”
“If it’s my best friend I want dibs,” Cole said.
I collapsed on the couch snuggled into Jules. “Kelly Ann and Robert,” I sobbed into her shoulder.
“Who?”
“Easton’s parents,” Cole answered Jules’ question.
“Were they awful to you? Fuck, you sure pulled the short straw when it comes to parental figures.” Jules rubbed my back.
“Rach, what happened? Easton was on fucking cloud nine when I dropped him off at his place to get your car. He said his parents loved you.”
I shook my head as I cried harder. “Easton’s parents were the people I almost had a threesome with.”
The room went silent. I didn’t blame them, that confession wasn’t something you expect to hear from your best friend or your girlfriend’s best friend.
“Holy fuck, what happened?” Jules asked, her voice confused.
I took a deep, shuddering breath and told them about the dinner, about Easton finding Gnomen and storming off. The key I’d given him was in the ugly bowl by my door. He was done with me.
“Oh, honey, fuck him. You didn’t even go through with it, and if he knew you just a little bit, he’d know you would never have entertained going through with it. What a fucking asshole.”
“I mean, I understand why he’s upset,” Cole said.
“Cole Matthew Fox, I suggest you get the hell out of my house if you aren’t going to take my best friend’s side.”
“Jules, he’s my best friend,” he countered.
“And you need to go talk some sense into him before he boards his flight. This is a boy-free zone tonight.”
“Jules, you don’t have to kick Cole out.” I didn’t want to ruin two relationships. One was my quota.