Jogging up the path to the rooms, I felt a burst of adrenaline rush through me. I’d been basically holding my breath since I walked out of the private room. I didn’t like fighting with Grant. We were both too stubborn and strong-willed for it. All it did was make me emotional and irritable.
Once I reached the door to his suite, I took a deep breath. I wasn’t looking forward to this conversation, but it was necessary. I pushed open the door and froze. My stomach lurched, and I felt all the air push out of my lungs. Grant was standing there, just outside of his bedroom, kissing a naked woman.
My gasp must have brought him out of his stupor, and he forcefully shoved the woman away from him. That was when I recognized her—Kristin.
My world spun, and I latched on to the doorframe. Grant turned abruptly, and our eyes met across the distance.
“Ari,” he whispered, his face aghast.
I thought I might be sick. Bile touched my throat, and I had to push it down to keep from throwing up. I’d never doubted him. I’d thought he had been sleeping with other women before we were serious, but even then, he’d claimed that he hadn’t. Even in a compromising position back in the private room, I’d never once suspected that he was cheating on me. And now…with the proof before my eyes, I just felt disgusted with him, with myself, with everything. How had I believed him?
“This isn’t what it looks like,” he said. His hands were splayed out in front of him.
“What does it look like, Grant?” My voice was shaking.
“Bad. It looks bad.”
“Oh, Aribel,” Kristin said sweetly. She didn’t even bother covering up. “Are you guys still together? Grant never said—”
“Shut your f**king mouth!” he roared. “Go put some f**king clothes on and get the f**k out of my room.”
“That’s not what you were saying earlier.”
“Are you out of your f**king mind?” he yelled.
Kristin jumped at his harsh tone and darted into the bathroom.
I just stood there, unable to move forward or to run away. There were so many things I wanted to say, but I just watched as Grant screamed at Kristin. She knew that we were together. Even if she had been in the room when we argued earlier, we hadn’t broken up.
Grant’s attention returned to me. He quickly walked across the room and tried to reach for me.
“Don’t,” I said menacingly.
“Ari,” he pleaded.
The tears hit me without notice. Full-on hysterical tears that made my chest shake and my whole body tremble. This couldn’t be happening to me. I’d given up so much for him. I’d concentrated less on school. I’d gone to all of this shows. I’d spent weekends with him instead of doing homework. I’d f**king given him my body, mind, and soul.
He had told me about his family, and then he’d crushed me under the weight of his callous, abrasive nature. He’d let himself get drawn into things that fed his addictive personality. And after he’d had sex with me, he’d just pushed me aside without batting his eyes. I felt like a total idiot. I threw my hands over my face, sank to a crouch, and just let the tears fall.
“Ari, come on. Please let me try to explain.”
I just shook my head. I couldn’t do this. That was all I could get out, “I can’t do this.”
“Do what?” he asked carefully.
I stood stiffly and wiped the tears away with the backs of my hands. They still flowed easily, but I couldn’t stop them. My voice wavered as I said, “This. I can’t do this, Grant.”
“Us?”
“I don’t know.” And I didn’t. I wanted him desperately, but I hurt everywhere.
He’d ripped out the very part of my body that he completed.
Kristin took that moment to scurry out of the room. Luckily, she was fully dressed. She looked sullen that she was getting kicked out, but maybe a bit too cheerful when she caught a glimpse of my face. She strode over to the door where Grant and I were standing and gave me a smug look.
I couldn’t help it. I just lashed out. My hand connected with her face with a satisfying crack that whipped her head back. She gasped, and her hand flew to her face. A big red handprint was already forming on her cheek.
“You bitch!” she shrieked.
“Fuck you!” I spat. “You’re a dirty f**king whore. You’ll never be better than a groupie slut who gets passed around like the disgusting piece of shit you are. No one will ever take you seriously! You’re a f**king disgrace.”
Kristin lunged for me, but Grant was there first. He knocked her back into the door.
“Don’t even f**king think about it,” he growled. “Get the f**k out of here!”
“You just think you’re f**king better than everyone else, Aribel. But you’re no better than I am. You think he won’t drop you for someone else just as fast?”
“Get out!” Grant roared, shoving her out the door and slamming it in her face.
And just like that, my walls broke down. I couldn’t do this. It was the only thing ringing through. I was still crying, but my strength was returning. “I can’t believe you. I can’t believe you sang that song for me and then went off with another girl. I wasn’t even worried about this shit! You couldn’t have…I don’t know…shopped around for someone who wasn’t in my circle of friends? Someone I hadn’t come on this trip with? Someone who I didn’t have classes with? Someone I wouldn’t have to see all the time after you f**king ripped out my heart and tossed it aside like it was nothing?”
“Ari, please listen to me. I did absolutely nothing with her!” Grant said. “She slipped on the ice, and then I thought she accidentally lost her key. I was just letting her clean her hand before coming back downstairs. She came out of the bathroom naked and, like, attacked me.”
“I don’t want to hear your story!” I cried. “I’m sure you have a million explanations for why you had a naked girl in your room.”
“No. There is only one explanation.”
“I don’t care. I just…I can’t believe I thought you would change.”
“Ari, come on. I’m not the same person I was when we first met. The only person I want to be with is you.”
“I just…find that hard to believe, considering you had a naked woman in your room.”
“Just because I had a naked woman in my room doesn’t mean I’m cheating on you!”