Page 77 of Unbearable
As you know, Valentine’s Day is the dumbest holiday ever.
Imagine my joy when the hall I live in is having their annual Valentine’s Day Kiss Me celebration as I’m trying to make my way back to my dorm room after class. I had seen the signs declaring the annual celebration but I hadn’t really put much thought into the fact that it’s today. So while I’m unpleasantly surprised to see the crowds gathered, what really shocks me is seeing Holden, drunk off his ass with two girls on either side of him and smiling like the fool I know him to be.
What truly pisses me off though is when he grabs my hand, letting the girls loose and yanks me to his chest, his dusty blond hair falling in his face. “This is the girl I want to kiss.”
And he kisses me. Not just any kiss either. He fucking sticks his tongue in my mouth and grabs my ass in the process.
Wide-eyed, the kiss-me twins next to him walk the other way about the time I shove Holden back against the wall he’s standing next to.
“You douche dick.” I wipe the back of my hand over my mouth. A lot of the times, when I’m super pissed, my cussing doesn’t make sense. Like now. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
It hits me suddenly. The anger and humiliation that he did this in front of twenty or so people and they’re all waiting for my reaction. Everyone in the room is staring at me and I’m so embarrassed.
My heart begins to beat rapidly, Holden staring stoically at me, waiting for my final reaction he knows is coming. He stands up straight and takes a step toward me. “Raven, just relax. It’s all in fun. You remember how to have fun, right?”
You remember how to have fun, right?I repeat those words in my head several times.
The sting of his cheek and my throbbing hand is my answer to that question. “You have no right to kiss me, ever again.”
He humiliated me enough last year, what gives him the right to do it again? I want away from the crowd. Now.
It’s around midnight when I’m finally climbing the stairs to my third floor dorm room. After the bullshit with Holden, I may or may not have decided a keg was my date tonight and had a few beers with those kiss-me twins. Turns out they were pretty cool chicks and what really made my night was that we all agreed Holden was a horrible kisser.
STUMBLING DOWN THE hall, I look toward my room and see Tyler sitting in front of my door. Fucking Tyler. It’s like he knows when not to show up, and does.
He doesn’t move. He’s just sitting on the floor, propped up by the door with his head in his hands.
I walk slowly toward him. “What are you doing here?”
He stands immediately, grabbing onto the door frame to steady himself. He then begins to chew nervously on his bottom lip and shoves his hands into the pockets of his loose fitting jeans. He’s wearing a dark gray hoodie with the hood pulled up over his head shadowing his eyes. “You didn’t answer my texts and I wanted to talk to you.”
I want to laugh. But I don’t. “What do you want to talk about? I mean seriously, do you honestly believe we have anything more to say to each other?”
There’s debate in his eyes. I can tell he’s doubting whether he should say anything at all. He pulls the hood off so I can see him more clearly. He’s different. Something in his intimidating stare tells me so but I can’t place the difference. “After what I saw earlier, I kinda want to talk about you and Holden.”
A pain hits my chest. “What are you talking about?” I unlock my door, damn near tempted to slam it in his face, only he follows me inside, obviously wanting answers.
Once inside he tilts his head back and leans up against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. Whatever it is, it’s hard for him to say. “You kissed him. I fucking saw you.”
“I don’t know what you think you saw but that’snotwhat happened.”
“Don’t lie to me. I’m not fucking stupid. I know what I saw. Did you want him to kiss you?” Tyler’s body remains rigid and unfamiliar, his eyes on mine waiting for a lie he assumes is coming.
A mixture of shame and regret take over and my stomach dips. “No,” I eventually answer without meeting his eyes. How can he think I would want that after being with him?
The very thought of Tyler believing I would kiss Holden willingly hurts, makes my chest burn. I wonder if I would react the same way if I saw him kiss Berkley.
The answer is yes. I would. Hell, I did react that way based on a text message. And even after the last months and the way he’s treated me, I’d still have the same jealous reaction. I know I would.
I lick my lips and his gaze follows, his brow furrowing. His anger smolders with an intensity so bright I want to squint. “Bullshit,” he snaps, shaking his head.
He’s drunk. He has to be. What’s with the men in my life? Does Valentine’s Day to them just mean Be A Douche Day, treat women the absolute worst?
“What the hell is with guys today? Why is it that you all think Valentine’s Day gives you a license to treat women like shit?”
He stands there unsure how to answer my question.
When did Tyler turn into this guy? Something inside of us became clouded when jealousy got the better of us. Our friendship was nothing like it started out as. That closeness is gone and we’re left with this, whatever this is.
