Following Me by Linde, K.A. (best books to read in your 20s .txt) 📗

her.  Sheknew her friend too well to assume she would sit out of the conversation.

“Yeah.  You can imagine thethings he said about her.  I’m ashamed to even repeat it.  Small town, whitetrash, gold digger.”  Garrett shook his head.  “He even called her a fuckingdrug addict right to my face.  I don’t know where he gets the nerve.”

Devon froze.  So, Garrettstill didn’t know.  She wanted to tell him.  She really wanted to, but hewas already so down right now.  She couldn’t be the one to break it to him.

“Hadley flipped out at all of hisaccusations.  Her screams only fueled my father, not that she didn’t have everyright to yell back, but I think it proved to him what he thought of her allalong.  And then she thought that I was somehow in on it.”

“What?”

“Her anger went from my dad tome, and then she just left.  I was seeing red after that, and I ended uppunching through a wall in my parents’ house.  Hadley left upset and took mycar.  I took this bottle of scotch and my dad’s Mercedes and got out of there,too.  Hadley won’t answer her cell.  I think we’re done,” he said, ending hisstory.

AFTER HIS DECLARATION, Devon andGarrett sat there in silence for a while.  Hadley and Garrett were done. It couldn’t be true.  Hadley was head over heels for Garrett.  She had come toDevon just that afternoon, worried that he was cheating on her.  Hadleywouldn’t have left him for good.  She had probably just overreacted.

And that wasn’t a pleasantthought either.  Hadley’s overreaction in her state of mind was a recipe fordisaster.  She had been trying to quit, but stress made people do stupidthings.  Who knew where she was right now?  She could be out theresomewhere overdosing on drugs.

Devon shuddered and pushed thatthought out of her mind.  No way would Hadley be that stupid.

Garrett poured them both anothershot, and Devon gladly took it this time.  She wanted to get that image ofHadley out of her head.  Devon was all sorts of dizzy, and she dreaded thethought of standing.  The scotch sure was potent.  She hadn’t allowed herselfto drink much ever since her last vomiting experience after she had firstarrived in Chicago.

“Hadley will come around,” Devonsaid softly.  She wasn’t sure who she was convincing.

He nodded.  “Can we just…talkabout something else?”  He leaned his head back on the couch.

“Sure.”  But she didn’t haveanything else she would like to talk about.  “What do you want to talk about?”

He was silent, considering ananswer.  “Why did you leave St. Louis?”

“Uh…” she muttered.

“You said you ran away from yourlife.  What were you running from?” he asked, suddenly staring at her intently.

Devon glanced down at her feet. “I think I’m going to need another shot for that.”

Garrett complied, and the fourthshot of scotch gave her courage.

He slid his hand on her shoulderand squeezed.  “It’ll be okay.”

She hadn’t realized that she hadstarted shaking.

Devon moistened her lips and thenturned to look at him.  This was just Garrett.  It wasn’t some stranger. He had poured his heart out to her, so she could trust him with her secret.  Couldn’tshe?

“Well, since you told me a story,I’ll, uh…I’ll tell you one of my own.”

“Alright.”  As he straightenedsome in his seat, he stared at her.

She swallowed and tried to meethis gaze.  How drunk was she?  Could she do this?

Taking a deep breath, she began. “My mama always told me that once in a lifetime, you are given a chance at truegreatness.  That you would know it when it happened, and it would be true loveat its finest.  I believed her.”  Tears were already hitting her eyes.

“I wanted greatness, just like mymom.  Her greatness is my dad, and they found each other in their music,” shetold him.  “When it hit me, I didn’t know how I could have ever lived anotherday without it.  I don’t know how to explain it, except to say it was like theuniverse was suddenly in alignment.”

“So…you fell in love?” he asked,scrunching his eyebrows together.

She could see he was wonderingwhere this was going.  She didn’t blame him for his confusion.

“It’s…more than that,” she said,fumbling for the words.  “It’s not like fate or soul mates because that makesit sound silly, but it’s a sense of rightness of the way things are meant tobe.”

“Alright.  I’ll buy that,”Garrett said.

He has no idea, Devonthought.

“Having that with someone openseverything up.  Everything is on the table.  Trust isn’t even a considerationbecause there could never be anything or anyone else.”

Garrett shifted uncomfortably.

“I know what you’re thinking,”Devon said.

“I doubt it.”

“Well, tell me,” she insisted. This was hard enough without trying to read him, too.

“Sounds a bit like…obsession tome.”

Devon sighed.  “That’s what Ithought you’d say.  I can’t explain it any other way, so try to beopen-minded,” she said.  He would need to be open-minded.  “I’m not surewhen it started exactly, but the sex changed.”

Garrett’s ears perked up atthat.  “Changed…for the worse?”

She shook her head.  “For thebetter.”  Devon bit her lip.  When she saw that he was watching, she stopped. She couldn’t believe she was telling this story.

“Not to say the sex was badbefore because it wasn’t.  It was amazing.  In fact, I didn’t believe it couldget better.  But one day, it was one way, and the next day, I was being held tothe bed, forced to comply.”

“What?” Garrett snapped. “Forced?”

Devon nodded.  “I didn’t think Iwould like it.  I mean, it sounds really bad.  It’s probably why I never talkabout it.”

“Isn’t that…rape?” he whispered.

“Don’t use that word,” she saidimmediately, drawing her knees to her chest.  Not that word.  Anything butthat word.  “It wasn’t like that.”

“Okay, sorry.  I didn’t mean tosay…I don’t know what.  Just keep going,” he urged, brushing her blonde hairaway from her face.

She looked back up at him, and hesmiled.  Her mind blurred from the alcohol, and she scooted closer to him.  Itwas better to feel him comforting her through this.  “So, after that started,it never stopped.  It only escalated.  I don’t know if you want details—”

“If it helps you,” he said,allowing her to continue.

She took a deep breath.  Heregoes nothing.  “He started getting creative—demanding