143
I woke up to the incessant ringing of my phone and I groaned as I opened my eyes to the blinding sunlight shining through the open curtains. I could hear my phone but I couldn’t find it. I was still wearing my jeans but I had no idea where my shirt was.
“Grey,” I answered the phone I’d found under the pillow on the couch.
“Where the hell have you been?” Ava yelled over the phone.
“What time is it?” I asked her.
“It’s past eight,” she said and that sobered me up instantly.
“Shit, sorry,” I said.
“Where are you?” she asked me.
“Chicago with Felix,” I said as the bedroom door opened and a naked woman walked out as another woman started giggling in the background.
“Is that a woman?” Ava asked angrily.
“It’s not what you think,” I said.
“Hi Ryder,” the woman said as she started picking up her clothes and Ava put the phone down in my ear.
“This is just fucking great,” I murmured.
“Aah Felix,” the woman moaned from the bedroom.
“Felix! We need to go!” I yelled as I stood up from the couch and started looking for my shirt.
Felix and the other woman emerged five minutes later and that’s when I finally found my shirt. The woman was wearing it. Felix smelled like scotch and sex and so did my shirt when the woman shrugged it off and handed it to me.
“What’s the rush?” Felix asked me.
“It’s after eight,” I said.
“Ladies, it was nice to meet you, order some room service, it’s on us,” Felix said as he smiled at both of them.
“So were we, last night,” the red head said as she glanced at me.
I put my shoes on and grabbed my keys from the table as Felix pulled his shirt on. I left the hotel room without looking back and feeling like shit. Felix was whistling all the way to the elevator, a smile on his face and sighed contentedly when we climbed into the SUV.
“What the hell happened last night?” I asked Felix as we drove through the downtown area to the highway.
“A lot happened last night,” he said and grinned at me.
“Details Felix,” I said.
“I can’t believe you still have that piercing,” he said with a chuckle and I gripped the steering wheel tighter.
“Shit.”
“Shit might be right, I do remember you calling tag team just as I was ready to blow,” Felix said and looked at me.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Poor Lindsey couldn’t walk straight for an hour after you called tag team, I had to play with myself for bloody twenty minutes,” he complained.
“Nothing wrong with her mouth though,” he continued and I finally laughed.
“I can’t believe I called tag team,” I said.
“Just like the good old days when we shared everything,” he said and closed his eyes.
“Is Lindsey the red head?” I asked him and he turned his head towards me.
“Yes, the brunette was Amy or something,” he said.
“How did I end up on the couch?”
“You said you weren’t cuddling with me,” he said.
“Ava called,” I said and his smile disappeared.
“Fuck.”
We drove on in silence and thankfully my phone didn’t ring again. We smelled terrible, like booze, sex and cheap perfume. I had no idea what I was going to tell Ava, I couldn’t even remember everything from the previous night but I was still somewhat guilty.
“She’s not our bonded half,” Abeloth said.
“Doesn’t matter Abeloth,” I said.
“Time to face the music,” Felix said and he straightened in his seat as I turned on the road leading to the house.
“I hope she’s not a thrower,” I said and Felix started to laugh.
“And if she is let’s hope her aim is out,” he added.
Link and Emily were in the living room when we walked inside. Felix fell down on a couch opposite them and I stood in the doorway.
“You smell like a brothel, both of you,” Emily said.
“I agree,” Felix said and smiled.
“Where’s Ava?” I asked.
“Upstairs,” Link answered me.
“Do you need back up, mate?” Felix asked me with his eyes closed.
“To face Ava? Don’t be an idiot,” I said as he laughed.
“You’re not staying down here, go shower,” Emily said to Felix.
“Will you wash my back?” Felix asked her as Link’s eyes flashed yellow and he clenched his fists.
“Do I look like vomiting in my own mouth is something I like?” Emily asked him.
“No bleeding on the carpets,” I said and headed to the stairs to face Ava.
I walked up the stairs slowly and stood in front of our bedroom door for a few seconds and took a deep breath. I opened the door and saw Ava standing in front of the window. She didn’t turn around as I closed the door behind me.
“Ava.”
“Go shower, you stink,” she said.
I walked to the bathroom and turned the shower on. The hot water felt nice as I washed the previous night away. I tried to remember everything I did as I brushed my teeth. I didn’t feel guilty even though I had meant my vows when I said them, but now I didn’t feel them.
When I walked out of the bathroom I saw that Ava had put clothes out for me. I got dressed as she stood staring out of the window and I had no idea how to handle this situation.
“What am I doing wrong?” she asked me with her back still turned towards me.
“You’re not doing anything wrong,” I said and leaned my back against the wall.
“Then why?”
“We were drinking and I don’t even remember what happened,” I said honestly.
“You don’t look at me the way you did in Bermuda,” she said.
“Things were different in Bermuda,” I replied.
“Yes, you didn’t think you’d have to marry me,” she said bitterly.
“I’m sorry,” I said. There wasn’t anything else I could say.
“I can’t even really be mad at you because I know you don’t love me and I don’t understand why I feel this bond and you don’t,” she said.
“I don’t know,” I said and sat down on the sofa.
“I don’t want things to be like this,” she said.
“I don’t want to hurt you but I don’t want our daughter to grow up without me either,” I said.
“So what do we do?” she asked me sadly.
“I don’t know Ava, I don’t have any of the answers here.”
“We could maybe try to get to know one another, maybe try dating,” she said and looked at me.
“Like in Bermuda?”
“We liked each other in Bermuda,” she said.
“We did.”
“So …”
“Things can’t get worse than they are now,” I said.
“True.”
“Let’s date,” I said.
“How long will Felix be staying here?” she asked me.
“As long as he wants,” I said.
“He’s not a good friend, Ryder, look at what happened last night,” she said.
“If the next words out of your mouth is to tell me to choose between you and Felix don’t even bother saying them, he’s my family,” I said through gritted teeth.
“I’m your wife,” she said.
“A wife forced on me,” I said and instantly regretted it.
“Right,” she said and turned around again.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” I said.
“I’m not doing this Ryder, we can still get an annulment, I can go back home and your life can be your own again,” she said.
“You can’t leave,” I said.
“I can’t stay here either,” she said.
“I am sorry Ava, I’m not the good guy most of the time and I don’t know what to do to make you happy,” I said.
“I don’t like fighting but I’ll try with Felix, if he means that much to you then I’ll make an effort,” she said.
“That’s all I ask and I’ll try harder to be a better husband,” I said to her.
“Okay.”
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