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“You walked away from a billionaire.”
“I guess I did.” I didn’t pause in unpackingmy suitcase. I couldn’t take the look I knew I’d see on Sarrah’sface.
I used to argue that moneycouldbuyhappiness. That people who said otherwise were naive or had neverneeded money. It sucked to find out that money didn’t buyhappiness, after all.
“A literal billionaire. Like, you could bejetting off to Paris on the weekends to buy diamonds, but you choseto come back here?”
“How many times are you going to ask thesame question in different ways?” I slammed a drawer shut hardenough to rock the stuff on top of my dresser. I couldn’t avoidlooking at her anymore.
Sarrah sat on my bed, her hands gripping theedge of the mattress. “I guess until I understand why you ran awayfrom a rich guy that you like.”
Love.I loved him, and that’s whatmade this slow slide into our inevitable breakup so hard forme.
Not hard for him, apparently. I’d tried tocall him the moment I got off the plane. He hadn’t answered. Then,when I’d gotten home, I’d sent a text. Read, but not returned.Maybe he wasn’t worried about our relationship because I told himnot to be. Or maybe he was secretly glad I’d gone home, and hewouldn’t ever speak to me again.
“You keep focusing on the rich part,” Ipointed out.
“Yeah, because I’m broke, and I don’tunderstand what’s happening. I would peace out on my entire life ifa guy like that wanted me sewn to his hip.” Her long, beadedearrings jangled as she shook her head at my foolishness.
“There’s no way to convince you about thiswithout it sounding clichéd, but… He doesn’t love me as much as heloves his money.” My voice choked off, and I forced myself, throughgreat effort, not to burst into tears.
My best friend’s demeanor changed instantly.“He said that to you? He had thenerve—”
“Not in those exact words.” I should be fairto him. “But he said it was ‘poetic, but unrealistic’ for someoneto give up their wealth for love.”
“It’s not ideal.” She chewed her cheek whilethinking it over. “Is it worth breaking up over?”
“We didn’t break up. I just needed time tothink.”
“I’m sorry, did we meet yesterday? Do I notknow you?” She got up, rubbing her hands on the thighs of herjeans, and headed for my kitchen.
“Don’t eat anything in there. I haven’t beenhome in weeks.” Of course, my mother had probably been out herethrowing away spoiled food and generally snooping around to seewhat I was up to.
I’d been keeping everyone in the dark aboutwhat was happening with Matt. They’d all known, of course, that I’dgone off on a fancy vacation with him and then on to a visit in NewYork.
But declarations of love? My doubt? I’ddropped all that squarely in my best friend’s lap when she’d comeover thinking I was home from a vacation fling.
“I’m looking for alcohol. I need it to dealwith you sometimes,” she said, taking down a couple of tumblersfrom a cupboard. She spoke while she poured cotton-candy-flavoredvodka into both, neatly dividing the half-full bottle between them.“You’re running away from another guy, all right? Until you canadmit to that, we have no way of moving forward to aresolution.”
I threw my hands up. “Fine. I’m running awayfrom Matt.”
“Great, glad we’re on the same page.” Shegrabbed a couple of diet sodas from the fridge and poured them intoour tumblers. “Why?”
“I told you why. Because he said—”
“Because he said something that you wouldhave totally agreed with before you left here to go to Fuck Islandwith him.”
She had me there.
I dropped onto the couch and jerked uprightat a knob of pressure in my lower back. Pulling the stuffed dragonfree, I sat it on the coffee table and tried not to make eyecontact with it. Matt had never even been to my house, and therewere reminders of him all over it.
Fuck. I had a dildo cast from hisactual dick. Why did I think running was going to work?
“How did it even come up?” she asked,bringing the drinks over.
I took mine gratefully and sipped it. Waytoo strong, but necessarily so, if this was the conversation I hadto face. “We were talking about my brother. Ugh, my fuckingbrother. Okay, so, after Scott threw the most epic tantrums aboutme and Matt, it turns out he was fucking Matt’s sister all along.Matt’smarriedsister.”
Sarrah’s eyes widened, and she leanedslightly back.